WayForward Contest #3: Background artist (tiling)

[Xion]

I love the simplicity of that last one, vedsten. Just beautiful.

[AdamTierney]

Baccaman21, you're entirely correct. This contest allows 10 palette rows of 15 colors each. Now that might mean up to 150 colors max, but it's probably going to end up being much less (because I'll wager, for example, you'll use black in more than 1 palette row). To reassure you though, yes, this is a critical part of the contest and I will be checking final entries for this as we judge. The top three spots cannot be taken by anyone using more than 10 color rows in their entire image. So don't let the fact that not everyone seems focused on that keep you down - many entires will naturally fall into the limitations because they're low color anyway, but it is entirely possible for someone to have an image with only 25 total colors that uses up 11 rows (do the math). That's why it's safest to really consider those rows as you pixel. The people who've been categorizing their pieces next to color rows are the safest.

Why are we stressing this instead of just having a fun tiling time? Because that's how it has to be done on GBA. Palettes are everything, and on a typical tileset you only get 16 rows for the entire tileset/map (so 10 for one GBA screen is actually giving you quite a lot).

- Adam

[Crazy Asian Gamer]

Not sure if I can finish the last 6 tiles before deadline, so I'm puttin this here just in case.

10 col total. 

[jalonso]

This is a second entry, and the second tileset I've ever made. I have made loads of progress and learned an awful lot just studying the other entries, so I win no matter what





Using 38 tiles

Using 35 tiles

Using 36 tiles

[Crazy Asian Gamer]

You certainly have progressed, jalonso. It's just, uh... I don't think it's in Double Dragon perspective.
Otherwise, nice empiric victory. 

EDIT: By the way, jalonso, might I add how much I ADORE that city backdrop?

ANOTHER EDIT??? WTF: I read previous posts. Looks like it doesn't have to be exactly DD perspective (I think...).
I also read baccaman's post. Heh... it's too late to change my colors/add new colors now. (wee)

[Blick]

A lot of progress made, jalonso. Like CAG said, it's not the Double Dragon perspective because of it having a vanishing point, but it's a good effort anyway.

If I (procrastinated less/could tile) I might've done one of these.

I'm riding on the hope that WayForward Contest #4 involves drawing bananas.

[Akira]

ahh hell. Forgot about this right up to the end. Quick entry, bout 2 hours worth, 40 tiles, 44 colours:

Really didn't have the time to texture everything since i'm away tomorrow and need sleep now. Oh well, C&C if you wanna.
I'll do better next time..

EDIT: Here's a 6 colour just cause i can.

[Panda]

I was working on one of these, started 2 weeks ago, but forgot about it.
Tried to go back to it yesterday, as I remembered about it, but everything I did for it looked rather rushed, and ended up feeling ill from a cold I was carrying since a few days ago.
Anyway, I'll just post the wip of what I had.



So far it only uses one palette row.
The road tiles were made multi-tileable for creating different cracks and effects using the less amount of tiles.

Anyway, good luck to everyone that is participating.

[baccaman21]

I was working on one of these, started 2 weeks ago, but forgot about it.
Tried to go back to it yesterday, as I remembered about it, but everything I did for it looked rather rushed, and ended up feeling ill from a cold I was carrying since a few days ago.
Anyway, I'll just post the wip of what I had.



So far it only uses one palette row.
The road tiles were made multi-tileable for creating different cracks and effects using the less amount of tiles.

Anyway, good luck to everyone that is participating.

I would contravertially say that for me this is hands down the winner... even though it's not completed - the choice of color pallette, the placement of pixels I can tell immediatly that panda has underlying skills that I believe are close to professional... with respect to background development that is... well done panda!

I think this is a tremendous effort, Just superb... I love the fact he's managed to develop the cracks so that he can create 4 varying types over a larger 2x2 tile area - that shows skills with understand tesselation as well as being economic with the character coun -  I love the end piece on the brick work as it juts out into that gap... the way it sticks out to 'counter' the obviousness of the tile boundaries, which I feel a lot of the others here don't successfully manage to remove.

Finally, I love the painterly subtle style - notice the lack of intense dark colors (such as black) this pushes the background INTO the background, which allows game sprites and any HUD to stand out on top of it... which is good for gameplay. - I always prefer backgrounds to be less saturated and less contrasting.

Taken to it's ultimate conclusion I beleive this would really suit a "modern" beat em up game that was perhaps based on something like justice league or the x-men... or the mutant turtles... Particularly with bright vibrant 'cel shaded' style combatants over the top of it...

Plus he's only used 1 pallette row so far...

Simply Stunning.

Vedstens work is also great. nice pallettes, Entry A & C particularly... I think B could be desaturated and the contrast reduced slightly also... but that's personal choice. (See my comment above)
out of the three I'd rank them in order of merit - A 1st, C 2nd (purely for it's simplicity), with B 3rd ... mainly because of the contrast and choice of colors set's it down a few pegs.

All in all though a great effort.

I also think the texture in Vierbits offering is really nice... personally I prefer the more flat color work but your work is excellently done and also quite professional. It has elements of Metal Slug About it... (praise indeed)

Another good pixel pusher. Well Done Vierbit.

With regards to those of you who think I'm being harsh, I apologise - I've been on these boards now for 3 days and I'm still yet to gain the 'vibe' of the place so I'm sorry if I've offended any of you.

However - having said that - I do have a significant understanding of this medium and this format particularly and In all honesty I'm making these comments in a bid to help you all understand the rules of this contest and ultimately win it... as adam points out, those of you who have illustrated their choice of pallette are the safest - I'm just a stickler for pallette management having stayed up to the early hours on too many times to mention, correcting pallette errors that my old art team had incorporated into their work...

But I get your point about the fun factor and I'll bear it in mind in future.

Thanks and Good luck.

[baccaman21]

I dont understand this: "In other words, actually set up the five pallettes you have highlighted and remap each tile into the relevant pallette and then finally rebuild the image?"
at all. What is it exactly we need to change?

Excuse me Hondo for using your submittion to illustrate my point... I hope you don't mind.

from this...   


...to this


And yes it's a bit anal... but actually more accurate. The first image is Hondo's orginal image with the addition of the actual GIF pallette indexes. See how even though he's illustrated in his image what his choice of pallettes are the actual GIF PALLETTE doesn't reflect this choice. Where as the 2nd image has been repalletized according to GBA 16 colored character map screen conventions.

Perhaps you don't see the difference as both images look identical but technically it's correct.

I just wanted to point this out... I don't want to ruin the fun, so to say, as hondo has precisely specified his CHOICE of pallettes which as it turns out works fine. as I've demonstrated in the 2nd image. Visually there IS no difference it's just the way the pallette is organised that has changed.

Anyway... I hope this helps you to understand neverest... Keep up the good work!
I'm curious now to see who adam will choose as the overall winners... :S