I'm currently not submitting stuff to the gallery and weekly challenges, nor beeing actively participating on the forum, because working alone on an RPG is my personal bittersweet daily hell (yep, I didn't manage to fool others to join me, so I'm on my own) and it drains currently all my time and stamina.

I have been working all along the summer on sprites, and some of my creatures... hell, I don't like. I'm sure here I can get all the C+C I'm able to manage and even lots more.

From now on, I'll upload anything I'm not satisfied with, for anyone who cares and has the good will to help my poor soul.

The Graphics:
Please notice that the graphics are a low resolution ones. Any pixel you see would be shown at 4X in actual gameplay. Just click three times on the images to see how would they look.
Also canvases I work with are ridiculously small, and so it is the detail level I can put into it.

This is very peculiar, I know...

Well, first allow me to introduce you: the provisionally titled RPG Panic.



As I told, I'll add here just the stuff I'm not fully satisfied with, and all the finished stuff would be eventually submitted to Pixeljoint gallery. Hopefully, some of them would be included in the gallery.

Thanks in advance for your time.

1-Street map:

-->-->

Such terrible and simple sidewalk... and maybe many other things I can't see.

2-Ufo crash:



How about the design? And about colors?


Edited by dyluck - 01 October 2014 at 7:37am

i feel like some shading may bring some depth to the pictures. also in the ufo crash i think a little crass would help. maybe even just some more visible pieces sticking up next to the aliens. the colors to me are amazing and as is it gives a very nice feel but in my opinion i think there are areas where more detail is needed. Now I'm quite nooby so il allow a pro to step in and guide you more. XD

Mogh -Thanks a lot! I'm glad to know your opinion, one of my main challenges and goals is to pixel appealing graphics despite the low resolution.
Killapeanutz -Thank you so much! True, they really need some deph. I also want to keep a simple style, not very texturized and unclean... so I need to find an adequate balance, and I'll work on it.
Latch - Thank yoy very much! I feel a little embarassed. I didn't realized. For the car I should make a false perspetive more consistent. Consider me working already on it.

Is great having your feedback, people. So great that I almost feel like I should pay you! (;) well, almost).
I'll track all the useful feedback later, and as it is fair, won't forget it. ;)


Edited by dyluck - 24 September 2014 at 5:59am

just some edits got lazy.

Previous version:

My edit:

Comparison:


I couldn't fix everything but this should give you a general idea. Here are some things to consider:

Lighting
When you illustrate a scene, always be aware of your light source. If it's the sun, it's probably above the scene. Things facing upward need to be lighter. Your car was previously lit from its left side. I also added subtle highlights to your tree where branches face the sky.

As a nice trick, make angles facing the view lighter than their surrounding surfaces. This suggests the light is coming from above the viewer's head as well. I did this with the edges of the sidewalk, the border of the building, which I added, and the upper edge of the car.

Hue and Saturation
You're using almost exclusively straight ramps in your original. Vary your hues and saturation more. Check out this article: http://finalbossblues.com/using-and-choosing-colors/ I think it explains what I mean.

I changed one tree and left the other alone. The tree I changed now shades towards purple and highlights towards orange. I left it subtle, but you can go more extreme if you like.

Contrast
Besides varying your hues and saturation you need to watch for contrast. In your version the tree on the right is difficult to pick out from the grass behind it and the building next to it. You can set the palette to express a sunny or gloomy day yourself but make sure that the mortar and the bricks behind the tree don't pop more than the tree itself.

Angle
Unfortunately, you rendered your buildings from a side perspective. Windows, doors, etc. need to be squashed at least as much as the car is. I can't redo this part for you.

Text
My advice: cut it. It pops more than anything in the entire scene. If you must have it, let it be an appropriately low contrast and angled to match its surroundings. I cut the ATM text to show you that it's still recognizable without it. The text on the left building, meanwhile, is angled directly out at the player instead of towards the street. How many RPGs can you think of with readable text on their buildings anyway? You're fine without it.

Palette
I'm not totally sure if this is supposed to be a gloomy day in your city, so I didn't do much to unify your palette, you but definitely should look into it.

Here:


Everything in Zozo is dark, desaturated, and primarily blue or brown in hue. If you're not comfortable creating a palette from scratch, borrow one. You can also try working in monochrome and get the values straight before adding hues.

Again, I didn't try to build your palette for you. I just reworked some individual aspects of it.

Hopefully, some of the above is useful to you. Keep posting.


Edited by JustinGameDesign - 25 September 2014 at 12:06pm

Have you looked at Earthbound? It has a fairly colorful but not overwhelming city.

I'm still working on how to improve the street map as I've been adviced, but I would like C+C on some npc I would like to include in the game.
This time they are pair of police officers and a transvestite. The police officers I think are fine, but I'm not happy with the third one... does he really reads like a transvestite?

ps: why a transvestite? Well, a friend of mine challenged me to pixel lots of things and characters, and I think it would be original to put a variety of npc. Please notice I don't want to make fun on anybody, just depict a fictional character.





Edited by dyluck - 26 September 2014 at 3:07pm

jalonso- I'm on it. Thanks!

Hi again, I'm planning on including a cabin in a forest stage, but all I try is dull and ugly, like this one I show below. After some hours spent on this, I can't come up with nicer designs or with any details to improve or include on it.


By the way, it's meant to be a forester's cabin in the woods.

I also dislike the design of the city buildings  and willing to improve them with some references and your previous tips and edits.


Edited by dyluck - 29 September 2014 at 1:22pm

I'm terrible at shading, but it doesn't look as flat


Edited by Xevil - 29 September 2014 at 9:36pm

This is the cabin with some issues fixed, plus some animals. C+C is so welcomed:

Good news for the project, a friend is working on nice tunes for the game, so its music would be unique instead of buyed from a ressource database!

I'm currently programming the NPC IA, but still pixelling a little.

You need more contrast in just about everything.

You also need to think about 3d volume and how that affects the light.
To me it looks likes you draw something, then fill it with color, then add texture. You need another step before texturing, which is to add volume. Start with a big brush, get messy, and then clean up and add detail. Right now it looks like a flat shape with texture painted on top.

You could use some details such as grass on the top of the cliff. And some rocks in that dirt.

Your Trash Converters sign is using darker darks than the rest of your wall and the tree branch touches the edge of the sign without occluding it. This makes your sign look like it's a foreground or UI element instead of a background store sign.

Looks like you've edit this somewhat, and it is less confusing now.

Edited by Iscalio - 23 February 2015 at 7:38am

Time for some final bosses.
I've been working on bosses, and I've come with the idea of doing a little tribute to some adventure and RPG classics.

This one is inspired by Thraxx (Secret of Evermore). A sort of coleoptera.
There's also my version of the nasty maggots in the bugmuck swamp.


This is my version of Tropicallo (Secret of Mana). A lemmon headed pineapple.


This is, again SOE inspired, Salabog (Secret of Evermore).


This is (unfinished) inspired by the Trallü (Little Big Adventure 2)


What do you think about them?


Edited by dyluck - 11 March 2015 at 9:49am

Thanks for the feedback!
Sorry, I think now I understand better what he told.

About the contrast issue: is not very high (in fact it's horrible in the last). But for the second and third, at 4X looks more decent.
I'll tweak a little bit the contrast for the final version.

Back to work, then. ;)

Better use palettes with more pastel-like colors and make the gradients by skipping some hues to enrich the whole image.

More than 6 months since last update... I guess I was on a lapsus from pixelling. Just reading the forum, and doing some edit to other people's wips.
I also did paid pixel works for a little game, half coded yet, but promising, that I'll post here when the game is out, (with the owner's permission).
Most of the time, I work on stories and concepts for my main game, this RPG Panic, and I have to say it's exhausting... items, menu system, skills, story, characters, enemys, puzzles and other stuff like ways to advertise and market it. It's not a one person's job.

I undestood the C+C from your last advices, I was quite happy with my latest cliffs, but the crumbly rocks really look like dirth and not like rocks, maybe  more for the colors used rather than the form, but I'll update themn in both ways. I completely forgot to thank you people for your C+C! . You have my gratitude.

Does anybody know any reference for little sized towns?( specially buildings) kind of the size and style of silent hill, but without the fog.

@pyrometal... thanks.
The light source is meant to be noon's sunlight, so exactly from above.
the shadowing of the roof tiles is meant to be a first aproximation to texture rather than lighting itself, I should do something with that tiles, but don't know exactly what to do to them.
the roof entrance is meant to be not so wide, but since the entrance stairs are not finished it doesn't look right, and it's confusing.

The roof of the tower is a copy paste of a piece of the other, it should show tiles at the front side instead of stone bricks, like the rest of the roof.

Any ideas on how to add volume to the stones not giving them too much detail? What could I do to the roof tiles to make them? Do I just remove the borders?

I see what you say about gray too.

thanks, I didn't read the crits as harsh. On the contrary, you were too kind expressing it.

It may look like if I didn't pay much attention to te C&C, because sometimes I did not fix things or I didn't show the results of that feedback, but I really pay much attention to it, and plan to fix as much of it as I can.

I shoulnd't put too much detail to certain pieces that may benefit from it, to keep a consistent style, the stone bricks without the second color shadowing may look too plain, but texture gives them too much detail.
The roof tiles are a little bit troublesome to me, maybe i just add another color and change the pattern or dither or something...

I'll fix the main issues.

The way you have your slide drawn (straight on)makes it hard to read as a slide. Try to make it curve and give it some perspective so we can see the ladder.

You should add a roundabout in your park: http://https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout_(play)

Simple enough to draw and takes a decent amount of space (bang for your buck) which would make your park more appealing.

eons since last update...
Sadly, my lack of time ended up with me almost giving up.
I managed to implement the action rpg combat system last summer and the next one I'll end the menus and will be finally free to pixel! It's crazy and stupid how long term it's taking me to make my first real game. But... Yay for me!

hey, buddy! it's been ages!
My "problem" was (finally) getting a job, wich was good news, I hope your lack of time has a good side too!
I'll post some wips during weekend, and as soon as I can a video with actual gameplay of it.
Maybe I can grab some more c&c from you. Thanks in advance!

Hi, the first two enemies desiged for testing the action rpg combat system were an exhibitionist and a stray dog. Any c&c welcomed!

  

I'm not 100% satisfied with the dog facing up, facing down and attaking up.
The animations kind of work, I know it's difficult to imagine just like that, I'll try to upload a video with some gameplay showing those guys animated.