Lumberjack's Day-Z
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16125
Printed Date: 30 September 2025 at 8:23am
Topic: Lumberjack's Day-Z
Posted By: ggrin
Subject: Lumberjack's Day-Z
Date Posted: 09 April 2013 at 8:47am
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How it's going?
I'm currently working on a little platformer called Lumberjack's Day-Z. I'm new to pixel art and graphics for this game is my first try, so I really need some criticism and few pieces of advice. I'll upload my early build soon, but for now to draw your attention: Protagonist — the lumberjack. 
In-game screenshot. The lumberjack is about to pick gas can =) 
Stay tuned! |
Replies:
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 09 April 2013 at 9:41am
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I love it for the most part. * The 2 yellows used on the sand are in the wrong lum for this otherwise almost perfect palette. * The water may not need to be scattered like that. It will read as water no matter what. * The only serious crit I have is the complete useless need for any dithering at all on this as it stands. Its actually a weakness for any pixel nerd. * The pines could be slightly cleaner. fyi, PJ does not accept transparencies so when submitting to the gallery please do not include the water layers to be safe. I actually would make an exception in this case for the water but to be fair to all we keep it on the strict side of things with any transparency. The glow behind the sprite is a total no, k. ------------- |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 09 April 2013 at 2:10pm
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Anyone know nice swf hosting? This one scales my beta in a very bad way: http://megaswf.com/serve/2573855/ - http://megaswf.com/serve/2573855/
furthrmore I have a bug with fullscreen, terrain gonna dissapear if widnow's size too big. So u could fullscreen it and reduce browsers size till land shows up. Ok, WASD, 1-8 to use complete weapons. This build has no zombies (they was disturbing) and u also cant die; UPDATED: http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1365603215 - http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1365603215 — hosted without scaling |
Posted By: Psychotic_Carp
Date Posted: 09 April 2013 at 8:03pm
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seems ok to me?
this is chrome, ie was the same, firefox wouldent render, prob because i have flashblock on  -------------  got game?
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Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 12:15am
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@psychotic_carp yes, it's look as it should
@jalonso thanks for such quick response! I can't say I get it completely, so I would appreciate if you could explain to me parts about dithering and sand. Darker sand color is for wet and cold that lies deep and close to water. Bg is temporary, not sure if pines gonna stay :) Sorry for my English :) Feel free to point on my mistakes. |
Posted By: r1k
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 2:52am
| about the dithering, you seem to be going for a style about flat textureless shapes, but the sand (and trees) have dithering, which makes them look out of style compared to the rest. |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 7:20am
| Dithering on a trees makes em more bark looking, not flat, I think. Big shapes looked boring to me, so I added dithering. Lumberjack has enough details for his size and looks clear, so I didn't dither him. Do u think I should refuse dithering at all or dither everything? =) |
Posted By: imnumberfour
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 8:39am
I had some fun with this :) For me, the weird thing was the varying colour count/contrast between tiles. I also gave the tiles some more form, however that may have been a stylistic choice (i decided to add form after you said you wanted the bark to look like bark) |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 11:50am
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As mentioned, keeping an overall 'look and feel' will only help your project. There are many ways to get the bark to read as you wish using different techniques besides dithering. I just don't see a need for it here. You have a clean and sharp look that really works. Every asset made should keep that look. For example, the square trees and the player sprite and the ground dirt tiles and even the boat all fit well. The sand, pines and tree trunks do not. The avobe edit on the trees is a far better solution. ------------- |
Posted By: Damian
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 12:46pm
Keep the clean style, it looks great. The trees however clash with everything. Maybe something like below would be more suited.
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Posted By: r1k
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 4:27pm
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I thought about jim's adventure game mockup when looking at this http://www.wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=14625.msg135100#msg135100 - http://www.wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=14625.msg135100#msg135100 he uses very minimal dithering. Maybe it can serve as some inspiration. |
Posted By: Mr.Fahrenheit
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 4:37pm
| I would avoid using different sized pixels. |
Posted By: r1k
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 6:41pm
heres a quick tree edit trying to show how you could imply bark texture without use of dithering you could still acheive it using tiles but probably have a few different tiles that all tile into eachother so it doesnt look like tiles. |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 11 April 2013 at 1:13am
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@imnumberfour: really nice ground tile, sir. Really like it. I gonna try it, maybe lil bit simplier. But the tree is completly flat. Anyway thanks!
Originally posted by Mr.Fahrenheit
I would avoid using different sized pixels. I tried! I wanted to use 2x2 but sometimes I can't reach desired level of details with 2x2 drawing small objects. @r1k: great texture! I think I gonna make something like that. Thanks to everyone. |
Posted By: imnumberfour
Date Posted: 11 April 2013 at 3:21am
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Originally posted by ggrin @imnumberfour: really nice ground tile, sir. Really like it. I gonna try it, maybe lil bit simplier. But the tree is completly flat. Anyway thanks! Thanks :D |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 12 April 2013 at 2:46am
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Hello once again!
Here are new mockup: *Removed sand dithering *New ground tile (Which one's better?) *And some ideas how trees could look like; (I'd appriciate any pieces of advice about krones, maybe some refernces. The goal is to keep tree's shape as simple as possible) 
And here are zombies! Crits, suggestions? 
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Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 12 April 2013 at 5:59am
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Zombies are good. Brown tree texture looks good. Green foreground trees with grey trunks fail :( Wrong pattern scale and technique. The green line at the bottom of the treetop is fugly. I do love the trunk colors as that little bit of black/white helps everything else pop. Keep that.
------------- |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 12 April 2013 at 6:22am
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Originally posted by jalonso
Green foreground trees with grey trunks fail :(
That how trees with treetop looked like before my first post here. Im gonna change em, but really stuck with a treetop. Btw I'm not sure if birch is gonna stay for the next iteration. For begining I wanted standrt brown tree and spruce, birch was a part of an experiment with trunk. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 12 April 2013 at 8:29am
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I've already said I like this project and I just assumed you were technically being clean for the most part. I went to show an edit to help you along and I gotta tell you that technically and on the pixel level you have one big ole mess and what is here is not pixelart at all. You have gradients, artifacts and all sorts of things going on and while this may not affect you or your project its a disappointment to pixelart :'( Just the same heres an edit that could help you out and includes my view/feedback on certain details. • Birch sample • Edited yellows used on sand with some mock AA • BG trees that are curvy enough to soften things out but not so fluid that it takes away from the current look and feel. • Edit on cut tree tops that gives you a hint of curves without calling attention to itself. Just cleaning the asset which seems unfinished as you have them. • A better and cleaner water option. • Some AA on the jaggiest parts of the boat planks.  ------------- |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 18 April 2013 at 9:42am
sup! WIP!
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Posted By: Occillo
Date Posted: 18 April 2013 at 2:30pm
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Really great idea for a game.
I agree that the trees (in the background especially) need to be cleaned up :) |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 19 April 2013 at 2:44am
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Originally posted by Occillo
Really great idea for a game. I agree that the trees (in the background especially) need to be cleaned up :) Thanks! Idea evolved a lot since begining: I waned to make a simple canadian lumberjack's simulator - you chopping woods, nothing happens, just chopping. Than I asked myself: what if I add some violance? Animals for example that protect thier forest. I don't clearly remember when I replaced them with a zombies. For me zombies - is simple way to show your motivation: you gotta survive. How? Chop some wood and build a boat than sail away. |
Posted By: showtime
Date Posted: 19 April 2013 at 7:50pm
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It might be too late, but it would be sweet and totally more Canadian to have a bunch of bigfoot/sasquatch attacking you instead of zombies. I'm probably in the minority, but I get a bit irked by zombies being a default enemy, I think it's cliche. Keep up the good work though, this looks like a promising project! |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 20 April 2013 at 2:10pm
how s idea? Which one is better? (i meant the one than has no phys model of treetop or one that has) |
Posted By: Occillo
Date Posted: 23 April 2013 at 8:47am
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I'm not 100% sure what you mean but I think the left is better.
Tree's don't fall on to their branches they fall on to their trunks. Also in-game I don't really like the jumping animation its like he's running in mid air! (I'm not sure if you're working on that yet or if you're just focusing on the art) |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 23 April 2013 at 3:07pm
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There are no jumping animation yet. Now it's on my list, thank you.
I'm afraid trees from my last post could clash with other art. But anyway, I think they are better than others I've done before. About tree fall: right one is weird, yes, but I think it more obvious, you know exactly where it falls and it also funnier I think. Anyway I'll figure which one is better in beta :) |
Posted By: fbepyon
Date Posted: 23 April 2013 at 6:15pm
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I like the style of you game, I would recommend one thing with the tree is that from a fair it looks fine, but close up it doesn't look right.. What I might recommend is doing multiple parts of a pine tree or even just stacks of logs showing were they were, or even make a saw showing a log being split.. looks good though. |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 24 April 2013 at 1:37am
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Originally posted by fbepyon
What I might recommend is doing multiple parts of a pine tree or even just stacks of logs showing were they were, or even make a saw showing a log being split.. If I got it right... Yes, you can see how it looks in game so far. It made procedurally — I've got some sawdust partciles while chopping, than trunk falls and stomp stays :) |
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 24 April 2013 at 7:13pm
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Maybe you should shape the "square" trees more? I keep thinking the background "square" trees are billboards or something. The shape isn't natural. The branches are fine, its just the leaves that square it up.
Also, the sasquatch idea is great. Maybe he could be a mini boss or a rare appearance enemy. This enemy could function as a plot device or side quest. You could even have a rare weapon drop, who knows. |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 30 April 2013 at 5:21am
I think i nearly got it:
anyway it started to look good to me (I'm talking about trees). plus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmXgINJIe_c - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmXgINJIe_c it shows treecutting mechanics. Sorry for the quality, dunno what youtube made with it. |
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 30 April 2013 at 2:13pm
| Cool video and the game mechanics are really coming along. I have to ask, why do the trees have to smash him? They could be just fall behind or in front of him. Also, the large trees seem lethal. Who would ever cut one if they couldn't escape? |
Posted By: Occillo
Date Posted: 30 April 2013 at 4:11pm
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I like the idea that the trees can squash him.
Do you dare to chop the bigger ones for more wood with the risk of getting squashed? I think the Gas Station could do with a bit of work, especially the word "GAS". The trees are getting there but the connection between the leaves and the trunk looks a little bit odd. Also I'm not sure if I like the tree furthest to the right, the trunk is way too small and I don't think it fits with the rest. If you want any alpha testing on the actual game I'd be willing to help :) Keep working on this, its nice to see it coming together! |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 03 May 2013 at 8:50am
A lot of code work, but I started to look for a mid-air jump pose
Some cartoony references please =) |
Posted By: Bitslap
Date Posted: 03 May 2013 at 11:10am
| Came here to say that i laughed several times during the video. |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 08 May 2013 at 4:15pm
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What do you think could I find someone here to help me with animating zombies? How much could it cost, for ex. 1 set of walk, attack, idle and death smooth (for ex. human walk animation in my project made with 12 frames) animation?
Aaaaand, stay tuned, I gonna post new build at the weekend. |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 21 May 2013 at 11:17am
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Hey there! A lil update, sorry, it was scaled for my http://iamlazydev.tumblr.com/ - tumblr
Actual gameplay footage =) Procedural lighting. 
Just a watchfire 
Main feature - growing beard. Gonna be realized soon. 
Guns guns guns 
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Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 02 June 2013 at 10:43am
hello there! Need an advice. I'm making a crash site. The goal is that shore should look like a crash site without a boat beign seen. I added an anchor and a lifebuoy what else could I add? Other problem: I dunno what to do with a water texture P.S: Bg and clouds under construction |
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 02 June 2013 at 1:18pm
| Floating pieces of the ship, people's personal effects. (Hats, luggage, food, cargo like drum barrels, boxes, etc.) |
Posted By: hellotherekyle
Date Posted: 02 June 2013 at 5:37pm
| Looks great. Maybe have a few dead bodies floating in the water? Or all zombified and trying to swim! |
Posted By: YanDaik
Date Posted: 03 June 2013 at 1:45pm
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Growing BEARD! You have my attention. _____________________________________________________ http://www.indiedb.com/games/no-evil-allowed - http://www.indiedb.com/games/no-evil-allowed |
Posted By: AtskaHeart
Date Posted: 03 June 2013 at 2:37pm
| Same XD! The growing beard is definitely a nice addition :). |
Posted By: ggrin
Date Posted: 04 June 2013 at 4:49am
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@Etheric_Shock @hellotherekyle thanks! Luggage and dead bodies are good ideas.
@YanDaik @AtskaHeart LOL. I think I should make it customizable =D |