Game & Map Screenshots 4

[Stridah]

needle i am definately feeling those good job!

 

[Needle]

Thanks for the feedback! They're still a WIP, so I'll take some new screens after I feel like I've hit the saturation point. Good to know I'm on the right track.

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

Needle: That definitely is really trippy. A question: is those pillars reaching down to the platform below you supposed to be an optical illusion? If so, good job. You really tested my eyes there. *looks deeply into the abyss of impossibility*

 

[Needle]

@CashmereCat - It's not supposed to be an intentional illusion.... I guess there might be something wrong with my tile set.  I tired to make enough pillars to make it seem like each platform had some sort of support, but enough empty space to make it look like every step was perilous. If you're seeing some Escher stuff then it probably means I missed a drop shadow some place...

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

Yeah, I think that's impossible. It actually looks pretty trippy, though.


Edit: Unless those stairs don't actually connect with the platform...


Edit #2: No, it can't be, because you have a little tile under the other stairs that is hanging in the air to indicate the depth of that part of the staircase. So it's an impossible structure. Whoopee!

 

[Needle]

Yarg! You're right! That's totally not possible! What was I thinking? I may just remove the "back pillars" all together and hope the players don't care.

EDIT: Turns out most of my staircases have optical illusion issues. Again, I may just ignore the problem, as some staircases are long enough that the lower level disappears before the top level comes into frame. Also, I'm trying to extend some of them out a bit more onto platforms. That may be enough to "sell it" even if it's completely ficticious.

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

@Needle If it's a trippy dream world, which it kind of looks like it is, then those platforms actually look nice as optical illusions. The other option is that you can extend the staircase by 1 or 2 tiles to see what looks natural.

 

[Needle]

Here's the same staircase. Kind of did a combination of things - removed the connection point of the offending pillar, and extended the staircase out a bit more. Between these two things, I may have killed the illusion enough that it'll work. It's definitely still not perfect.

Thanks for pointing this out! I came to this thread for this sort of thing and I got what I needed.

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

Hmm... actually I still think it's impossible. If you think about it, that platform is directly above the other platform by 7 tiles. If the stairs go at a 45 degree angle, those stairs should be 14 tiles long. Right now, those stairs are 7 tiles long, which means they're at a 67.5 degree angle. Which is this:

Now because the sprite has an even gap between stairs, the stair tile by default is assumed to be 45 degrees. Which is why it's impossible.

I'm not sure how you'd fit 14 stairs in there (either by extending it from the top or bottom), but if you're ok with the stairs being extremely steep, and some people who notice small things like this having a small problem with depth and perception, then you can leave it the way it is. I'm just a bit stingy when it comes to things like this.

It was actually Liberty that taught me the lesson about stairs being 45 degrees. Theoretically, there should be as many stair tiles as the elevation of the upper platform is above the lower one.

 

[William MC]

@William MC Looks great, and it's a great cutscene. I love the intrigue and the suspense. It's got a couple of spelling and grammatical errors, though:

~~~

"Zekiel, I sense trouble on the horizon."

"What is it, (comma) Lord Yukikage?"

...

"Yes, (comma) most definitely. Though I'm unsure what it is that is causing such a dire effect on them."

...

"Please, (comma) Lord Yukikage, allow me to go investigate the cause of the light's (apostrophe) disappearance."

...

"Thank you, (comma) master."

~~~

Hope this helps!

Wow thanks for the feedback! I truly appreciate it. I'll fix those right up. I hope to keep a sort of mysterious aspect to the story as it unfolds piece by piece as you play. I've got lots of cutscenes written out like screen plays, just gotta make them.

 

[Omega Weapon]

I actually liked the Escher-y map better than the revised one. They are still beautiful, nonetheless.

And we're working with a messed-up perspective where we see the front and the top in full at the same time. Stairs are the least I worry about. A longer stairway would ruin the map for me, even when it would be more realistic. Just shove it into the "acceptable breaks from reality", shall we? I'm fine with extending a stairway one tile below the bottom of the wall. (and this rambling comes from an architecture student... wow)

 

[Needle]

Thanks Omega, I am inclined to agree with you on this one - I think I've pushed the fix as far as I want to despite the continued looming "impossibility" of the staircase. To fix it more would probably alter the entire integrity of the map, which is something I don't think I want to do. If anything it has made me more aware of the possibility of impossibility (that's fun to say) and future maps in this location will be a little more sensible.

I'll have to start a Project Dev thread soon so I can show off some of this stuff in action! It's killin' me to not be done.

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

As I said, the MC Escher staircase had some charm to it, if it was in a dream world or something. Just go with whatever feels right. I'm just saying that structurally it's pretty impossible.

 

[Sharm]

You know, on your last screencap all you'd really have to do is move the bottom of the pillars so that the pillars start at the back of the platform instead of the front. Just keep in mind that the pillars need to be shorter than the stairs while mapping and it should fix it.

 

[Bonkers]

Here's the same staircase. Kind of did a combination of things - removed the connection point of the offending pillar, and extended the staircase out a bit more. Between these two things, I may have killed the illusion enough that it'll work. It's definitely still not perfect.

Thanks for pointing this out! I came to this thread for this sort of thing and I got what I needed.

If it is necessary to complete the experience, why not offer it up as a resource request?  Something like an edit to the stairs would be easy to do if I understand this correctly.  You can keep the staircase looking precarious that way without a square chunk missing.

 

[Needle]

@Sharm - you're absolutely correct. If I move those pillars to the top side of the lower platform, everything should get straightened out.I'll give it a go when I get home. Consequently, another map I did in this same style follows this rule based on the conversation we've been having in this thread!

@palladinthug - It's definitely an idea, regarding the "missing block" of stairs, to try and make it look smoother. Mostly, I'm working in the constraints of the RTP, and wanted to get everything working properly. Coming back to all of this stuff and beautifying/customizing it is definitely on the slate! I just don't want to get too hung up on details just yet - I'd like to get a game done before the end of the century

 

[Kes]

@Needle

those maps are extremely good.  I think Sharm's suggestion would be enough to see off any but the most extreme pedant, and they'd find something anyway.  And don't forget - this thing is falling down around our hero's ears, so a bit of weirdness in the architecture fits in with that - that's one of the reasons it's so unstable.  At least, that's the sort of thing I think I'd be saying to myself if I were playing it.

 

[Quigon]

Trying out a point n' click kinda thing with a Valkyria Chronicles/some point and click horror game I can't remember the name of art style. Trying to figure out how much screen I want to be obscured...

 

[C-C-C-Cashmere (old)]

@Sharm - you're absolutely correct. If I move those pillars to the top side of the lower platform, everything should get straightened out.I'll give it a go when I get home. Consequently, another map I did in this same style follows this rule based on the conversation we've been having in this thread!

Actually yes. Sharm's solution is perfect. Although there is some sort of charm to having it look like an optical illusion, I must say. But overall, this map is really cool and I want to explore it.

@QuigonI really like the parchment style you're going for, but I'd say that's on the "too much obscured" side. Then again, I don't really know what type of game you're going for.

Here's some rando .gifs I tried and failed to make after seeing how awesome Omori's gif screenshots turned out... I wish I knew how to do these better!

Spoiler

 

[Ruby]

The new housing district in Serenity Oceans. 

What should I change? Does it look like a comfortable place to live?

Spoiler