How much have you improved?

[Jeneeus Guruman]

Before:

• Map: Ctrl+D only.
  
• Script: Just copy-paste and edit scripts in the module or codes to be edited according to comments.
  

Now:

• Map: Ctrl+D plus edit; made my own map without
  
• Script: Made my own scripts and modified some scripts even parts that are not supposed to be edited and sometimes fixed most bugs on those scripts.
  

I'm really curious now... How does everybody manage to add those lighting effects?

I think, it's from here: http://www.rpgmakervx.net/index.php?showtopic=2432&st=0&p=29401entry29401

 

[punram]

Samven, on 25 June 2012 - 02:43 PM, said:

I'm really curious now... How does everybody manage to add those lighting effects?

I think this is a more accurate link for most of the screenshots shown:

http://www.rpgmakerv...showtopic=50059

A lot of people prefer to make fixed images in Photoshop or GIMP and then layer them over their maps.

I think it's probably the best way to use advanced lighting, alongside fogs and tints.

 

[PixelLuchi]

@Samven: Oh no, my actual RMXP stuff was way, way worse. I just don't have any screens of them ( maybe I deleted the atrocities because it belonged to a horribly executed fan-game ). But since I'm working with VX, I'd rather post stuff of that engine here, rather than XP's stuff.

 

[luzi]

I started making game in RM seriously in 2007, but I've been changing this and that since then and now I'm far from finishing my game.

(And now I'm rebooting my game even if the old one is already good. Oh well...)

Map (2007)

Map (2012)

Bustshot Art (2007)

I don't know how could I drew this thing back then. I felt really embarassed.

Bustshot Art (2012)

 

[Neoz Kaho]

@Coffee Straw LuZi

Can't tell you how much I'm proud of your improvement over the years.

 

[Ronove]

I hope I've improved a lot! I don't have anything from before the project a few of you may remember from 2006 (ish) (I just made myself feel old), so let's see how I've improved!

Portraits! Clearly, I like colors more. Way more.

I am glad I got better at scenes (and noses for the most part). Also around that time, I hated doing lineart on the computer, but my scanner was terrible. So I made do. I still hate doing lineart on the computer, but I hope I've gotten better at that (check out Luchino's portraits for her characters or the above portrait for that comparison).

Lastly (I'm not doing maps, can't find any good examples) are sprites! Over the years, I've really tried my hand at a bunch of different sprite styles and tried a few new things so I could make a template my own so it would stick. And here's what I could dig up:

I had a thing against contrast majorly for a while there. After the first sprite (was made on the White Ties template), I wanted to try larger sprites. Mixed results. I was never happy with them (I could never make them walk right) no matter how much I killed the feet. The fourth one was a joint effort of a friend of mine and myself (she did the template, I did the sprites) for a commercial project that fell through. I went back to larger sprites but tried to simplify them and then hated them so I made the smaller version which is based from the very first sprite, but striking out on my own in various places. I started to hone that template and finally, I think I understand how to do feet. Also getting better at contrast. The only real difference between the last two are simplicity. The project I am doing now I decided to do a more simple shading to save myself some heartache.

Improvement. *_*

 

[Knightmare]

Ronnie I really like the style of your 2006ish work! You should go back to doing it like that!

 

[RyanA]

Unfortunately, I have none of the maps from back when I started mapping in RPGMXP, a bit sad about that as I lost the project as well which was quite far along and was decent enough! But I'm much better now than back then, it seemed I got a giant leap in skill, then a small steps here and there afterwards!

Can say the same with my musical ability too, never knew how good I was until I was playing things I didn't dream of before without realising it, then finally realising it and thinking 'Wait...since when could I??"

It's quite nice seeing all of these pictures from then and now I remember back in the day, the maker of Quintessence? I think it was, helped inspire me more with my mapping, as he sent me a picture of his maps from when he was learning!

 

[Mon Dez]

Throughout the years I've started dependence on other people's resources and my mapping just sucked, but I see the more you use RPG Maker and the more you experiment with creating your own art and graphics I found out that you gain a ton of experience like my creation of my own actor portraits. At first I experimented with the usage of the paint tool and I began to use that frequently and lately someone told me to try my hand at paint tool sai. At first I was a bit afraid of change, but I took the chance with the program and look how it turned out a few months later; creating own battlers and starting to make better actor portraits. My mapping got better the more I played with RPG Maker and pretty soon the smallest details that irked me on my map, I fixed it to make it look better. You'd be surprised how being in this community and looking at other people's projects can motivate you to do better on your project.

Years of change in art:

Spoiler

2012

2012 (Later on)

You realize that you can do it if you put a lot of effort and I do mean a lot of effort towards making the characters the way you want them to look instead of relying on the rtp.

 

[Fablesinger]

In terms of improvement, I feel like I've regressed with some of the limitations of the VX style mapping (at least it got better on ace). But my eventing skills are pretty... what's the word? "Dope"? Anyways, went from bugged 30 second cutscenes to at least 3 minutes of awesomeness. And I do mean to toot my own horn.

 

[PixelLuchi]

Not really RM-related, but the below image shows how my art level has improved over the last 7 months. Large image coming up.

Spoiler

The 2nd image is my wallpaper. XD And Hanzo's BG is too nice not to use in art.

So, basically, I got better with line art and I began spending a little more time with my drawings by adding details and such. Same applied for the colouring process. While I took only 2 or so hours with the first one, I spent at least 6 on the second image ( mouse makes everything so much more tiring ). For those of you who are interested, Laine is in fact an Expy of the 2nd character. ^^