Screen Mockup,

[None]

[imgzoom]http://s10.postimg.org/71mxvgijd/mockup.png[/imgzoom]
I'm totally satisfied with the GUI, but is the bg/sprite contrast too low to be playable?

I'm about to go nuts creating this mags game I'm working on. I've been so out of practice, it's like grinding teeth! I don't have photoshop at the moment, so doing simple things like palette reduction, creating gradients, and tinting the grays takes three different programs.

Why is it in grays you ask? Because I am colorblind as heck.

And yes he is in his underwear; Inspired by Ripley in Alien, and because I wanted to pixel guys in undies... pbblt.

I don't know if this is gonna qualify for this month's mags, (my idea is for a sci-fantasy game, involving space plague) but even if it doesn't, I'm gonna try hard to finish it anyways.

If my workflow doesn't make me commit seppuku before I manage to finish.

I'm in such a hurry, I'm really just wanting a level of quality that's playable and not eye-wrenching, so thoughts?

UPDATE: 01/17/16

[imgzoom]http://s16.postimg.org/4gxg7g3xh/mockupnew.png[/imgzoom]
So I'm still refining my color reduction, palette creation, frankly the whole process of coloring an image. But I thought I'd post an update, so you could see some tentative partial coloration, especially on the GUI.

At this speed of progress I'll never get it done for MAGS, but I have some ideas of adapting this concept for a regular game, so we'll see if anything comes of it. #nopromises

[jwalt]

You might take a look at Phoxo for an art program. Merely a suggestion; it might not do all you want, but it does do gradients.

Regarding being off-topic for the current MAGS competition, take my word for it, no one is farther off-topic than I am. If I finish it, Stupot+ may disqualify it and make me go stand in the corner. And I'd totally understand why he did it.

Regarding the artwork, it seems playable to me. But I'm not an expert, so I'll defer to others with better skills/opinions.

[Kumpel]

Well, in my opinion it's amazing with a good, not too noisy rock texture, but a little bit lifeless with no ground texture whatsoever (but maybe that's the outcome of a space plague )
Also it gives me a sidescroller arcade game vibe. because i can only see two clearly separated levels and left/right paths.

The GUI is fantastic. I am really excited to explore that really shiny fish bowl and the "N"(ecronomicon )

The character sprite is looking nice and simple. I am always astonished, when 4 simple pixels give me the illusion of a complete face. I even think, i can see some kinda fresh shave around his face? Really cool.

Just be careful with the font color (if there even is dialog in here). Clean white could be problematic in front of these moon and dark black in the darker areas of the game (e.g. the cave?). I guess thats why most of these monochromatic games use the sierra style. Or do you do that too?

[Cassiebsg]

Well, as long as there's an outline with good contrast for the fonts, then it's no problem.

[Funkpanzer]

This looks fantastic! The only thing that I could see being a potential problem is contrast between the character's legs and the background. Even against the sky in the picture they start to blend in a bit, but other than that it's looking great. Maybe moving the sky's gradient downwards would help?

I also agree with Kumpel on the ground looking a bit lifeless but those two things are it. This is truly looking great.

[Mad]

I'm with Funkpanzer in regard to the character having too little contrast to the overall background.

One way around this, is of course using a darker outline for the character:
[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/BGchaPO.png[/imgzoom]

This could look a bit harsh. But maybe it's worth trying different shades for the outline.


Another idea could be giving the character a slightly different colour value:
[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/BGchaPO02.png[/imgzoom]
(This also works for the gui, methinks. )

I also pushed some pixels on the character itself.


Overall, I like this a lot! Especially the gui.
I also don't see a problem with the walkable areas being flat. Gives it a nice platformer vibe. But the tree could use some depth, imo, since the rocks have such great detail.

Please finish this...

[None]

Another idea could be giving the character a slightly different colour value:
(This also works for the gui, methinks.)

This is exactly what it needs, but my colorblindness makes shifting color-ramps, problematic but as long as I keep each new ramp, to a single-hue, I think I can handle it. (as long as I keep them separated, and remember exactly which ramp I used on what.

As for the GUI itself, it's modeled directly after the one from Kyrandia - HOF.
[imgzoom]http://www.abandonia.com/files/games/292/Legend%20of%20Kyrandia%202%20-%20Hand%20of%20Fate_5.png[/imgzoom]
I was talking to some guys in IRC, and they seemed to think the interface was less classic and more copycat. That it didn't fit in a sci-fi setting, and seemed too derivative. That I might as well have copy/pasted, which is hilarious considering the work I put into drawing it from scratch. lol. Only interesting to the technical, it's a completely different scale and orientation of some of the elements, because it was designed to fit a 320x180(200) resolution, hence the reduction of double-row of inventory slots.

Just be careful with the font color (if there even is dialog in here). Clean white could be problematic in front of these moon and dark black in the darker areas of the game (e.g. the cave?). I guess thats why most of these monochromatic games use the sierra style. Or do you do that too?

Well, as long as there's an outline with good contrast for the fonts, then it's no problem.

Yeah, in HOF, (the game system this is modeled after) the text is a bold light color, with a dark outline, something done by the Monkey Island games too I believe.

I'm gonna work out some basic color ramps (appropriately desaturated) (we'll see what happens when I, and my colorblindness get loose in the palette picker... mue mue mue.) then see what I can do to address everyone's suggestions.

[Monsieur OUXX]

You know what you could do? You could make the limit between the black background of your GUI and the scene's background uneven. A bit like the wave formed by the carpet underneath. Or like the upper edge of planks or wood. Or whatever. That would be neat.

However I strongly suggest that you move the sprites down in the black area. The lower margin is too big, and the upper margin too small (unless you keep that status label underneath like in the HoF screenshot)

[None]

You know what you could do? You could make the limit between the black background of your GUI and the scene's background uneven. A bit like the wave formed by the carpet underneath. Or like the upper edge of planks or wood. Or whatever. That would be neat.

I like the idea of giving the gui background some sort of texture, (i.e. wood), but not an uneven line that creates an overlay, I like the clear distinguished line between background and interface.

However I strongly suggest that you move the sprites down in the black area. The lower margin is too big, and the upper margin too small (unless you keep that status label underneath like in the HoF screenshot)

Yes, exactly, it's there for a display. There is a precisely 12 pixel line beneath the interface for a status-line.

[Monsieur OUXX]

you should make the ground less flat, i.e. the character going up and down in some places. That also means that the grass on the sides of the ravin should be like little hills.
This went you get a double benefit : 1) It looks more like in real life, 2) your background looks less like a video game level.