Messages

[you]

KINOKO!!!

Good to 'see' you again!!  When I read the bit about Konami I got all tingly for you ... but the reality is just as good I suppose   Don't leave us again!!  At least not until you release Gift of Aldora!!!

Also, how did you know Darth Mandarb was a nerd?

I prefer the term "geek"

[READ THE FORUM RULES BEFORE POSTING]

The status is READ THE FORUM RULES BEFORE POSTING.

Grundy ... this goes locky, when you want to update let me know and I'll happily unlock it for you!

Forums do have rules and those who wish to not be criticized should be respected.

Agreed ... but forums also have ettiquette where a "new guy" doesn't come in and start calling respected members smart-asses for addressing the issue that was asked to be addressed in the first place.

No offense intended (but I'm sure perceived) but nobody here is just going to "trust" you and give you their ideas no matter how you ask.  They don't know you.  They haven't seen anything from you.  You haven't been here a long time.  They don't know what you (your company) can do/has done.  The list goes on and on.

Relax a bit.  Take a breath and hang around ... this is a great place to be.

Cheers.

This is gonna get ugly ... so predicts Darth "The Prophet" Mandarb!!

I rather understand what you're asking for however, my ideas will remain mine for now. 

Best of luck with your venture.

However ...

PPS: No criticism please.

That's basically the same thing as saying, "please tear me apart for my idea!" because as you said...

... this is the internet.

Cheers.

The new style is, in my opinion, less usable as a background than your first.  It's too "long" with too much scale change to make it function conveniently as an "in game" background.  The character will be chaning his/her size 90% from the top to bottom of the screen.

I think your first style is more pleasing but I'd strongly suggest cleaning up the perspective a bit.

I'm not trying to be rude (or beat a dead horse) but the perspective, as you have it now, feels sloppy and rushed.  It doesn't appear that you took your time with it.  If you extend the wall lines all the way into the room, they cross uneven and don't match up.  The lines hit the "edge" and then travel left/right unevenly.  The "border" of black appears to cut off the top of the walls.  If you're going for the skewed perspective which is so popular, the even symetry (sp?) of the objects in the room kills the effect.

In the end it's your background to do with as you want ... but you posted in the Critics Lounge ... so I'm critic-ing

No negative feedback from this yank ...

First off, good to "see" you again man!

About moving to England:  I actually considered it a few years back.  I wanted to experience life in another country and England seemed the easiest fit.  It's exciting to consider and I hope you do it!  It's funny 'cause if one of my "real world" friends wanted to move I'd try and talk him out of it (for selfish reasons) 'cause I wouldn't want him to go.  But I can read your posts just as effectively if you type them from another country as if you type them from here!

So while I can't offer any practical advice and/or information I will just say I'm excited for you and wish you best of luck!

[Cyrus]

Cyrus ... since you obviously aren't willing to listen and take the question after question (after question after question) into PRIVATE MESSAGES as you should ... how about you wait for a few days, accumulating all your questions, and then ask them all in one post rather than cluttering up this thread.

It's not that difficult a concept to grasp ... really it's not.

I give you ...



Peter Panda

The biggest problem I see is that the walls just look ... off.

They don't follow any kind of perspective.  Granted this is an odd perspective (though pleasing) but there are still rules to follow.  The room feels too big to me.  There's too much "dead" space.  If you decrease the floor size, you can fix the issue with the walls and make the room feel more "real" I guess.

I did a quick mockup to show what I mean:



I didn't add any of the objects in ... just wanted to show a quick and easy way to achieve that "Zelda" style perspective.  Now ... the objects you've added in your BG don't follow this perspective so will look a bit out of place.  However, if you try a perspective like I used in my first game you could probably place those objects in there with no problem:



It uses a different type of perspective that I don't think we ever came up with and official name for.  I think Andail called it "Parallelometric" or "Planometric"?  Soemthing like that!

I offer up the same advice I give everybody ... just take more time and don't rush yourself!  In the end you'll be happier with the results.

First thing I would recommend would be posting in the right forum (the Critics Lounge)   But don't worry, this'll be moved shortly!

As for developing a style ... I suggest just practice, practice, and practice.  Just keep trying, experimenting, and eventually your own style will develope.  The more you do, the more you'll develope.  Don't expect greatness straight away ... this takes time.  Just keep at it and you'll find your own style.

Good luck!

The couch looks like it's mounted to the wall ... it needs to be moved down to appear as if it's on the floor.

Since you mentioned the door, I won't

Same thing as Progs on the thing on the left.  It appears to be in the wall ...

Yes, driving a car too fast can be bad for you, but if you pay attention it's no more deadly/dangerous than driving the speed limit.

Ahem... This is a tad ignorant, I find...

Why is that ignorant?  When I was a kid, the speed limit on most major U.S. highways was 55 mph.  Now it's 70mph (I've seen some places where it's 80mph). Speeding is just a concept.  The speed limit will continue to increase as time goes on.  People aren't better able to be hit by a car now than they were 20 years ago.  Do I go flying through a school-zone at 50mph?  Of course not, and those that do are idiots.  Do I go 80mph on the highway?  Hell yeah.  But I can guarantee you that the majority of accidents on U.S. highways are caused by morons going 45mph while talking on their cellphones.  Not the guy like me going 10 over the speed limit.  The problem is, when asked what caused the accident the moron who was talking on his cellphone not paying attention and going too slow will, of course, blame it on somebody/thing else rather than admit his own fault.

I'm a considerate smoker, by the way. I don't smoke in restaurants, I always ask my non-smoking friends if it's okay to smoke (and thankfully I've got the kind of friends who'll tell me no if they feel it isn't) and whenever I feel that it might be inconveniencing to somebody else I move outside.

My favorite kind of smoker.  Sadly, the rarest kind it would seem.

I support the smoking ban, because yeah, smoking's bad. We (the smokers) don't have the right to push that upon others, but I still think it's ignorant to call smokers dumb.

Perhaps I should clarify.  If a rocket scientist smoked, I would consider him/her dumb.  It's not ignorant.  I'm not saying they know nothing.  But they are doing a dumb thing, thus I consider them dumb.  I should further clarify that I am dumb.

A good friend of mine recently started, she's not yet addicted though, but I worry for her as she has got a bit of an addictive personality. I think she's just doing it to try and fit in...

I love the mentality "I smoke to fit in" ... now that is totally ignorant.  Tell your friend straight up that smoking to fit in is rediculous.  Tell her over and over that she looks stupid when she smokes.  Putting your health at risk simply to "fit in" is just the kind of bullshit mentality the breeds further stupid behavior.

I used to be all "ARGH! Smokers! What's the deal?!" and then I saw stand up from Bill Maher [sadly I had a life lesson learned from a damned comedian...] and he said "Not everyone wants to live forever." and I realized that he was right. He went on to say that grown ups want to have fun and they known the consequences of their actions. Every once and I while I feel myself slipping back into old Eric and I think to myself "Not everyone wants to live forever."

I get the point of what he said ... but it's a silly way of saying it.  Nobody, whether they want to or not, will live forever.  So you don't want to stick around for 20 more years?  Fine, pollute your lungs.  If you're that stupid, that's your choice.  However, do it in cramped and uncomfortable "zones" so those of us that don't want your cancer don't have it forced on us.

I think nobody has said that smokers are dumb.

I did

I hardly drink.

I eat well and healthy.

I get a fair amount of exercise.

I like jumping in front of moving trains.

Wouldn't that one [deadly] thing seem to indicate a lack of common sense on my part?

The difference between what you're saying and real life is that it's not such an easily peggable situation. Smokers smoke because they want to - they know of the risks. A lack of common sense can be attributed to smokers who continue to argue that smoking doesn't pose a health risk - because they're dumbtards.

I would completely disagree with that.

Knowing something is bad, and doing it anyway is, to my way of thinking, a lack of common sense. (ie: dumb)

Smokers that continue to argue that smoking doesn't post a health risk are simply ignorant "dumbtards".

You can rationalize it anyway you want.  I don't dislike you because you smoke (I don't dislike you at all).  As you said, it's your choice but it is still a dumb thing to do.

So you actually think that there isn't a chemical addiction in smoking (and drugs, and alcohol)?

... and to top it ALL off it contains addictive substances that make you crave more and more of them and ignore the above consequences.

Chemical addiction or not ... if you know it's something you shouldn't be doing, you should stop doing it.  Chemical, mental, physical, or whatever type of "addiction" excuse people want to use doesn't change the fact that you're doing something dumb.

Yes, eating too much chocolate can be bad for you, but if you exercise regularly you can work off the effects of eating the chocolate.

Yes, driving a car too fast can be bad for you, but if you pay attention it's no more deadly/dangerous than driving the speed limit.

Smoking?  There's nothing good that comes from it and no way to balance out the ill effects.  It's stupid.

Am I allowed to feel (slightly) offended that you somehow feel equating smoking to being dumb is valid?

You are certainly entitled to be offended.

However, smoking is a dumb thing to do.  I really don't think anybody with a brain-stem would deny that?  No person on the planet looks "cool" when smoking.  It doesn't help your health or those around you.  It gives you bad breath, makes your hair/clothes stink, stains your finger nails, causes early aging in your skin, yellows your teeth, damages your lungs and to top it ALL off it contains addictive substances that make you crave more and more of them and ignore the above consequences.

So yeah ... you are dumb if you smoke.  Sure, you might have "smarts" in other things but have a lack of common sense which I would equate to being dumb.

I was "dumb" for a long time.  I smoked for many years until I realized how stupid/moronic it is and I simply quit.

Darth: Don't assume everybody's as strong as you, who quit smoking. Why would someone be forced to be completely uncomfortuable, when (s)he is an addict actually?

Meh ... I see what you're saying.  I just don't agree.  It segways into another problem I see in the world today.  Everybody making excuses for their inability to do what they should.  Will power is a dying concept.  "Addiction" is a buzz-word that people use to rationalize lack of will power.  If you know something is bad for you, quit doing it.  Don't make excuses, don't whine, just quit.

[edit]

I always love when this debate about smoking arises! (not that it's really arisen here)

I love hearing [some] smokers trying to explain how they have the right to smoke in public.  It just cracks me up.  But then again, I suppose if you're dumb enough to intentionally inhale poison into your body, I probably shouldn't expect you to be able to grasp the concept that you don't have the right to smoke around me.

If I'm at the table next to a smoker, and I'm not smoking, I'm having no effect on the smoker.  If that smoker is blowing smoke all over the place and forcing those around them to inhale it than (s)he IS effecting me (and others) and that's just rude.

Actually I find it embarassing for the whole human race that in this day and age people still smoke.  It boggles the mind.

In my opinion if you absolutely have to smoke (for whatever reason you might think makes sense) you should be made inconvenienced to step outside to a designated smoking zone where your cancerous activity slowly rots your lungs away and not mine.

Just my opinion.

Oh ... and I used to smoke.  So please don't use the "you don't know the addiction..." excuse

edit
Oh and m0ds ... nothin' but love.  You should quit smoking.  It's better for you

Don't forget to put a part in the game where the player reads the forum rules ...

Ooohhhh

Unknown member...

No references ...

No pictures ...

No links ...

No examples ...

No reading of forum rules ...

Shit man, sign me up!  I gotta get on board this train!!!

Well, I sort of changed my mind, and would agree with Loomy here; including backgrounds made in the past wouldn't really serve the purpose of a creative competition.
It is after all about measuring what you can produce under a limited time and special conditions.
So I'm gonna have to veto Darth's contribution here! Although it's a stunning piece of art!

Totally agree and understand!  (and thanks for the kind words )

[Dan]

Did you intentionally wait 89 days to dig up this thread?!?!?!

Read the rules!

I spoke with Dan yesterday, the game is still in production just going slow.  If he wanted to update it, he would have.

Dan - I'm going to lock this to prevent it being dug up again in 90 days.  Hit me on MSN or PM when/if you want me to unlock it.