Solving a BIG problem (GRAPHICS) ... if it is actually a common problem

I got another 2 hour dev session in focusing solely on the combat interaction with the first enemy.

In these clips from the video I don't think I ever gave the enemy a chance to get a hit in on me. lol

I had to add a slight pause between the enemy being in striking range and actually attacking to get the feel I wanted for this. Before the enemy just advanced and as soon as in range it attacked.

I focused on the reaction of the enemy to being hit a good amount. I knew I definitely wanted a knock-back effect and especially for the dash attack which should send enemies flying a ways across the playfield.

I didn't work on the ground slam attack interaction yet. That will knock close enemies off their feet and the waves of force that shoot out the sides will also push the enemies back a short ways.

For this enemy as long as the player stays on top of it and doesn't give it a chance it should be very easy to defeat. However, if the player pauses, messes up slightly on the timing they will almost certainly get hit.

Overall, I am happy with this. It definitely feels better (to me) than the normal "combat" in a platformer game.

And I am content with the blocks. I think just some simple graphics combined with a bit of programmatic animation and (more importantly) behavioral programming has succeeded in bringing a block enemy to life and overall it is pretty readable as to what is going on.

Of course, others may not agree so feel free to give your input on it.

 

Okay, I just did another (short!) dev session. And figured I'd post this update just to bring this to a conclusion on using these ultra simplistic rectangle images for characters. Because now you can see it in action.

Although... keep in mind.. I do plan on focusing on graphics later.... once the gameplay is done. I will just use ultra low res like the background and focus a week or two on nothing but graphics and animations. I won't mind doing it at that point. I just don't want to spend time on it until I actually have a fun game up n running.

I basically finished off the behavior of the first enemy. I still don't have the interaction in for the player ground slam attack but will do that next dev session which will be either Thursday or Friday.

I gotta say I am definitely loving this new way of working only 1 to 2 hours in one night. Then I take 1 to 2 nights completely off from gamedev doing nothing. It makes it so when I return to work on the game my mind is fresh and I can make good progress quickly. And I am not feeling burnt out in the least. Great stuff!

I updated the EnemyManager so it sends out enemies from both sides of the screen now. Since the idea is this combat piece will end up as its own standalone game. Same as the platformer piece will end up as its own standalone game when I eventually get to that.

Anyway... here is the first enemy. I'll need to decrease the health of this enemy because this is supposed to be a relatively weak enemy and it takes too many hits to put it down for the count.

There is some randomness on how the enemy recovers from a knockdown. It may simply stand up idle for a tiny bit. It may stand up & immediately retreat (which you will see sometimes I miss it due to this). It may stand up and immediately attack. This makes the combat much more dynamic. That bit of unpredictability. I love controlled randomness.







Overall, this is coming along well. I am happy with it. It's actually fun battling with these enemies.

I don't plan on posting any more updates for this game here.

If anyone is interested in it I have a WIP thread on the AGK forum and also over at GameJolt. I will update my GameJolt dev log next.

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Surely someone must have some examples of very minimal graphics they have tested for their games that you can share with us?

Or does everyone here truly spend hours & hours trying to make the best graphics they can?

 

On a tangent because I don't know when to quit, the latest games in the atelier series have character visual in 3d almost indistinguishable from their illustration ...

 

Geesh man I went to YT to check out this atelier... those graphics look pro artist or at least highly skilled hobbyist level to me. It would take a long time to do visuals at that level.

What is a recent Indie 2D game that you think still looks good yet has the simplest graphics from a level of detail, skill & time requirements?

 

Yeah I was responding to that early tangent with 3d can't be like 2d, but it is surely some hi level illustration lol. The thing is that we have established that I'm biased since I have some skill in art, I don't know what's out of reach, since basic skill like composition are simple to execute but still need practice to developed a flair for.

 

I'm pretty late to the party here, but as an artist and animator (originally 2D) who's both got a very specific vision and who's also very practical in the free time he has available, I've got a lot of thoughts on the topic of making graphics in a timely manner. I've spent a number of years attempting to solve this problem in 2D as well as 3D, so maybe I can offer some insight.

One of the major factors involved, I think the OP has finally realized (judging from his early blocky swordsmen animations), albeit something stated on the first page of this topic:

"
Art skill isn't about rendering detail or complexity (drawing skill),
it's about translating representation into any shapes, simple or realistic.

Everyone has at least some of that. "


Not only do I second that -- that dude deserves some major props!!

How many tutorials have I seen on places like DeviantArt or just random blogs trying to teach you "how to make a sprite" or "how to do hair" that have completely missed this point!

To be clear -- no matter your tool or technique, your goal as an artist is to capture the essence of representation of that in which you're trying to convey.

Impressionism got popular for a reason -- it was much easier!

Renaissance art was very difficult to master -- but even if you did master it, it was still a difficult task to execute! Your colors had to be precise. Your strokes masterful and elegant. Compared to Impressionism, this was a nightmare for a person who simply wanted to express himself!

"Programmer art", as people put it, is just another form of impressionism.

Programmer or not, you're still trying to accomplish a creative representation of your vision, so that makes you an artist, whether you do that art with precise brushstrokes like the Great Masters or whether you do it with the freedom and vitality of the Impressionists.


I've seen programmers who've topped my own animation at times with a great procedural animation at just the right moment in gameplay that I never would have thought to implement, as I, like the Masters, tend to rely on having great control over my imagery, and rarely like to relinquish that control to whim.

However, as I'm becoming more masterful in my work, I'm also realizing that if I do not submit to whim before all else, my designs rarely ever gain that breath of life they need to be vibrant and impactful -- no matter how carefully crafted my techniques or masterful my brush strokes.


My suggestion is this -- start with your boxes and swords:




-- and keep them!


Then, if you have time or patience to shape it into something more masterful, feel free to do it as a second-pass. You have a MVP (minimum viable product) right here. Why? Because it stands on its own. It gives the "impression" -- and therefore is representive -- and it ultimately succeeds because of this alone.

Granted, there are ways to detract from the beauty you have there -- you could make the background garish and eye-burning pink, for example -- but if you are able to see that it isn't working (i.e. your eyes bleed when you look at your hypothetically distracting BG), even if you can't do any better or know why it makes your eyes bleed, you can simply remove as much of it as you can, reducing it toward nothing until you either reach an MVP -- or you end up with something super-simple (or simply nothing at all) and go from there as your MVP until you understand how to do it better and more easily.

Go with your boxes and swords and plain representations of rocks and trees -- and if you learn how (and have time to) refine them in the future, be sure that you only refine them IF you know enough to maintain the inherent character they already have when translating them into a more-detailed form or representation.


When you're in danger of losing the charm of simplicity....


Sometimes HD really isn't worth it.

 

Hey thanks for that. I appreciate the input! That's exactly why I ended up at this place (i.e. this graphics style). At this level I can almost make enough "workable" graphics quickly enough to be able to tackle a decent size game project.

I really can't go beyond this point because I cannot add detail to improve the graphics while preserving the essence / forms in a timely manner. I can improve them but the time to quality-increase ratio increases too much. This is basically my "sweet spot" of "looks" and speed.

 

No problem! -- It's a major feat that you've reached this point on your own!

I only offered my input to clarify how work like that is work you can still be proud of. For me, being proud of fast (but not groundbreaking!) drawings like this was one of the most daunting aspects of my entire artist life. It took a lot to understand how to overcome that, and being a game developer helped with this the most due to its demands on my time.