[POLL] RPG GAMES WITH DRAWN OR PICTURE BACKGROUNDS.

Sunset over Imdahl. Check it.
Sure, there were some tiles, but the majority was drawn backgrounds and it is a classic.

Not sure if the download still works but it's a freakin' awesome game.

parallax mapping is usually very nice when I see it, but I don't see very many parallaxed games reach completion. the time investment probably piles up on most people

I think one of the big things, though, is that if you're going to use hand-drawn backgrounds the tile-based movement in rpg maker gets more conspicuous. pixel-based movement is exceedingly rare in most games, too, which is a shame. Sunset over Imdahl is a good example of drawn backgrounds done well, but I think that system works best when the player character moves and collides by pixels instead of according to a grid.

I'd very much like to see more games making use of parallaxed backgrounds, partially because this could create a demand for better pixelmovement scripts than the fairly limited ones that currently exist. if you're looking to draw your backgrounds, more power to you!

It really matters on how easy it is to create, compared to custom tilesets.

If your game is based around story and scenery porn, a 2D picture would easily do the job. Compare this to tilesets which, once created, can easily be modded into interactive environments and puzzles.

You could always mix the two, mattering on what type of gameplay is being used on said map.

I have thought about using picture-based backgrounds, as they have been used to great artistic effect in many games.

Having said that, as mawk pointed out, using picture backgrounds can potentially restrict or complicate tile based movement, which can be a greater problem if the game depends on precise player movement (such as solving puzzles or outrunning enemies). I'm not saying it can't be done well, but in my experience tile based maps are easier to manage in that respect.

Gourd_Clae, I'll let you in on a little secret. You don't have to.

Make a Background tileset, that has blank passable tiles, and alot of bridges and such.

Then go around some place with forests or mountains or whatever, and take scenery snapshots with a camera. Get something like irfanview, and convert to 256 color (lossless) 320 x 240. It retains most of its quality, and you get your background. This is in 2k3, it works better still in XP and VX onward.

I used it in one mountain climb scene, just to weird people out. Most of the other scenes just have this sort of thing as a ledge parallax, but I wanted to do a map like this.

There's maybe 10-20% color quality missing from the sky, but other than that, it's pretty good. The bush btw turns the hero from opaque to transparent.

I've been working on one myself. Night of Marian and Anagram are examples.

What? It's a left-right corridor, which I took at a slight angle to give a hillside climb sense (it was actually mostly flat, but gives the sense there's some kind of serious slope with the addition of the character). I have about five or six of these, that gradually takes you up the side of a mountain in winding path fashion. The perspective may be wrong, but as part of a larger map set, it works.

Well, aside for the fact that I'm actually playing with physical space (the shots I took are from two or three different places in Arizona and NM, that I took camera shots of, Tucumcari in NM, somewhere in Arizona, and third in Mexico).

Ohhh, you're talking about the perspective of the sprite, not the perspective of the parallax. I do actually have a smaller spriteset for my character, and could make a larger one.

author=bulmabriefs144
Ohhh, you're talking about the perspective of the sprite, not the perspective of the parallax. I do actually have a smaller spriteset for my character, and could make a larger one.

I'm talking about both! they don't fit each other at all! even if you changed the sprite, the low angle of the shot and the fact that you've tilted the picture for some reason would keep things from working out. this wouldn't even work in an adventure game, where enviromnents are typically viewed at a low angle and depth of field is reflected in the size of the character sprite.

e: if you want to give the impression of steep terrain by tilting a photograph, do not choose a photograph where the horizon is visible.