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SCREENSHOT SURVIVAL 20XX
Posts
bulmabriefs144
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Closeauthor=BadLuck
Here are a couple of screenshots from the current Ara Fell rework. It's hard to appreciate how those shadows in the screenshot, but they're all custom made for each map, and scroll with the map rather than the screen.
The battle system screenshot shows off some of the new graphics, albeit not their new animations. Each characters' idle stance is custom made, for example, and each is at least 80 frames long.
YES!!! AraFell! Gimme a link when stuff comes along. Is it still AraFell? Or renamed something? Subscribing like crazy.
BadLuck
2270
author=Frogge
What you could do is you could have a seperate battler tinted to match the light with the same graphic, so it would look like it blends in with the light.
Also is it bad that I actually really like those overlays?
That's a good idea. For unique enemies at least, that won't be tough to do. I think some combination of where he's standing in relation to that table and the light makes him appear floating. Maybe in other groups of enemies, it won't be as apparent.
As for the overlays... well, I like them to. For what it's worth, they were too oppressive in the original, and I've made them use softer graphics at a higher transparency.
author=Sated
No, it doesn't work well in Chrono Trigger. It looks just as dumb. ...
What that CT map does do is exemplify how having clearer paths that are relatively free of decorative clutter helps make a map more understandable from a functional point-of-view. If you can't see the difference between how busy that map is (imagine it without the horrible overlay) and how busy your map is then I don't know what to say.
We'll have to agree to disagree on the shadows, I think. I think they look great in CT.
Considering the only thing Ara Fell was really praised for was the maps (and how rare "this is too busy" criticism was) I'm probably going to leave them as-is, unless I get a lot of non-RM-community feedback complaining about it during beta.
I will say, I wasn't pointing out the CT map to compare the "busy-ness" of it and my stuff. I did it to show that professional games did that same shadow trick to (in my opinion) great effect, which I think justifies keeping it in there.
This is a little lazy, but if it's good enough for Chrono Trigger, it's good enough for me.
author=bulmabriefs144
YES!!! AraFell! Gimme a link when stuff comes along. Is it still AraFell? Or renamed something? Subscribing like crazy.
Yep, still Ara Fell! Probably Ara Fell "Complete" or something like that. No more "Legend of Dirisetsu Hollow". It'll enter the first wave of beta testing in a few weeks.
Blind
2262
BadLuck knows I love him (XD), but I actually agree with Pizza when it comes to the lighting in the cave. I don't disagree with having the overlay on principle, but the "light beam" looks jarring when it spills over into the rock walls/black space... at least in that screenshot. Admittedly though, Rm2k3 doesn't make it very intuitive to include overlays on battle backgrounds.
I think the effect could still work nicely if BL simply edited the overlay out of the black space, via Photoshop or something.
But I have to disagree here. IMO, Ara Fell is synonymous with quality map design around here for a good reason. If you want purely "functional" maps - lol there are plenty of bland, blocky projects around here for you to choose from. BadLuck's maps convey more than than, though. I'd argue he was one of the first to have achieved a legitimate sense of "atmosphere" in the Rm2k3 community - an evocative and memorable ambiance, even. The game may have not aged perfectly (who's actually has?), but if nothing else, it still looks as good as it did ten years ago. (Better, even, as he seems to have toned down the clutter quite a bit.)
Not trying to imply maps should be nonsensical, because there are plenty of those, too. But they're obviously most effective when function is balanced with beauty.
I think the effect could still work nicely if BL simply edited the overlay out of the black space, via Photoshop or something.
author=BadLuck
What that CT map does do is exemplify how having clearer paths that are relatively free of decorative clutter helps make a map more understandable from a functional point-of-view. If you can't see the difference between how busy that map is (imagine it without the horrible overlay) and how busy your map is then I don't know what to say.
But I have to disagree here. IMO, Ara Fell is synonymous with quality map design around here for a good reason. If you want purely "functional" maps - lol there are plenty of bland, blocky projects around here for you to choose from. BadLuck's maps convey more than than, though. I'd argue he was one of the first to have achieved a legitimate sense of "atmosphere" in the Rm2k3 community - an evocative and memorable ambiance, even. The game may have not aged perfectly (who's actually has?), but if nothing else, it still looks as good as it did ten years ago. (Better, even, as he seems to have toned down the clutter quite a bit.)
Not trying to imply maps should be nonsensical, because there are plenty of those, too. But they're obviously most effective when function is balanced with beauty.
BadLuck
2270
author=Blindmind
I think the effect could still work nicely if BL simply edited the overlay out of the black space, via Photoshop or something.
Options here are pretty limited, unfortunately. I could modify just the battle backdrops so that the lightbeams integrate more nicely with them, but there's not a great way of doing that for the maps.
Actually, there is, and that would be to make all the light beams scroll with the map the same way the forest overlays do. Making the graphics wouldn't be all that hard, but lining them up would be.
@Badluck: Your maps have aged extremely-well, I must say. Actually, Are Fell was one of my inspirations for my own level design later down the line. ^^ I used to use overlays like crazy at one point too, but eventually ditched them or started making them more subtle.
Going to dump this here. Continue with Ara Fell overlay discussions XD.
Going to dump this here. Continue with Ara Fell overlay discussions XD.
@Luchino: Nice job with the grass on the panorama. Really makes the map feel like an actual part of a hill.
Looks at thread, Ara Fell lighting discussion still strong.
Lmao, alright.
@Luchino: If you thought me charmed, then alas, guilty as charged, that is a beauty.
Me? Oh, I don't have any screenshots. Just dropping by.
@Dookie: I love your library, reminds me of Disney Pixar's Bug's Life.
Oh, I can show you some recent work my composer has done, fantastic job he's doing with a new soundset he got for Sibelius.
It'll be Saxxis' theme.
Lmao, alright.
@Luchino: If you thought me charmed, then alas, guilty as charged, that is a beauty.
Me? Oh, I don't have any screenshots. Just dropping by.
@Dookie: I love your library, reminds me of Disney Pixar's Bug's Life.
Oh, I can show you some recent work my composer has done, fantastic job he's doing with a new soundset he got for Sibelius.
It'll be Saxxis' theme.
BadLuck
2270
author=Luchino
@Badluck:Your maps have aged extremely-well, I must say.
The REFMAP or First Seed Material or whatever the graphics are actually called are just so nicely done and easy to map with.
author=Sated
That map looks good, but it also conveys a stronger sense of direction and playability,
Ignoring for the moment that you're being deliberately confrontational about all this and I have no idea why, what about that forest screenshot gives you the impression that there isn't a strong sense of direction? I'm not sure what a "sense of playability" actually means, but it seems like it's pretty clear you're supposed to be following the dirt path to me.
Am I misunderstanding you?
Well, he's not exactly wrong. Like I said below, it is still pretty cluttered but again, like I also say, it's the style of Ara Fell. I feel you could pull a bit more out - for example try not to put similar items on the same y/x axis within a certain space (the flowers on the cliff in the forest area, as an example). White space is important.
Frankly, I think it's still a little overdone but then that's the style of your game. The shadows though... I'm with the others on either nixxing them or using them only where they actually make sense.
I really like the custom tiles but they're saturation is a little too high I think? They stick out a little in comparison. It's a minor nitpick, but you can see it a bit more with the crystal than with the cross.
That said, I'm looking forward to seeing the game complete and giving it a go when it's finished. It does look pretty. (But, well, pretty isn't everything. Thankfully I know you do well with gameplay too, so I'm not worried that all it will be is fairyfloss - looking pretty but lacking substance. ^.^)
author=BadLuckauthor=LuchinoIgnoring for the moment that you're being deliberately confrontational about all this and I have no idea why, what about that forest screenshot gives you the impression that there isn't a strong sense of direction? I'm not sure what a "sense of playability" actually means, but it seems like it's pretty clear you're supposed to be following the dirt path to me.
That map looks good, but it also conveys a stronger sense of direction and playability,
Also, it was Sated that said "That map looks good, but it also conveys a stronger sense of direction and playability," not Luchino ^^;;
BadLuck
2270
Oops, my bad. Copy/pasted wrong. I don't normally post on forums, and that it automatically quotes someone's entire comment is obnoxious. Anyway, I fixed it. Sorry Luchino!
No, I'm not saying he's "wrong." You're welcome to find the maps cluttered, and maybe they really are. Maybe it's more than just personal taste. Like I said, it's not an unheard of criticism in the RPG Maker community. This is not criticism I generally hear, especially outside the community, so it's just something I have to take with a grain of salt.
I can certainly see why these people feel that way, though, and I'll take it into consideration. I don't know how much time I want to spend nitpicking at the details of maps unless it's a more serious problem. And it might turn out that it is.
Aha, maybe so. I'll fuss with it. That's one thing our artist does from time to time. When we first started working together in Ara Fell XP, her stuff was well-designed but the colors tended to be kind of dull. I may have over-encouraged contrast over the years.
author=Liberty
Well, he's not exactly wrong.
No, I'm not saying he's "wrong." You're welcome to find the maps cluttered, and maybe they really are. Maybe it's more than just personal taste. Like I said, it's not an unheard of criticism in the RPG Maker community. This is not criticism I generally hear, especially outside the community, so it's just something I have to take with a grain of salt.
I can certainly see why these people feel that way, though, and I'll take it into consideration. I don't know how much time I want to spend nitpicking at the details of maps unless it's a more serious problem. And it might turn out that it is.
author=Liberty
I really like the custom tiles but they're saturation is a little too high I think? They stick out a little in comparison. It's a minor nitpick, but you can see it a bit more with the crystal than with the cross.
Aha, maybe so. I'll fuss with it. That's one thing our artist does from time to time. When we first started working together in Ara Fell XP, her stuff was well-designed but the colors tended to be kind of dull. I may have over-encouraged contrast over the years.
Maybe you could just lower the opacity on the fog effects, BL? The main gripe I have with those tree shadows is that they seem a bit too dark. Sure, the actual graphics seem nice, but the darkness just makes it harder to see IMO.
The actual maps themselves don't seem that hard to navigate through. That dirt path looks very clear and easy to follow to me.
Edit: Holy smokes! I'm typing this from a very slow internet. I am deeply sorrow for the triple posting. I tried to reload the page in hope of speeding up the process. I am so sorry. Mods, feel free to delete my two last posts.
The actual maps themselves don't seem that hard to navigate through. That dirt path looks very clear and easy to follow to me.
Edit: Holy smokes! I'm typing this from a very slow internet. I am deeply sorrow for the triple posting. I tried to reload the page in hope of speeding up the process. I am so sorry. Mods, feel free to delete my two last posts.
I had a threesome with myself. Your Halloweeny tiles were pretty cute, Froggy. I think you should them off more in-game. Give them some more love. You know, tilesets have feelings too.
Oh it's just a bunch of recolors. If I decide to I might make some proper edits and submit them as a resource. ^^
Oh that would be great :) It's not really hard or anything, even easier than actually using rog maker
Yay! I actually tried recoloring a bit, but it felt too easy. It HAS to be a lot harder than that, it just has to. ;-)
