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HELP AND OPINIONS ON SILHOUETTE STAGES
Posts
XBuster
1385
XBuster
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CloseHello everyone. Lately, I have been working a lot with my mainstream project: Monster World Legends and came across the idea of adding silhouette stages. This concept has been done in several games before like Super Mario 3D world, the Donkey Kong Country Returns series, and Rayman Legends.
Here is what I got on the official definition.
the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background, especially in dim light.
synonyms: outline, contour(s), profile, form, shape, figure, shadow
"the silhouette of the dome"
Although, its nice to learn by sight, actually learning the definition is what pushed me to do this. The question is, what can I do to make the silhouette visuals better? Is there something wrong with the colors, shading, or lighting? I'd appreciate any feedback as I am new to doing this myself. There are two versions below. One is like a Game and Watch title, the other is a lighting based version.
Here is what I got on the official definition.
the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background, especially in dim light.
synonyms: outline, contour(s), profile, form, shape, figure, shadow
"the silhouette of the dome"
Although, its nice to learn by sight, actually learning the definition is what pushed me to do this. The question is, what can I do to make the silhouette visuals better? Is there something wrong with the colors, shading, or lighting? I'd appreciate any feedback as I am new to doing this myself. There are two versions below. One is like a Game and Watch title, the other is a lighting based version.
BlackWolf1992
234
The top one looks fine. The bottom one would probably be hard on the eyes to some people.
turkeyDawg
195
The former would work, but might strain the eyes after a while. The latter would be completely unplayable. If you look at how it's done in Donkey Kong and Sonic Lost World etc, you'll notice that the stark black is only for the foreground objects. The backgrounds are lighter, or even in regular color (but no black, obvy)
XBuster
1385
author=BlackWolf1992
The top one looks fine. The bottom one would probably be hard on the eyes to some people.
Ah, I see. So I'm guessing a brighter palette would be better for the bottom one? I'm not sure if the jungle in the background should be lighter than than that either.
@turkeyDawg
I have played both of those XD. So, just leave the backgrounds as they are, or darken them a little? I'll have to experiment a little more and report back with an updated screenshot.
Thanks to both of you!
turkeyDawg
195
author=XBusterIf you're referring to the latter one, then no, you want to brighten that up a great deal. The black jungle and clouds in the back especially need to be changed, or else the player is going to disappear every time they jump. The black mountains at the bottom might be okay if there's no level design there.
So, just leave the backgrounds as they are, or darken them a little?
e: a third option is to encase all the foreground objects in a white outline, like some old GameBoy games would do.
BlackWolf1992
234
author=turkeyDawgauthor=XBusterIf you're referring to the latter one, then no, you want to brighten that up a great deal. The black jungle and clouds in the back especially need to be changed, or else the player is going to disappear every time they jump. The black mountains at the bottom might be okay if there's no level design there.
So, just leave the backgrounds as they are, or darken them a little?
e: a third option is to encase all the foreground objects in a white outline, like some old GameBoy games would do.
Yeah, I was actually about to say the same thing.
XBuster
1385
Would this version be better? The original jungle has black in it to begin with, so I changed it. Brightened up the backgrounds by 30(RGB) and altered the sky color a bit.
BlackWolf1992
234
The bottom still looks really dark. If I was playing I would have jumped down to my death had I not moved my laptop to see that there is no bottom floor where the platforms are. Ir does look a lot better though. :)
turkeyDawg
195
Yeah, that's a lot better! I'd still recommend lightening the lower mountains some, but that might just be my particular monitor.
e: yeah, like Blackwolf I had to tilt my laptop's monitor to see the lower objects.
e: yeah, like Blackwolf I had to tilt my laptop's monitor to see the lower objects.
XBuster
1385
Alright, I'll be right back with another screenshot. I want to nail this thing so I can move on to the design of the stage.
By the way, here is how the backgrounds are colored. It RGB to color the backgrounds. This allows me to create any color I want via code. A value of 0 for all 3(RGB) is black. The max value is 255, so all values being at 255 is white. The backgrounds all act as layers and lay on top of one another like paper. Background 0 being the furthest and 7 being the top.
//Set the colors
bg_color0=make_color_rgb(r+200,g+200,b+200)
bg_color1=make_color_rgb(r+170,g+170,b+170)
bg_color2=make_color_rgb(r+155,g+155,b+155)
bg_color3=make_color_rgb(r+140,g+140,b+140)
bg_color4=make_color_rgb(r+125,g+125,b+125)
bg_color5=make_color_rgb(r+110,g+110,b+110)
bg_color6=make_color_rgb(r+95,g+95,b+95)
bg_color7=make_color_rgb(r+80,g+80,b+80)
By the way, here is how the backgrounds are colored. It RGB to color the backgrounds. This allows me to create any color I want via code. A value of 0 for all 3(RGB) is black. The max value is 255, so all values being at 255 is white. The backgrounds all act as layers and lay on top of one another like paper. Background 0 being the furthest and 7 being the top.
//Set the colors
bg_color0=make_color_rgb(r+200,g+200,b+200)
bg_color1=make_color_rgb(r+170,g+170,b+170)
bg_color2=make_color_rgb(r+155,g+155,b+155)
bg_color3=make_color_rgb(r+140,g+140,b+140)
bg_color4=make_color_rgb(r+125,g+125,b+125)
bg_color5=make_color_rgb(r+110,g+110,b+110)
bg_color6=make_color_rgb(r+95,g+95,b+95)
bg_color7=make_color_rgb(r+80,g+80,b+80)
It looks a lot better already!
Tho yep, bottom part does need some more contrast - anything that's not platform needs to stand out from your black platforms.
You could go for some forest in front of the mountains, or lighter stones or whatever.
It doesn't make too much sense but I always imagined those scenes to have a very specific light (like very frontal as the donkey kong screen showed), but doing it for the sake of design works absolutely well. (first other game screen did that)
Edit: Well, too late. You go! <3
Tho yep, bottom part does need some more contrast - anything that's not platform needs to stand out from your black platforms.
You could go for some forest in front of the mountains, or lighter stones or whatever.
It doesn't make too much sense but I always imagined those scenes to have a very specific light (like very frontal as the donkey kong screen showed), but doing it for the sake of design works absolutely well. (first other game screen did that)
Edit: Well, too late. You go! <3
BlackWolf1992
234
Hmm. I am not great with the RGB color system so I will just say this:
Any object the player can touch or walk on needs to be seen and stand out. Like in the very first picture everything black is what the player can walk on, get hit by or stopped, collected (and so forth and so on.) While everything white is just the background.
Any object the player can touch or walk on needs to be seen and stand out. Like in the very first picture everything black is what the player can walk on, get hit by or stopped, collected (and so forth and so on.) While everything white is just the background.
XBuster
1385
Ok, here is the next update. I changed the values again to get a much brighter value. and as Kylaila said, I may want to put the bushes in front of the mountains. That much hasn't been done yet, but here it is.
Edit:I have a feeling the bottom mountain is still a bit dark though.
By the way, the RGB system isn't difficult. Have you ever changed a menu color in a Final Fantasy game before I.E.(7, 6, 1 and 2 for GBA)?
Edit:I have a feeling the bottom mountain is still a bit dark though.
By the way, the RGB system isn't difficult. Have you ever changed a menu color in a Final Fantasy game before I.E.(7, 6, 1 and 2 for GBA)?
BlackWolf1992
234
It still feels a little dark but maybe that is just me. It is looking a lot better though.
XBuster
1385
author=BlackWolf1992
It still feels a little dark but maybe that is just me. It is looking a lot better though.
No worries, You're all here to help, so it has to be appealing to the eye with everyone and won't strain them as you've all mentioned before. We'll tweak this until its right. I just added 20 more to the RGB, so I'm about to see how it looks.
How about this one? I Did what Kylaila said and put the forest first. Backgrounds brightened as well.
BlackWolf1992
234
S
Sorry did not know you edited your post.
Yeah, it looks really good. :)
author=XBusterauthor=BlackWolf1992No worries, You're all here to help, so it has to be appealing to the eye with everyone and won't strain them as you've all mentioned before. We'll tweak this until its right. I just added 20 more to the RGB, so I'm about to see how it looks.
It still feels a little dark but maybe that is just me. It is looking a lot better though.
How about this one? I Did what Kylaila said and put the forest first. Backgrounds brightened as well.
Sorry did not know you edited your post.
Yeah, it looks really good. :)
Yup, looks much better and clearer! Good job : )
Some of the smaller things could fade out into the very bottom, but given the camera should adjust (I imagine) it'd likely still work out well.
I'm sure there's still some things to tweak to polish it even more, but I'm not well-versed enough for suggesting more *chuckle*
Some of the smaller things could fade out into the very bottom, but given the camera should adjust (I imagine) it'd likely still work out well.
I'm sure there's still some things to tweak to polish it even more, but I'm not well-versed enough for suggesting more *chuckle*
BlackWolf1992
234
author=Kylaila
I'm sure there's still some things to tweak to polish it even more, but I'm not well-versed enough for suggesting more *chuckle*
But you are a magical dragon you should know everything! :D
author=BlackWolf1992author=KylailaBut you are a magical dragon you should know everything! :D
I'm sure there's still some things to tweak to polish it even more, but I'm not well-versed enough for suggesting more *chuckle*
Pff.
As if. Not even as a joke
I only know what I know, same as anyone else : D And even that is only through my own perception.
XBuster
1385
Tell you all what, would you like to see a video of it in action? I plan on adding a blog today which will reveal new chunks of information and a video is planned for this segment to see what it looks like in action. I'll create a series of mini levels with silhouettes and compile them in a video.
