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[Zack Bell]

I have a new test for you guys and I'd like some feedback 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29279751/Games/grassTest.exe

There was a lack of life in the game world because I chose to have ZERO enemies. So instead we're going to animate parts of the environment to make the world more lively. The first test being the grass in this first room. The grass reacts to the player movement.

I need to know which looks/works best:

1)Grass w/o background (the start of the room)
2)Thin grass w/ background (to the right)
3)Thick grass w/ background (the bottom of the room...tunnel area)

[Angelbait]

Both thin and thick with the background are great!  I think you should keep both to use at varying times to keep it interesting. 

I'm a little late coming to this party so I'll add that I liked the change in speed and POV to a more personal level.  The project will definitely benefit more from the atmosphere you build around it now.

Keep up the diligent work!  I'm loving it already!

[Zack Bell]

Thank you! That's was I was leaning towards. I'll have a mix of thick and think grass while keeping the background. I may just mix all three. I thought that it would also be cool to have the grass on walls and ceilings.

The grass moving as you slide down a wall is really slick 

Again, thanks for the kind words!

[Zack Bell]

No update today guys. However, I did a bunch of programming today and the programming portion of development is probably 70% complete.

Here's my issue: LEVEL DESIGN. I'm not doing too well in this category and have decided that I'm ok with collaborating on this project. Please let me know if there are designers out there who are willing to work on platformer levels 

[Angelbait]

No update today guys. However, I did a bunch of programming today and the programming portion of development is probably 70% complete.

Here's my issue: LEVEL DESIGN. I'm not doing too well in this category and have decided that I'm ok with collaborating on this project. Please let me know if there are designers out there who are willing to work on platformer levels 

I wouldn't mind helping, though I don't know how much of one I would be!

[Armageddon]

While I don't have much 2D level design experience, I do have a very extensive knowledge of 3D level design. I've made a few 2D levels with Game Maker but nothing that's really official. I would love to help, though it will be part time because I'm working on another platformer game.

[Zack Bell]

I will PM you guys today. I'm currently working on a few little bugs that are bothering me. 

[namragog]

This is in GM8, correct? If so, please teach me how to do the lighting. I've been trying to do so for ages. (pm me) 

[Zack Bell]

Message sent 

[Zack Bell]

Haven't updated in awhile. I've been a bit busy with level design and it hasn't been screenshot worthy because I'm designing the shape of the level and haven't added much in terms of tiles and atmospere.

However, I coded this in my spare time during breaks at school  

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29279751/Games/WallJumper.exe

EDIT: You can also see a programmer's version of a death animation (chop the sprite in half and send the pieces flying). 

[Angelbait]

However, I coded this in my spare time during breaks at school 

Awesome, I didn't get very far but its definitely filled with a sense of urgency! 

Have you figured out anything towards making your project more atmospheric yet?  Time for a brainstorm maybe? 

[Zack Bell]

That's kind of where I'm at right now. Once this last tileset is complete, I'll be figuring out what needs to be added to make things more atmospheric. It will probably require lots of animated terrain and things of that sort. For example, the grass moves as you run through it and floating lanterns bounce out of your way if you collide with them.

Just little things that make the world less static and give it more charm. Right now my biggest issues is resolution and how it will affect gameplay. At 2x, it is a bit too zoomed-in and it makes precision platforming almost impossible, but at 1x the rooms will have to be pretty damn large for things to work how I want them to.

[Angelbait]

Maybe it comes down to a variation of movement? 
How about the rest of the details that surround that aspect.  Work in puzzles that contract the space to near zero?  Ambient sound effects that make certain things sound nearer than they are?

Also maybe big rooms/maps isn't a bad thing(unless your running low on memory :S).

I like the lantern idea, keeps things close and tactile for your character.  More uses of that?

Hope I'm helping and not just annoying!  Lol.

[Zack Bell]

^Suggestions are always welcome, no worries.

Haven't had much time to build anything with this new tileset, but here's a quick preview.

[Angelbait]

Ho damn man your bookshelves are gorgeous!  Maybe a little too much! 

[Zack Bell]

All art credit goes to herror 
The excessive amounts of books is to show the versatility of how they can tile in several ways

[Armageddon]

Those books.

[Angelbait]

All art credit goes to herror  
The excessive amounts of books is to show the versatility of how they can tile in several ways

Well kudos to him for its something to be proud of!  I've been trying to learn pixel art for a couple months now and I just cant seem to get it all down.  The hardest was figuring out the technical(as in the commands and setup) to make tiles so I ended up making them one at a time!  still don't know how... *building rage*

And I didn't even notice the versatility in the bookshelves!  Ho damn that is good!  More kudos!

[Theon]

    Knytt Stories
    Super Meat Boy
    Hiyao Miyazaki

Might possibly the three best things in this world. And this really DOES look like a combination of them all. And it's fucking BEAUTIFUL.
I'm simply amazed.

Brb, downloading.

[Theon]

Tried!
It's as beautiful in motion as it is in pictures; smooth animations and all, and even more importantly: The movement feels TIGHT.

Also, the animated grass is filthy fucking nice.

MAKE IT HAPPEN.