http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-pirate-002.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-pirate-001.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-pirate-ship-001.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-pirate-ship-002.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-pirate-ship-003.jpg




Pirates!  Actually I'm going to call them Privatiers.  They aren't interested in killing you, and you certainly are of no threat to them, but they would like to snatch a few of the artifacts you may have carelessly left on the surface.  Perhaps you can make their thievery too much of a chore, and they'll be forced to exit before the next Corvette patrols through the system.
Edit:  That last pic is to reference that the ship concepts are a bit of a tribute to Captain Harlock.

That skeleton-embedded-shrine-thing looks awesome!  

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-probes-001.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-balloon-pump.png



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-cable-probe.png

A couple ideas for probes that can help describe the nature and shape of anomalies underground.
The first type finds caves.  When the beam enters an open area it expands to form a 'bubble' in roughly the shape of the cavern.
The second type's beam is like a cable that descends vertically until it touches a hard object, which causes it to slip around the object until it can drop vertical again.

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/salvage-tug-003.jpg

I stumbled on a few tug concept sketches which I had forgotten to render yesterday.  One looks way too much like an angry cat...  anyway, I heart spaceships.

i would like to see the flying device in motion. imo the device makes the whole suit look lightweight and like princess peach ...

are you sure that a plain jetpack/jetboots/"jetchair"/"jetbutt" wouldn't do it? maybe a barrel/"spray can" like jetpack that can be used up?

i love the sketches.

Glad you like the sketches.  

I want some of the tech in the game to have a slightly mysterious feel about it.  'Byzantine' is a word that keeps popping into my head.  A lot of it is derived from the sorts of artifacts that you search for, hence their value.  If the suspensor makes the player seem suddenly feather-light, that's a good thing to me.  Some of your character's tools are analogous to a street urchin from a Brazilian favela using a cel phone to magically contact someone on the other side of the planet.

(edited for punctuation)

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/stevedore.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-tug-001.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-tug-002.jpg

Sketch concepts for Stevedores and tugs.  These contractors will lift precious artifacts off the surface of the planet to be loaded into galactic freighters.

[jkd]

your style is purely awesome, the last ones remind me of the Shadow of the beast on Amiga ...how about your coding efforts so far ?   i could contribute pointless one level demos, if you like  

Getting compared to Shadow of the Beast is more of a compliment than I deserve, but it's definitely a sign I'm getting better.

I'm not a programmer, I just do art/concept/design.  My friend jkd will be programming this.  We were discussing some workflow strategies last night actually.  When any kind of playable demo or prototype is ready it will be released.  Until then I'm going to keep plugging away at assets and game design.



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-suspensor-pixel-variations.png

Some variations on the suspensor sprites.  I think the top-left or bottom-right are what I'll go with.

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-terraintexture-update-001.png



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-terraintexture-update-002.png



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-terraintexture-update-003.png



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-bg-texture-test-001.png

I whipped up a few more terrain textures based on my previous sketch ideations.  This brings me up to 5 tiles in total.

I also did a super-rough experiment texturing the first background layer behind the player.  I think if I want to implement something like this it will take more colours and a fair bit more work.  Probably the biggest issue with it now is the contrast is too high.

I'm pretty unfamiliar with console games, but from my youtube research Snake can grab hold of a little rotary vtol thingie?  Looks pretty cool.

I gutt an idear for a gamme...I want to try PoV's challenge, but I don't think it will be enough time.

Sci-fi hugz.   

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-suspensor-ideation-001.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-suspensor-ideation-002.jpg



http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-suspensor-ideation-003.jpg

I need some sort of flight mechanic in The Salvage, but I don't want it to be like jet-pack whizz-bang.  The notion I'm going with is that the player's suit has some sort of counter-gravity suspensor available.  It won't be able to launch you, but you'll be able to traverse vertical passages comfortably.

I've sketched 3 concepts, the first is the most 'active', and probably looks too much like using a jet-pack for my liking.  The second concept is more like a buoyancy system, the player would 'float' on a pool of energy.  The third concept is the one I think I'll translate into pixel art.  It will be some sort of device that the player grabs hold of and carries you aloft. 

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-walls-001.jpg


http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-walls-002.jpg


http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-walls-003.jpg


http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/salvage-walls-004.jpg

Some sketch ideations for modular walling.  I don't think any of these are strong enough to use but they're helping me work out ideas and forms.  One thing I think would be cool is to have an initial shell wall that's cheap, quick, but weak.  That shell can act as a form for a concrete-like substance that makes for much sturdier structures.
I'm not sure whether I should just do basic corner and span modules that can be rotated and banged into place, or whether to do something a bit funkier, like a snaky chain which the player can custom-shape and then later pump full of 'crete.  There will need to be more sketching on this, I need to be in an 'architectural' mood I suppose.

Yeah just scale up the pixels with each zoom level.  To me it has nothing to do with 'retro' or anything, pixel art just looks fine when you can see the pixels.  How about this, if the game is a hit you can hire or entice an artist to come in and redraw everything to the way you'd prefer, but don't let niggling little things like that stall your overall vision.

Could you implement a zoom function?  Who says you need to redraw everything?  If people want more detail / fine control they could just zoom in.

This game had better involve tying knots.  I'm descended from a long line of mariners and I demand at least twenty unlock-able knots.

This made me laugh...  and then ponder...  I think this could be a genius idea.

it looks I will be having your babies...like it or not

Bold move, have you even got the requisite junk available?

Thanks for the vote of confidence though.  Thanks to everyone who's enjoyed seeing the project thus far.   

Works great.  I love being able to drag the camera along the trajectory path and then swivel it around, very useful for post-launch analysis.

http://scutanddestroy.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/revised-debris-001.png

I wasn't really feeling the way I drew the dust storm debris from earlier, so here's a revised version.  One thing I wanted to show visually was how debris could get a little below the surface level via little vortices that curl off exposed outcroppings.  Overall I think this revision makes the dust storm look more violent and high-velocity.

Holeeeeee crap.   

I had forgotten to make numerals for my font.  There are now numerals.  Huzzahs all around!