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[Tumetsu]

I'm currently designing a puzzle platformer with code name "Bodiless". For more information and screenies about the game, check it's

or devlog. Anyways, I'm stuck with graphical style and theme and I'm looking for suggestions and ideas.

Graphical style
I'm most adept with high resolution graphics, like hand drawn etc. while pixel art is not my thing really. Problem is that while that kind of art could IMO play very well with game, game contains also very small sprites, for example floor sprites are just 16x16. I wonder how I could fit these two different graphics neatly together, without making it look like pixel art thrown above vectors/paintings?

Graphical theme
Along with style, I'm bit lost with graphical theme. Game's concept is pretty surreal/abstract since it involves player without torso. Problem is I can't invent any good theme to link with this concept except overall surrealism. So question is how you think one could make good looking and feeling surreal graphics? Or alternatively just throw other themes or suggestions.

I'm really stuck with these and would appreciate some comments or ideas to give some thoughs how I could move my project forward. Any idea and tip is welcome so don't be afraid to comment

[Toeofdoom]

On a side note it looks like you definitely have some interesting gameplay and really cool levels going on...

But yeah, high resolution graphics would be the way to go, I reckon. Floor sprites shouldn't be a huge problem if there's any way to alter the tiling, for example creating large repeated 128x128 texture or whatever and having it crop at edges or only use it where you have room. I don't really know what's possible in gamemaker, though.

I'm sure you've thought of the "ghost" angle of course and I assume you've then tried to reconcile that with the person being partially solid. My suggestion there is that they're a prisoner, who had magic shackles on their wrists and ankles as well as a collar, that continue to hold them now that they died. Or perhaps they have a magical power that allows them to become insubstantial, with the same magical shackle idea.

That's all I have for now, good luck!

[aeiowu]

can you show some examples of the art you've done that you're talking about?

ps. i really dig the game concept (via video).

[Robotwo]

now THAT's some original gameplay right there 

[Tumetsu]

can you show some examples of the art you've done that you're talking about?

I don't follow you. I haven't done much of any art besides the one in video right (which are more or less placeholders) now since I'm still pondering the way I should go with them.

@Toeofdoom
By 128x128 tiles do you mean that I would use them both 16x16 floors and empty areas (where player can't access) to avoid the repetitiviness caused by 16x 16 tiles? It's interesting idea and I guess it should be possible though would need a bit rewrite. Oh well, I'm making level editor anyways so I might as well add that feature in to it

Well, I haven't exactly thought it as ghost. More like that someone stole his body, it fled him or he is just a vulnerable spirit now looking for his body. I like that shackle idea since it fits quite nicely into concept and that perspective could give me possibility to make game's theme either a bit creepy or somekind weird spirit world. Thanks for comment definitely

@Robottwo, aeiowu
Thanks for compliments

[BlueSweatshirt]

I think a murky, surreal, dark theme would go very well with this game.

The idea that you're a spirit who has lost their form, and is trying escape from the spirit world back into the human world could be interesting.

[Derakon]

Honestly I think the art you have right now works just fine. There's nothing wrong with a very clean, abstract aesthetic.

And it's a neat idea. Kudos for your creative game concept.

[aeiowu]

hmmm, i have to disagree. i'd really recommend you collaborate with an artist that can bring both style and theme to the core gameplay. Even if there is no explicit story/narrative in place, I think your issues would be resolved if you decided on a thematic direction. Sometimes artists think in those terms more than most and it'd especially help the collaboration if the artist you work with has a hand in determining that theme/direction/story so they can own it rather than have it dictated to them.

[Toeofdoom]

With the tiling thing, the example I can think of at the moment is in the sims 2:

Most floors have one repeated tile, this has a pattern that covers a 4x4 area then repeats, but you can place it in any shape you like.

The other way is to vary the size of your tiles if possible - if you find you place a lot of 5x1 blocks, create a few variations of that. Build big structural tings out of 4x4 or 8x8 blocks, that sort of thing.

Anyway, if you want to see the most awesome ways to handle the tiling stuff, I think you should just look at Braid. Obviously Braid has a whole lot of work put in, but I reckon there should be plenty of things in there that will inspire you even without taking so much work.

[Tumetsu]

@Jakman4242
Yes, I have something like that in my mind too.

@aeiowu
I think you are right though the problem is to find artist willing to collaborate with me since I can't afford to pay for it Actually I'm not skilless with graphics either but I have my hands and mind filled with other things so your idea is probably good.

@Toeofdoom
Thanks for clarification. I think I got it now though I'm not sure if I will implement it but I will put a note of it somewhere

[aeiowu]

i wouldn't recommend paying a set fee. work with the artist on a rev. share basis. definitely try and get a feel for each other before you totally commit to something. Every collaboration i've been involved in has worked that way and I prefer things like that, it's much more like working on my own stuff than a "paid contract".

I wrote a post awhile ago on this very thing. It might be still relevant: http://mile222.com/2009/09/how-i-find-good-folks-to-collaborate-with/

[Tumetsu]

Thanks for that link, very interesting to read since these collaborations are bit new for me as I have mostly worked alone (except my friend used to do graphics for my projects, but he is too busy now and I have music artist who usually does music when I ask). However, this left me wondering my current case:

1. Do not come in to a collaboration with a preconceived game idea. Seriously. Don’t.

Somehow I guess it will be hard to find anyone to support my game idea regarding to this quote? Except I at least have working demo to show off.
And btw, what do meant by "rev. share"?

Hmm, this networking thing is pretty hard I guess 

[aeiowu]

well, you've got a prototype, right? but that bodiless dude could be a troubled teen from russia who uses his imagination to escape the reality he's created for himself or it could be an old grandmother from brazil looking for her lost spouse. Turns out she has Alzheimer's and her spouse died years ago and this is something she does inside her mind once in a while to occupy it. Or maybe it's not a human at all but some amorphous collection of red blood cells attempting to mimic the form of its universe by looking like a human being. They travel upwards into the fabled land of the liver where they will seek high council on what they should do on this new invasion of mysterious antibodies. Call it Antibody!

Point is, there's plenty of wiggle room with what you've got.

ps. rev. share is short for "revenue share" and that's basically just a split of the profits. Say you sell this on XBLIG, then you'd set up some kind of 50/50, 40/60 rev. share between you and the artist and split it accordingly.

[Tumetsu]

Thanks for your insights, you got me thinking this from a bit different perspectives I suppose I have somewhat negelcted this side of game development while studying more actual game design etc. Now I'm realizing this part a bit better

Well, I think it's pretty much time to dive in to these things then and try my luck

[Gainsworthy]

Now, I can't be of help, not much an artist myself, but I did see the video.

Where'd you get an idea like that? Bizarre, quite cool. Hope you find your artist (or satisfactory art style) - I'd love to play it.
 

[Tumetsu]

Now, I can't be of help, not much an artist myself, but I did see the video.

Where'd you get an idea like that? Bizarre, quite cool. Hope you find your artist (or satisfactory art style) - I'd love to play it.
 

Actually the concept is several years old now so I can't remember clearly where it came. However, I have hazy memory of playing some random minimalistic platformer where character was form of 5 pixels. The game was pretty standard platformer but I instantly figured out what one could do with character like that

I'll do my best to finish this. Right now I have hands full of things IRL, programming and graphics wise but after I get some of them out of the way I'll get on the graphic design unless I find someone else to help with it

[Shambrook]

this is what poped into my head.

BTW that is a brilliant concept for a platformer and looks like heaps of fun.

[unsilentwill]

Probably not what you're going for, but liked this game a lot for some reason.

[Chromanoid]

magical experiment gone wrong... magician disappears and you have to collect your body parts ^^ (head can walk with teeth and tongue / alternatively display the head with jaw and the head can move with chewing motion)
http://knifefightingjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/salad-fingers.png could be a style guide for colors and general appearance...

BTW that is a brilliant concept for a platformer and looks like heaps of fun.

[Shambrook]

magical experiment gone wrong... magician disappears and you have to collect your body parts ^^ (head can walk with teeth and tongue / alternatively display the head with jaw and the head can move with chewing motion)
http://knifefightingjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/salad-fingers.png could be a style guide for colors and general appearance...

BTW that is a brilliant concept for a platformer and looks like heaps of fun.

Oh shit that would be cool if as you collect more parts of your body you have to maneuver around more parts. Like after you get your arms and torso, then stuff can no longer go between them.