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[teatreegames]

All of my maps are 24x24 tiles, sized to mostly fit the screen (768x1024); this leaves a rectangle of empty space on one side, where I put the HUD, tree, map, etc. I decided later to add a border to connect it all together..

My question is, is this unsightly?

[JWK5]

Personally speaking, I don't think it is bad.

The difference in contrast (between the HUD and world view) is nice but it does make it look like there is a thick haze over the top of the world view. I'd either take the black (or very dark gray) you are using on the HUD and make it a lighter gray or take advantage of the haze effect and add some transparent "clouds" that flow over the world view to give the environment a more ominous and mysterious feel.

If you wanted to add "fog of war" (where only the areas the player has been near are exposed) you could further take advantage of the haze effect and literally have a fog of war (blot out unseen areas with thicker haze). There's a lot of gameplay and thematic opportunities that could be opened up there.

Not the greatest examples, and hopefully you get the idea, but it is the best I can do while I wait for my first cup of coffee to work its magic:

(Click on it for the full image):


I hope that helps!

[teatreegames]

Personally speaking, I don't think it is bad.

The difference in contrast (between the HUD and world view) is nice but it does make it look like there is a thick haze over the top of the world view. I'd either take the black (or very dark gray) you are using on the HUD and make it a lighter gray or take advantage of the haze effect and add some transparent "clouds" that flow over the world view to give the environment a more ominous and mysterious feel.

If you wanted to add "fog of war" (where only the areas the player has been near are exposed) you could further take advantage of the haze effect and literally have a fog of war (blot out unseen areas with thicker haze). There's a lot of gameplay and thematic opportunities that could be opened up there.

Thank you. I actually did have mist/fog already in mind but just haven't got around to doing it yet. It will hopefully look something like that or this:



Maybe I could also make some of the HUD elements look like they are part of what the character could be carrying.. Like, maybe make it look like a piece of parchment or book with information written on it, and the talent tree icons could resemble drawings on the parchment instead, etc.

My primary concern is that it will be distracting while playing. Keeping in mind that the mini map is accessed by pressing the arrow buttons.. So the talent tree isn't always displayed.

[JWK5]

[teatreegames]

Wow, thank you so much!

I'll definitely try reducing the contrast on the HUD, maybe remove the borders around the elements in it as well to help blend things in. There is a lot of rock tiles that the player can actually walk over that I need to make darker / blend into the ground more. Though, for the larger rocks, they are collidable; should they be darker as well?

Bare with me, as I'm definitely more of a programmer than a pixel artist.

[JWK5]

[teatreegames]

This is such a great guide! Thank you!

I messed around with it a bit and this was the result:



Not sure.. I think I may need to re-work the current colour palette I'm using. It definitely looks a lot more tidy, though!

(The ruins in back are a work in progress.. )

[rj]

very command and conquer. i like it, myself.

[teatreegames]

very command and conquer. i like it, myself.

Thank you! Still getting the hang of properly using contrast and brightness. Getting there!

[JWK5]

(Click on the image for the full view)

[teatreegames]

You are amazing! Thank you again!

I think I understand and going to give it another stab. Back to modifying the tilesets.

The tower in these shots looks only slightly inappropriate.

T-they're just ruins! I did it in a rush and wasn't thinking.

[JWK5]

Actually, I just realized that I grabbed the shot of your old one and not the latest one you posted...lol. So just ignore the bits that really don't apply (particularly those regarding the HUD-side of your shot, such as graying the text, fixing the black icon outlines, etc.)

[teatreegames]

Ah! I updated the that one prior; it looks like it replaced the previous one as I forgot to rename it.

I kind of wanted to try and keep the exterior of the play area dark. Would it be good practice to do this?



Or:



Similar to one of the examples you shown:



I tried a lighter colour but thought it might have been too bright.

[JWK5]

The first one isn't bad, the main thing to avoid is using "rounded" lighting on a flat surface. You see how the top of the walls in the first one look flatter than the second?

[teatreegames]

Definitely. I guess I'll stick with that one and revise it a bit more, then work on the uh, accidentally phallic-shaped ruins, etc. ...

With the fog effect over the play area, this should hopefully look pretty depressing / gloomy, I hope.

You're the best! Thank you! I definitely learned a lot today.

[teatreegames]

Current look!



And with the fog / haze it'll be really nice.

[JWK5]

Since you've already got outlining going (for example, on the character and walls) outlining your props (rocks, pillars, etc.) can help things along visually. By outlining everything but the bottom you imply they are attached to the floor.



It's a crappy quick edit but hopefully you get the idea. Other than that it's looking good, keep up the good work! 

[teatreegames]

I put a darker grey as the outline for these so they blend better, but still have an outline. The darker outline is definitely an improvement and I agree with not outlining the bottom; I had already stopped outlining the bottoms of such tiles, but it's harder to notice with my lighter outline.

Thanks again!