Graphics Discussion: Requests, help and general

[alex2]

Ah, that makes more sense!

I have no idea about the cape, then.

[Schnurmanator]

Could someone please make a gorilla graphic swap for Charging Chuck a.k.a. Charlie?

EDIT: Don't need the graphic swap anymore.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

I've been working on the opening cinematic for the final level, and one of the things involved has been a portal/wormhole-type object that moves slowly across the screen. It's essentially just a circular window that masks any layer 1 information that it covers. I set up the foreground and background of the current area on layer 1, then set up the same foreground with a different background (the area the wormhole leads to) on layer 2.

The effect is pretty neat, but it needs more graphical embellishment in order to look right. I started working on an aurora graphic that will surround the portal, which I will either implement as a sprite (there are no other sprites onscreen so I can use lots of tiles) or as layer 3. Here's what I've got:

(Notice that almost 3/4 of the tiles are duplicates; I just made one corner of the image, flipped it around, and mended the edges together. It should all fit on one GFX page)

I'm having some trouble animating it, so if someone wouldn't mind helping out I'd appreciate it. I'd also really like feedback on how to improve it while still using only 4 colors.

[swirlybomb]

Helping with something like that is way out of my area of expertise, but I just wanted to say that it looks amazing.

[Paralars]

To maintain a small palette, use dithering!
Create areas of two colors aligned in a checkered manner to make it look like a consistent area of a color inbetween (e. g. the shaded edges of my avatar)

You could also use that to create a pseudo-semi-transparent glow around it, by checkering colored and empty pixels.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

To maintain a small palette, use dithering!
Create areas of two colors aligned in a checkered manner to make it look like a consistent area of a color inbetween (e. g. the shaded edges of my avatar)

You could also use that to create a pseudo-semi-transparent glow around it, by checkering colored and empty pixels.

Hmm... I don't really know if I'm experienced enough to make that look nice. I don't want to use many more tiles (remember, it's going to be a sprite), and there is a limited amount of space for me to work with to blend the colors. I'll give it a try though.

The main trouble is still going to be animation, because for it to look fluid each one of those little flare-arm things is going to need to cycle somehow (either by growing, shrinking, swaying left/right, or some combination of the three). I tried making another frame but I couldn't get it to look right.

Gotta keep trying though!

[Paralars]

One simple, classy animation that could work would be:
You redraw that ring in a way so that it has about the same amount of variation everywhere.
(For example, you could open your ring in any advanced graphics program, make it semi-transparent and draw a new ring on a new layer on top of that, putting tendrils/arms only inbetween the original ring's tendrils/arms.)


Let's say the original ring is frame A, the variation is frame B.
You could just slowly animate between these two frames to get a somewhat retro Metroid-ish look,
or do something like A-B-Aflipped-Bflipped to make it look like more animation frames.

I hope you see where I'm going.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

Oh, I see what you mean. Thanks! I'll try that!

[anonymousbl00dlust]

asdf

The school quarter ended and I finally have time to get back to work on this. I spent part of the day making another frame for the portal using paralars' method, but it didn't work out very well.

Screenshot:

layer2transparent.png (4.65 KiB) Viewed 282 times

the animation looks really jerky, and I'm just not very happy with the overall look of it. The tendrils don't stand out enough at all.

I also need to figure out a way to actually draw that many sprite tiles. I may use cluster sprites if it comes to that, but I really, REALLY don't want to do it that way.

Again, comment's and suggestions/help are appreciated.

[alex2]

Just draw the tiles instead of making them all sprites.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

Just draw the tiles instead of making them all sprites.

If you mean draw sprite tiles, that's what I'm doing. I was just concerned about how many I had to draw.

If you mean that I should put it on a fg/bg layer, I can't.

[alex2]

I would love to hear why you can't.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

I would love to hear why you can't.

short answer: they're being used

long answer: layer 1 is delegated to the foreground/false background of the starting area. layer 2 is delegated to the foreground/false background of the area the wormhole leads to. Window masks are being used to cut a hole in layer one, forming the center of the portal. The sprite is 4-color plus transparency, meaning I can't use layer 3 to do the job.

[alex2]

Wow

I am not the man for that one.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

Okay, I need opinions. Which one is better:

animation1.gif (12.09 KiB) Viewed 231 times

animation2.gif (16.32 KiB) Viewed 231 times

[alex2]

Both kind of give a spinning illusion. I'm partial to the first one, though.

[limepie20]

I think I like the first one better. But they are both really good.

[swirlybomb]

I also prefer the first one, because I think the colors on the second clash too much.

[Paralars]

the first one looks more alive, in motion, and more sparkly.

the second one looks more evil-mysterious-dark-static-y (reminds me of minecraft's End dimension somehow)

I'd say it depends on context

[anonymousbl00dlust]

Alright, I guess I'll use the first one then. I think that one works better in context as well, because the area inside the portal has a blue-grey palette. The black would probably clash too much.

By the way, is there a globally used "solid for sprites only" tile in a2mt? I mean, is there a 16x16 graphic designated specifically for that type of custom block across multiple levels? If so I'd like to use it.

[Paralars]

The eye-block in ExGFXF9 is used for Sprite-only and Demo-only tiles. The solid-for-Demo block is usually colored, the solid-for-sprites block is transparent.

[Frozelar]

Well, I see things are going well. well

Would there be a way you could like, make it animate faster or something? So it could kinda look like it's... "burning", for lack of a better term? If you understand what I'm saying? I think it might look a bit nicer.

Good job, though. Really.

[anonymousbl00dlust]

Well, I see things are going well. well

Would there be a way you could like, make it animate faster or something? So it could kinda look like it's... "burning", for lack of a better term? If you understand what I'm saying? I think it might look a bit nicer.

Good job, though. Really.

The sprite animates faster than that. I agree that it could look a lot nicer. The look I wanted was more like the aurora of the sun, with the little tendrils waving stretching out and dying, then being replaced by new ones.

I happily invite anyone who wants to have a go at doing a better animation to try. I'm doing the best I can. I'm only one person, and the content that I've created for final level fills over 2 banks now (although a good portion of it is not going to be used). So if you think you can contribute be my guest!

[anonymousbl00dlust]

update type thing:

I finished the sprite programming and all the graphics for the portal thing. I still don't have graphics for the giant laser that shoots into the air (calling the wormhole down). I haven't really made anything graphics-wise like that before. If I could get some help or even advise on how do do that I'd appreciate it a lot.

Here's some screens so you get the general idea:

SPOILERS. RAOCOW DO NOT LOOK AT THIS.

Spoiler: show

laser thing opening. The color is actually a solid color, and not a layer getting revealed by a mask. The laser sprite is 32px wide and 128+ px tall. It cycles between 4 frames when the laser is opening/closing, and cycles between a different 4 frames when the laser is at full size.

laser1.png (13.14 KiB) Viewed 97 times

laser roughly at full size. Ignore the weird offset at the top. It looks strange in a single image, but it's actually part of its animation. the whole laser vibrates left and right in a sinusoid pattern.

laser2.png (13.01 KiB) Viewed 97 times

Once the laser dies out the portal starts to descend. Note here that that pink area is actually just the placeholder background for layer 2. Eventually I will put the real background (the place being teleported to) there. The sprite is slightly offset, which I am currently trying to fix.

portal1.png (14.36 KiB) Viewed 97 times

portal2.png (16.19 KiB) Viewed 97 times

once the portal actually hits the alter thing, the screen flashes a few times and the new area is revealed.

openportal.png (5.08 KiB) Viewed 97 times

also, here's the background that will be used

munchersea.png (51.51 KiB) Viewed 97 times

(thus concludes all the screens I will ever, EVER show of this level before it is released)

[Cheeseofdoom]

update type thing:

I finished the sprite programming and all the graphics for the portal thing. I still don't have graphics for the giant laser that shoots into the air (calling the wormhole down). I haven't really made anything graphics-wise like that before. If I could get some help or even advise on how do do that I'd appreciate it a lot.

Here's some screens so you get the general idea:

SPOILERS. RAOCOW DO NOT LOOK AT THIS.

Spoiler: show

laser thing opening. The color is actually a solid color, and not a layer getting revealed by a mask. The laser sprite is 32px wide and 128+ px tall. It cycles between 4 frames when the laser is opening/closing, and cycles between a different 4 frames when the laser is at full size.

laser1.png

laser roughly at full size. Ignore the weird offset at the top. It looks strange in a single image, but it's actually part of its animation. the whole laser vibrates left and right in a sinusoid pattern.

laser2.png

Once the laser dies out the portal starts to descend. Note here that that pink area is actually just the placeholder background for layer 2. Eventually I will put the real background (the place being teleported to) there. The sprite is slightly offset, which I am currently trying to fix.

portal1.png

portal2.png

once the portal actually hits the alter thing, the screen flashes a few times and the new area is revealed.

openportal.png

also, here's the background that will be used

munchersea.png

(thus concludes all the screens I will ever, EVER show of this level before it is released)

This is so awesome. I can't wait to see it in action.