Pixel Point and Click Adventure?

BackUpAndDown

Hey, I've been experimenting with a few different art styles for my next game and I was wondering what people thought.

http://www.deviantart.com/download/227377966/pixel_test_by_meditatingwolf-d3rdhym.png

I still need to add some textures and polish it up a bit but do you think this kind of style would be popular in the mobile gaming community?

firemaplegames

I'd play it!

RedlerTech

Haha i knew Joe should post on this

BackUpAndDown

firemaplegames said:
I'd play it!

Thats extremely encouraging to hear, especially coming from you. ^_^

I was originally going to use the "photomanipulation" style that seems to be extremely popular but it was way to tricky and I'm not that talented yet.

DigiChain

I think it looks great! You should definitely go down this route. Good luck dude.

BackUpAndDown

Digi-chain said:
I think it looks great! You should definitely go down this route. Good luck dude.

Thanks, I still need to add a lot more detail before I'll be happy with it though.

Mammoth

I would go ahead with production if the art looks like this

What program did you use to make it?

mithrawept

You should make it - I want to know what the machine does.

BackUpAndDown

Mammoth said:
I would go ahead with production if the art looks like this

What program did you use to make it?

So far I've only used Photoshop on this particular image.

mithrawept said:
You should make it - I want to know what the machine does.

Well since most people seem to like it, I'll continue with making the graphics and see how it goes. It should (hopefully) be ready by mid to late August.

firemaplegames

BackUpAndDown said:It should (hopefully) be ready by mid to late August.

Do you mean the whole game or just this image?

Because it was relatively short - only 55 images and 30 items to collect and use - Grisly Manor took me a solid six months to develop. My new game is 5x larger, and is taking me a few months longer.

I would seriously recommend locking the entire game down first - every object, every puzzle, every screen needed, the story - before even starting on any of the art or programming.

Going back later and redoing artwork or programming logic because you added new parts will drive you insane

But if you can really get the whole game done in a few weeks, then more power to you!

I am excited to play it. Looks like games from when I was a kid.

BackUpAndDown

firemaplegames said:
Do you mean the whole game or just this image?

Because it was relatively short - only 55 images and 30 items to collect and use - Grisly Manor took me a solid six months to develop. My new game is 5x larger, and is taking me a few months longer.

I would seriously recommend locking the entire game down first - every object, every puzzle, every screen needed, the story - before even starting on any of the art or programming.

Going back later and redoing artwork or programming logic because you added new parts will drive you insane

But if you can really get the whole game done in a few weeks, then more power to you!

I am excited to play it. Looks like games from when I was a kid.

Wow, How many hours a day did you work on Grisly Manor? Maybe my August deadline is a little unrealistic after all...

BackUpAndDown

*Double post*

firemaplegames

About 12 hours a day

BackUpAndDown

firemaplegames said:
About 12 hours a day

Ah, well I've only been pushing 10 hours a day so I guess I should probably reevaluate my dead line. lol

Mammoth

Plan your game out from start to finish. Make all the art all at once and then do the programming all at once. Be sure to test along the way.

For big projects batching the tasks is essential to time efficiency.

BackUpAndDown

Mammoth said:
Plan your game out from start to finish. Make all the art all at once and then do the programming all at once. Be sure to test along the way.

For big projects batching the tasks is essential to time efficiency.

I've already planned out all the puzzles and plot (i've been working on this project for the past month) now I'm on too the art stage. I think I have everything planned out pretty well, I just have trouble estimating how long each stage is going to take. =P

Mammoth

I would just work hard and see what happens. My latest game took 21 solid days of development. I thought it would be done in 14.

Just keep at it.

BTW. I will be making a Point and click adventure when I get back from holidays. We should compare notes when we are done.

BackUpAndDown

Mammoth said:
I would just work hard and see what happens. My latest game took 21 solid days of development. I thought it would be done in 14.

Just keep at it.

BTW. I will be making a Point and click adventure when I get back from holidays. We should compare notes when we are done.

Well I'm not really in any rush with this project so I'm planning on working on it full time until it's good enough for the front page of the app store.

I spent some more time this morning working on the Engine room scene and I've gotten it a little closer to completion.

http://www.deviantart.com/download/229969561/engine_room_test2_by_meditatingwolf-d3sx1nd.png

I still need to add a bunch of stuff and animate a few of the objects but it's starting to look more like how I originally envisioned it.

I'd be interested in hearing if people think it's an improvement or not.

(I'd definitely be interested in comparing notes later on. Feel free to send me a message whenever your back from holidays. )

DigiChain

Once this scene is animated I think it'll look incredibly cool!

I'm also about to begin my first point & click adventure (with a twist) - and have no idea how long its going to take. But its great to hear a few others are up for the challenge too.

Adventures have always been my favourite vid game genre. Good luck all.

IsabelleK

I finished my first adventure game in 7 months (about 12-16 h a day, everyday). And it's quite short :P The second episode of The Train is almost finished after 9 months of work (12-16 h a day, everyday). You are unable to make a nice adventure game in two months.

DigiChain

Hi Moonwalls / Firemaple,

Do you mind me asking - what part of creating your adventure games took the most time?

The creation of the gfx, which does look like a huge task when creating such high quality images? Or the GS attribute coding that went on behind it?

IsabelleK

I don't use photos like Joe - I just draw everything myself. That's an easy part for me. The hardest is coding, and logic - "what if player solve this puzzle, before taking the item?" "how I can make player go to the 1st room in the beginning, but still keep the second room open for him?" etc.

DigiChain

Ok. Good to know what I'm letting myself in for.

Next game release date - 2012!

Mammoth

@ FireMaple and moonwals,

How many variables did you have for each project?

firemaplegames

@digi-chain: The artwork takes me the most time by far. For these games I use a lot of matte painting techniques. Compositing several photos together and then digitally hand-painting on top of them to make them cohesive. I then add lots of lighting, shadows, and atmospheric effects. Each image takes me roughly 8 hours to complete. And that is just for the main background of each Scene. I then have to animate things. I work with a photographer who takes the photos for me. For Grisly Manor he took about 5,000 photographs for me and for the new one he's taken about 16,000!

It's definitely a ton of work but I think it pays off in the end.

Here is a link to a fantastic step-by-step Photoshop matte painting tutorial. He uses very similar techniques to the ones that I use. In this tutorial he takes an image of the London Natural History Museum and transforms it into a destroyed, overgrown ruin:

http://www.3dm3.com/tutorials/mattepainting/london-museum/index.php

And here's a link to another awesome image of the same building done by a different matte painting artist: http://www.davidedwards.me/galleries/gal_matte_09.html

I guess that's a fun building to destroy!

And here's a great live (sped up) demonstration of how to do it also. It a city getting attacked by aliens:


@Mammoth: Grisly Manor had a little over 500 attributes. They start adding up quickly!

Mammoth

Thanks fire maple that is a good resource

StormyStudio

love the art style of the engine room....

still not nearly finished my 'Dark Asylum' game...

the art is the biggest time killer for me....

really want to do the game justice and keep the style as high as possible....

I dont have an engine room but I do have a boiler room...

Good luck with yours....

outasite

firemaplegames said:
And here's a great live (sped up) demonstration of how to do it also. It a city getting attacked by aliens:

Thank you.
My life just changed forever.

kapser

I'm a bit of a pixel fanatic to give my opinion, but I definately like it better than photo style.

It might not look as polished to some, but it makes it easier to add more animations.

SlickZero

Wow…that dude clicks around and zooms in and out so much it gave me a headache.

BackUpAndDown

Thanks everyone for the feedback and support and thank you Firemaple for those resources. They will definitely come in handy in the future. I will be working full time on this project until it's completion and I will be sure to let everyone know when it's available in the app store.