Screenshot Critique Thread: Read Rules Before Posting!

[CompassNL 4]

@ Galve & Nicke

 

Thanks for the feedback  , the video lost quality and even made it darker. I tried to lighten the rooms up a bit but the maps really loses its mood. The player holds a lantern and I've placed plenty of candles to lighten up the rooms for the mood  . These maps I've shown in the video are darkest maps this game wil contain so no worry's about a dark game haha.

@Nicke

Maybe add some more stuff, more variation perhaps? Your mapping looks good 

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This is going to be a boss battle with a spider queen :-D the cocoon you see on this map is animated and swings from left to right! I still need to fix those curtains.

Edited January 19, 2013 by CompassNL

[Meinos Kaen 12]

@CompassNL

Hmmm, cool screenshot. Only thing, that shade of green is maybe too bright for a monster lair. The living plants also break what should be, I suppose, an eerie atmosphere.

 

From me to you, the second version of my world map finally done!

 

 

 

 

[+ Maindric 15]

@Meinos Kaen

That is a nice and cute looking world map you have there!

 

Are you going to show some cars driving around on it?

 

 

Also, here is the dungeon to my game, The Lost Shipment:

 

 

 

 

[Meinos Kaen 12]

@Maindric Heh, maybe just in the prologue. Considering what happens in the city plot-wise... About your map, while it's good for the outside, once you're inside the cave you can avoid all those unused tiles. I mean, the walls are enough, we don't need to see how the rock continues inside.

 

Also, but this I guess you will fix later on, a dark cave/mine tunnel can't be that bright.

[+ Maindric 15]

@Meinos Kaen

Ah, so I assume that the populous will be killed?  I can kinda see that with the destroyed castle...

 

 

That is how I was intending it to look in game.  I shared the base version so no details would be skewed.  Also, I only left the wall tiles to maintain consistency, and because they hide a hidden path to a different map with a treasure and a heal spot.  If I could hide that and remove the other tiles, I would, but I am not sure how, any suggestions?

[Galv 1,387]

@ Maindric - Some things that I can point out, using your room on the right with the red orbs and book.

Your ground is darker and where the floor meets the wall or a hole in the ground it turns light. This is fine but look at your lower walls. It turns light even though it wouldn't have reached the lower walls (due to the perspective). Maybe using the shift+right clicking method to paint the dark ground up against it.

 

Also, regarding your lower walls, you could try placing objects so that they look like they are behind them. Like some of those rocks you've put around the place, try putting the top half of that rock against the lower wall (well, the "roof" tile if you know where I mean).

[CompassNL 4]

@ Maindric

 

It looks good but at the same time a bit boring. Some objects are placed too random, maybe some more variation in objects ?

 

 

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A short video of my gameplay I hope it's not to much straight forward. It will be more difficult in time for sure, find more keys to enter rooms, there is even going to be an upper floor in this horror house. But I just wanted to show you the key items and puzzles! (I must confess I am a bit proud on my piano scene and the cocoons I made) I also hope you like the mood, I know it's dark but everything is still visable enough in my oppinion.

 

Edited January 20, 2013 by CompassNL

[TecnoNinja 0]

Hello everyone!

I am TecnoNinja, I am a new user and I'm Italian: D

I'm not good at English pier (ç_ç), but I will try to help me with the translator.

I made a test map for my project, what do you think?

 

 

 

 

And this is the video

 

[Jonnie91 1,149]

@TechnoNinja 

You must post feedback on another Screenshot before posting your own. 

[TecnoNinja 0]

@TechnoNinja 

You must post feedback on another Screenshot before posting your own. 

 

 

Forgive me XP

I had not fully understood the rules ... I'm sorry

 

@CompassNL: Lovely mapping and overall a good feeling but I would increase the tint a bit since it is too hard to notice the detail. You can create a good mood with tint effect but you shouldn't hide off the details if you get what I mean.

Here is a screen of mine showing off the latest version of The Dark Ruins as well as a simple HUD I am working on:

 

 

I really like this screen ^ ^

I especially like the use of color and the placement of resources.

If I were you, I would add some light effect to the torches.

Edited January 20, 2013 by TecnoNinja

[Galv 1,387]

@technoninja - that river animation looks very nice and map as a whole looks very impressive! Nice one. It feels like you should now be making the grass and trees sway a bit in the wind

 

This is a design for lootable containers, it's just a photoshop mockup for now before I make it a script:

The idea will be the background image changes depending on what you are searching (chest, bookcase, barrel, etc.) and inventory image depending on the inventory max size you've obtained.

[Wendell 81]

@TecnoNinja: Uau. Your map is so beautiful, it is parallax, isn't it? Amazing, you really got the feeling of a nature/forest map. Just one thing: the fishes stopped in the video are a bit weird to me. There is a way to make them move randomly?  

 

@Galv: Can't wait for this script. Really. There will be a way to call the players inventory scene using that script? It looks so beautiful in the PS, if you can do it the same way in the script will be amazing. Great job.

 

 

Well, here is another screen of Westgron (yeah it has a name now) city. The church and graveyard tiles I made by editing and the player's sprite changes to a car when you are in the city map (someone gave me this tip)

Edited January 21, 2013 by Wendell

[Nicke 151]

@Wendell: I like the simplicity, overall neat world map.

 

Hmm, not sure if this is allowed but here goes.. a video showing off my game

[CompassNL 4]

Amazing video! I really like your puzzles! I've been watching some more videos from your channel. Where did you get the ABS ? 

[Gawaine 8]

@ TechnoNinja - really like the screen shot, and the video shows how nicely the river flows.  Although I didn't like the fish in the water because they don't actually move left to right, etc...  Are those trees custom made or are they originally from a photograph?  I think if you added in some shadows on the ground from those trees, it would help make things pop a little more as well.

 

@ Galv - NIce mock-up!  Nice to be able to see and choose what items you want to take rather than being forced to take whatever is in the container, etc...  I like the look of this, but not so much of the background inside of the frame where it lists the items.

 

@ Wendell - The latest screenshot is looking pretty good.  I really like that you changed the character to a car when on the main map as that makes the most sense and the size fits better with the map.  As with any map the more variations you can have the better!  Some simple edits to the same tile can really go along way.  Instead of having several houses that look the exact same other than the roof color, taking those and making some minor changes to each would help make things look better.  Same goes w/ some minor edit to the trees, etc - instead of having 100 of the exact same tree, having some variations would be nice.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Gawaine

[Nicke 151]

@CompassNL: Here!

[TecnoNinja 0]

Thanks to everyone for the compliments and suggestions.

However, the fish move back and forth by my choice, I wanted to simulate a strong current in which they did find it hard to move forward.

 

The trees are my own creation in 3d and photoshop ... they are not photos ^ ^

Edited January 21, 2013 by TecnoNinja

[Aeris 1]

Hi, I'm new here!

 

So first of all: my first critique goes to Nicke with his(her?) video of the "Dark Ruins":

That's pretty sweet! You have a cool glow and darkness in your scene, you have tons of custom stuff, you have effects in your map and so!

The only thin I'd criticize is that there are very many of these women statues... The repeat in every room and never look different.

So if they don't have an explicit meaning I'd suggest to alter and replace some of them (e.g. head chopped of, broken in another way, and so on).

 

So here is now my screenshot:

 

It's parallax mapped.

It's supposed to be some temple of a God, located in a medi-eval fantasy world (standard...).

 

For now, I used tilesets I found here and there in the internet, so there are obviously some that are not free for use in finished projects. I know that I'm not allowed to use them in my real project, but this is just a test, my first map, so I'll have to do maaaaany more, with either my own tilesets or legally, crediting the respective owner.

 

I have a pretty high ambition on beautiful maps, so please don't go easy on me. I want to create maps that look REALLY beautiful, and not just standard beautiful. So it's more about basic mapping techniques, like overlapping, variation, hue/lightness, positioning of objects, map size and so on.

 

I have Photoshop skills, so I could alter tiles and so on.

 

Any tips?

[Gawaine 8]

@ Aeris - I like the overall look of the map, not too sparce with details and a number of different types of elements on the map.

 

A couple things to note:

 

1.) The cliff to the upper left corner, has a piece that doesn't blend well with the bottom half (the largest part of that cliff).

 

2.) The lights from the light posts.  You have a glow around the entire light post (lights, post, base, etc).  Although that might work if it was a downward facing light post, these are more like lanterns.  And in this case, the light would be more of a ball going up and out rather than straight down to the ground.

[Fated 13]

@ Aeris: While I think the map has the right look, I'm struggling to get a good sense about its size and shape. I think I would feel pretty lost in the middle of that map if I was a chibi VX sprite, I don't know how to explain it.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think that's an above average map no contest, but you wanted the criticism .

Edited January 21, 2013 by Fated

[Jonnie91 1,149]

@Aeris
 
I've got to agree with Fated. I'd feel rather overwhelmed as a Chibi...Also you need to work on the lighting abit more. For example the torches? The light should expand around the map. If they are actual torches. Than only the head should glow such as below (A very quick bit of work using JUST Photoshop )

[Aeris 1]

Thanks a lot for the input you 3 guys!!

 

@Fated / Jonnie91: You said you'd feel "overwhelmed" or "lost" in the middle of the map: is it because of too much detail (little flowers), or by the vast space that would be too big for a chibi VX character?

 

I'll work on the rest of the issues that are clear to me this evening and repost my map.

 

@Fated: Everything's fine, I'm glad you put it the way you did!

[Jonnie91 1,149]

What you need to remember when creating a map, especially in parallax form, that it looks very small on PS, however the MOMENT you put it into RPG Maker you realize how BIG it really is...and it can be a bit "daunting" Also, are you aware that the middle Statue is a different color, it looks ever so slightly outta place. Is this purposely done? 

 

I also feel in addition to what I mentioned earlier, to add a few more shadows to the maps from the way your map looks, it appears to be early evening, so I'd suggest adding in abit more shadows into the center of the map. Also, do you create your shadows over your lighting. This is a very effective tool to use, as it means that shadows and light feel like they're merging.

[Aeris 1]

Okay, I edited my map now! That's the new one:

 

It's 20x15 in the editor. I changed the light gloomy things around the lanterns, stuffed stuff together and so on.

(Only problem now is that it does not have the right size in the game. It _is_ 640x480 pixels which should just be 20x15 fields, but when I walk in the map I can't get to the edges. Although in the editor mode I see all the edges. :/ Gotta go to a help thread here...)

[Jonnie91 1,149]

Okay, that's a good progression, however what you also need to think about is how far your light reaches out. Light isn't in a ball and then stops. it just begins to fade away to achieve this, change the layer setting to either Soft Light or Overlay, if you've already done this. Create another layer and then overlay some more shadows on top of it. Your lighting still isn't quite realistic enough!