Really need some help with level aesthetics of my game
interpolator
Long story short, I started programming and using game maker to make a game about 1+ year ago.
Oddly I struggle a lot harder with the art than with the programming or design (i mainly do design generally) - still Im pretty happy with my assets and props generally, but my environment layout sucks so hard, and I really don't know better and need help.
Everything is pre rendered because the engine is 2D only and I like the style
So let me show you some screens of the game. In some places it looks good, but mostly the proportions and the negative space and lack of walls (i think?) is killing it. The main menu looks good imo, theres a good relation of platform and negative space (I think thats why)
But now most of the levels with similar style look like total crap (ignore the poor or missing prop placement, thats WIP)
I also often have these small platforms with paths leading from them, I tried giving some more weight with
the pipes and stuff to fortify it, but generally it all looks poor, I don't know how the make the proportions work
Maybe far wider bridges ?
Best case scenario kinda looks like this: (which I find moderately appealing, probably due to low background space ? not sure)
There are also some larger platforms. This comes down to good prop placement (currently still wip), but real walls would certainly help, but as dumb as that sounds, I struggled so hard with making traditional walls look right that I cut them months ago.
I probably need to fully change the approach, but I would really appreciate some thoughts about why this all looks so bad, and maybe how I could incorporate walls , anything you can think of.
Gameplay works great, we plan to do a kickstarter soon and the environment is really holding everything else back, so I really appreciate anything you can throw at me.
Oddly I struggle a lot harder with the art than with the programming or design (i mainly do design generally) - still Im pretty happy with my assets and props generally, but my environment layout sucks so hard, and I really don't know better and need help.
Everything is pre rendered because the engine is 2D only and I like the styleSo let me show you some screens of the game. In some places it looks good, but mostly the proportions and the negative space and lack of walls (i think?) is killing it. The main menu looks good imo, theres a good relation of platform and negative space (I think thats why)
But now most of the levels with similar style look like total crap (ignore the poor or missing prop placement, thats WIP)
I also often have these small platforms with paths leading from them, I tried giving some more weight with
the pipes and stuff to fortify it, but generally it all looks poor, I don't know how the make the proportions work
Maybe far wider bridges ?
Best case scenario kinda looks like this: (which I find moderately appealing, probably due to low background space ? not sure)
There are also some larger platforms. This comes down to good prop placement (currently still wip), but real walls would certainly help, but as dumb as that sounds, I struggled so hard with making traditional walls look right that I cut them months ago.
I probably need to fully change the approach, but I would really appreciate some thoughts about why this all looks so bad, and maybe how I could incorporate walls , anything you can think of.
Gameplay works great, we plan to do a kickstarter soon and the environment is really holding everything else back, so I really appreciate anything you can throw at me.
Replies
The term environment artists at Blizzard often used was "grouping". Remove negative space around and between props by clustering and piecing props together in clumps which in effect helps combine individual props into singular forms. Connect props with knots of cables, draped tarps, support beams, foundations, etc. Pressing smaller forms into larger forms will help simplify a composition and increase readability, which would always be a designer's immediate concern. Contrasting values can assist in further distinguishing navigable paths from no-pass barriers, collidable props and game elements such as players, enemies, power-ups, UI, etc. Starcraft 2's space platform level art may serve as good reference. They add texture and depth to their platforms by adding greeblesque paneling, glass and grates that seal off engine rooms below, and so on. Regarding your desire to add visual weight, compact your details to remove negative space and use materials and then break up the silhouette, by adding rather than cutting, after it feels heavy. Use thick edges and bulky hard shapes. Add slight bending in beams and planking, add pressurized pads that are tightly flattened, cracking, and even crumbling, and perhaps you can use darker shadows, like in traditional drawing, under heavier objects.
Look forward to seeing what awesome shit you come up with.
I figured the grouping thing too, I probably have to push that further.
Im not entirely certain how the go about the ground paneling and the painted borders, but ill try that, more texture to the ground surely helps. Still im not very sure about the space, I widened the bridges in photoshop and that helped a bunch, but I need to add more, but i also cant just put more ground in the free space, else I had to fill that.
I try pushing this worst case scenario thing (plain bland platform with nothing on it), I figure if that looks decent then the rest will too.
(cheap mockup, already a bit better)
Should I also maybe add some vague black structures in the blue background to fill ? Im not sure if the dark background would help fortifying the foreground so much.
Any input still appreciated!
Also floor panels would help as long as they are not distracting but what is definitely missing is some color, it is mostly grey atm.
Youre right with the color, but that will progressively come
In my opinion, adding complexity not only to the shape of each room, but faking verticality would go a long way.
Right now to me it feels flat because everything appears to be on the same plane. Adding a fake staircase or ramp would add complexity and bring some more perceived verticality. Maybe some of that piping is above the platforms and go transparent when the player walks under it, helping add another layer of foreground to your environment.
In terms of room shapes, adding an alcove or a room inside of a room kind of deal. You already have a bunch of objects judging by the couple screenshots you posted, just use those to create small areas that are interesting.
I hope you don't mind, but I just did a really quick concept in photoshop for you to kind of illustrate what I mean:
The image is probably not the best selection as it had no props on them due to being WIP, while generally they are populated as seen on the 4th screenshot. Id really like to do stairs and height differences, but in 2D space this is pain and my partner in programming would kill me if I said we should do that now. I think I can try adding some things that go over the players head, but this would all have been a lot easier in a 3D engine, fuck me.
I tried making cut off corners and that made it look a lot better too, but again I can't really do that due to surfaces being rectangular only.