Low Poly DS-Style Graveyard (WIP)

heyguy

Hello all! I really love the PS1/Nintendo DS graphics and I want to create an small environment replicating that 3D style. Low poly, lots of chunky pixels, dithering, alphas, etc. I originally wanted to create something isometric looking (like Final Fantasy Tactics) but I sort of lost myself creating.  Now I imagine this being some sort of 3rd person game like Phantasy Star Zero on the DS. I'd really like some feedback on my idea and how it's shaping up. Ultimately, I'd like to display this in a portfolio.

A post on Neogaf sort of inspired this project. Can't find the post but here's an amazing folder about the topic, high res Nintendo DS games!

https://imgur.com/a/ORzki#0

So it's still a pretty early work in progress. Missing things like lanterns, scones, and other useful graveyard props. Models still need reworking. Still working on many textures. I read online that the Nintendo DS could push up to 4000 polys so I'm aiming for that. Right now, I feel I have more of a PS2 levels of geometry on the cliffs and ground but I've got polys to spare. I think I might be painting the textures too detailed. Too noisy for a DS game? Most textures map range for 64*64 and down. Some maps are bigger. The ground seems a little too sparse in my opinion. What does everyone think? Thanks for looking!

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ouhI3zV.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/Mv8aS5J.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/qktlYRv.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/W2d7lj6.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/fvnsf1l.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/7RCQ8Y4.png[/img]

JordanN

The tiling on the grass is too obvious. I made a similar mistake when I made my own low poly project. You could include more unique grass tiles or you could vertex paint it by hand to create a smoother blend.

Don't be afraid to bake lighting either. You get the advantages of soft shadows, global illumination and ambient occlusion that a regular point light casting shadow doesn't provide.

Speaking of shadows too, some games also faked it too by using 2D geometry (like an octagon or plane) and placing it underneath objects.

Also, this may be a knit pick, but I would review which artstyle are you going after. Some of your textures look like they were going hand painted while others are photos. I would try doing one over the other.