Dude Where's my Keys?

Ophidic · Tue 28/03/2023 09:19:33

Just the start of a little practice game where I misplace my keys, and search around the house for them.

I drew everything here except the font and GUI, and I managed to make a functioning drawer after a little bit of fighting with the baseline.

Also my first time using overlays and animated backgrounds, so that was fun.

My walk cycle is janky, yeah, but I was looking at the NES MM sprites for reference and they seem to only have 3 frames per direction.

Ophidic · Wed 29/03/2023 20:11:34

yoooooooo I think I got the hang of makin' little drawers and things.

later on I would really like to make a drag an drop searching scene for drawers, Exactly like the bargain software bin in Space Quest 4.

Ophidic · Thu 30/03/2023 05:54:49

I did a dark tower reference, and drew up a kitchen just now.

Danvzare · Thu 30/03/2023 17:36:34

It looks good. I especially like how that kitchen looks.
Will you be able to open all of those cabinets?

Since this is in the Critics' Lounge, I assume you want some criticism. In which case, the walls look a little bland being entirely grey for every room. I know you're using the EGA palette, but even Maniac Mansion had more going on with the walls. With things such as wallpaper peeling off as well as a bit of illumination, and let's not forget wallpaper patterns.

But that's just a minor complaint. Overall it looks really good. Definitely top notch in my opinion.

If you're planning on releasing this game, maybe you should make a thread in the AGS Games in Production board. On the otherhand, I'd completely understand if this is all just for practice.

Ophidic · Thu 30/03/2023 18:34:01

Quote from: Danvzare on Thu 30/03/2023 17:36:34It looks good. I especially like how that kitchen looks.
Will you be able to open all of those cabinets?

Since this is in the Critics' Lounge, I assume you want some criticism. In which case, the walls look a little bland being entirely grey for every room. I know you're using the EGA palette, but even Maniac Mansion had more going on with the walls. With things such as wallpaper peeling off as well as a bit of illumination, and let's not forget wallpaper patterns.

But that's just a minor complaint. Overall it looks really good. Definitely top notch in my opinion.

If you're planning on releasing this game, maybe you should make a thread in the AGS Games in Production board. On the otherhand, I'd completely understand if this is all just for practice.

Mostly just for practice, but i do plan on actually finishing it and making it playable.

So far everything is one file in aesprite, using the one basic room as a base, and having doors/stairs in place, sorta... I will absolutely be making the walls more detailed a bit further in.

Thanks for commenting! This has been pretty fun to do.

Ophidic · Fri 31/03/2023 02:58:49

Kitchen comin' along. Set some object blocking for the fridge door.

Babar · Fri 31/03/2023 10:07:28

I don't think the perspective on the top of the cabinets and fridge and microwave are correct, makes it look like they're tilting downwards.

Either that, or the perspective on the top of the doorframes is wrong.

Ophidic · Sat 01/04/2023 18:02:27

Quote from: Babar on Fri 31/03/2023 10:07:28I don't think the perspective on the top of the cabinets and fridge and microwave are correct, makes it look like they're tilting downwards.

Either that, or the perspective on the top of the doorframes is wrong.

It might not be...i have been walking a line trying to not be a perfectionist to the point of detriment, that's a tough line to walk sometimes hahha

I have some cabinets with a foot or two of space an the top and you can put jink on them. Maybe shaving it doen a pixel might look better.

Ophidic · Sat 01/04/2023 18:13:57

I tested out talking the top of the cabinet down a pixel on one side, two on the other, and I took the top of the microwave down by 1.

Yeah, that's a good suggestion tbh, I think it looks a bit better, but two pixels on the right cabinet might be a bit too much

Snarky · Sat 01/04/2023 18:57:43

Given the perspective of the ceiling, I'd say we shouldn't be seeing the top of the cabinets at all. If anything, we should be seeing the underside. (Remember, if we see the top of a flat horizontal surface, that implies that our eyes/camera are above it.)

Ophidic · Sat 01/04/2023 19:44:28

Quote from: Snarky on Sat 01/04/2023 18:57:43Given the perspective of the ceiling, I'd say we shouldn't be seeing the top of the cabinets at all. If anything, we should be seeing the underside. (Remember, if we see the top of a flat horizontal surface, that implies that our eyes/camera are above it.)

that's fair.

I'm not crossing my fingers for 100% realism in terms of angles and perspectives.
Some versions of the rooms in maniac mansion seem to have a few pixels worth of angles on the top of the frame while some seem to have the top just a straight line.

I'll keep working on it and see what it looks like a few different ways. Eventually I kinda wanna do stuff in the foreground a little more too... that table with the s&p shakers is the first instance of it so far.

I'm so used to working within the constraints of tilesets that drawing a room feels kinda like standing in an open field.

Matti · Sun 02/04/2023 15:38:00

Overall I like it, but as the others mentioned the perspective is way off and that cought my eyes right from the beginning.

You have a weird two point perspective and I think you should have a one point perspective instead. The image would greatly benefit from aligning everything with that point. As mentioned we shouldn't see the top of the cupboards/microwave/fridge. The top of the doors would be angled too.

newwaveburritos · Sun 02/04/2023 23:02:13

Maniac Mansion itself does a little flubbing with the vanishing points to get away with having more "usable area" so you can definitely fudge it. It's just a matter of fudging the right things. As an aside, I have a decent treasure trove of EGA adventure game art I've done for myself that is scaled to about the same size as your guy there, Jason, if you want some. Obviously, I doubt it will be a perfect match but it's there if you want any.

Ophidic · Mon 03/04/2023 03:55:18

Quote from: newwaveburritos on Sun 02/04/2023 23:02:13Maniac Mansion itself does a little flubbing with the vanishing points to get away with having more "usable area" so you can definitely fudge it. It's just a matter of fudging the right things. As an aside, I have a decent treasure trove of EGA adventure game art I've done for myself that is scaled to about the same size as your guy there, Jason, if you want some. Obviously, I doubt it will be a perfect match but it's there if you want any.

That would be great to see, I find it helps to look at other art and watch similar art style playthroughs while drawing. Haha I was watching Zak McKracken EGA the other day

Babar · Mon 03/04/2023 12:14:52

Quote from: newwaveburritos on Sun 02/04/2023 23:02:13Maniac Mansion itself does a little flubbing with the vanishing points to get away with having more "usable area" so you can definitely fudge it. It's just a matter of fudging the right things. As an aside, I have a decent treasure trove of EGA adventure game art I've done for myself that is scaled to about the same size as your guy there, Jason, if you want some. Obviously, I doubt it will be a perfect match but it's there if you want any.

Yeah, I was going to mention Maniac Mansion as a counter-example: because it had scrolling rooms, or really long rooms, it was able to get away with two point perspective, and vanishing points horizontally side-by-side, so I don't think that was an issue with Ophidic's BGs. What stood out more for me was how there were misaligned horizons/vanishing points vertically as well.