Pros e Cons of changing the game palette and art-style:
Don’t beat me. I know I have worked too hard to start all Over again. But if I really want to make a good game, sacrifices need to be done.
So those are my thoughs:
Awakening is supposed to be an exploring and semi-openworld game and the current pallette doesnt give enough curiosty To explore the world.
Also the art style is locking me up, I can’t do much things because it is very specific.
Even with colors that have a important meaning it doesnt give much life to the game. Everything looks dead and meh.
Now those are the pros & cons:
Pros:
Brings life to the game.
?Easier to do.
?Easier to understand.
?Everyone prefers colors instead of just white and red.
?More freedom to do everything I want.
?More appreciable.
Cons:
I would have to remake everything (I would remake almost everything anyway because I don’t like the current status of the game)
?Game looses the big difference between all the others.
?Every idea I had to do with the red pallette is dead.
?Remake everything includes the design from my pre-final Year project (Dossier and his text, Moodboard and Presentation)(pre-PAP)
I think those are all the things I can point out. I really need your help guys, should I change the game palette and art-style?
(Gameplay, story and characters are already being changed)
If I get it in time I’ll post a screenshot of how it would be awakening in colors.
There’s nothing wrong with the art. In fact, it’s simple and really unique. And the animations are amazing too.
What kind of style do you actually want to make then? I think realistic wouldn’t really fit. Cartoonish with bright colors could be okay, but your style fits perfectly. I recommend not changing it!
A while ago I said your game play was pretty boring, it is just shooting at enemies and avoiding their attacks. For example I take that basketball game (flowjam #2), it gets really boring after a while. It’s just clicking at random positions. It isn’t challenging enough.
Same thing with Awakening. The enemy keeps doing the same attack and walks from left to right and the other way around? and you have to wait every time when he comes. That isn’t really interesting.
Now a good example is Bowser, and yes he also repeats the same things: He walks forwards or backwards and sometimes jumps or spits a fireball, but not in a specific order. He wants to prevent mario to pass him. Which makes it more challenging because you have to know the moment when you can pass him.
EDIT: The screenshot of Awakening in colors would be pretty interesting though. Maybe it’s better.
Prototype your idea as an image or test, and I’ll give you an opinion, but as far as I’m concerned, the game is very unique as is, and you’d be taking that away by normalizing it. Why specifically can’t you do certain things with more shades of red and gray?
Use colors that arent red for things that are supposed to contrast with the environment, or is supposed to grab the players attention. However, use this SELDOM, as if it gets overused itll get worn out and lose significance.
I mean yellow, pink and orange aren’t massively different from red. They would be fine for fire, lightning, female boss battles, heart capsules, whatever, for flash effects. I’m just curious how or why you would change it.
Yeah, I know this would remove my big difference and colour meaning in the game… but it is really necessary and worthy?
To me to make an entire screen of pixel art will take a while (I’m already working on it but I have more work to do) because if I want to prove that colours and the new art style can be better than the current, I have to do it right and nice enough.
For now, I have the character design of the main character:
I have to know how is it going to be with colours and I just don’t like the current character. It is pretty simple.
Oh btw, any thoughts on the drawings? Which one you guys prefer?
Is that how the character was intended to look? I never would have guessed. I thought he was some beefy Shovel Knight type bro, had no idea he was some teenager. If the idea is he is a fallen angel, I have no idea how to imagine him as any of those in sprite art, but 2 and 3 look cool.
Why dont we make this guy like… the opposite of the hero instead of his replacement. Like, instead of killing him, you have to land the killing blow on the boss.
I know how you feel. That’s why I’m on the 5th revision of my game. I’m never satisfied with it, and now I never get anything done because I keep making it harder on myself.
If you’re sure you want to start over, you may as well make it a new game. I’m sure you have learned enough flowlab logic to make the game faster and cleaner than before.
@“Mhx Ar”
I’m glad you understand Exactly, I’m never satisfied with it.
Yeah with current knowledge and with the new features, I could do all over again faster and cleaner.
So yeah, maybe I will do it again.
I’m still making the pixel art. I will make a screen.
Maybe the intro. Or a battle I don’t know yet. But I’m trying my best to get it finished and nice.
This time I have almost everything planned. It will go much “fluider”.
Before I was just adding things until it gets decent.
Are you going to use the red and white for anything in the new version? You can use it for like story book pages cutscenes or something, or for particle effects.
Maybe like make a remastered version with a full palette, but the main character secretly remembers the first game, and every boss you encounter has a flashback scene- which THEN uses the limited palette, and thats the way the game tells you how to fight the boss, while also giving some nostalgia along the way
I still think that using the original Graphics as the story book images helps to paint a picture of the idea of a prophecy or age-old story where they predict this character will arise, but they have no idea what it actually looks like, so they design it in their heads in the books as this big beefy armored guy, only for it to turn out to be some kid, kind of like the story of Hercules.
Exactly, I’m never satisfied with it.