[Matwek]

I had a go at doing some more rocky parts for this level.

First up are a few basic beach rocks for decoration (with tree for comparison), they don't quite look solid enough yet but its a start.
Secondly I increased the size of Zenors pillars and added a bit more detail, I think they work better on a bigger scale but the grass from the original still looks a bit out of place. That and we need something to lay the pillars on top of.

Edit:
Is it just me or does anyone think of this when they imagine the art for this level, just a bit more sandy and a lot less rocky. Obviously its a different style but as inspiration it could be a good path to be heading down.


Second Edit:
At the risk of turning this post into somekind of on going edit I did a bit of a mock up of how I imagine the grass for this level looking.
The grass itself is art I borrowed and recoloured.
The orange rock part is far from finished as at the moment it looks too cartoon like and the shading is off but I thought I would leave it in to get the ball rolling on ideas for the art.
The dark yellow strip is just a place holder untill someone sprites the yellow/brown bands from the concept art

I think it works quite well as we get to keep the usual tropical based first level but its something different and original. Also the orange rocks will make the switch from beach to jungle quite nicely as the orange works with the yellow sand as well as the lush tropical greens

This post has been edited by Matwek: 18 March 2009 - 07:36 PM

[The Shad]

Personally, I was going to suggest we do something a bit different. Make it like the black sand found on some beaches, but as to how that would look is an entirely different story.

Also, I'm liking the way that looks, Matwek.

[Ice Sonic]

Quote

Maybe the grass would fit more in an area like this:

Still, it looks very nice!

[Matwek]

Well that grass was taken from another game as a place holder so it is due a change.
The main problem is that we need a grass that works with both the beach part as well as the jungle part. It would be impractical to have a completly different tile for both so we need parts that can cross the gap between the change to make it seem more fluid.

[test-object]

I really don't like the pillars, actually. They look like they are kinda "forced" to be in order. How about a long-short pillar pattern?

[The Shad]

I was thinking the same thing myself. But, its also a WIP, so..

[Matwek]

I always saw the main part of this zone as a sort of rock strata of different sediments, layers of different coloured sands getting compacted into different coloured rocks. So for the dark yellow bits I thought it would work if we somehow got the zig-zag sand style to fit between the orange rocks in a sort of squashed looking style to show that.
As for the blue rock parts they always reminded me of a dike. Not sure how much you all know about geography but its when a crack forms in a layer of sedient and molten rock is pushed up into it spreading the gap, then when it solidifies it is much harder, after erosion it is seen to stick out from the rock face so you end up with something like this.


They can come in all sorts of sizes so if we take the real world example, add the sonic sureal touch and make them more colourful we could come up with various different designs

[Matwek]

Changes:
New original grass
Shadows on orange rocks made to match blue rocks
Added sand for in between layers

Needs to be changed:
Grass still a bit too flat, needs to be more leafy
Orange rocks could do with a bit more detail
Sand needs to be shaded to show its indented
More defined shadow under the grass

I can do basic pixel art but I lack the skill to really fine tune things so help would be appreciated

This post has been edited by Matwek: 26 March 2009 - 10:45 AM

[test-object]

Grass is okay, although it does look "pasted" on a stone floor. A shadow + better transition is needed.
The pillars are still bad. They look like giant crocodile teeth.
The orange rocks indeed do need some more detail, but also need to correspond with the sand. Perhaps make it overlap each other a bit?

Over-all, I'm missing a true Sonic styled vibe. It looks a bit too much Animaniacs and a bit too less Vectorman. Sadly, I cannot help: I'm not a bit of a pixel artist myself.

[Clutch]

Yeah, work in progress or not...I'm not getting a big Sonic vibe, and those pillars look really out of place. The orange rocks also seem soft and curvy, whereas Genesis-era Sonic ground tiles generally have me thinking of surfaces that are very hard and geometric, with high contrast in shades.

I'm a bit rusty, but I'll see if I can fiddle around with the pixels a bit.

This post has been edited by Clutch: 29 March 2009 - 08:44 AM

[Rokkan]

Did some smaller trees, based on the palmtree's style. Some wouldn't have those ramifications, others would only have 1, etc.
C+C

[Mr. Mash]

I thought the round rocks at the bottom looked weird, so I attempted ( ) to smooth it down

Also Rave; I'm that guy from the stop motion thing.

[Rokkan]

oh hi
But now it looks like it rained snow on that specific area of the tree
I did the rocks like that following the style of that palmtree, which everything looks well architectured, etc
Still, this tree/post is an earlier WIP, if you couldn't notice. Please give me C+C so that I can improve upon.

[test-object]

That tree is cute. :3

Things to improve on:
The big tree has the pattern: Light-blue, brown, light-blue, brown. I suggest you keep it.
The little "balls" you put on top of it reminds me of the Advance series. It still HAS to be a palmtree. Not a potted one you find in the city.
I like the 2 little branches you added, but those do need a bit more work. A better connection to the main tree perhaps.

[The Shad]

Agreed, its nice, but its not fitting next to the giant palmtree. Perhaps, if you can't get it to work, you can save it for a later level. It looks more planted in a sidewalk than it does growing wildly.

Matwek: The only real complaint I have with your work is what someone else said. The three rocks are a bit too uniform. Change the middle one or something so they alternate length and you've got it, more or less. For some reason, I love the way the grass looks on the stone, and you've already said what needs to be improved upon.