Working on art for the first zone in my hack still. Original was a bit bland and I was lazy with the shading under the grass, now I am attempting to revamp it all to make it look better. I am still not the greatest at this and could take some pointers/criticism. So, thoughts?
It looks brilliant! This art style is showing exactly the cartoon-esque style that this hack is supposed to present to us. I like the quantity of detail from the shadow in the grass, but I like the walls even more. Great job as well!
Posted this on SSRG a couple days ago. Thought I'd put it here too since I've barely posted anything.
Color me particularly intrigued by this one. EDIT: Oh and that is a particularly nice Sonic sprite. If I have any critique it's that I might like the eyes to have slightly more visible pupils; in that second pic they're not very visible. But dang, it's a great take on something like Sonic 3's sprites without actually being Sonic 3's sprites.
I have to agree. Sonic 3's sprites always seemed rather... derpy to me (well, not always. They used to be my favorite, but then I started liking Sonic 2's sprites more).
I've always hated Sonic 3's sprites. Don't get me wrong, they're the most polished (both figuratively and literally...) and professional-looking sprites of the bunch. I just don't like them. That said, these sprites do seem to correct at least one major issue I have with the Sonic 3 sprites – namely that I don't like how dark the area around Sonic's eyes is in Sonic 3. I've always described it as Sonic wearing eyeliner or mascara. I also don't like how shiny everyone is in Sonic 3, like all the characters are made of mirrors. Sonic seems equally shiny in these sprites, but I at least far prefer the placement of the shine spots on these sprites. I also like your inclusion of a mouth, and what looks like an enlarged muzzle and eyes. It makes Sonic look less intense and more... I dunno, happy? Carefree? Yeah, that's it, carefree. Just seems more in character to me. Save the intensity for Super Sonic.
Here's a mockup of this zone's art together, trying to make the art flow to the best of my ability. And also trying to get a good contrast between the background and foreground, which both use separate palette lines.
Everything looks good, and it's very clear that the ground there is a solid platform that the player can walk on. My only nitpicks (I call them that because they're more nitpicks than complaints) are that the grass may stand out TOO much, like it's hanging way off the side of the ground there. Not a major issue, because it does help visually aid the player in knowing where they can step. And two, that pineapple seems a bit too foreground. I'd almost expect it to be something I have to jump over, because its colours are very vibrant. Then again, the plants in Green Hill Zone are also very colourful, and those never get confusing, so... Really, everything looks great here. It's hard to really find anything to critique. Perhaps the ground is a bit boring. The art is very nice, but the pattern just goes on forever with nothing to break it up. If you look at GHZ or EHZ, there are all sorts of concave bits and whatnot, so the ground looks less monotonous.
I agree, the level looks wonderful and clear! The background reflection in the water (that I can just make out) is a really nice touch!
@ ShadowsofYesterday, I can see what you mean a little. I think I'll keep the grass like that. However, that's sadly not a pineapple. It's supposed to be a plant in a pot. I guess that wasn't clear enough, which lead me to change the plant and edit the pot to define it a bit better. @ Markey, Thank you. /> Here is an updated version, to add more content to this post. I changed the tree trunk because I feel that the one I was using is common in hacks, and I don't want this hack to feel stale. The plant in a pot has been changed. Edit: Here's an in-game mockup as well. Includes another plant in a pot, or rather one that has blossomed. The pot was edited further once again here too.
