Graphics for a game I'm cooking up

[Hegemuffin]

Hi all,

I wasn't quite sure where this post belonged, but since I'm requesting feedback on an image, I figured it should go here. (Well, the image is part of it, at least.)

Note: If you aren't really interested in where this is coming from and would simply like to provide feedback, then please feel free to skip to the red text below. Thank you.

Anyway, for a little background, I've acquired quite a bit of experience in making puzzle games this summer, but only insofar as through the World Editor. Then I saw the Game Maker thread in the Online Games Forum a couple days ago and I thought, "Wouldn't it be neat if I could design my games through my own medium?" (I was getting fairly sick of the limitations of the World Editor by that point.)

So, to keep this simple, I've been weighing the various pros and cons of creating a large-scale puzzle game via the World Editor and via Game Maker, respectively, and what they essentially boiled down to was as follows:

Because the Warcraft III engine is so advanced (relative to anything I might build on my own with Game Maker), the World Editor makes things a lot more convenient, and a lot of the grunge work is already done (when you think about it, all you have to do is place tiles and units, etc., perhaps overlaying with a few intricate triggers, but without having to worry about anything as integral as the pathing AI or combat system). Unfortunately, it doesn't have much to offer beyond that, and because I don't have any real sort of custom art resources at my disposal (95% of wc3sear.ch art is irrelevant to a non-combative puzzle game), I find myself using a very convenient editor that at the same time nearly stifles my creativity due to my having to design my puzzles around the models, skins, and icons at my disposal.

Flip that around and you get Game Maker, which is still slightly better because the creativity (which is more important) is emphasized, and the engine (which need only be 2-D, possibly isometric, but generally painstakingly simple anyway) is not that important. The only drawback? I'm not an artist. At all. That said, since I'm going to have to create the entire GUI and all the artwork for the game anyway, why not just model and skin in Warcraft? Well, the idea being that in creating my own game, I don't have to hold myself to the graphic standards of other high quality WC3 custom maps. (This is the other reason why I consider Game Maker to be the better alternative, since I wouldn't feel as if I were wasting an advanced 3-D graphics engine as I would with WC3). So, even though I'm not an artist, I still think I can pull this off by going for a cartoonish, children's book feel, without too many details and just generally something that looks nice and allows for basic interaction. Hence why I'm posting this, my basic question being,

Would this kind of look work for a basic 2-D puzzle game that I would be creating using Game Maker, or should I just design said game with the Warcraft III World Editor, limiting myself to whatever graphics I have available? I also don't really have any art experience (this being the first drawing I've made in a couple years), and I did this all with the GIMP, taking advantage of whatever tools I could learn since I can't freehand with a mouse for shit. So...

Feedback is welcomed!

Note: This is only a sample of the style of artwork/level of detail that will be used. The actual scene is incomplete and will most likely feature additional content, particularly in the top left corner of the image.

The first scene:


edit: And here's the sketch for a sprite that I drew up tonight. He's intended as the main character, and he's supposed to just look like an average American teenager (okay, okay, so without the obesity). It's not a thumbnail since that's the actual size. This will most likely be used for the front view of the character (once it's colored), with additional angles and animations for the other seven views (since I'm leaning toward the isometric 2-D option). Oh, and I also created this entirely with the GIMP, as with the first image (since I don't have a scanner or art tablet), and this one is freehand. Making nice lines is surprisingly easy when zoomed in, if you have the patience. Again,

Feedback is welcomed!

The main character:

 

[Amfidamant]

I have used gamemaker for awhile and it is a good program - Fastest way to get game. It is also possible to create 3d objects for game maker, there have been tutorials. Or, anoter way to do everything, is to make 3d graphics and implent it into 2d. This way, it could look 3d being 2d. If you need, I could provide you with 3d models and stuff (My examples go here ), as I have started using 3d modeling tool not long ago and it could be a good way to train myself.

 

[Jindo]

I'm in Sweden for a few more days, but when I get back, I could see about some graphics .

Personally, out of the world editor and game maker, game maker wins by far, the games are stand-alone (don't need any program to run them) and has more possibilities .

I recently got a 3d program, I could use this if I need to, but right now, Fireworks is my key sprite-tool.

I'm tempted to suggest a better game making program but it takes so long to figure out sadly.

~Jindo

 

[Hegemuffin]

Haha, thanks for your opnions, guys. I was also wondering about the picture itself, though. While graphics help would be no doubt be welcomed, at least for certain things, this is going to be such a large scale project that I want to make sure I am capable of designing the art for the majority of it, i.e. "How suitable is what I posted?"

Thanks!

The Hegemuffin

 

[hey its X]

Or, you could get that Xbox 360 game maker toolkit thing or it could be in beta so you might not be able to get it

But the image looks good, you could very well design the game in flash.

 

[Hegemuffin]

I abhor console gameplay - controllers and such - not to mention that I don't own an Xbox 360 (given what I just said, it would be rather silly if I did). Although, I will admit, there are some very good console games, so I'm not thumbing my nose at the content.

Anyway, thanks for your comment on the image (did you add that later? ) I was also somewhat intrigued by your Flash suggestion. I actually have no problem with Game Maker beyond the fact that I have to do the artwork myself, and that would be the issue with Flash as well. Still, I had never actually considered it. The only thing is that I've never seen something like what I'm intending done in Flash, and I'm not sure if it would be possible to do 2-D isometric. In general, though, I know virtually nothing about Flash, so if someone could enlighten me, and if it looks like a viable option, then I would certainly consider it at least.

More importantly, I just posted another image, this one of a sketch that I worked up tonight, so...

Bumpity bump!

 

[guitarplay]

am i right to say that it is a game sort of like mario or a game boy game.

If so i dont know why it would have a problem in flash. If those pictures are what your gonna use, you could easily make a quick flash model, then animate it with a walk and things like that. Then it wouldent be too hard to program.

if its the game maker im thinking of, then its basicaly the same programming, with better art, a larger range of options, and can be used by anyone with flash player.

 

[Hegemuffin]

Hmm, well again, I've never experimented with Flash. However, I will stress that this is 2-D isometric, and the gameplay is not like a Mario game at all. Isometric tiling means that the grid on which the game is built (which would look like graph paper in Mario, Pokemon, or most Game Boy games) is instead turned 45 degrees so that any "squares" are turned into "diamonds." (Yes, I know they're still "squares." I was just going for the quick explanation). In any case, the idea is that you emulate a 3-D engine using something 2-D, and a good example of this is the first Age of Empires. So, if you can do that in Flash, then sign me up, but otherwise, I need something more.

And I would remind you all that thread is primarily about artwork, though I am grateful for the other suggestions.

Thanks,

The Hegemuffin

 

[wonderpriest]

advanced 3-D graphics engine

lol.

Anyways, it would be neat to see a game in wc3 where all the models are really just images laid out on the ground, but alas, wc3 doesn't support many systems that would be used in a game like this (no full mouse detection, crappy arrow key coding, no other keyboard events), so stick with Game Maker, as it is made for this sort of thing.

first Age of Empires.

And the second. Huzzah for controlling tons of little pictures that move around!

 

[Jindo]

Well, I've just figured a way to get my 3D graphics into game maker, but you'll have to wait until I get back for any previews of my theory .

~Jindo