A New Tileset's Sheen

[MoonBlazE]

I have an idea for another tileset I'd like to draw, an underground mine. However, this time I will show my progress here for feedback and suggestions. If you can endure my painfully slow progress, I promise you a better tileset for everyone.

My idea for this set is that the ground will be very dark and the background will be light by a lava river to contrast the ground tiles. A bit like Damn, but with more mine features such as mine rails and crystals of various sorts. It would also be fun to have some things burnt by the lava, like holes in the rail or parts of it collapsed.

Here's a sketch of how I imagine some of the tiles:

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/3624/minef.jpg

I've also gone ahead and drawn the background cave tiles (for layer 5) along with a torch animation already:

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/400/mine2g.jpg

I'm using some photoshop brushes this time (than pixel by pixel) which should give a better look and speed up the progress, but on the same time eat more palette colors. However, without a textured background and other various color requirements, there should hopefully be enough.

Let me know what you think of the concept and if you have any ideas for tiles and eye candy.

[Stijn]

The torch looks very nice (even though it's not animated, but I trust you to make it look great in motion too ;)), but what would be a really nice touch I think is a barrel with an oldskool lantern (http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/20677.jpg) on it. Maybe you could even add an illuminated area around it (like with the Medivo torches), that would be very atmospheric.

I've always thought the mine in Lucky Luke (the game) looked great, maybe you've played the game or else these screenshots might be useful as inspiration: one (http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/lucky-luke/screenshots/gameShotId,204521/) two (http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/lucky-luke/screenshots/gameShotId,204522/).

I love the theme, by the way. I think the only other mine-themed tileset that's really worth using is Violet's Mining Operation (http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=1483) which, though large and with nice eyecandy, looks nowhere as good as your recent sets ;)

[Violet CLM]

I'm quite fond of <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=5414">Mystic Mines</a>, but agree with its one review that it doesn't really offer too many possibilities, despite being pretty. CrysilisV is supposed to resemble a mine, but clearly not of the same style. I'm in favor of us getting another mine tileset -- minecarts are a gaming staple I adore, even though they're not easily translatable into JJ2 -- but I feel this one needs a little more fleshing out. Right now its gimmicks are lava and crystals, and we've seen both of those before, here and in other games. The backlit effect is a good idea that we don't see much of, but I do recommend adopting Stijn's Lucky Luke suggestion and incorporating lots of wooden beams, because mines are full of those and yet we haven't gotten that detail in tilesets yet at all.
(I'm concerned that the proposed layer 5 uses too many circles... <a href="http://www.caldreamin.com/2224d41f0.jpg">compare.</a>)

[MoonBlazE]

I'll definitely be doing some wooden structure (think Beach) and beams that'll allow decoration and variation in the mine. The screenshots you provided Stijn, are definitely very useful and I'll be adding both the lamp as well as sacks with gems/gold for decoration.

I'm thinking of doing minecarts the way I did the carts in my rollercoaster set, they're either full of something (gems/gold) or empty with some event you can place in them.

I also did the backlit effect on the torches and it came out looking much more dimensional - but I won't be doing flickering light animations, I'm afraid my method of doing it would eat way too much color. However, this is how I made the effect:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/479/torches.jpg

I think it added a lot of depth to the area, so it was definitely a good suggestion. I also changed the tone of the rock to brown.
I'm concerned that the proposed layer 5 uses too many circles...
I choose circles for artistic reasons, actually. It's easier to split shapes stacked together (like the leaves in my rollercoaster tileset). Circles are also easier to form and shade, so it's just within the style.

[Black Ninja]

The torch looks incredible.

I'm excited to see the finished version of this set, no doubt.

[Unhit]

What Stijn and Violet said. I think there's plenty of tilesets with lava and gems already, so I'd suggest focussing on a Lucky Luke style mine - both because this would be an awesome tileset which we haven't seen at all yet, and because I trust you to make something good of it. The torch looks great!

[Slaz]

Thinking of the final result, I'd imagine something like Crysilis from Jazz1 with caves and shiny gold and gems, but with a much more realistic 'western' style.

[Puffie40]

Moonblaze, I love the idea of a mine tileset. For suggestions, let me show you a design I scrawled up a few years back:

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/puffie40/Rabbitearth/HandArt/mine_tileset.jpg

I may suggest, though you should think of adding elevator shafts to your set.

[Unhit]

What I like most of Puffie's sketch is the tree, because that comes with the idea of having and outdoor part. I think you should really add that as well - however, as a minor part. Like in most tilesets, the greatest part is outdoor with some tiled background indoor stuff, and in your tileset it could just be the other way around. It would be cool to have some outdoor stuff, like a ruined old mine entry and deserted land before that etc.

[MoonBlazE]

We'll have to see when I get that far, as I'm more worried about spending too many colors. At the moment I'm a little busy with normal artwork, so it will be a little while before I have a proper update for you guys.

[MoonBlazE]

A little bump. I decided to scrap the mine idea as I couldn't really get my railtrack to look good, so I went with something a little... different. Here's a snapshot of the first few tiles:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/Moonblaze/sweet-dreams.jpg

I was thinking of making a transition into a nightmare as well, allowing you to walk between sweet and bad dreams. Let me know your ideas guys and I'll be sure to check back on the thread.

[Stijn]

That's indeed a "little" different ;)

I would've loved a mine tileset in the same style of the torch you showed, but this looks positively yummy as well, though candyland is something of a 2D platformer cliché (but then again so are mines and I wasn't complaining about that either, so maybe I should shut up).

It's hard to judge by these graphics what a level with this set would look like but I do want to say that I think the dream/nightmare concept sounds really cool and potentially allows for a lot of interesting stuff (two versions of the candy; one rotten, one yummy?), so I hope you take the set into that direction.

[MoonBlazE]

The approach I had in mind for transition between nightmare and sweet dream would be a dark background layer, such as a black "devouring" shadow, and turn the clouds into a darker blue. I'd like to aim for eyecandy like the last level in Heart of Darkness where you're literally fighting in darkness.

[Obi1mcd]

So what would the ground be like? Just oddly-coloured ground like Candion? Or would it be more food-oriented like Gus' Candion 3d set?

[MoonBlazE]

The ground will be clouds, chocolate and possibly cake. It is not a lie, there will be cake. This game (http://games.adultswim.com/robot-unicorn-attack-twitchy-online-game.html) has given me a bit more inspiration to what I'll do about the background.

[Jgke]

<3 Robot unicorn attack, reputation GET

[MoonBlazE]

Still a work in progress, but should give you the idea of what I had in mind for cake:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/Moonblaze/cake.jpg

Eye candy for the cake ground should include birthday candles (can work as poles), sprinkles (spikes) and cherries. I could use some suggestions for blocks and vines, though.

[Speeza]

Wow I really love the tileset and the art style. Only problem is I think I'm gonna be getting hungry playing any level witch uses this tileset. I like the colors and detail so far anyway.

[Jgke]

I think that the line between cake and cream is too clear.
Also, as a suggestion, you could do alternative grounds eg. only cake, and only cream.

[Obi1mcd]

Looking good! You're going much faster than I usually do...
Anyway, for blocks I'd say something like chocolate blocks, assuming you mean destruct scenery type blocks. I dunno about vines though. Hmm.