About the 'broken heart', you're right: click once and you understand the meaning. But, maybe a skull with bones would have a more direct-association with die/death instead? Sadly I couldn't find any on a quick search on OGA to suggest...
Overall it looks good for me (missing just better icons for the actions, but I believe those are placeholders anyway), the brown background on icons looks much better and the background room at the 'little game' seems beautiful.
I'm a bit unsure about the blue texture for background on the left and top... not with the blue colors themselves, but probably with a 'cheap wallpaper' felling that the geometrical figure repetition gave me... I'm no artist at all, so I can't help/suggest much on the aesthetic side and you should simple igore that if what I said makes no sense.
On the usability, a few notes/suggestions:
- Keyboard '1' to '4' are shortcuts to the actions, right? (the numbers on the icons gave me that impression). If not, they should.
- The action icons should set a mouse-over hint with the action name (as sometimes the icons couldn't be so clear of what they are.. ie: if I click the 'broken heart' icon the character will... die? cry? hide its head under a pillow?);
- Although I guess they are for controlling the animation speed, the '+' and '-' icons should control the scene's level of zoom, and the animation speed be controlled direct by the scrolling widget.
About the UI suggestions, although I'm not an artist at all, for my personal taste maybe if you create some square icons (like the ones for 'shirts' 'pants', 'footwear', but a bit smaller) for each action and align them at the right screen corner on a single collumn would be sufficient. For the icons' images, use some prerendered frame of the action on an specific character (like the ones of the upper part '3'), for example: for thrust, maybe a character with its spear at the frame where it is must forward, or something like that... It could still be reactive with 'aswd' as you described, but I believe that a way to click on the action would be more intuitive and should be kept.
The main problem of DNT (my project), is that at the current state contribute art to it could be somewhat frustating (it is currently hard to compile, the art-creation pipeline and applications are broken or on a non-usable state, etc). Anyway, great usable RPG models (furniture, creatures, itens, etc) are always a good thing to contribute to OpenGameArt, if you desire to do it.
I mentionated those other projects as they are more stable and mature, contribute to them would be much more grateful (as you'll immediately see the art in game, at a playable state, etc), and I'm sure they will welcome new art contributions (in fact, almost all open-source projects will welcome art contributions).
Hi Chris, a good place to offer your work for open source games would be the FreeGameDev forums. Almost all opensource projects - even those well established -- are always in need of artists.
I'll list two very active ones that for sure will welcome you:
SuperTuxKart: a 3D open-source arcade racer, with an all-age welcome style. This game has a main artist that is very skilled and very welcome for new contributions (official or as add-on). Widelands: a realtime strategy game. Although a 2d game, it uses perspective renders of 3D models.
If you prefer any other genre, the FreeGameDev would be a good place to ask, there are some other active projects (mime included*), that you can give a hand and be welcome.
The 3D FPS genre have lots of projects, both derived from former ID engines, both with its own (like cube). But as it isn't my favorite genre, I can't suggest projects in this genre for you.
Here's my entry. Used Diego Velazquez' paintings to create a small pack of portraits with a somewhat similar style. I was based on what qubodup made some years ago with other paintings. As I'm no artist at all, this is the best I can make: cut faces from paintings!
@MedicineStorm I spoke most of memory, so I'll try now to dig up and point things out.
First off, I believe that LPC was by far the most ambitious and - although with some rough edges - a very successful contest. If we take in count that LPC's art style is still used (and that most of the greatest art posted on OGA follow that style!), even so many years after the contest... it's amazing!
At LPC I was just an spectator (did not created any art - I'm no artist after all) and didn't entered it as a coder (2d games aren't my preference for development). I mostly read the forum posts, followed the submissions and followed the developement of some games that I though 'hey, that looks cool' (compiled them from time to time - note: I'm not sure if all of them, but some of the games created a public repository and showed progress at a thread before the submission, and, for me, that was great, for examples, see [1], [2] and [3]... - searched here, the 'progress thread' wasn't mandatory[4]).
From the code judgement side, the proccess was much more longer than the initially expected, and that for various reasons, I believe. The ammount of projects submited - 48! - [5] didn't help at all (compiling 48 different projects, with different - and sometimes incompatible - dependencies *is* a nightmare!). There's some threads and posts on that for those interested[6][7][8] (and many more).
From the sponsoring, I did not found anything, but raising 11.5k (the initial target) isn't an easy task after all (and as some organizations were sponsoring LPC, entering in contact with them, explain the contest and elsewhere isn't a trivial task and means some reputation to be able to do with success).
Maybe LPC is too big for what is proposed now (a periodically jam), but I believe the idea's orgins are somewhat similar (for example, see[9]). I like a lot the LPC idea and it's a bit sad that it never happened again.
If there's a place for Free/Libre game developement, it is FreeGameDev. But as far as I know, a code competition never happened there.
@all
Here at OGA, the Liberated Pixel Cup done something similar (a code competition with specific contest made art), but was too much work for those envolved in judgement, money raise/sponsoring, etc, and never happened again (but was a fantastic competition, even as an spectator). Those not familiar with it see here.
Exported all layers (including the base ones, in case they are different from the ones you use, for easy comparasion) and uploaded each png here.
Keep up the great work!
So the interface is very intuitive for me, great!
About the 'broken heart', you're right: click once and you understand the meaning. But, maybe a skull with bones would have a more direct-association with die/death instead? Sadly I couldn't find any on a quick search on OGA to suggest...
Overall it looks good for me (missing just better icons for the actions, but I believe those are placeholders anyway), the brown background on icons looks much better and the background room at the 'little game' seems beautiful.
I'm a bit unsure about the blue texture for background on the left and top... not with the blue colors themselves, but probably with a 'cheap wallpaper' felling that the geometrical figure repetition gave me... I'm no artist at all, so I can't help/suggest much on the aesthetic side and you should simple igore that if what I said makes no sense.
On the usability, a few notes/suggestions:
- Keyboard '1' to '4' are shortcuts to the actions, right? (the numbers on the icons gave me that impression). If not, they should.
- The action icons should set a mouse-over hint with the action name (as sometimes the icons couldn't be so clear of what they are.. ie: if I click the 'broken heart' icon the character will... die? cry? hide its head under a pillow?);
- Although I guess they are for controlling the animation speed, the '+' and '-' icons should control the scene's level of zoom, and the animation speed be controlled direct by the scrolling widget.
It's amazing!
About the UI suggestions, although I'm not an artist at all, for my personal taste maybe if you create some square icons (like the ones for 'shirts' 'pants', 'footwear', but a bit smaller) for each action and align them at the right screen corner on a single collumn would be sufficient. For the icons' images, use some prerendered frame of the action on an specific character (like the ones of the upper part '3'), for example: for thrust, maybe a character with its spear at the frame where it is must forward, or something like that... It could still be reactive with 'aswd' as you described, but I believe that a way to click on the action would be more intuitive and should be kept.
The main problem of DNT (my project), is that at the current state contribute art to it could be somewhat frustating (it is currently hard to compile, the art-creation pipeline and applications are broken or on a non-usable state, etc). Anyway, great usable RPG models (furniture, creatures, itens, etc) are always a good thing to contribute to OpenGameArt, if you desire to do it.
I mentionated those other projects as they are more stable and mature, contribute to them would be much more grateful (as you'll immediately see the art in game, at a playable state, etc), and I'm sure they will welcome new art contributions (in fact, almost all open-source projects will welcome art contributions).
Hi Chris, a good place to offer your work for open source games would be the FreeGameDev forums. Almost all opensource projects - even those well established -- are always in need of artists.
I'll list two very active ones that for sure will welcome you:
SuperTuxKart: a 3D open-source arcade racer, with an all-age welcome style. This game has a main artist that is very skilled and very welcome for new contributions (official or as add-on).
Widelands: a realtime strategy game. Although a 2d game, it uses perspective renders of 3D models.
If you prefer any other genre, the FreeGameDev would be a good place to ask, there are some other active projects (mime included*), that you can give a hand and be welcome.
The 3D FPS genre have lots of projects, both derived from former ID engines, both with its own (like cube). But as it isn't my favorite genre, I can't suggest projects in this genre for you.
Regards.
* My project is DNT: a formerly satirical 3D RPG that I'm rewritten/modernizing its engine to be fully modable. Although the former project is mature enough, the rewrite is in a somewhat very WIP state.
Here's my entry. Used Diego Velazquez' paintings to create a small pack of portraits with a somewhat similar style. I was based on what qubodup made some years ago with other paintings. As I'm no artist at all, this is the best I can make: cut faces from paintings!
@MedicineStorm I spoke most of memory, so I'll try now to dig up and point things out.
First off, I believe that LPC was by far the most ambitious and - although with some rough edges - a very successful contest. If we take in count that LPC's art style is still used (and that most of the greatest art posted on OGA follow that style!), even so many years after the contest... it's amazing!
At LPC I was just an spectator (did not created any art - I'm no artist after all) and didn't entered it as a coder (2d games aren't my preference for development). I mostly read the forum posts, followed the submissions and followed the developement of some games that I though 'hey, that looks cool' (compiled them from time to time - note: I'm not sure if all of them, but some of the games created a public repository and showed progress at a thread before the submission, and, for me, that was great, for examples, see [1], [2] and [3]... - searched here, the 'progress thread' wasn't mandatory[4]).
From the code judgement side, the proccess was much more longer than the initially expected, and that for various reasons, I believe. The ammount of projects submited - 48! - [5] didn't help at all (compiling 48 different projects, with different - and sometimes incompatible - dependencies *is* a nightmare!). There's some threads and posts on that for those interested[6][7][8] (and many more).
From the sponsoring, I did not found anything, but raising 11.5k (the initial target) isn't an easy task after all (and as some organizations were sponsoring LPC, entering in contact with them, explain the contest and elsewhere isn't a trivial task and means some reputation to be able to do with success).
Maybe LPC is too big for what is proposed now (a periodically jam), but I believe the idea's orgins are somewhat similar (for example, see[9]). I like a lot the LPC idea and it's a bit sad that it never happened again.
[1]http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/murderous-manor-progress-thread
[2]http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/lpc-entry-tales-of-gydia-progress-thread
[3]http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/laurelias-polymorphable-citizen
[4]http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/are-progress-threads-mandatory
[5]http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/important-game-build-results-2948
[6]http://lpc.opengameart.org/content/lpc-code-judging-near-wrapup-help-wra...
[7]http://lpc.opengameart.org/content/judging-update-sep-12
[8]http://opengameart.org/forumtopic/brief-informal-announcement-about-judg...
[9]http://opengameart.org/content/looking-opinions-oga-game-making-contest
Maybe 'Idle State" ?
Edit: ignore: I've realized that it's really distinct from idle (like Bubsy on snes knocking the screen).
Edit2: Maybe "Waiting" State?
@dannorder
If there's a place for Free/Libre game developement, it is FreeGameDev. But as far as I know, a code competition never happened there.
@all
Here at OGA, the Liberated Pixel Cup done something similar (a code competition with specific contest made art), but was too much work for those envolved in judgement, money raise/sponsoring, etc, and never happened again (but was a fantastic competition, even as an spectator). Those not familiar with it see here.
Pages