Gandalf? Mordor, is it left or right?
by James Rozee · 03/16/2007 (10:38 am) · 27 comments
I feel like Frodo setting out on his quest to destroy the ring. I know where I want to end up but I'm not too sure how to get there. I purchased TGB as an early adopter but now I'm interested in trying to tackle something with it.
My goal is to create a casual RPG with a 90s feel but with more modern graphics. I'm no artist but, I hope, everything is good enough for what I want to make. I'm using an Open Gaming Content rule set for the game rules and I have a basic hierarchy of "class" design for the objects I want to create in TGB.
Here is a mock up of the game play interface to give you an idea of what I'm shooting for:
I'm a pitiful newbie when it comes to this. But I thought I would start a blog on it just for the fun of it. I'm trying this out to see how much I can learn as I go. Suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
My goal is to create a casual RPG with a 90s feel but with more modern graphics. I'm no artist but, I hope, everything is good enough for what I want to make. I'm using an Open Gaming Content rule set for the game rules and I have a basic hierarchy of "class" design for the objects I want to create in TGB.
Here is a mock up of the game play interface to give you an idea of what I'm shooting for:
I'm a pitiful newbie when it comes to this. But I thought I would start a blog on it just for the fun of it. I'm trying this out to see how much I can learn as I go. Suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
#22
I created the particle effect in TGB but this is a screenshot from my graphic app. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
03/19/2007 (7:02 am)
This is my second attempt. I like this one a bit better but I haven't spent as much time on it as I did the first one. There are still some issues but I'll fix them later on. However, I think the background isn't as "noisy" but retains some of the gritty feel I wanted. At the same time, the look has been simplified.I created the particle effect in TGB but this is a screenshot from my graphic app. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
#23
03/19/2007 (7:17 am)
It looks much moodier but the lighting is a bit weird and destroys much of the athmosphere. The idea with the animated candle in the GUI is neat. Makes it seem like the player is reading an interactive story book. :)
#24
03/19/2007 (7:54 am)
@Oliver: Thanks. I was going for a look that made it seem like the player is reading a story. I wanted a bit of a dark fairytale look. Do you think that the burnt edge of the background scroll is making the scene too dark? I could remove it and lighten the mood some. It may also give me more "room" for the character portraits. 
#25
Great progress with the art, keep it coming ..
03/19/2007 (8:08 am)
@James, I personally like all three of them so far ... but I like your latest one the most ... however, I would suggest possibly adding some form of a border around the character portraits, such as maybe a 'penned' black border that is just a bit larger then the image itself ... Great progress with the art, keep it coming ..
#26
03/19/2007 (8:24 am)
@James: I think the dark look of the GUI is good... many old RPGs went for a dark GUI. :) And I concur to what David said.. some sort of border for the Character Portraits would be cool.
#27
03/19/2007 (8:58 am)
Thanks for suggestions! I'll try a thin black stylized border of some type. Nothing too thick. Maybe a vine. But I do like this version better than the first. If I can get the lighting fixed, I think it will be what I use. Thanks again.
Torque Owner James Rozee
One of the things that I like to do is set a theme with my interface and each element has a purpose. With your example, I find that the interface breaks the theme because none of the elements belong in the genre. So it just doesn't say "fantasy" to me. However, I do like the addition of thicker borders and the cleaner look. I'll see if I can come up with something that satisfies both ideas.
Thanks for your input. :)