Murdoc

the head of the sprite and tree leaves appear to be arching back into the screen. you should move them down a bit to better fit the top-down perspective…

Great stuff you have here. My only complaint is that there's not enough fast songs. Totally worth the price imo.

the new sprites head, and the leaves need to come down a bit to fit the perspective better.. other than that, nice work!

Really love the dungeon crawler gfx. Nice work!

This game looks quite promising. You're artwork is really polished, and looks very professional. A quick question though. Is there a reason for periodically locking the topic? I'm just curious.

The dialogue makes me laugh (in a good way). If you don't mind me askin, what engine are you using to create this? Or is it custom?

> Not to come across as rude or hostile, but who actually plays and enjoys these games? Social outcasts who don't have self esteem or confidence to talk to real girls? I don't see any fulfillment or enjoyment from playing a game where the goal is to chat to and date sims. > People who likes virtual pet? LOL… all I could think about was the idea of having a woman for a pet :lol:

I think the grass looks nice with that color. However, the trees could be hue shifted towards a color that matches the grass better. The dirt design also looks nice, but you could easily break the vertical grid (which is fairly noticeable) by just cutting off one section of squiggly dirt lines in half, pushing the first half over to the right and placing the cut off part on the far left. So instead of this = = = , you get this _ - _ - when tiled.

Nice sound :)

Both maps are too square. Eventhough the second is a city it could still benefit from not being so square (ie. have side roads with single plots, or other variations). The roads of the city near the center are TOO variated. Not to be harsh, but if those roads were built by construction laborers they'd be fired. For example, at the weapon shop you go west, then north, then west, then north, then east, then north when the road could have simply went straight north for a more direct route. The ground could use more vegetation, instead of the same plant basin hanging out in every yard. Anyway, the mapping isnt horrible it just needs some fine tuning. Take this map for example:  It's semi-square but variated a tad so as to not look mechanical. The roads make logical sense, and go around obstacles. And, the random placement of vegetation and trees give it a more natural and full look.

A music track titled "Neutrality". [https://soundcloud.com/murdoc-mystery/neutrality](https://soundcloud.com/murdoc-mystery/neutrality) Created using FL Studio 9 and VST instruments.

Farkin awesome!

Everything looks a bit washed out. I'd up the contrast on the text inside the stroke and reduce the blur on bg images.

Things are worth what people will pay for them. I see both sides. On one hand, it may be closed source but it's not being abandoned like many custom versions have over the years. As a result, the features that have been added are stable. On the other hand, some programmers feel alienated from the the site, which might be why quite a few members have left or intentionally got themselves banned. But, if you're only reason for being on the site is to show-off your skills or whine because someone is charging for their hard work, then I wonder how much you even care about the community as a whole. It's been mentioned already, but there have been several programmers and artists which have charged for their work so this is nothing new. In the end, it benefits programmers who are involved in it's development and results in a sound system without many bugs. And the programmers who are not involved can benefit by developing equally great platforms in other languages, so that the site has variety and acquires new members that prefer these other languages for coding. If they are open-source then there's the upside of being able to make your title unique (provided your development team has a programmer). Eclipse will always have open-source development platforms, even if they're not perfect. So I don't understand why there is any argument surrounding this topic. I think we just have to accept that part (I emphasize part) of the site is now dedicated to providing a stable engine to the community while also providing monetary income for those involved in it's progress. The "us and them" attitude is getting old.

Hey Mutedwar, here you go.. Part 1:  Part 2:  Please credit me if you use for a project. Enjoy!

Just thought I'd mention that the op tag should be "has work", not "need work".

> I have it sometimes, but I can always free myself if I just start to move my fingers first and then more of my body… Never had any halucinations or anything. Hallucination is a pretty strong term. I like to view it more as a semi-conscious nightmare. Otherwise, dreams could be considered hallucinatory. Many researchers would agree with you though. Quote, "A dream has been defined by some (e.g. Encyclopædia Britannica) as a hallucinatory experience during sleep."

It's happened to me a few times. One time I had a rather frightening case. I could see my room, but couldn't move or speak as usual. Then suddenly a dark being hovered over me, grabbed me by the throat and started choking me. I struggled in my mind to wake up because I knew I was having sleep-paralysis. After a few seconds I managed to snap out of it. This is a fairly common occurence, with about 20-30% of people having at least one experience (with and without nightmares). It has been noted in different cultures and studied by some notable sources. Quote, "There are a number of historical and urban cultural myths, which can be, somewhat, explained by this experience. The 'Incubus', which appears in ancient literature, is one such example. In the book Incubus by Kiessling, It was described as half man half beast, attacking in the night. The word night "mare" has been derived from the word incubus. In Greek it was ephialtes, in Latin incubus, in German mar/mare, in Old English maire, Old Norse mara, Old Irish mar/mor, and all mean "one who leaps on, oppresses or crushes." It has also been called 'The Old Hag' a description and myth coming out of several cultures. The Old Hag was described in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The 'Old Hag' attack is most closely associated with extreme pressure on the chest while sleeping on your back. People may also feel like they are being choked or even bitten. In his research, Al Cheyne of the University of Waterloo has discovered that between 25 and 30 per cent of the population reports that they have experienced at least a mild form of sleep paralysis at least once. It most often has an adolescent onset but can begin at any age."

I have found these to be quite informative and thorough: [http://makegames.tumblr.com/post/42648699708/pixel-art-tutorial](http://makegames.tumblr.com/post/42648699708/pixel-art-tutorial) [http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299](http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299) [http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/pixel-art-tutorials/](http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/pixel-art-tutorials/) Figured they might be useful for a beginner or even intermediate pixel artist.

> **We need only a programmer to start work (well, for the engine). I just started pixel art, and I'm doing a preeety good job, didn't make anything more complex than a sideview wasp.** >  > **Also, found many free item icons, so that shouldn't imply a problem.** > > > > The wasp looks pretty good. Keep it up!

> If you click on "more details" there is part of the story, a couple features I want, and some other details. My bad. It looks like a heading, not a link. Why don't you just put the information in this post? Also, some concept art (of how in-game might look) might help gain more interest as well. While I realize you're looking for a pixel artist it couldn't hurt to use placeholders or something that are close to what you want.

> Thanks Murdoc. All the points you metioned are all valid and, most importantly, true. I have seen lots of Eclipse games come and go because the creators just didn't understand these basic concepts. There is alot that goes into game design and these 6 points are just part of it. Thanks again for taking the time to write all this up. I'm sure it will be very helpful to new game developers that make their way to the Eclipse community. > > > > One thing I think you forgot to mention is mapping. Mapping can almost make or break a game IMO. > > > > 7\. Mapping: > > > > Mapping is one of the most important aspects when creating an ORPG. The map is what players will see the most so decent mapping is very important. Players don't want to play on a map that is to cluttered but they don't want to play on a map that is to empty either. Also, try and make a map logical. If the map area is a dessert then there shouldn't be any trees. If the map area is a dungeon then try and give it a dungeon feeling by adding things like rocks, bones, and torches. I'm not an excellent mapper but I do consider myself to be a decent mapper and this is just how I view mapping. I don't know how I forgot that. I'm gonna add it to the list :)

> OMG I'm doing every single one of these! My game is going to fail! Maybe I should just start all over… Maybe I'll just quit! > > Edit: Don't forget they can't have a horrible logo! Persistence is not failing, until you give up.

Having played many mmo and orpg games over the years I feel I have a pretty firm grasp and should be done when creating such a game, and more importantly what NOT to do. The following is a list of things that should be avoided: 1\. Making your game too hard in an attempt to make it "Epic": This is a common mistake. The idea that the harder the game is the more people will like it is a misconception. People tend to get extremely frustrated and often "rage-quit" when a game is too hard (especially at lower levels). This does not mean that the game shouldn't be difficult, but rather the difficulty should gradually increase through the zones so that once a player feels they have accomplished something (a major factor in whether a person continues playing), then they can delve into the more difficult aspects and levels of the game. 2\. Mixing graphic styles: Feel like mixing low res with high res? Or using tiles/sprites that have entirely different styles? Don't do it. While there may even be popular mmo's that do this (ie. Nexus:Kingdom of the Winds) it looks horrid. It would be better to create your own gfx, even if they are not the greatest, than to have a crazy mix of different resolutions, palettes and styles. Consistency is a beautiful thing, which is probably why graphics artists alike stick to palettes and "styles" when creating their game art. (this goes for the Interface as well as the tiles/sprites) 3\. Creating a grindfest or what I like to call "questfest" type of game: Sure, it is easy to create a game that is nothing but killing mobs and doing quests to kill said mobs. But a good game (whether single player or multiplayer) must be more than this to become a well thought out and memorable title. What about the seemingly forgotten importance of a good story? The people, places and environment in an ORPG is what I consider the most important aspect, and what will ultimately determine whether your game stands out or not. Break the cycle of grindfest/questfest games by creating well thought out lore in your fantasy world. This doesn't mean copying J.R.R Tolkien or Dungeons & Dragons (ie. Humans vs Orcs). Fantasy is not meant to be about known worlds or things, but rather an expression of what you consider fantasy to be to you. Practice writing your own out of the box stories, and creating a world you would like to live in. The key here is to imagine you are reading someone else' story. Does it captivate you? Does it make you want to delve into this world and live there? If the answer is yes, then it's likely other people will want to do the same. 4\. Making another WoW or Runescape: While these games are popular, one has to ask themselves: "Would people rather play my clone or the original?" The answer should be obvious. Similiar to the previous taboo, this implies that you've given no thought to the game. For the pure hobbyist this is considered fine of course, but If people don't play your game don't be surprised. To break this instinctive desire to mimic what is already considered great, a game designer should brainstorm until they have their OWN creative and original ideas. 5\. Launching a game too early in it's development: While it is tempting to go Beta as soon as you have 20 maps and 10 quests, this is a bad idea. The reason being: people will initially play your game and enjoy it, but be quickly disappointed at the lack of game content and possibly never play again. This is, no doubt, the reason why notable game production companies hold "closed alpha" testing and sometimes even "closed beta", so that the general public must wait in anticipation to eventually behold the greatness of the final product. There is something to be said for suspense. Tease the potential players, and don't release a half-arsed game so that people get a bad first impression. 6\. Not dealing well with critique of your game: When you realize that the people playing your game are genuinely interested, and are simply giving what THEY think is valid criticism, it is easy to accept critique. However, if you take criticism as an attack on your creativity or hard work you have already failed as a game designer. Because, essentially, you are saying to your potential players "I don't care what you think" and this is becomes a major turn off in and of itself, even if your game is great. I have seen mega productions fail and plummet in their player base due to this kind of attitude. In the same respect, you can show you don't care about the player base (and in turn the game itself) by not being involved in solving problems with game mechanics, updating when necessary, fixing bugs etc. As every good company knows: For every single person who is dissatisfied with your product, at least 5 more will hear about that person's complaints. Whereas, if someone likes your product they may only tell 1 or 2 other people. So it is easy to see how a game can fail if complaints/criticisms are not genuinely considered, or at least taken with a grain of salt. 7\. Poor Mapping (Thanks to Zetasis for this addition) Mapping is one of the most important aspects when creating an ORPG. The map is what players will see the most so decent mapping is very important. Players don't want to play on a map that is too cluttered, but they also don't want to play on a map that is too empty either. Also, try and make a map logical. If the map area is a desert then there shouldn't be any trees. If the map area is a dungeon then try and give it a dungeon feeling by adding things like rocks, bones, and torches. One way to become a better mapper is to look at exceptional examples of maps made by other members of the community or online. Feel free to discuss, give opinions, or add to these taboos.

[http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-DEW-HEL-Analysis.html](http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-DEW-HEL-Analysis.html) quote, "The next ten years will see the emergence of high energy lasers as an operational capability in US service. These weapons will have the unique capability to attack targets at the speed of light and are likely to significantly impair the effectiveness of many weapon types, especially ballistic weapons."