Dark Crusade

> Bigger is better. Go ahead and make those changes! :) > > > > Will the "open-house" style still be maintained with these bigger tiles? I'm not sure yet, I'll mockup a few more tiles and scenes, and see how it looks. The walls will definately be taller also, but theres the chance it won't work

Thanks for the reception guys! Here's a question for you all. Are you fond of the scale of the trees and other elements? OR should I revisit a few tiles? > I'm thinking about making a few small changes to the tilesets. My original inspirations were NES games which due to mostly technical restrictions used the same dimensions for most tiles, such as trees, walls and cliffs. Although retro, I think I will no longer take this approach. It feels like the game world lacks depth and creativity. For example, I'll never be able to create grand forests or mountains using this graphic style. Thus, I think I'll revise my tilesets, and have appropriate sized trees, walls, cliffs and other elements. Refer to the above comment, I'd love some feedback regarding it. I quickly mocked up some larger trees if it helps in your decision-  For those concerned, I will be able to reuse most my tiles even if I do make the changes.

> There maybe an interested programmer depending on the language you want and what you're aiming for. Windows only, cross-platform etc :) Preferably c#/c++ or simular, and windows only.

> When do you think you'll have planning and graphics done to the extent that you can push for a playable demo? That primarily depends on either how long it takes accumulating funding to pay for a programmer, or if I can find an interested programmer to work in partnership on the project. Hopefully the latter!

I'm thinking about making a few small changes to the tilesets. My original inspirations were NES games which due to mostly technical restrictions used the same dimensions for most tiles, such as trees, walls and cliffs. Although retro, I think I will no longer take this approach. It feels like the game world lacks depth and creativity. For example, I'll never be able to create grand forests or mountains using this graphic style. Thus, I think I'll revise my tilesets, and have appropriate sized trees, walls, cliffs and other elements.

Quite a lot of work is done which I'm content with. The next big steps after finishing off the small amount of items left is probably going to be NPCs. I also have to either settle down with a programmer or engine. My original plan was to send up a small crowdfund to hopefully find a programmer to help me.

> KREATOR ! What's happening ? You have too amazing graphics to stop. Work is slowly progressing. I've been looking into contracting pixel artist(s) but every interested applicant is either very slow or unreliable. I've been thwomped by university and work. However as of a couple days ago I'm both on holidays and quit my job, meaning I'll have time (after a much needed holiday) to get back into Elandor Chronicles.

>  I'm pretty sure your legs don't get longer when you breathe. Assuming this is a breathing animation, it shouldn't even be noticable on a pixel art sprite. If he was breathing heavily from exhaustion, perhaps his chest and shoulders would noticably move, but this isn't the case.

My gf and I'd love a key, add us! kreator1990 & domo_omnomnom

> Any updates Kreator ? I'll post something soon when I get the chance! Getting thwomped by assignments and exams at University! Almost every item for the initial release has been completed though. I'll get some updates out asap! > Those animations for the spells and attacking were great. So simple yet make it so much more visually appealing. Nice job! Thanks! 

They look really good and professional, great work!

> Layout is fine and dandy. > > There's a single picky little thing that irks me. On your vitals bars, you have them in the order of HP, SP (Which I assume is Skill. Having Spirit would be odd considering Mana's next.) and MP. Further along, you have your panels in the order Spells, then Skills. > > Now, because I'm particularly picky like that, I would either swap the SP/MP bars to make it consistent, or the Spells/Skills panels for the same reason. Yeah that's pretty OCD haha! If others feel the same way too I'll change it.

> I understand the purpose of this lay out is to have everything accessible without obscuring the screen, but it can still come off as being bulky to some due to the fact you are occupying both sides. You did a good job making everything compact, however the hot key bar does seem out of place, but then if you decide to put it horizontally you may have to either reduce screen size or increase the resolution of the entire window. Another problem would be the Spell and the Skill books, which for optimal use you would ideally have everything you need within your hot keys, however I can imagine myself being frustrated with a higher number of Spells or Skills having to scroll through them. It's very convenient to have all the information or tools you need at hand, but user friendliness should also be kept in mind. Thanks, I'll try a revision as soon as I get the chance. > I think the layout and style is awesome for a retro themed game. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks, glad you feel that way! > Will there be any additional interfaces? Or is this GUI fully inclusive? It would almost be completely inclusive. Of course, there would be interfaces for merchants and a few other exceptions. > Without the text and graphics what are we looking at? a basic frame? A layout. Elements. > Then he can choose to ignore that feedback. As Marshy Dearest Dearest said, there's not much else to look at without them. There's absolutely no harm in additional input. Feedback on the placeholders can help to clarify some do's and don't's. The criticism is there if he wants it. If not… no harm done. No use criticising some placeholder boxes and a random background color if I'm clearly not going to use them in any final result. The last thing I wanted was people telling me to change the text, or change the buttons, or colors when it's all just temporary to assist the design prototype. > I like it. Some people could say clustered, but that's better than having to click whenever you want to get somewhere. Thanks!

> I also wonder if you could compress the whole thing a bit? It seems to be taking up a lot of screen space which, ideally, you want for the actual game play. This might not be a possibility, unless I strip some elements from the interface or make them swappable. I tried a functional concept of having all the character's information and accessability open, at the expense of some clutter. It's all off the game screen, and I tried my best to keep it fitting to the theme. I may make a revision where the right side of the interface is more compact, however it would be required that players click a button or tap to swap the content/interface.

> "IGNORE TEXT AND GRAPHICS" > > Every single comment discussing the font or graphics. > > 3 out of 6 comments mentioning the layout. > > Topic summary: congratulations on reading comprehension. Thanks for actually reading it, especially since English is your second language. > Anyhow, I think it shouldn't obscure that much. I'd make the right side transparent or more compact, why not putting the hot-keys menu in a single, horizontal line and placing it at the very top of the screen or above the chat? It would feel more at home for people used to mmos - handling the hot-key bars that way is pretty standard, and that's not always bad. > > Another useful UI information that you could consider is the target's health, but it might be hard stuffing that somewhere. Thanks for the feedback. I'll make a few revisions. I'm not sure what approach I'll take for enemy healthbars. I think I might make the targets health bar become visible above their head in-game. I might do the conventional horizontal hotkey bar. I also got to think about where party information will go, without overcluttering things. > It looks pretty good. I personally think if the text input and output would be better if they had the same background colour. Once again, I'm looking for feedback on the layout, not the text/buttons or graphics. This is a design mockup to get some suggestions and criticism on the layout itself.

Hey guys, I've started working on some interface designs for Elandor Chronicles. My first concept was a design which had everything visible to the player for quick, easy, and functional interaction. Players will be able to access their paperdoll, character information, skills, spells and hotkeys without opening new windows or clicking buttons. Hopefully this isn't viewed as cluttering. I've kept all elements of the game screen itself, so nothing will obtrude gameplay or graphics.  What do people think?

Awesome, can't wait to see more!

The item artist spot has been filled, thanks to all the interest I recieved. I'll have new updates soon!

Looking for paid work? I sent you a message. Hope to hear back from you.

You really need to structure and organise it more

Lots of new blog posts including a preview of different hairstyles and colors! http://beaubuckley.blogspot.com.au/

Topics like this remind me why I lost my moderation privledges years ago from muting everyone.

> Leaning forward (left/1st one). Looks more realistic to me.. Might be useful to see it in-game? Thanks, I agree. There is no in-game to show, I'm still in the development stages for design and assets. I'll show more mockups later on a background. Currently finalising the player sprites customisation (hairstyles and such).

> Seems functional. 10 hairstyles seems a bit limiting, but it would be cool if players could submit stuff that could be considered to be added to the game ( hair sprites, weapon sprites, etc ) like how Steam has things like that. 10 hairstyles per gender seems like a good starting point for initial release, but I might look into making a few extras. > Personally I think _Emberstorm_ sounds rubbish. It's just.. Meh. Sounds generic. Having said that, I can't think of anything better. > > The sprites and animations look good. I'm really looking forward to this game.  Thanks for the input. Personally I'm fond of it being generic, seeing as how I want the games title to be both simple, reflective of the retro gameplay, and memorable. I haven't finalised any name changes, nor looked into it too much yet, seeing as how development is still very much in progress. Could I get some opinions on the animations below? In one the sprite steps forward to attack, while in the other he _leans_ forward. The animation is still a work in progress, please keep that in mind.   Which looks best? I'm thinking the lean but I'd like to hear preferences.

> Placeholders vs ICT's art. A lot of the graphics are yet to be finished. Ah understandable