A Post-mortem, Part 2 of ?. This will be a short piece, I promise. The graphics are pretty much the least important part of this game from my standpoint- so besides some neat simple things and the (awesome) monster sprites, there isn't much to say! (famous last words) General Design Generally speaking, the look and feel are really simple. Very deliberate, edged map layouts. Very plain "textures" to keep the player focused on the action and inconsistencies/clues. Lots of breaks in patterns for small levels, with a mix of clear and subtle landmarks or "tells" for larger ones. All of the visuals adhere to a pixelated 16 bit standard. This means 15 colors + transparency maximum, a 4:3 viewing area, and size consistent with the era. Where we did cheat a bit is with the dynamic lighting! The effect is just cool and easy to implement for a number of things from torches to Bonus Level collectibles, so that's what stuck. ;) Non-Standard. One of the more distinguishable parts in The Bounty Deluxe are the multitude of player and dungeon skins. Using a in-game items (and sometimes passwords) you can change your character's appearance and the style of the game's graphics. Some are based on gaming history, some on backers, and some are plain silly- but there's a variety. A lot more will be coming with the free game updates, so there should definitely be options for everybody. Weird Stuff? The game is constantly breaking the fourth wall to keep your aware. One of the ways this happens is visually. From swappable graphics, arcade cabinets and code peeking through breaks in the walls, to the office and secret test lounge, to "glitches", you'll see plenty of irregularities! These are meant to keep you from getting to comfortable in the game world; and hopefully get a chuckle or two. Monsters! Here's where things get expressive. Every last one of the beasties were lovingly crafted by Michael Wright, aka The Quester, aka The Bard of Badassery, etc. These guys are more evocative of perhaps the NES, with big, bold designs that really get in your face. That'll do it for now. Next up will be music and SFX, with some input from Dya himself. That one will be a lot of fun, so I hope you're looking forward to it!
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AuthorDave Vogt: Archives
February 2021
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