Topic: Castlevania The Greatest Five

[Inccubus]

It's actually a lot of work to do a whole other set of graphics for a second version. If you do wanna do that I'd do one , finish the game, and do the other afterwards and release it as a special edition.

[Claimh Solais]

It's actually a lot of work to do a whole other set of graphics for a second version. If you do wanna do that I'd do one , finish the game, and do the other afterwards and release it as a special edition.

That was another idea I had, but didn't give it too much thought, as I'm not even done with the first area in the 8-bit version yet. The graphics, yes, is the big part of the game. However, implementing them into the engine is the easy part. Just takes a few clicks.

[Claimh Solais]

Hmm... I found the old beta version of the castle entrance. So lemme hear some opinions on this.

Which looks better? The current build:


or the beta build? (which wasn't even finished)


SOME NOTES:
-The black lines are called a grid. I'm sure everyone knows what that is.
-The gate in the current build locks you outside of the castle. You can go straight to the castle from the beginning of the game, but you can't enter it.
-The green block with the small "s" on it is a symbol meaning "start point".
-The pink squares in the beta build are event spots. In this case, the ones on the gate are used for keeping the player from stepping on the black area, and the one in the upper right corner triggers an event with the player characters talking to each other.
-The current build has its tiles ripped from the original Castlevania, creating the classic style feel of the castle.
-The beta build had tiles ripped from Final Fantasy III (the NES one, not the SNES one, which was FFVI). It still works in CV, and creates a sort-of LoI atmosphere.

And how does this below screenshot look to you?


Does it look 8bit, or just lazy level design? I was trying to hold back, since 8-bit RPGs didn't have extravagant level design (well, they did for their time). Should I just improve upon what it looks like, or is it fine the way it is? A note should be taken that while it doesn't look it, all the tiles here were ripped straight from the Castle Entrance from the original CV.

The upward path leads to the Main Hall, which will expand the castle entrance. The door to the left will lead to a room full of statues, which upon advancing further in the game, will serve as a Boss Rush mode. The door to the left will be sealed, and will lead to a secret. Opening it will require a key hidden somewhere in the castle.

[X]

I'd say give more color to the stages just so they're more interesting to look at. You can go all-out without going beyond 8-bit 

[Claimh Solais]

None of the maps are done yet. I'm planning on getting the basic concept down first, then adding in all the finer details later. I don't wanna spend too much time on one area, cuz then I'll forget what I wanted to do later for other areas.

[Inccubus]

Which looks better? The current build:

I like the grass, trees, path & gate on this one.

or the beta build? (which wasn't even finished)

I like the wall, columns, & props on this one. I think you should use more resources from 8-bit RPGs and use CV graphics as a reference to enhance them.

[Claimh Solais]

I was planning on using some resources from The Legend of Zelda. They made dungeon/area design so simple in that game... But the Final Fantasy series has much better looking level design, so it's easier to use tiles from that.

So in other words, you're saying mix and match?

[Inccubus]

Definitely.
Of course a healthy dose of editing to make things look fresh helps a lot too.
Wouldn't you say it's working out well in my project?

[Claimh Solais]

Yeah, I hear ya there. I'm trying to make everything blend as well as possible, so editing will be needed.

[Inccubus]

I think the key to making things blend is the use of complimentary palettes and, of course, sharing palettes is a must for NES style graphics.

[Claimh Solais]

Yeah, look at the original Legend of Zelda for example. Almost everything in a certain dungeon was the same color.

While I won't do that (it was majorly bland), I will use the same colors in some cases.

[Claimh Solais]

Here's a new sprite. Shows off what the character Solus looks like, as well as the new sprite style and portraits. More updates to come as I finish up making his sprites, the villager sprites and implanting the tiles into the engine, so I can make the first town.

[Inccubus]

Not bad. Kinda reminds me of Crystalis for some reason.

[Claimh Solais]

Dunno what that is. I actually based him off of someone from one of the three original Fire Emblems. I don't remember who it was though (was not Marth, if anyone thinks that).

Thanks for the comment though.
Notice the portrait is edited from Simon's Wai Wai World portrait.

[Inccubus]

Nice touch with the wai wai portrait. ^_____^
Crystalis is an NES game similar to Legend of Zelda. You should check it out.