02-04-2013, 07:20 PM
Hmm... I think I've discovered the problem here. Several problems, actually. It seems that a lot of you are concerned about the "flatness" of these characters. I'd have to agree, the characters are VERY flat - because, well, they are, in fact, flat. First of all, they're physically flat. They're essentially armored circuit boards, which leaves little room for excitement in the 3rd dimension. Obviously, that's no excuse for not shading them, I'm just not sure how to approach it, really, and I can't expect anyone else to, either.
Beyond that, though, their world is physically flat. The Vyrots were originally meant to inhabit a layered 2-dimensional world, with physics accordingly. Not like Mega-Man, or Metroid, where it's a 2d space trying very hard to be a 3d space, the world is actually meant to be a 2 dimensional space, represented as such. Everything revolves around that, including the way things see the world, how they move about and collide, everything. This is conceptual, and I'm honestly not sure about it, as it makes everything harder for very little reason.
Another thing about the Vyrots is that they depend on a lot. Firstly, as a militaristic nation, they depend on each other, as every Vyrot is simply another part of a larger group that functions together. But, more to the point, they depend on each other and their world to give them personality; essentially, they are context-based creatures. They are emotionally and logically flat, and of course they are the antagonistic group, and as a result, they depend on the world to have something to give them meaning, and they depend on their victims to give them personality. Bombshell was right on the money when he said that I needed some sort of environment to put the Vyrots in to make them readable, but, unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to solidifying their environment in any meaningful way, so I'd have to start there, and work my way out from that, essentially the opposite of what I've done.
All of this leads me to the conclusion that I've started in exactly the wrong place (with the antagonists), with ideas that are way above my head, and not nearly enough experience to pull any of it off. On top of that, I'm very much overcomplicating things. The irony of this situation is that I specifically started my pixel art AND game development career with the Vyrots because I assumed they would be easier to program and do art for, yet they seem to be the most complicated thing I could have possibly chosen.
From all this, I've decided on a few directions I could go from here:
- Rework the Vyrots into a more 3-dimensional design, making them easier to draw.
- Start over by switching to the protagonist group, which would probably be easier to draw and animate.
- Start creating environments for the Vyrots, to give them more context.
- Or I could just give up entirely, and try something else, possibly something more normal.
I'd like to hear what you guys think about this, and thank you for all of your help so far, you've given me exactly what I needed to think about and allowed me to figure all this out.
Beyond that, though, their world is physically flat. The Vyrots were originally meant to inhabit a layered 2-dimensional world, with physics accordingly. Not like Mega-Man, or Metroid, where it's a 2d space trying very hard to be a 3d space, the world is actually meant to be a 2 dimensional space, represented as such. Everything revolves around that, including the way things see the world, how they move about and collide, everything. This is conceptual, and I'm honestly not sure about it, as it makes everything harder for very little reason.
Another thing about the Vyrots is that they depend on a lot. Firstly, as a militaristic nation, they depend on each other, as every Vyrot is simply another part of a larger group that functions together. But, more to the point, they depend on each other and their world to give them personality; essentially, they are context-based creatures. They are emotionally and logically flat, and of course they are the antagonistic group, and as a result, they depend on the world to have something to give them meaning, and they depend on their victims to give them personality. Bombshell was right on the money when he said that I needed some sort of environment to put the Vyrots in to make them readable, but, unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to solidifying their environment in any meaningful way, so I'd have to start there, and work my way out from that, essentially the opposite of what I've done.
All of this leads me to the conclusion that I've started in exactly the wrong place (with the antagonists), with ideas that are way above my head, and not nearly enough experience to pull any of it off. On top of that, I'm very much overcomplicating things. The irony of this situation is that I specifically started my pixel art AND game development career with the Vyrots because I assumed they would be easier to program and do art for, yet they seem to be the most complicated thing I could have possibly chosen.
From all this, I've decided on a few directions I could go from here:
- Rework the Vyrots into a more 3-dimensional design, making them easier to draw.
- Start over by switching to the protagonist group, which would probably be easier to draw and animate.
- Start creating environments for the Vyrots, to give them more context.
- Or I could just give up entirely, and try something else, possibly something more normal.
I'd like to hear what you guys think about this, and thank you for all of your help so far, you've given me exactly what I needed to think about and allowed me to figure all this out.