Custom Tileset

[Somfunambulist]

This is a tileset I started a while back that has been gathering dust ever since. I think it has a lot of potential, but at the moment its not so great.
I'd like to complete this, and maybe move on to some new, different sets, but I'm new to this and I need your input.

The shingled rooftops are an obvious problem.
I also haven't been using a set color scheme, and don't know where to start coming up with one.
Please point out any problems you see, and maybe some tips on how I could fix this up.

[GrooveMan.exe]

I swear to god I've seen this before; ages ago.

Your stairs don't tile correctly or seamlessly.
Nor do the stone slabs. you've got these ugly horizontal bands going on.
The shading on the trees lack contrast, same with the barrels/crates.
The colour palette in general could do with a reset - don't select shades by simply lightenting/darkening the base colour - the resulting effect is indistinct.

[Devicho]

Everything Grooveman said, plus the clock really needs fixing up. It's very jagged. Make the circle from scratch rather than using the circle tool, it'll come out much nicer.

[Somfunambulist]

@Grooveman.exe: yes, horizontal lines are being worked on right now. And thanks for the tip with the shading, that makes a lot of sense.

@Devicho: yeah, the clock is terrible. I used Gamemaker's rotation tool to move the hand around, and I used the circle tool to outline the clock. I'll definitely be redoing the whole clock-tower bit, clock included.

[Somfunambulist]

Here's a quick update

I set up the buildings to have a separate layer for the bricks, to save space. I then filled that space up with changes to the stairs, to help them fit together correctly. I also changed the brickwork, and they now flow correctly as well.

I also messed with the color of the shading on the plants. I'm still confused however; how does one go about creating a color scheme?

[Koopaul]

That's starting to look better.

Color scheme? I usually steal one from a ripped game. But honestly I don't think there are any restrictions. As long as it looks right.

[Somfunambulist]

Any games you think would work well with this style?
And what, would i just ink-dropper tool all the colors onto a sheet or are these schemes kept somewhere?

[Devicho]

Yes, the tiles blend much more nicely this time around.
If you're not experienced with making color palettes, try looking at games in a similar style to the look you're going for and study how the colors look. Experiment with different shades and hues until you have something that looks good together.

[Vipershark]

As far as I can see, there's one tile that isn't included in the set:

On the gray bricks that make up the sidewalk there, there are a few tiles in the shadow that have the top half of gray brick dark and the bottom half light.
I don't see that one where the individual tiles are broken up.

[Somfunambulist]

@Vipershark: The tileset I used to make that example is the exact one next to it. I just increased the canvas size and shoved a print-screen in when I was done. But you bring up a good point, I forgot to mention.
In any of the example images, I often will use the tiles on an 8x8 grid, and sometimes even a 4x4 grid, and there are a lot of overlapping tiles that have transparent parts.

[Somfunambulist]

Okay, I fixed this tree up a bit.

Also, I need your opinion on the lineart for the new clock-tower

[triptych]

why uh


why would the clocktower be in an isometric view if nothing else is

[mozzy]

There is no personality here, its as bare and plain as a tileset can get.

[Somfunambulist]

@PrincipalWailson: well, further down the tower, it switches back over to whatever you'd call the view of the other buildings, I just thought I'd switch angle of the tower because it looks more interesting.

@Mozzy: Any suggestions on how I could fix this?

[triptych]

It may look interesting to you but it really doesn't make any sense

if anything you'll want to focus more on adding personality to the tiles, as mozzy suggested, to avoid having to resort to a simple rotation just to make something interesting

Look at the tiles from minish cap or chrono trigger, or any of the SNES final fantasy games. All of those are a generic rpg view, but because they have such a large amount of personality, there's no reason to rotate a tile or two with no motive other than "because it makes it look interesting"