This post-mortem deals with the graphics of our entry for LD43, AS OF YET UNNAMED. This is a more in-depth follow-up on my Narrated Pixelart Timelapse video. There's a lot to say, so I separated it into three parts.
Part 1: The Process
In The Beginning...
The concept for the game is simple: you control bodyguards that run along the president's limousine, which is driving through the city, and the bodyguards must intercept incoming projectiles to keep the president safe. That basic concept determines the minimum requirements for the graphics.
* Bodyguard
* President
* Limousine
* Background art
* Projectile
We Must Go Deeper
Branching off from those minimum requirements comes everything that elevates those basics to improve the way the game looks (ooh, pretty), feels (what happens make sense) and plays (I understand what to do).
The bodyguard needs a walking animation as the background art will scroll by to indicate movement. They need a jump animation, and for that to feel snappy I want them to crouch before doing so. After missing a projectile, they could just land and resume their walk, but adding a sliding animation after which they get up improves that elusive gamefeel as it adds momentum to the jump.
Here is an example in motion (animated, not in-game action).
I animate the president to add character. He might not be the Mario of the game, but he is our Princess Peach so I do not want him to be a static sprite. I separate the limousine from the president, in order to have the president get launched in the air when he is hit, and so that the projectile can be launched directly at him.
The buildings in the background determine the setting, so I want a decent number of them, but since they are background I do not need a wealth of art here. The player will mostly focus on the foreground, so as long as there is sufficient variation it's fine. The road at the bottom of the screen is part of the building sprites, so we essentially have slices of background art that fill the screen vertically scrolling by.
Our original test version has a round bullet, but we replace it with a missile that has a longer shape which indicates the direction it is moving in.
I create some UI elements to indicate to the player that the bodyguard must be selected, and dragging the mouse (or your finger on a touch screen) back will launch them in the direction of the arrow. Putting this element at the start of the game means we do not need a separate tutorial stage, and will speed up a player's understanding of the controls. We do not want to frustrate the player for a minute before they get how the game works, as a portion of the audience will have given up by then.
Polishing Your Entry Sounds Like A Euphemism
Polishing the game is not a separate act that happens after all the previously mentioned tasks are complete, and simply happens throughout the process. I realize some things I do early on are not necessary at that stage, but I'm aware of how much time I have left and fit in polishing where I see fit.
I duplicate the bodyguard sprites and make bandaged variations that have a chance of returning after they have sacrificed themselves. This adds nothing mechanically, but serves to entertain. It's definitely a this would be fun concept.
We add a bomb as second projectile and a helicopter that launches its own projectiles. These are not necessary either, but the bomb sprite adds visual variation, and the helicopter adds depth to the gameplay, as bodyguards can hang from the helicopter in order to bring it down, which means you momentarily have less bodyguards to intercept projectiles. I animate the dangling bodyguards to breathe some more life into the process.
I add three more animated president sprites, making it so you do not protect the same guy every time you play the game. This may leave a player to give the game a few more tries just to see who else is there, or should a player really dislike a certain head-of-state, give them the option to switch.
I create a graphic for the scoreboard. It turns out to be a pretty iconic-looking asset that I feel we can use it for the game logo as well. It suits and sets the mood of the game pretty well.
Next, I'll talk about the art that's not made to be in the game in Part 2: Out-Of-Game Graphics.
you are welcome at : https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/lastcrifices
