Game Dev Blog #11: Textures!!!

So, the game underwent a couple of stylistic changes (more in the style of borderlands) and as such, I've redone the textures! Have a look:

 

So there is much more of a comic book line art style now. I went over all the textures in photoshop and followed the details of the existing painterly textures with linework to achieve this affect.

Game Dev Blog #10: Double digits and no pictures? WTF!?

Optimization

     So, this post I'll be discussing optimization of 3d models. Woo. Fun. But, there's a reason I want to talk about this! I hear this phrase thrown around a lot by game reviewers, optimization. They keep saying things like "they could have optimized this game for the PS3 more" or the 360 or insert platform here. That's... A wrong way to look at things. On some level it's true, but the way these reviewers are using the term, it's really misleading and sometimes just wrong. Every time I hear someone say "these textures look so bad, they really needed to optimize them!" I die a little inside. 

     Okay so, what is  the right way to use the term? To answer that, let's go over what exactly "optimization" is. The short for answer is basically just cutting corners to reduce the file size of a given game asset. That's about as generic and simple as it gets.

     For more specific terms, optimizing a 3D models (such as a character or weapon) means removing polygons while trying to maintain the profile shape of the model in question (ie. making sure a chair still looks like a chair when you are done removing polygons. Even if it looks like the boxiest chair on earth.) 

     For textures, it would simply mean scaling the image down. So if you have a 1024x1024 texture, and the game is running to slowly as a result, you would optimize it be scaling it down. Yes, that means losing detail. So the next time you hear someone mention that "the textures look so bad, the devs really needed to optimize them" punch that fothermucker in the face.

So to bring things to a close, optimization is trying to get as much quality as you can from assets that you are forced to reduce in resources. 

Game Dev Blog #9: Icons part III

Mooooooaaaaaarrrrrrrr iconzzzzz

     It had been intended from the start for the characters in napkin western to have multiple weapons that could be switched. The idea being that when a weapon is switched out so are two of the three skills, leaving a base, or "Core" skill. That means lots of new icons! Two new ones for each weapons (with one new weapon per class, and two new ones for the as yet unreleased tech witch). In addition, several skill icons were giving players trouble (with were unreadable, or the image did not convey the idea it was intended to).

So! ere they are, new icons galore!

So, hopefully a dramatic increase in quality can be seen. The icons are not ordered by character necessarily (there are not even colours per character) they are ordered by colour.

So to review, yellow are special abilities, they always hurt the enemy. Green is debuff, the negatively effect the enemy, though not always through damage (rattlesnake venom is the only one I can think of that deals damage to an enemy). These are always cast on the bad guys as well. Blue is buff, and helps you and your squad always. heals, armour, accuracy boosts, all found here.

Hopefully, most of these icons are going to by and large convey what skill the represent/do without me having to label them!!

'Till next time, stay frosty :3