Artwork: Invasion tower defence

Here's my artwork for my next game. I'm gonna start the game (hopefully) with the next build. If someone wants to help, add me on msn :

First of all, the title screen

<img src="http://img31.picoodle.com/img/img31/4/4/6/f_invasionm_ebe164a.png">

Then the turrets. I tried to make them look less boring and different

<img src="http://img37.picoodle.com/img/img37/4/4/6/f_schemem_b024c0e.png">

However, those "values" aren't the definitive ones. I'm planning to add additional features such as spells, skill points or other stuff to make the game more fun. Please comment

About the game : it's the classic alien invasion on the Earth. In the game you will go in famous real locations, such as Area 51, New York, London, Rome, etc... etc... But, in the first release there will be just a simple infinite mode.

I need help choosing the hp curve and decide if the monsters should shoot or not. Also I need some help with the rates of upgrading/selling.

Hey man, nice work!

I know some people on here might not want that screen resolution if it's a windowed application. Make sure along the way that your project could scale back to VGA and still be readable/playable.

Those turret sprites, are they hand-crafted? Well, mouse craf-- you get what I mean.

Anyway, you see how your Bomb Turret is the only easily recognizable one among them? You've done a good job making them all differ from each other, but the focal point is always going to be the big circle at the base. Take your time and make sure each of the turret bases are also unique from each other - different shapes, colors, ect - and I think you'll see a huge improvement.

One thing I do like are (what I presume to be shader effects) on the star background in the title screen. You should consider using similar techniques in background layers to produce a dynamic look during gameplay as well.

Looking forward to seeing more!

The resolution will either be 640x480 or 800x600, I gotta decide. I made the turrets without any effect, all in Paint.Net with Pencil tool. About the base, you're right, I need some kind of difference, I'll see what I can do.

About the effects, you had a good idea, but the game wont be in the space, but the ordinary aliens will come from another planet and your job is to defend the Earth. Thanks for the comments, keep the suggestions coming.

Update!

<img src="http://img03.picoodle.com/img/img03/4/4/6/f_scheme2m_2af2293.png">

Ah, much better, and very nice!

My comment about background effects still stands. Even if it's not in space, there are other subtle tricks you can do easily to add a little graphic spark to your game. Overlooking a planet surface? Add some moving cloud shadows. Have a body of water? Make it reflective and reactive. You know, fun stuff.

Ah, much better, and very nice!

My comment about background effects still stands. Even if it's not in space, there are other subtle tricks you can do easily to add a little graphic spark to your game. Overlooking a planet surface? Add some moving cloud shadows. Have a body of water? Make it reflective and reactive. You know, fun stuff.

Thanks, I'll probably add something as water into my levels.

Your artwork seems to be suffering Gradient Overload. You should really consider reigning that in. Generally speaking, large areas of pure gradient are a no-no. As is mixing many different gradients in one image. Two tips on using gradients: Make them subtle, and make them scarce.

The gradient in the outline around your title is working great, but not when it's next to the big plain boxes. Keep the title, figure out something else for the boxes.

As for the green-to-white gradient, it's much too harsh, especially considering there's text to be read there. Make the green end lighter, and make the white end a light green in the same hue. Or better still, stick with the gun-metal gray like in your title and just make it lighter so it's easier to read. In other words, something less dramatic.

Your second set of sprites is a big improvement, though. You've taken the focus off the plain gradated orb and added some interesting detail. That's the key. Never put the focus on the gradient.

Your artwork seems to be suffering Gradient Overload. You should really consider reigning that in. Generally speaking, large areas of pure gradient are a no-no. As is mixing many different gradients in one image. Two tips on using gradients: Make them subtle, and make them scarce.

The gradient in the outline around your title is working great, but not when it's next to the big plain boxes. Keep the title, figure out something else for the boxes.

As for the green-to-white gradient, it's much too harsh, especially considering there's text to be read there. Make the green end lighter, and make the white end a light green in the same hue. Or better still, stick with the gun-metal gray like in your title and just make it lighter so it's easier to read. In other words, something less dramatic.

Your second set of sprites is a big improvement, though. You've taken the focus off the plain gradated orb and added some interesting detail. That's the key. Never put the focus on the gradient.

Thanks! But I just used a gradient in the menu. The rest is penciltool-drawn dithering. I'll see what I can do for the menu.

It's still a gradient whether you used a gradient tool or dithered it yourself. Dithering is just a way of creating a gradient between two colors.

It's still a gradient whether you used a gradient tool or dithered it yourself. Dithering is just a way of creating a gradient between two colors.

Yes, but dithering creates a better "lighting" effect than gradients. Anyway, I feel that there are too less turrets. I want to add a new type of them. For now I have :

Guns

Explosives

Advanced

I need some suggestions...

Deadeye is entirely correct here, though you should focus on the sprites for now and worry about overhauling the menu and ui later.

When you do, I have some suggestions:

-Your text is a decent choice, but the gradient boxes detract from it. Get rid of the boxes entirely. Use only the text.

-If you're going to use large gradients, put some use to them. Apply a screen filter to let the stars shine through the black. You can get more creative combining gradients and filters and produce interesting results in relatively little work.

-In images whenever possible, refrain from using pure white. Your planet in the background has a highlight that is far too oversaturated. I think you noticed this too, as you then blurred it. This choice does not fit into the rest of the presentation well.

-Again, whenever possible, try not to commit to large background images - especially ones that may have to be used again elsewhere. The starfield in the back could easily be replaced by a tiled background, and the gradient flares in the corners can be achieved with transparent pngs. In addition, you will benefit from the ability to move, scale, and generally manipulate all these pieces at will.

I agree with what's been said thus far when it comes to the menu.

Even though I can see art not being a priority just yet, here are some tutorials that might make your main menu stand out a bit better:

Making Realistic Starfields

Making a Planet

Planet Rings

Other tutorials

I guess it depends on how detailed you want everything to be, though. I also think you could do with a better composition for your menu screen. Here are two of my suggestions:

Suggestion 1 - Making the planet larger and putting it in any corner of the screen would tighten up the menu a bit and frame it better. I'd say stick to the right side of the screen, mainly out of bias that it looks more aesthetically pleasing because many of us read left to right and it's easier on the eyes.

Suggestion 2 - Just looks a lot more epic and makes the screen feel potentially less cluttered.

Just my two cents on the menu itself, the other pieces of art are looking a lot better so I don't have much to say about them.

Good luck with your project.

I edited your cannon, but you already knew that. Yay! It looks better now, right?

Yes, awesome work!

Hey I like the ideas... coming along nicely.

Yes the shading is a bit ditherd-to-hell, but so what really? It gives that old charm to it. Besides, you could always fill them in with flat colour then send them to me and I could shade them in Photoshop or something if you'd prefer that? I've got my own graphics to make, but colouring in doesn't take long and there doesn't seem like a hell of a lot of turrets and stuff...

Tower defence games rock though, and they aren't about the graphics... though nice graphics do make a game with awesome gameplay all-the-more awesome. I've also got a tower defence game I've been working on for awhile now... it's on the backburner though at the moment because I got kinda stuck with some annoying crap that was built into my engine early on that ended up causing problems later... I will consider remaking it in Construct later on seeing as I have a lot of graphics and stuff like that already done.

Ill be keen to see how this turns out. Keep us posted on the progress!

~Sol