110 replies to this topic

[Saijee]

Witch is preferred? And why?

Type 1: Detailed Character Art:



Type 2: In game art with expressive animations:

Edited by Saijee, 01 March 2012 - 01:40 AM.

[Visor]

I prefer the second kind. Fully animated cutscenes, including those you can advance the dialogue of yourself, appeal to me. I prefer letting the graphics convey some of the scene in the same context as they do with gameplay.

However, if the game engine doesn't permit that kind of detail in animation (say, if you're trying to make a retro game with a lot of sprites on screen, and you only have a small view to work with), or the characters don't have 'field' graphics to begin with, I don't mind the other kind.

Edited by Visor, 01 February 2012 - 08:54 PM.

[Zeddy]

The latter. I find the former to break immersion unless the game is entirely made up of dialogue.

[Yal]

After getting neophyted by Cave Story, I started to prefer the second kind, except that characters featured no animations whatsoever and just turned left or right as needed. Facial expressions was taken care of via mugshots in the dialogue box.

But recently I got quite hooked to the first Disgaea game, and I'm sort of thinking about experimenting with the detailed character art system a bit myself and see how that would look.

[Saijee]

After getting neophyted by Cave Story, I started to prefer the second kind, except that characters featured no animations whatsoever and just turned left or right as needed. Facial expressions was taken care of via mugshots in the dialogue box.

But recently I got quite hooked to the first Disgaea game, and I'm sort of thinking about experimenting with the detailed character art system a bit myself and see how that would look.

I hope you know that you have just defined cave story as Type 1 ma'am. Anything that has faces come up for dialog is type 1.

[chance]

I don't understand the question. The topic's title is "dialog"... but your question is about "character art".

What exactly are you asking?

[Saijee]

I don't understand the question. The topic's title is "dialog"... but your question is about "character art".

What exactly are you asking?

In the OP I have presented 2 different ways that game developers decide to have the dialog expressed. But witch one does the better job.

[jakobs98]

I have to say the first one. To be more specific, the kind where the dialogue box is always in the same place, like the Hisoutensoku one. However, dialogue varies in pretty much all games and is almost never the same. Where they appear, pictures, etc. My favourite system would be the one in Cave Story. Take note of the frame, square at the same position all the time. The picture with not only the picture of the character, but also their facial expression and though not visible, the text appears letter by letter. There are so many good dialogue systems, so picking a favourite is kinda hard, though I say this one. I think one of the best, chat bubble systems I've seen is in Tales of Symphonia.
Cave story.


Tales of Symphonia.

Edited by jakobs98, 02 February 2012 - 07:21 PM.

[chance]

I don't understand the question. The topic's title is "dialog"... but your question is about "character art".

What exactly are you asking?

In the OP I have presented 2 different ways that game developers decide to have the dialog expressed. But witch one does the better job.

In both your OP examples, the dialog appears in a speech bubble over the character's head. What's the difference?

Other than differences in art style, this seems like a trivial distinction in how the dialogue is expressed. So I still don't understand what you're asking here. Surely, there's more substance behind your question.

[Saijee]

Your the only one not getting it, so me trying to explain it to you won't get anywhere. Someone explain please.

[Zeddy]

Type 1: The dialogue is "overlaid" over the game using different portraits.

Type 2: In-game graphics.


I always thought Final Fantasy 7 did the best job of it.

[Visor]

I think what's he's trying to say is that he'd like some views on how cutscenes are acted out, but he's got bogged down with the word 'dialogue'.

[chance]

Your the only one not getting it, so me trying to explain it to you won't get anywhere. Someone explain please.

Type 1: The dialogue is "overlaid" over the game using different portraits.

Type 2: In-game graphics.

Ah... I see. Thanks Zeddy. I didn't understand his distinction between "character art" and "in game art" (since I've never played either of the games shown in the OP).

[EdgeV]

Witch is preferred? And why?

Simple, it's whichever idea takes the least effort, time and money. I'd say the cutscenes from Final Fantasy 5 are a good example.

Fully animated cutscenes are nice, sure. But how long will it take for you or your team (if you have one) to make just one fully animated cutscene? How long will it take to make say... 20 of them?

Sure, it would be nice if in 5 years from now, you release a really awesome game with animated cutscenes, elaborate character art and all the superficial eyecandy.

But still, how many days, weeks, months and years do you want to spend programming and animating without being even close to halfway finishing the game?

[Saijee]

Witch is preferred? And why?

Simple, it's whichever idea takes the least effort, time and money. I'd say the cutscenes from Final Fantasy 5 are a good example.

Fully animated cutscenes are nice, sure. But how long will it take for you or your team (if you have one) to make just one fully animated cutscene? How long will it take to make say... 20 of them?

Sure, it would be nice if in 5 years from now, you release a really awesome game with animated cutscenes, elaborate character art and all the superficial eyecandy.

But still, how many days, weeks, months and years do you want to spend programming and animating without being even close to halfway finishing the game?

No, bad EdgeV, bad!

Skrew the work load on my part, I'm asking you as a player witch you prefer to see.

Edited by Saijee, 05 February 2012 - 05:59 PM.

[Yal]

Skrew the work load on my part, I'm asking you as a player witch you prefer to see.

Saijee... this is the Game Maker Community, not the Game Player Community.
All of us thinks about everything from a devvie perspective.

Edited by Yal, 07 February 2012 - 11:44 AM.

[masterofhisowndomain]

Saijee... this is the Game Maker Community, not the Game Player Community.
All of us thinks about everything from a devvie perspective.

Yeah you're right... I probably should leave quietly, right? *Exits through the fire escape*

I think it depends upon the style of the game; if you're willing to put the effort into the animated portraits and believe the results will suit your intentions, go for it. However, I suppose for the majority of games, in-game graphics will serve the purposes just fine.

[Saijee]

I think it depends upon the style of the game; if you're willing to put the effort into the animated portraits and believe the results will suit your intentions, go for it. However, I suppose for the majority of games, in-game graphics will serve the purposes just fine.

Interesting that you see it that way. Because I would have thought that having still portraits would be coping it out the easy way. Where as using in game graphics would take more technical effort.

[Visor]

You could make arguments for either. Using portraits and not in-game sprites might be easier in terms of the amount of programming that needs to be done, but could involve more graphical work.

Edited by Visor, 07 February 2012 - 09:44 PM.

[Saijee]

I fail to see how that argument can be made.

If you do portraits, you technically only need to draw each portrait once.

Where as if you do things with in game graphics, you would need to have every action timed correctly, to work as a vehicle for story telling. Like so:

Josh: Come on everybody, we are almost there.

*Josh gestures to the left

Nick: We've been walking for hours, I think I'm going to die.

* Nick faints.

* Josh looks at him and there is a pause.

* Josh face palms himself.