New Topic-Game Design Document Ghost Writer

M

Master Maker

Guest
I was wondering what the best way, in code, to spruce up images, make them look nicer, etc.
I was also wondering about 2d lighting and materials - how to go about creating them, implementing them, etc.
 
T

TheMatrixHasMe

Guest
Your questions are pretty broad. You are going to want to narrow them or go watch tutorials or take this question into the game design sub forum. Asking how to make something look nicer when you are not even showing a picture is being incredibly vague. You have to ask the right questions in order to get the information you are looking for. Your questions are basically asking for pages worth of information. Google is your friend, the documentation is your friend, tutorials are your friend, and as previously stated, so is youtube. The programming sub-forum is excellent for specific questions, like why isn't this code working correctly, type questions. Best of luck on your quest.
 

Binsk

Member
Look nicer how? There is no general "look nicer" function. Is there a specific effect you are going for? If so, let us know and we'll try to point you in the right direction.

For lighting, check this.

It's a rather complicated effect if you are new to it. Depending on your method it could involve most of the following: surfaces, blend modes, primitives, math, shaders.

You can do it without shaders, but the rest are required. If any of those make you nervous, learn about them first.

Edit: Aaand ninja'd! :p
 

RangerX

Member
OK, I am meaning upscaling pixel art to sort of cartoon art, without making it pixelated or blurry. I want this:

Into about this resolution
You can't. Upscaling doesn't magically add details. You want something bigger, more smooth then you draw it like that from the start.
Also to not that your first sprite is pixel art while the second is not. If you draw vector art like the monkey, its normally scales up quite perfect.
 

Binsk

Member
As RangerX stated, you cannot do that with GameMaker. The extra color information has to come from somewhere and the blurry / pixelated (depending on the setting) image is essentially the result of the computer's best guess at adding that information.

The only option, as implied above, would be to use vector art. It doesn't add detail, but it maintains detail. Sadly, however, GameMaker cannot render vector art. It can import it but I am rather certain that it converts it to bitmap.

You can start out with a larger image and shrink it, but that just changes the issue from trying to add non-existent information into an issue of trying to subtract the least harmful information. However, this usually does result in more pleasant results to the eye than going the other way around.

Long answer short, if you want nice looking graphics you must design them yourself to be nice looking. You aren't going to be able to do it via programming in any practical fashion.
 

RangerX

Member
A shader is just a shader. Yet again, it won't magically add details. A shader basically is just a configuration playing with graphic information. Some toon shaders will look good but only on high res graphic. If you you have some 64x64 sprites, even with all the shaders in the world it won't suddendly look like Zelda Wind Waker
 
M

Master Maker

Guest
OK. Do you do graphics? Can I hire you for my game's art?
 

RangerX

Member
I struggle to make the graphics you can see in my demo of the The Life Ruby. I also don't program or use shaders.
And I can't work for other projects anyways if I ever want to finish mine.
 
M

Master Maker

Guest
New topic- GDD ghost writer. I was wondering if anyone was interested in getting hired to ghost-write Narcissus's GDD? Here's the story gist:

One day, Michael, a teenage boy,'s world is turned upside-down when Narcissus turns everything black-and-white and boring. He goes to Miveoga, a mountain hermit, to train to retake his world. He goes on various quests and eventually discovered that Miveoga is Narcissus, and fights him, defeating him and forcing him to go to an apocalyptic future.
 
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