slynyrd

Tutorial - 91 - Barn

Raise thine barn, step by step. More tips and tutorials in the full feature.

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Tutorial 91 Source File

This is the original psd source file for Tutorial 91. See exactly how I setup the project and use frame animation in Photoshop.

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Pixelblog - 34 - On The Farm

In this light-hearted lesson, we get away from the hustle bustle of city life to enjoy the quaint charms of farm life.

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Hyper Echelon - 13

We're down to the wire, scouring every nook and cranny of the game for issues before we submit a final build in a matter of days. There's a 2 week approval period after submission, so our deadline comes much sooner than the 11/11 release date.

It's been a busy week buttoning everything up. Fortunately, most of the issues we are finding are very minor, and the game is in great shape. It's more a matter of polishing and getting every little bell and whistle in game at this point. If we f...

Hyper Echelon - 12

Hey folks! We are excitedly working on the last odds and ends for the game.

The first image shows a tiny cropping from a a much larger 360x180px artwork. It's an epic end game scene only for those who100% clear the game, so can't spoil the full glory here. It took me a few days to make. I sure hope somebody manages to see it.

The next image is from the credits sequences. There are a few more names we mention, but that's pretty much the credits right there.

I sure do mi...

October Schedule 2021

Hey folks! Hope everyone is doing well as we enter the spooky month of the year. It should be a thrilling month as we are on the cusp of completing Hyper Echelon! Currently, we are implementing the credits sequence. We are determined to release on 11//11. However, the final build will need to be polished up and ready to go at least a couple weeks before then, so we are shooting for the 18th of this month to have the build ready for final submission. Therefore, the first half of this month is ...

Hyper Echelon - 11

Hey folks, happy Sunday! It's been another hyper busy week. I spent the good part of it animating the final scene in the game. Not to spoil too much, I chose a somewhat abstract frame of the sequence to tease with. As you can see there are a lot of explosions going on, a lot of layers! Timing and layer order was difficult to manage with so many elements in one composition, but the 15 seconds of animation was well worth the week of work. Hope somebody actually beats the game!

Also, we ...

Hyper Echelon - 10

Hey folks! Got another little update for you. I've completed writing all the game's dialogue and we are in the process of implementing the story scenes in game. The scenes are pretty basic, but we are incorporating scripted events where the sprites on screen move around and interact at times.

The above images are part of a later chapter after you've filled out the squad with all unlockable wingmen. I write and design the events, while Markus programs them in engine. These images are p...

Tower Game

Here's a very rough glimpse of another game idea. The basic concept is a vertical platformer where you are generally progressing upward through a giant tower. For gameplay I have in mind something inspired by old school Kid Icarus, but with more advanced mechanics, and a giant world to explore metroidvania style.

Ironically, the mock up doesn't show any vertical platforming elements. My idea is this is at the beginning where you are walking up to the tower. There would still be some h...

Hyper Echelon - 9

Whoosh! Here's a new animation I'm making for cutscenes of the hyperjumps you make to travel between star systems. The loop is only 14 frames, but the handmade animation involves hundreds of layers to create the motion. As usual, made in Photoshop.

The following is a section of dialogue after the character's first hyperjump.

Hyperspace Alpha exit (pt 1)

Suri: What an experience! Just like that, we’re on the other sid...

Hyper Echelon - 8

Hey folks. Sorry, forgot to post an update last week. I was totally absorbed with writing the story for Hyper Echelon. I will still post another update later this week.

As I said, it's pretty much down to the story segments from now, so there won't be much new graphics to show anymore. I have finished writing the first draft of all 19 dialogue sequences. It's in a polished state, I'm just deciding where maybe more, or less information should be, and small wording changes.

2021-09-07 22:10:59 +0000 UTC View Post

September Schedule - 2021

Hey folks! Just like that, another month in the books. I've been enjoying the summer, but it's gone by too fast. The weather is finally starting to cool a bit here, which is welcome, but I'm not a fan of the ever earlier sundown. I tend to be more of a night person, so I appreciate the longer daylight in the summer.

As for the schedule, it's going to have to be another round of Hyper Echelon grind.  I know many of you are eagerly anticipating new tutorial content, and I'm very ex...

Hyper Echelon - 7

Welcome to Mega Brain, the final mission! That does it for all the mission cutscenes. Since I finished those I've been working on the dialogue cutscenes. As explained in the past, these are scenes that use the regular gameplay assets, and flesh out the story with dialogue between the characters. So, I've mostly been writing lately. It's an interesting change of pace, but definitely a challenge for me. It was tough to get started but now I'm really getting into the characters and having fun. T...

Hyper Echelon - 6

More good progress this week. I'm almost finished with final level intro, but here's just a screenshot tease for now. I've realized the whole structure beyond the frame shown here, as the camera pans over it, and it will be reused for a full screen scene in the end sequence.

The second image shows an example of full screen backgrounds that will be used for dialogue sequences. I have to add or expand tiles to get the job done but it's just for one generic background of each environment...

Space Adventure Game Concept

Hey folks! I told you I was going to cook up some original content this month. Well, I've got my mind set on games lately. With Hyper Echelon so close to complete, I'm percolating with ideas for new game projects.

These images are for a space adventure game, which would blend shmup action, platforming, and open world exploration within a procedural structure for massive replay value. That's all I will say for now. Interpret the images as you will.

I'm really excited about the ...

Hyper Echelon - 5

More updates!

Intro animations finished for Tibula, and Hyperspace Gamma. Only one more level intro to go! Also, we discovered a new method for implementing the cutscenes that will play them pixel perfect with no noticeable compression. They appear much higher quality in game than in these gifs.

After all the balancing changes we've made in the past several months, S ranks have become much easier to attain. While it's difficult to attain them all, it is a fair and fun challeng...

Hyper Echelon - 4

Intro scene for Tibula is well underway. The static elements are almost complete. As for animation, I plan to add some scrolling, snow, and maybe some shiny reflections.  

Some other things we've been working on this week.
- Balancing Boss and enemy HP in accordance with changes to fire rate and combo ability of piercing weapons.
- Integration, balancing and bug fixing of the achievements
- various other bug fixes

Concept Album - 13

Here are the remaining animations for TheFatRat's Album PARALLAX. That makes for a total of 10 chapters in all. In case you haven't been keeping up, Chapter 5 will be publicly released with the music this Friday. The following chapters will be released weekly, every Friday. The music is really beautiful and greatly enriches the universe behind the images. Definitely worth checking out on 2021-08-04 20:18:19 +0000 UTC View Post

August Schedule 2021

Heys folks! Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the season wherever you may be. It's been a fair summer for me, but I'd like to get out more. Thankfully, there are still plenty of warm days ahead to have adventures.  Before I get caught up in any fantasies, there's work to be done, always.

This month is going to be a gamedev crunch, and hopefully the last one before finally releasing Hyper Echelon. We should have released by now, but other work responsibilities and life in g...

Tutorial - 90 - Foliage Wind Effects

The real magic of wind is found in its interplay with nature. More tips and explanation in the full feature.

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Tutorial - 89 - Fabric and Hair Wind Effects

I’ve been iterating and refining this particular technique over the years, as I’ve been able to adapt it to all kinds of things that wave in the wind. I’m sure you’ll find a use for it.

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Tutorial - 88 - Wind Swirls

Swirls are a good general solution to illustrate wind in just about any environment. Give it a whirl!

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Tutorial 89 Source File

This is the original source file for Tutorial 89. See how the sausage is made! This one has a lot of layers and folders. Dig in!

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Wind Effects Assets Pack

This asset pack includes all the assets presented in Pixelblog 33, which includes all the individual frames for the animations. Enjoy!

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Pixelblog - 33 - Wind Effects

In this all new tutorial series I make animating wind easy breezy.

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Pixelblog 33 Coming Soon!

Hey folks! Just wanted you to know that Pixelblog 33 is almost ready for release. After creating so many animations for TheFatRat's album project, I've been inspired to share my techniques. Furthermore, in this lesson I focus on animating wind effects. I think you'll find my solutions satisfying, and surprisingly useful, for the wind is ever present in our world.

I still have to compose the article, do a little clean up, and organize the assets. Should be done by tomorrow, Thursday at...

Hyper Echelon - 3

I recently made a new custom title animation since we changed the name. We were just using a generic fade in on the entire logo before. I like it better than the custom animation on the old 'Thyrian' logo. 27 frames, made in Photoshop.

We generated some good hype from the Steam Next Fest last month. The demo is still available https://store.steampowered.com/app/953330/Hyper_Echelon/
2021-07-19 21:46:21 +0000 UTC View Post

Concept Album - 12

The concept album project is finally complete, and I can reveal the artist I've been working with. It's TheFatRat! He's a producer of electronic pop music from Germany. I actually wasn't familiar with his music before, but he is quite popular in the gaming community, and I'm pretty sure I had heard some of his tunes at some point. The production quality is all pro, and the vocalists he collaborates with are t...

Concept Album - 11

Battered and bewildered, our combatants stumble from their mechanical hulls to face a shocking truth.

This was one of the most complicated compositions of the bunch. Technically, it's portraits, and a landscape at the same time. Faces naturally draw focus, so it was critical to get the visual balance even. After many days of pecking away and many iterations, I finally reached the end. On its own it's a curious concept that can be enjoyed for the details, but in the greater context of t...

July Schedule 2021

Hey folks! Hope you're enjoying these warm summer days. I'm itching to have some outdoor adventures, but I've been confined to the indoors, as I grind out freelance work. I was under the impression I had more time to complete the concept album project, but I got hit with some severe deadlines earlier this week. So, I've had to push everything aside to finish that until next Wednesday the 7th. Fortunately, I'll be able to start getting back into my usual contents after that. However, Hyper Ech...