Of Mice and Pen: Pirate Art - The Game Maker's Companion: Game Development - page 232

down objects into a set of square sections that you can arrange into different configurations. The
exact number and choice of tiles depends entirely on the situation. For the rocks on the Rogues'
Rendezvous section, we needed to consider all the different combinations of full- and half-sized
tiles (see Figure 10-11). This can be quite fiddly, but it's worth it to give the maximum scope for
the level designer to work with.

Figure 10-11. The environment asset pipeline for Shadows on Deck

Character Building
We have a good starting point for Flynn thanks to the sketches provided by the designer (see
Chapter 7). An ordinary boy, 15 years old sounds simple enough, but it actually presents some
interesting problems:
• Can such a seemingly unremarkable character work as a silhouette?

• How do we ensure he stands apart from all other characters and enemies?

• How can we make his silhouette interesting without over-embellishment?

How extensive should the cosmetic changes to the character be, as the player
progresses through the game?
You can see the initial side-on pencil drawings of the character in Figure 10-12. Based on the
original sketches, numerous drawings were made with variations of hair style and clothing. These
were then tidied up and inked using a black drawing pen, resulting in a set of black outlined
drawings. Rather than using a brush and ink to block in the color, it is easier and quicker to scan
the line art into the computer and finish it up digitally.

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