J.G. Elmslie
Insider
@Madoc@J.G. Elmslie Ceramic / terracotta floor tiles are actually one of the things we've been wanting to add to these first environments.
I'd just like to note that with 0.52's release, even just the addition of the slight variation of a ceramic floor tile set has, personally, made a notable difference to the visual monotony.
Odd as it may seem, that new tile-set on the floor has also served to bring out the difference between the dressed stone and the stucco textured wall tile-set. Previously the detail got lost because the floor was the area that you saw the most, and that was always the same. So the eye filtered out the walls, to the point where the stucco areas were almost lost entirely in the first level. Now, with the addition of ceramic tiles, the environment has been brought that to life a bit more, and made the different walls more noticeable.
And all just because the floors change.
So I'd just like to make that note, that the addition of that tile-set has been a good step forward in terms of environment art variation.
I'm going to look forward to seeing more growth in environment tile-sets over time - and hopefully, the range of flooring textures in particular. Given the camera looks towards the floor a lot more than it does walls, I'm starting to think that a lot more floor texture sets connected to the same wall textures will be a very efficient way to produce a lot of noticeable variation in the environment, which would really enhance the overall look of the levels.
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Having played through a few times now however, I'll make one little addition to my thoughts on environment design: I cant help feel that you've slightly done the levels in the wrong order, in that parts of the 3rd level, with the areas of glassblowing, potter's wheels and wine presses, are outstanding. They are recognisable, unique areas, while unfortunately the first areas of the first level dont stand out nearly as much - they are very generic in many ways. While I can appreciate their placement from a lore/background PoV, I cant help feel that the first areas (particularly the very un-interactive rooms stocked with lumber straight after you leave the starting room) could greatly benefit from more work in terms of creating a visual narrative of what they're there for, to engage new players rapidly on first trying the game.
Edit: I'm now thinking, the first corridor, as you turn right out of the starting room. I cant help but wonder if those two areas (filled with logs) could be converted from their current environments to some sort of workshops, as they're on the edge of the map, and I think there should be a bit of blank space between them. I wonder something like a workshop making the large cages that are found on the rest of the level could be inserted into that area?
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minor little detail. Anvils on stumps in the 3rd level.
you really shouldnt be able to walk into an anvil, and it to be moved and fall off the stump with a little "bonk" sound. aside from the fact that an avil that size weighs at least 50 kilos, maybe 75 and would barely move if you ran into it fullspeed, you wouldn't believe how loud an anvil being knocked off a stump onto a hard floor surface is!
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