Rexeljet's Workbench

[Rexeljet]

Now that I've overcome the problems I was facing earlier on, I've figured that now is a good time to showcase some progress on the level(s) I'm creating.

My ideal goal is to create a level pack with three or so zones, with more to come if I find the time and motivation. The first level I'm working on is called Woodland Way, an introductory sort of stage with multiple pathways to explore. Here are a few screenshots of the first act:

As you can see, it currently uses default textures (the good thing about 2.2's texture set is that you can rely heavily on it without your level looking like an extra act of one of the vanilla zones) although I'll probably add some custom textures here and there to give the stage a more unique look at some point.



Once I'm happy with Act 1 my plan is to submit it, and then take whatever feedback I get into consideration before starting on Act 2.

 

[MK.exe]

Looks really neat!

That 1st shot is really nice.

Maybe add some free roaming Flickies to make it more like a forest environment.

 

[Rexeljet]

Hey, thanks! I'll be sure to add some flickies in the outdoor sections.


I've currently been working on some custom level art, giving it more of a stylised and colourful look without (hopefully) looking too much like Green Hill or Greenflower. I'm torn on whether to go ahead with this look or go back to using the default assets (or make custom textures that evoke the old look more). Here are a few pictures:

 

[Jazzz]

These custom textures give your level a lot of identity. If you don't want it to look much like GHZ or GFZ you're heading a good way, keep at it!. Definitely a big jump from your first screenies.

So far it looks very gorgeous, those sky colors are great. I'd love to see more of this in the future ♪

 

[Mystic]

The textures and especially the skybox give me some serious Mario vibes, but that's absolutely not a bad thing.

 

[PeriSNOT]

this looks good dude,keep it up!

 

[Rexeljet]

Thanks everyone for the positive words,


Although my current priority is finishing Gigalopolis in time for the ULDC, I've made a bit of a start (and I do mean a bit) on Woodland Way act 2. Compared to act 1 my plan is to have it be a lot more spacious with fewer cramped sections. I've also made a custom palette for the level to give it a bit of an evening glow.

 

[Rexeljet]

It probably wasn't a good idea to post an update before really starting much work on the level! Here's some further progress:

 

[Rexeljet]

It's been a while since I last updated this thread, and so I thought I'd share some progress on the level pack I was talking about in the opening post.


Zone 2 is somewhat inspired by Castle Eggman in the sense that the first act will take place mostly outdoors (with a few indoor sections here and there), leading up to a large structure which will be the focus of the second act (albeit a cathedral instead of a castle).

Something else I'm implementing is custom special stages. They're of the Non-NiGHTS variety, and I'm using them as an excuse to come up with some more abstract/otherworldly environments compared to the main levels:

 

[Mr Beagle]

Those special stages look like they will be fun to play, and your second full stage seems to be shaping up well.

How is your ULDC entry going (as I think you showed off something maybe a month ago)?

 

[Rexeljet]

Figured I may as well give some updates after nearly a year! My interests tend to come and go in phases, so I've not done a terrible amount of work on the level pack (which still doesn't have a name!), but I wanted to confirm that it's still happening.

Here's some screenshots of a level that I had originally planned to be standalone, but it's now going to be the final zone of the campaign. The zones in the pack will have alliterative titles, so I'm planning on calling this level Heraldic Heights Zone.

I've gone for a "ruins in the sky" motif, with one of the main gimmicks being clouds that bounce the player up. I'm also planning for it to be the most open and explorative stage in the pack, but a lot of work needs to be done.

I've also completed another special stage:

For what it's worth, I'm hoping for the level pack to contain seven main stages. Realistically the first release will probably only have three or four, but Ideally it'd have all seven special stages since they'll be quicker to complete.

I haven't done a huge amount of work on Zone 2 since the last post, but I've redone the skybox to look a bit more interesting:

 

[Othius]

Figured I may as well give some updates after nearly a year! My interests tend to come and go in phases, so I've not done a terrible amount of work on the level pack (which still doesn't have a name!), but I wanted to confirm that it's still happening.

Here's some screenshots of a level that I had originally planned to be standalone, but it's now going to be the final zone of the campaign. The zones in the pack will have alliterative titles, so I'm planning on calling this level Heraldic Heights Zone.

View attachment 39641 View attachment 39642
View attachment 39643 View attachment 39644
I've gone for a "ruins in the sky" motif, with one of the main gimmicks being clouds that bounce the player up. I'm also planning for it to be the most open and explorative stage in the pack, but a lot of work needs to be done.

I've also completed another special stage:

View attachment 39645 View attachment 39646
For what it's worth, I'm hoping for the level pack to contain seven main stages. Realistically the first release will probably only have three or four, but Ideally it'd have all seven special stages since they'll be quicker to complete.

I haven't done a huge amount of work on Zone 2 since the last post, but I've redone the skybox to look a bit more interesting:
View attachment 39647 View attachment 39648

Oh wow. I really love the aesthetic of that. You should consider submitting one of your stages to OLDC for more direct feedback, which you can apply to the rest of the pack, and maybe take some inspiration from the stages you like.
I have a question about the textures for this pack in general. Are you making them all yourself? They're all really good and have a unique style to them. I can't wait to see this whole pack come to fruition.

 

[Rexeljet]

Oh wow. I really love the aesthetic of that. You should consider submitting one of your stages to OLDC for more direct feedback, which you can apply to the rest of the pack, and maybe take some inspiration from the stages you like.
I have a question about the textures for this pack in general. Are you making them all yourself? They're all really good and have a unique style to them. I can't wait to see this whole pack come to fruition.

Thanks! The majority of textures (at least the most prominent ones) are original. The same should hopefully hold true for the music as well.

I've thought about submitting a level to OLDC once I've gotten one completed, so I'll probably give it a go!

 

[MauriceOglevie]

Any updates for us? Your level pack is looking to be my favourite this year. To this day I still enjoy Woodland Way so I’m excited to see what you have.

 

[Othius]

I've thought about submitting a level to OLDC once I've gotten one completed, so I'll probably give it a go!

Oh hey, I noticed you made an OLDC submission. I can't wait to see what it looks like, I love your clean, cartoony art style you give stages. Is this going to be for your level pack?