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Free Repository for Tile Graphics?
Hentai asks: "I want to make a game. Specifically, I want to make a good, open-source computer RPG, with the same artistic style of the early Squaresoft sprite-pushers, like Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger. I can code well enough, and I can get artists to provide character sprite graphics (which will be open-source, too), but I need background tile graphics on the same vein and caliber as those titles. Web searches invariably lead to commercial or shareware packages, or 'free to the public' tile sets that are, frankly, abysmal. I just need enough quality tiles to start with, and will happily add any new derivations to the repository. Anyone know of a good GPLed tile package that could get me started?"
Maybe what you need are a couple of people interested in drawing tiles specificaly for your game. Most games thats use freely available tiles lack the wow factor because a lot of people have seen those exact same graphics elsewhere. Just think of the 23587825 RPG Maker games circulating right now...
Also, when you have artists working for you, they can work to give the game a look that fits to the style and content.
As an added bonus, sprite loving artists are often creative enough to draw stuff that you would never have imagined yourself, which can in turn really improve the atmosphere and even the story of your game.
Freely available tiles can get you started... but its only a good solution in short term. Say, use them to create an enjoyable demo, and lure artists to your projects.
I'm currently working on two projects (a platformer and a 2d shooter), and trust me on this, you need art that fits your game, and that has *not* been seen elsewhere.
I'm gonna get marked redundant just for the subject, aren't I?
Anyway, contributing to an old project is a great way to increase your coding skills, play with coding a game, and NOT have to deal with all of the stupid stuff, because it has already been done by someone else. Take Crossfire (http://crossfire.real-time.com/) as an example. You have a stable multiplayer online RPG that's been around since '92 or even longer. It runs on many un*x variants, and has some win32 stuff too, although no fully supported win32 client. If you're interested in monster AI, go ahead, code that. Everything else works perfectly fine. If you're interested in writing a new client, go right ahead. You can even take the networking code from the current clients, and write only the GUI. Hell, there have even been three Perl based 'bots that I know of. Network code, but no GUI.
The point is, if you contribute to an existing project, you can skip straight to the part you enjoy the most, and you're much more likely to finish.
This certainly isn't intended to discouage this person from working on a free project if he so chooses, but the thing about your own project is that it's just that -- yours. You can't really personalize a game that's already been designed.
:)
That said, the artist problem is one that has plagued me as well... most artists are fickle and unreliable at best. However, if you manage to find one that doesn't fit the stereotype, more power to you.
The code for tile scrollers is NOT advanced. The effort is in the tiles and the artistic property. This whole business of saying "Please give me free tiles for *MY* tile scroller" is flawed.
The tiles ARE the tile scroller, the code that does the scrolling is trivial by todays standards. This is the underlying problem with free stuff like this, the content tends to define these projects.
What are you actually going to write? A background scroller and sprite muxer? That's old hat, and all you want is the content (the hard part) so you can go claim a project as your own. Join one of the existing efforts out there, talent is diluted enough as it is on these projects.