TIPS ON CREATING LTGs
by Marcel Celaya
(FB)
1. Have ideas ready before you start your LTG. Otherwise you will
end
up creating something that may not seem to fit together when you
test
it on the LaserTank program.
2. Have a theme in mind. Having a
theme is usually what can make an
LTG so unique and interesting. Some
examples are: an icy and cold
looking LTG, a hot and firey looking LTG, a 3D
looking LTG, a space
LTG, a theme based on another game, etc.
3. Try
not to copy other people's work. If you do this you really
are re-making an
LTG more than you are creating one. Be creative!
4. Don't be lazy about
it! To make a graphic takes a really long time!
I have had this problem with
some of the graphics I created and being
lazy just made them look uglier! Try
to put effort into your LTG so
you can be proud of it as other people stare
at your very own graphic
in awe.
5. Have a consistant light source
throughout the Game.bmp. For
example: if the top and left edges of the
solid block are shinier than the
bottom and right ones, then have the top and
left edges of everything
else be shiny too. Pretend there is a bright light
at the top left of
your screen that illuminates everything facing it. (See
the example
bitmaps for examples of this.)
6. Use a good drawing
program. Many people use Paint to create their
LTGs. Although occasionally
it may create good graphics, you can
create stunning ones instead with a
program like CorelPHOTO-PAINT or
something similar. Look around on the web
for programs like these to
download for free or just buy them! Try
"Download.com" for a big
collection of this kind of software.
7. Ask
yourself, "How can I make this better?" If you see anything
wrong with your
graphic, don't submit it. Fix the problem first. Try
to get rid of things
like distortions, and do your best to make it
look seamless.
8. Have
fun! If you don't enjoy working on your graphic, you won't
create a very
good LTG. That's almost guaranteed!