Green levels

Maybe it's just me, but I find levels with a lot of green - used in a way that suggests 'natural landscape' to the brain - particularly relaxing. Anybody else feel like that, too?

I think there's been some research that anything that suggests a green, i.e. fertile natural landscape to the human mind is, essentially, good for the psyche. Maybe that even applies to pixel art?

(This random musing was brought to you by Farik's "The Hunt".)

Mashu Prapa. End of story.

Mashu Prapa. End of story.

Yeah, I know. I enjoy that one. But the observation really pertains to a lot of Farik's levels, too. Harvest, The Hunt, Homeland, Ascension... all very green.

I'm trying to make at least the surface areas of Falling Water rather green, too. *g*

Interesting point... I have a start-screen I've been working on with the intention of it, or a variation of it, being the start screen for most of my levels. My starting premise was to take the screen that begins and ends "The Machine," move it forwards in time to well after Juni reaches the WIN screen so that the community has a chance to grow and flourish; and also rotate the player's viewpoint on the scene.

I finally figured out it would be easier to show a screenshot than try to explain what I mean about the rotation. So, I uploaded the 'first draft' of the start-screen from the first level idea I started playing around with. Have a look below...

...You may find it useful to compare it to the actual screen from The Machine, especially the change in the position of the second tree/house in relation to Juni's house.

I decided to do the rotation in addition to the time-lapsing for three reasons: One, to suggest a sense of continuity, not with any one level in particular, but with KS levels (more than one of which uses a similar 'home' screen layout) in general; two, to avoid jarring a player who sees a screen identical to a screen in another level but finds that it doesn't lead to the same places as in the level they're thinking of;and three, to avoid ripping off Nifflas's exact screen layout.

But I've gotten somewhat afield. My point in bringing this up was that I also find green levels (screens, tilesets, etc.) appealing, and I started right off with a lush green screen without even examining what led me to that choice. (It certainly wasn't necessary to the particular level theme I'd had in mind.

Certainly it helps that KS has so much beautiful green artwork that matches so nicely together...

Medius is pretty darn green.[/shamelessplug]

@the Jack: Oooh, me likes!

@Dataflashsabot: Thanks, will dl.

Also:

Salmoneus: Flood/Flood Revisited
Boxtop: Rainy Vale
Tom Flenniken: Night Arboretum

And Riku Island is pretty green, too.

In retrospect, the deep green in Evangelos's "Dungeon" is a lot of why I enjoyed it so much. Almost meditative.

"Jumping in the Rain" by somebody  is pretty green, too. As is half of Evil's "Dark Waters".

Do you consider Dessgeega's "Under the Crack" green?

Conversely, Levels with no green seem to feel more suspenseful. A couple of cases in point: Medic Ted's "A Psychedelic Adventure" and Salmonmeous's "Organac" (in both of which I think it's the dominance of red as much as the lack of green).

@Hmpf: 

In retrospect, the deep green in Evangelos's "Dungeon" is a lot of why I enjoyed it so much. Almost meditative.

*bumps 'Dungeon' up on the 'to play' list*

"Jumping in the Rain" by somebody  is pretty green, too.

Oh, yeah. I'd genuinely forgotten about that, actually.

Do you consider Dessgeega's "Under the Crack" green?

More like brown-beige-ish, really, isn't it? Which is also calming, in it's own, bare, desert-like way, I'll admit.

Conversely, Levels with no green seem to feel more suspenseful. A couple of cases in point: Medic Ted's "A Psychedelic Adventure" and Salmonmeous's "Organac" (in both of which I think it's the dominance of red as much as the lack of green).

Levels with very bold colours and/or contrasts definitely feel visually suspenseful, yes. (Is there such a thing as 'visually suspenseful'? Hmm...)

@Hmpf: 

Go. Start. Preview. Threads. For. Your. Levels!!!

;-)

*bumps 'Dungeon' up on the 'to play' list*

Oh, you'll love it. A couple of the jumps would've driven me nuts when I first started playing KS -- when those two jumps in "Don't Eat the Mushroom" were still making it almost un... well, not unwinnable,  but un-get-to-the-end-of-the-good-ending-able -- and one of them is still pretty challenging, but there's no deathfail if you miss it the first couple (or first dozen) tries. Man, I should PM Evangelos & ask if that tileset is available for others' use, because it's just marvellous.

Quote

Do you consider Dessgeega's "Under the Crack" green?

More like brown-beige-ish, really, isn't it? Which is also calming, in it's own, bare, desert-like way, I'll admit.

Okay, I'd always had the impression it was faintly --  but only faintly -- greenish. Deciding it was too close to call on subjective judgment alone, I opened her custom tileset in GIMP, sampled the colour, and, lo and behold: Hue 74, or in RGB terms Red 196/255, Green 207/255, Blue 161/255. The fact that it's so desaturated (22%) is a lot of why the hue is as subtle as it is, but yes, it's definitely in the area of the spectrum where yellow and green overlap. Take the saturation up to 100%, and you get something like avocado or the peel of a Key lime. (Sorry, I know those are both very North American colour references. Uhh... oversteamed broccoli stems?)

Levels with very bold colours and/or contrasts definitely feel visually suspenseful, yes. (Is there such a thing as 'visually suspenseful'? Hmm...)

Oh, yes. Managing to convey suspense with only a still image is tricky, but possible. All sorts of masterpieces of art history pulled it off.

Go. Start. Preview. Threads. For. Your. Levels!!!

Honestly, it's a combination of 'not enough to show yet' and 'afraid the preview thread's existence will make me perversely lose interest in finishing the level' -- with maybe a dash of 'won't be surprised if a certain two forum users turn up to piss all over my parade.' Besides, I could be using that time to work on making the actual levels!

Eep, and I need to get back to work on the Round Robin. I set it aside while you were working on RtC because I had another level idea bite me and foolishly thought I could bang most of it out while you were doing the finishing touches on yours.

Speaking of the Round Robin, though, how do you get that visual effect you use on your level splash images? Because I think that would go nicely on the RR splash, along with other elements so it doesn't come across as all your level.

Speaking of the Round Robin, though, how do you get that visual effect you use on your level splash images?

In a hurry, so I'll just say: err, what?

Back on topic....
[shameless plug]
The beta level for Knytt Environment is quite green and calming, something it needs to be after the <insert extremely high number here>th debug run-through 
[/shameless plug]

Back on topic....
[shameless plug]
The beta level for Knytt Environment is quite green and calming, something it needs to be after the <insert extremely high number here>th debug run-through 
[/shameless plug]

True. Recommended.

(BTW, any chance you could expand it a bit?)

All my levels are very green... emissions free and recyclable.
 

All my levels are very green... emissions free and recyclable.
 

Hah! Mine are multicolored and thus polluting! Smell that carbon smoke. Mm mm mm.