Outwitters Update 11

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re sitting on a feature-complete-but-buggy Outwitters, which has all of the artwork it needs to be complete. I’ve heard whispers of a June release being “fa sho”, but when exactly, and whether that will truly come to pass, I cannot say with certainty. So while Alex does codes to squash crashing bugs and improve performance, I’ve been looking critically at the visual odds and ends.

And nitpicking.

The original character sprites were done in November/December of 2010, and I’ve hated many of them for nearly as long. So after overhauling map backgrounds and tilesets for the third time, I decided I’d bite the bullet and take another pass on characters. I had the time, and it doesn’t delay Alex’s work. So what ensued was the minor, but in my opinion worthwhile, process of redrawing and reanimating seven characters from facing forward, to facing slightly left. I realize how that sounds.

The difference is subtle, but it makes for slightly more dynamic screenshots, plus I finally got to fix the Feedback medic. You see, all of the one-eyed characters in Outwitters were snipers, except the Feedback medic. And all of the medics in Outwitters had crosses incorporated into their design, except the Feedback medic. It was maddening.

Having turned everyone sideways, I finally feel like the game’s artwork is the best I can do without completely starting over. That’s been my goal since I first “finished” the graphics for Outwitters last June.