A “complete” asset pack can be quite tricky. The short answer would be to have a bit of everything, like:
If by “complete” you mean an asset pack that suits most people out there, then you would probably need to include 2D and 3D assets, but I think it might be better to split that into smaller chunks.
Every game is different, and depending what technology a dev is using, they can use different types of assets. The more you include, the more variety games with your assets will have. I think all the types above should help a big percentage of games, but I don’t have numbers to back that up.
These are all my opinions as a dev, I hope it helps :)
Thank you for your reply.
I agree with your point that a 'complete' asset pack would indeed be quite tricky. Let's say 'as complete as possible in 2D art'
Chunking it and gradually adding to the pack is indeed my plan. Making it in one go would be too big of a task.
Thank you for the list, that will definitely help.
Hey Cimeto,
Thank you for your reply!
I edited my top post to 2D visuals, since that's all I can make.
Specializing is something I have thought about, However, I don't feel that my pack would be so attractive to game developers if it only has what it has now(or an expansion of it)
I Have a vision for what I want to achieve with it and though it is tough, I do think it is doable.
Currently I'm working on UI elements while also learning a bit more about anatomy in drawings so I can improve the character.
Plants, animals, objects are on the list, but I sadly can't do everything at the same time. I planned on updating monthly, which is very doable and also very focused on one specific part of the asset pack.
That said, I agree with the statement that all developers want their game to be different than the rest, which is why I think the UI design is going to be crucial...
Would you as developer appreciate variations in the buildings, knowing that their are more to choose from, either in color or details?
I know it's a big task that I set for myself, but I believe I can actually make an asset pack that is so diverse, that more people can use it and all have different outcomes.
Again, thank you for the reply! I appreciate the input. Writing this answer really helped me strengthen my resolve to make this!
"Would you as developer appreciate variations in the buildings, knowing that their are more to choose from, either in color or details?"
Trying to answer to that, I'd say that definitely. Having variations, and some randomness makes a lot of things more lifelike, like for example, houses in a village presenting small differences between them offer a better illusion of a real town.
But, what about creating components that can be mixed on the fly? I experimented with that in a little kids game I offered here on itch.io. I have a multitude of little components that I mix programatically so every house or ground 'component' presents little differences to the others generated around.
And theoretically, the same can be done with colours. You can determine a game of palettes for those components so when making use of random generation they keep some similarity in style/colour.
A different thing (related to this subject I think) I tried to work with in another project I have in development, is being able to change colours in a sprite on the fly, following the style of old RPGs as those made by SSI (Champions of Krynn f.e.) or like in Knights of Legend, where you determine colours for different parts of the sprite.
But it's some work I must say, and the best approach I was able to find was making a list of 'special' colours that programatically can be interchanged when looking for pixel by pixel with colour similarities on the sprite. In other words, having an index of colours to be used to know what pixels to change. And some multiple-sprite approach in the middle... if possible.
I think I'm talking too much, but in fewer words, if you are interested in offering a good amount of variations of buildings or other elements, what about random generators? Maybe that could make you save time on the long run...
Well, I hope... because a random generator imply using an engine or code. But components and instructions of where should they be placed on the main image can be all graphics and would not depend of any engine at all.
I hope this answers helps a bit!
Good luck!!
