Custom Skin Design for Mala: Suggestions needed

[Vigo]

Hey, I've been working on a custom frontend design for Mala, to fit my Trog Machine. I made a basic design using screenshots directly taken from the game.

My Goal is to make something nice looking, while keeping it simple and to the theme of Trog.

Now for the main menu, I have trog on his cavewall, and have different drawings to select from to represent different things to play, I'm pretty happy with this, but if anyone has suggestions, I will be glad to hear them.



Now the game selection screen is where I really could use advice...I am currently just using a background from the game and displaying the list on it. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I can do to make it more appealing?



I still want to keep it simple, and display mostly the game list. I really don't feel like cluttering it with too much stuff.


Thanks!

Vigo

[loadman]

Very Cool. 

Are you going to use the 'MaLa Tree' menu option?

Gamecreture is going to make a custom skin for me. I can't draw

[Vigo]

Thanks Loadman,

Yep, I love Mala Tree. and I'm using tree snaps to get the drawings on the cave wall

[loadman]

Great Idea. When you are finished you should send it to SWINDUS to put on his website as an example

[Vigo]

I can do that! I'm all about sharing. 

[gamecreature]

Looks great! Keeping it simple is the way to go.

[Howard_Casto]

First off, I really really really like it.  And I NEVER say that so you should be very proud of yourself. 

Just to clarify though unless you are doing something strange, you are making a custom skin for mala.  When you say frontend it takes all the credit away from the mala guys, is the only reason I am correcting that. 



Now some suggestions:

The first screenshot looks much better than the second, the reason being that layering is used to give the pic depth.  Make better use of layering on the second screen and it'll pop like the first.  If you can do animation (I don't know much about mala) then make trog blink and move his eye a little.  It's a simple animation to do and will give the skin a lot more life. Perhaps make that finger twitch a  little too, like he's thinking. The outline for the system instead of a full color image was a wise choice, that makes it look good.  My sugestion though would be to "ugly it up a tad" and make the outline black and smeared to make it look more like char-coal cave paintings. 

 

Oh you might want to use a more "caveman" font as well.  A google search can help you with that.  I found this one right away. 

http://desktoppub.about.com/library/fonts/hs/uc_caveman.htm

[Vigo]

Thanks Gamecreature and Howard, Much appreciated. 

Just to clarify though unless you are doing something strange, you are making a custom skin for mala.  When you say frontend it takes all the credit away from the mala guys, is the only reason I am correcting that. 

I thought about this too, but the correct wording was slipping my mind, I fixed the subject line just now though! 


I also like you suggestion about the blinking and eye movement, but I don't know if Mala can currently do animations right now, Maybe somebody else knows what my options are about animations for Mala.

I'm guessing you haven't played too much Trog, thats fine, but the use of a perfect looking image instead of a smeared charcoal one is reference to the cut scene of the game where the caveman could draw prefectly accurate drawings on the cave wall. If it weren't for the reference I am trying to make, I would agree with you.

As for the Cave man font, I will give it a try, I chose the font I am currently using because it is very close to the actual font used in the high scores of the game. I'll try of few of these fonts out, and see if it produces a more cave man feel to it!


Thanks again for the support and ideas, and if anything else comes to mind, I would love to hear it! 

[loadman]

I also like you suggestion about the blinking and eye movement, but I don't know if Mala can currently do animations right now, Maybe somebody else knows what my options are about animations for Mala.

You can do basic movement.
an example is shown on this skin:

The invaders move in the background
Dowload here: http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/layouts.html

I'm useless with graphic issues so I can't help you any further. Somebody?

[Vigo]

I thought I should Post this as well, It is a loading screen I've been working on...I think it needs some sort of border though.

[Havok]

Very cool!

 

[gamecreature]

I thought I should Post this as well, It is a loading screen I've been working on...I think it needs some sort of border though.

A simple outline should do. No need to get too elaborate.