Thanks. I think side scroller games usually have backdrops that aren't very contrasting because the colors might be too noticeable and may interfere with the foreground. I was trying for something that looked a bit like Cave Story.

I know you need low contrast backgrounds to increase readability, but the whole image is low contrast bar the black "walls", nothing is really crisp enough imho.
compare with cave story itself

Everything stands out more, partially because the background has a lower value, not just lower contrast than the foreground.

Added crab graphics, and some sort of usable water. Now, to actually do the game...
Link to the image itself
I'll do set pieces etc once I've got this semi-playable.

What is the game-play like? Also, how is anyone supposed to play while trying to make out those tiny sprites?

2x pixels while playing.
here's the current design doc, not even kidding:

You'll basically run back and forth from a pile of sandbags at the right side of the beach to your dam of sandbags and pile them up until the sea gets through. Its intended as some sort of comment about futility, and also as something easy for me to learn AS3 and flixel with.

oh also, for comparison, play http://www.adamatomic.com/mode/ and see how easy the character is to see. This character sprite is ~1.25 times as big, 6ppm is my scale.

Edit: Yes, that does make the crab a big ♥♥♥♥.

Is that your belt being wonky or are you just happy to see me?

The saying goes 'Don't hit below the belt.', not 'Don't hit the belt.', Aight?

his head is wrong.

God damn geti I love your palette.


Best viewed in 2x/2x simulation by squint, will make it that if I stop being lazy.

Yeah, well, I was having some trouble with it for some reason. I'll probably re-do it, I might even try and translate it into pixel art.

Make him a Ronin guy that's in the gutter. That's not in insult to you, he just looks tatty.

He's meant to look like a hobo boy.

Lots of empty space in the new image, but I didn't have the right mental state to code tonight so I did some trees. The green and red prevent the mock up from getting too drab, which is a plus. need to do wet sandbag images too, but I'll probably figure out how to do the water before I burn more time

Very well.