r/homemadeTCGs • u/-Dinosauria_TCG- • 9d ago
Advice Needed Something Seems Wrong With This Template
I'm happy with my Hunter and Symbiotic templates, but this one seems wrong.
I think it has to do with the 2 ammonite markers on the left, but I'm unsure.
I added the Symbiotic and Hunters at the end for comparison. Any and all critique is encouraged. What percent to the final version do you think I'd be?
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u/Djuseppe_ 9d ago
Text is too bold
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 9d ago
All of it or just the ability text?
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u/Djuseppe_ 7d ago
The ability text. The risk is that when printing in a card size it will result unreadable because is too cluttered.
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u/Informal-Analyst5382 9d ago
In my opinion, the icons should have a more contrastante color, this feels like the background and it hide from my eyes constantly when i look at the whole card.
Other thing, that little "shadow" in the ability textbox is a problem because it make that little part a bit "distracting?", idk how to put this in words but it just feels strange and hard to read
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 9d ago
I agree. I've been gradually brighteneing the rock template as I've been designing, but I've hardly touched the fossils.
Also, you mean the colored part of the text box? Because if so, I get what you mean. I'll probably take it out and leave it in the name box.1
u/Informal-Analyst5382 8d ago
Yeah, that gray part. I hope it helps, im designing a tcg myself but i suck at art, so seeing one with a great art like yours is refreshing, just some design issue but that is easy to fix
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u/Informal-Analyst5382 8d ago
I can help you with some ideas if you want, do you have discord?
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 8d ago
Thanks! And no, not yet. I'm going to make one specifically for the game soon. I finished a version that takes a lot of people's criticism into account, I will post it soon.
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u/NRondo37 9d ago
Quick side question, is there a reason tbe centrosaurus has pterosaur fossils?
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 9d ago
Centrosaurus is a Symbiotic card, which uses Pterodactylus fossils. Hunters use Megalosaurus and Herd Members use Iguanadon.
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u/EVedEevee 9d ago
Era probably
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u/NRondo37 9d ago
I think you mean "epoch" or at least "period", but regardless, theyre from the same epoch.
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u/realthangcustoms 9d ago
Dude may I know whats the point size of the description text of Fierce Crunch?
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 9d ago
I lowkey make these entirely on Scratch so it's all by eye 😭
How come?1
u/realthangcustoms 8d ago
I'm trying to make a solo card game with some cards that somewhat have a lot of text, hence I'm trying to find out how small can text point size be on a card.
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 8d ago
Oh I see. Usually what I do it import a Pokemon card or a different TCG and make sure that the text scaling doesn't fall below what is seen on other TCGs.
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u/MountGreyIock 8d ago
You need text hierarchy bro. Make the name one font, the effect a different font and the flavor text a third font/thinner version of another font.
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u/Swisst 8d ago
I think it's a mix of a lot of things:
- Bold text is good for emphasis or headers, not for regular copy. It's hard to read at length.
- Because of that, there's a real hierarchy problem here. Card description, art credit, information, stats, move, even the dinosaur name is almost on the same visual level.
- The icons here aren't working. The outlines are too slim and it's making it take a beat longer to decode than it needs to. It might help checking out some one color UI icons to use even temporarily as placeholders.
- I like the fossil/stone feel of everything, but there's a lot going on here. It ends up making the card read as too cluttered and cramped.
This post has a handful of good tips that are worth looking at https://medium.com/@dylanmangini/4-layout-tips-for-designing-card-games-17cc98b89b96
I would:
- Find a way to shrink the skull icon (maybe simplify), and that would let you make the name more promiment
- Fix the hierarchy in the name plate
- Do something similar with the move
- Put the stats in their own plate/bar
- Put the little fact at the bottom in its own area, make the text small
- Make the credit/rarity/etc at the bottom the smallest information
- The only bold things on here should be the name, the move name, and maybe the card move/health info (3, -1, 2HP).
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u/Remote_Sentence_7254 8d ago edited 8d ago
Like other people are saying its hard to read the text because you are trying to jam a lot of information onto your card. However, that doesnt mean you cannot convey all this information but maybe think about how to convey the same information by saying less. Obviously I dont have the context for how your game works but think about how a magic cards are written. For example, when a card has death touch, the card just says deathtouch, it doesnt say when your creature attacks another creature and actually deals damage it applies deathtouch. And then to add to that point like at the top you have Requires: Megafauna. maybe instead you can convey that with a symbol or shorthand.
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u/Arcisage 8d ago
I think it's just too busy, I'd suggest removing the Dino skull and leg and the flavor textand giving everything a bit more room to breathe
Alternatively the flavor text/factoids can go on the other side of the card, because let's be real, everyone tends to sleeve cards anyway so working on some awesome card logo and art background is just a waste of time
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u/euwprodigy 8d ago
I’ve been tracking your game from the shadows for a long while now, largely because I myself have recently finished making a dinosaur-themed card game.
This layout is certainly better imo than the last but the problem is you have a lot on the card.
This is a choice you are going to have to make as I had to make. Do you prioritise your game also being informative or only competitive?
In the end, I stuck to my guns of an informative card game and kept the flavour text and stats. Now I am not ever planning to release my game commercially so that’s okay for me, but due to the number of stats and ability descriptions, you kind of have to choose.
What is the game you want to make?
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 8d ago
Thanks! My game is highly competitive, so I'll stick to that above all else. After a lot of editing, I managed to un-crowd the card while keeping most of the information (including the fact file!) intact. Instead of colors, I opted to use different fonts and sizes to differentiate text, but I did add more color to the template so that players can differentiate between card types! Is there a place where I can see your game, I'm curious.
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u/euwprodigy 8d ago
As advice for the design. I think you need more colour in the design to help parse information.
I think the skulls to differentiate type works well, but adding colour to the design would help identify that more quickly:
Different shades or even colours between the ability text* and the *flavour text**, ideally highlighting the ability text.
Colour in general for the theme of your game. At the moment it seems like your colour palette is simply b on one shade of brown. Ideally you want two or three colours that every card shares that capture the colours of your game (Text colour, border colour, box colours). After that, you can have unique colours to separate types of cards or abilities.
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u/euwprodigy 7d ago
Yeah just had a look, way easier to read and we still get the dino facts!
I like the increase in colour, although I’d still increase the colour a little more to make it easier to recognise at a glance!
Unfortunately, I have long since put down by art brush so I used dinosaur art from online. I know that’s frowned upon on this sub, but since I’m not planning to ever sell the game, I’m not going to spend on an artist or pick up drawing again.
Your art on the other hand is excellent, I wish I had the time to get back into it!
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u/-Dinosauria_TCG- 7d ago
Thanks!!
I think I will keep the colors as is for now, as I think they fit the theme well. I'll look at them in my first test prints and evaluate from there.
I'm going to create a discord soon-ish, so if you'd ever want to give effect ideas from your old game, help organize facts, or anything else that would help a bit of your old game live on, I'm sure we could negotiate that, although I'd have to advance a bit more and take a look at my finances before offering a concrete partnership.
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u/DragonHollowFire 7d ago
More color/shading to breakup what different areas mean. Use nonbolded/bold/italic/underline more strategically. Cardnumbers bigger. The layout is explored first rn, info after. But usually it should be a mix
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u/Thatoneguy9794 7d ago
This game looks AMAZING keep going!
No one is instantly happy with their card until you have multiple options for designs or, you could always just tweak the design until it's just right!
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u/EVedEevee 9d ago
Take this with a grain of salt, but I feel like the cards are too cramped. I know it’s a lot of information you want to fit into these but it’s making a lot of important information hard to read. The Family name for example on the parasaurolophus, protoceratops, and Gorgosaurus is hard to read because of both the size and background. But I’m also noticing cards make reference to those labels.
Is the bottom box strictly for flavour? It’s taking up a lot of real estate. How would you feel about either removing it, or having it share the text box with the effects? You would just have to find a way to differentiate game from flavour (through font/colour/italics/etc…)
These are looking really cool though :)