Yes, well, Helm, when I said "Phantasy Star 4 style" I was talking the general skill level, not the exact detail. ^_^;;; also, I hope to either evolve to a level close to what you see in the first reference image I posted, but that's probably for later. Especially because my game will have 32x64 sprites as compared to the much smaller (16x32?) Phantasy Star 4 sprites. The reasons I want to do the sprites in 3/4 view is because this is something that kind of irks me in top down games: the walls, surroundings, plants, etc are all in 3/4 but the sprites are not. Still, I love top-down games regardless. ^_^
So here are my two main questions, and I hope they don' t sound silly to you. You say there's a good reason for going flat over 3/4 for sprites, because it increases the expressiveness of the sprite? But why is that? I really don't see how a flat sprite is better than one with a fake perspective? Or is this for educational reasons? And I'm also wondering why you are making the head more square? I guess PS4 does it because of low resolution, but should I do the same? Does it offer better possibilities with the hair or other facial expressions?
But, I do see where you are going with the contraposito, by creating "assymmetry in a balanced" way the sprite looks more "alive" and human. I can easily see how a weapon, like a sword or spear would fit perfectly in the hand, and look as if it could be used to strike. Such a contraposito is definitely something I'd consider for the main character, as opposed to a mere base which I would use foremost for testing and for plain NPC's. By the way. I also plan to have correct assymetry for right-facing and left facing sprites, at least for how the weapon is rendered. No such nonsense like the sprite facing right and having the weapon in the right hand, and then facing left and having the weapon in the left hand. At the very least, I'll render the weapon behind the sprite when facing left in the case of a right-handed character.
Anyway, thanks, this is really interesting. ^_^