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Pixel Art / [WIP][C+C] Apple II Low Resolution-Style RPG Experiments
« on: August 13, 2014, 05:57:50 am »
I’m experimenting with the creating RPG game graphics within the limitations of the Apple II Low-Resolution Graphics mode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_graphics#Low-Resolution_.28Lo-Res.29_graphics).
I’m trying to see how well a hypothetical RPG would work in this space – 40X40 pixel screen resolution and 15 colors (two greys are effectively the same – although the AppleWin emulator renders them differently). The color space is YPbPr based, using (roughly) this palette:
As I noted above, there's really only one grey, so I'll be removing one of the shades of grey from the above working palette eventually.
One added challenge is the aspect ratio of the pixels – They can shift depending on the color being used and what colors are adjacent, but they’re roughly 16:9 or 7:4 (I’m using the latter, it makes for slightly smaller images while keeping whole numbers). I have to get used to working with very skinny sprites, like this sphere:
turns into 
The RPG itself would resemble Dragon Warrior or Phantasy Star – Combat showing a portrait of the opponent. The backgrounds are in 40X40, and I’m making characters 32X32, placed in the center of the screen and (hopefully) meshing with whatever background is shown.
Here would be a desert background:
-> 
With a bandit/rogue added:
-> 
Any constructive criticism would be appreciated, and I am particularly interested in any ideas or advice in working at this resolution, color palette, and pixel ratio.
For references/inspiration I looked sprites from Fire Emblem and Ultima 5. I only recently remembered to look at the SSI Gold Box games, and I realize a few of these sprites will probably end up resembling some of the Pool of Radiance characters. I also looked through the forums here and AtariAge keeping an eye out for ultra-low resolution techniques.
Here is a progression of sprite alterations as I work on a bandit, showing a little bit of my process as I add or chip away at various pixels, or play with some variant colors and shapes.
A note on the last two instances of the bandit - I’m currently wavering between shading or sticking with a more “flat” style of color – the latter would make alternate color schemes easier to implement, as picking functional color dyads and triads from this particular color space can be limiting. I've found gradients and shading that look nice when the sprite is small can clash when the sprite is effectively full-screen, and how the sprite appears over a background also needs to figure in to how I decide to pursue color schemes.
I’m trying to see how well a hypothetical RPG would work in this space – 40X40 pixel screen resolution and 15 colors (two greys are effectively the same – although the AppleWin emulator renders them differently). The color space is YPbPr based, using (roughly) this palette:
As I noted above, there's really only one grey, so I'll be removing one of the shades of grey from the above working palette eventually.
One added challenge is the aspect ratio of the pixels – They can shift depending on the color being used and what colors are adjacent, but they’re roughly 16:9 or 7:4 (I’m using the latter, it makes for slightly smaller images while keeping whole numbers). I have to get used to working with very skinny sprites, like this sphere:
turns into The RPG itself would resemble Dragon Warrior or Phantasy Star – Combat showing a portrait of the opponent. The backgrounds are in 40X40, and I’m making characters 32X32, placed in the center of the screen and (hopefully) meshing with whatever background is shown.
Here would be a desert background:
-> With a bandit/rogue added:
-> Any constructive criticism would be appreciated, and I am particularly interested in any ideas or advice in working at this resolution, color palette, and pixel ratio.
For references/inspiration I looked sprites from Fire Emblem and Ultima 5. I only recently remembered to look at the SSI Gold Box games, and I realize a few of these sprites will probably end up resembling some of the Pool of Radiance characters. I also looked through the forums here and AtariAge keeping an eye out for ultra-low resolution techniques.
Here is a progression of sprite alterations as I work on a bandit, showing a little bit of my process as I add or chip away at various pixels, or play with some variant colors and shapes.
A note on the last two instances of the bandit - I’m currently wavering between shading or sticking with a more “flat” style of color – the latter would make alternate color schemes easier to implement, as picking functional color dyads and triads from this particular color space can be limiting. I've found gradients and shading that look nice when the sprite is small can clash when the sprite is effectively full-screen, and how the sprite appears over a background also needs to figure in to how I decide to pursue color schemes.