[WIP] Partisan Tactics Battles : Animations, woah

[Faceless]

This is exactly the sort of thing that annoys me. There is nothing wrong with the style of this portrait. It isn't even totally derivative of your typical throwaway anime, so I don't know why that is even being brought up. Shouldn't we be trying to help Adarias to improve what he is trying to make rather than telling him to make something different? Sure if it was horrible, point him in the direction of some tutorials; but this isn't. Make an edit and let him decide if he likes that direction better but don't outright tell him how to do it, or that one style of anime is better than another. These are subjective things. It is the talent behind the style and not the style itself that will dictate the quality of the result.

Let's also bear in mind the style of the sprites themselves. They are not realistic and don't attempt to be. These portraits will suit them better than realism or realistic anime ever will.

[Feron]

The game may come out or may not, but the anatomy and aesthetic knowledge will stick with you forever.

This should go in the tao of pixel-art thread, but alas faceless is right.

I dont know much about anime portraits if much about portraits at all.  I will save my critique for the pixelled product.

[ndchristie]

The game may come out or may not, but the anatomy and aesthetic knowledge will stick with you forever.

This should go in the tao of pixel-art thread

I second that movement, it's always a good thing to keep in mind.  My only reason for not following it in this specific case is that drudgery is not necessarily to the best way of learning.  If i were doing 1 or 2 of these instead of dozens, it would be a great learning experience to really push the envelope.

Feron - looking forward to your crits later

[Helm]

I wasn't telling Adarias what he was making is bad and he needs a different style. He's the one who is not happy with the banality of the chosen style, but sticks to it for workflow reasons. I am more interested in seeing Adarias become a better artist than I am in seeing Partisan Tactics get finished in a timely manner.

[ndchristie]

I am more interested in seeing Adarias become a better artist than I am in seeing Partisan Tactics get finished in a timely manner.

Like I said, these are not mutually exclusive goals  .  If there is a good enough reason to spend twice the time doing the same exercise over and again instead of branching out and pursuing other ideas in that same time, I'd be more than ready to drop the mundane stuff ^^


OH and mostly OT, but since so many people have asked here and on other sites, we have reached a point in production where we can set a highly tentative release date for this game for early 2010, god willing.  A ways away I know, but for 3 guys working out of their pockets, it actually involves a pretty rigorous process ^^.  As always, we are more than willing to talk to skilled people about joining the team.  Additional members may reduce production time by months apiece.

[tocky]

Adarias,you're overrendering the hair. I think you should be aiming for something nearer to Fire Emblem style for that:
(edit) http://www.mobygames.com/game/gameboy-advance/fire-emblem-the-sacred-stones/screenshots/gameShotId,112656/

[ndchristie]

yeah that color range is only what is used to define which colors will be replaced, like with the sprites.  The values are suject to change and the whole thing will be done over properly once this moves past the sketching stages.  I can't see you image but my memory of FE is that the hair (and everything else in the game) is highly underrendered and simplified, so whatever reference you posted I probably won't go as far as what it might have been, but the ranges will be closer like the colored sprites you see.

Edit: is what i think of when i tihnk of FE; no value range at all

[Froli]

Made an edit, to give you some idea... I find the character's look a bit awkward with that pose  and the last image was rotated to have a straight body.

I really think anime inspired portraits fits here because look at the sprites, they are cute and sd'ish in manner.


And yeah I understand what Helm is saying here, as this might change your style in the end.  Perhaps you can make a compromise making older characters leaning more on the realistic side.

Also try making different poses with the head leaning like a bit \,   then straight |, and then leaning  a bit there / like that in the fire emblem image you posted so you got some variety.

[tocky]

Oh, sorry - Mobygames's fault, or mine for direct linking. I ought to know better.

EDIT:

photobucket'd

which I think is much closer to what you're trying to do. I'm not really fond of the vibrant technicolour hair on most of FE's main characters. I mean you should be aping the way they break up strands/bunches of hair, the texture, I guess - not the way they pick colours.

[TrevoriuS]

I never said anime wouldnt fit as it totally does looking at the sprite style.
That goes for many games btw - nonetheless, there's anime... and anime.
PS: Your first edited version is best I think.