[WIP] Partisan Tactics Battles : Animations, woah

[Ben2theEdge]

I think with an actual game project, practicality has to be thrown into the mix when it comes to making art decisions. Sure it would be great to have 100 percent pixelled portraits, but it would also be great to have every animation be 60fps, etc. Sometimes appeasing the purists has to take a back seat to actually finishing the project.

[Terley]

I have to agree with sharprm, though you may not like it I do think theres too much of a jump with the portraits and the ingame graphics in my personal opinion. I don't think such a generic anime approach is so nescissary as suggested but why give yourself such a task by creating realistic portraits, I can't question your skill Adarias but I'd personally simplify it for yourself and find a balance between the two. But thats just an opinion, I actually love the querkiness of this.

[ndchristie]

we've been looking primarily at comic styles so far, here's a sample with different artists' portraits scrolling past just for us to take a look:


The reason this more painterly approach was posted here is because we hadn't considered anything like it 'till yesterday.

Since we have a big rift, i'll respond to each in turn:




B.O.B. - what is it about the style that you think works, why must it stay that way, and is more comic-booky a better way to go?

Atnas - Your position is clear 

Sharpm - we do have doors and windows, but everything takes time to put in so when they aren't needed for a swatch, they aren't present.

misaligned here, but proof of existence.
You have a gift for hyperboles, but your post leaves no questions as to your stance. 

Eck - your stance is also clear, but I'd love to know why you disagree?

Terley - you mention workload, but these portraits are far far easier for me to complete then the generic anime, because I don't draw anime much (and i paint all the time).  If they were made more cartoony, it wouldn't be "for myself," it would be for the audience.  Does that change your stance, or is there still too much of a jump?


Fil is perfectly ambivalent, and I'm not willing to take a stance quite yet.

[Feron]

I like the look of the character with the blue hood and red hair.  I quite dislike anime, but the simple shading and general style will fit quite well i think.

[notoalpena]

I like the one with red hair and the blue hood.
It would be neat to see in the game when you come up to a mysterious character, he or she would be shaded like the guy after the blue hood and red hair.

[ndchristie]

that was just to show that we were only looking at comic art for inspiration, this game has nothing to do with final fantasy III and isn't ever going to.  that style is so far removed from ours that i won't even consider it tbh.

[Terley]

no I suggested against anime  , just simplify it I meant. There isn't two catagories to pick from here Anime and non anime, why does everyone think that? May be easy for you to churn out these portraits but Im saying try not to stray so far from the overall style, the recent portrait just seems too distant from ingame than what you'd expect.

Im not saying simplify to help with production times, its all about consistancy. Or am I wrong about this?

[ndchristie]

no I suggested against anime  , just simplify it I meant. There isn't two catagories to pick from here Anime and non anime, why does everyone think that? May be easy for you to churn out these portraits but Im saying try not to stray so far from the overall style, the recent portrait just seems too distant from ingame than what you'd expect.

Im not saying simplify to help with production times, its all about consistancy. Or am I wrong about this?

no, you aren't wrong, and there aren't just two categories, you just talk in circles a lot and it helps to get clarification (which you have given ).

[sharprm]

If you want us to properly discuss different styles, please put the sequence of characters in front of a finished mockup like this:

http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/17451.htm

Why isn't the house painted white like this:

http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/7177.htm

Is it only wood on the outside? (there's no texture to suggest that) Is it white paint but setting sun etc. making it look off white? I preffered the colors for brick and walls in the mockup. However, a dark roof would be better still.

[ndchristie]

If you want us to properly discuss different styles, please put the sequence of characters in front of a finished mockup like this:

this project is going on and on in the WIP stage for the next few years, so there's no such thing as a finished mockup exactly, which makes things difficult.  I should perhaps have taken a more filled one with recent tiles, and the latest image with the balcony represents the most up-to-date tiles, but even still uses a large amount of placeholders.  the one you suggested has long since been discarded though for being too busy and jaggy.  The palette is something i'll look into, as it's true things have gotten rather dark and dull, but that could just be my monitor again.

Why isn't the house painted white like this:

http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/7177.htm

Is it only wood on the outside? (there's no texture to suggest that) Is it white paint but setting sun etc. making it look off white? I preffered the colors for brick and walls in the mockup. However, a dark roof would be better still.

the walls are just daub, which comes in any color, but unpainted is just clay and shet.  I could paint it white, but I never thought to.  Other buildings may be white and it could be an alternative, too - i've been toying with how to make the houses different colors and visually interesting with the limited number of block tiles....we have what are called "misc" tiles but those can't be used at the same time as a window.....unless.....(goes to experiment)