AuthorTopic: Pixel art game workflow  (Read 2639 times)

Offline LisandraTD

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Pixel art game workflow

on: July 19, 2015, 12:06:10 pm
Hey, guys!
I am still new to the forum, but I have posted a few things around.
So I want help with something.
I see when people want to start a game, they usually start from the tiles for the background. Is that the best way or there are others?

What I want to know: is there a workflow to make the art of a game or you just do as you see fit?
I want to start the art for a rogue-like turn-based game (yeah, I know there are many, but I like my game concept), but I want to get serious this time and not stop halfway.

Another thing.. is there a good tile size? 8x8? 16x16? 32x32? My boyfriend told me that RPG Maker uses 32x32 and I kinda like the size cuz I can put the details that I like (not that I will use RPG Maker for my game, my boyfriend can do the programing on Unit and he is gonna help me out)

Thanks in advance and sry for any english errors, I live on America but on the south continent, so english is not my mother language  :-X

Offline japie81

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Re: Pixel art game workflow

Reply #1 on: July 19, 2015, 04:56:10 pm
Unless you already have a working game, working with placeholders/rough basic versions of your sprites and tiles will probably speed up the over all workflow. Polishing your artwork will take up lots of time, and its a shame if you invest a lot of time making everything look nice and then have the project die in the programming phase.

Offline Cyangmou

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Re: Pixel art game workflow

Reply #2 on: July 19, 2015, 05:59:27 pm
Hey, guys!
I am still new to the forum, but I have posted a few things around.
So I want help with something.
I see when people want to start a game, they usually start from the tiles for the background. Is that the best way or there are others?

If you set up your style you work on a basic scene, which includes background, sprites and objects you interact with - you make sure that every element is clearly readable and has the right visual priority.
A lot of beginners might start with a highly detailled grass tile, but that's because they are beginners. You sstart with the big image.

What I want to know: is there a workflow to make the art of a game or you just do as you see fit?
I want to start the art for a rogue-like turn-based game (yeah, I know there are many, but I like my game concept), but I want to get serious this time and not stop halfway.

There are many workflows to make art for games. THere are different workflows for animation, tiles, design steps etc. - all of them have their advantages and disadvantages - if you aren't an artist on your own and don't have any clue on how to solve all of that on your own and you don't have any experience it will get really hard, because next to drawing you have to learn how to make stuff fitting for games too. Art on it's own is a lot of work - art for bigger games is even more work. The most important thing to look out for if you make art for your game is that the art supports your workflow and tools.

Another thing.. is there a good tile size? 8x8? 16x16? 32x32? My boyfriend told me that RPG Maker uses 32x32 and I kinda like the size cuz I can put the details that I like (not that I will use RPG Maker for my game, my boyfriend can do the programing on Unit and he is gonna help me out)

8x8 = 64
16x16 = 256 pixels
32x32 = 1024 pixels

this means the amount of pixels increases exponentionally.
If you consider that pixel art is a medium where you polish up pixels, polishing up a higher resolution rtakes purely mathematical 4 times as long. But since the design-time is always the same it's a factor of 3 if you use a similar artstyle.
The most basic resolution for pixel art is 16x16, since that leaves enough space to illustrate eveything with a nice amount of detail.
But the choice also strongly depends on your style. It' spossible to get away with 8x8 if you keep it really simplistic, or it's possible to have 32x32 tiles done faster than 16x16 tiles if you use a simpler style.
Art direction. If you can't give yourself good answers for this, either work/research it for a few years, or get someone who knows this stuff.
Since art is a lot of work, you don't want to realize halfway through a project that what you are doing is too complex for your game-type to be handled with your resources/manpower.
"Because the beauty of the human body is that it hasn't a single muscle which doesn't serve its purpose; that there's not a line wasted; that every detail of it fits one idea, the idea of a man and the life of a man."

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Offline LisandraTD

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Re: Pixel art game workflow

Reply #3 on: July 19, 2015, 09:53:18 pm
@japie81
I forgot about the placeholders, it can speed the programing part and my boyfriend will have something to do, he has been bored, actually he is encouraging me to do this

@Cyangmou
Thanks for what you said I have a few steps in mind for what to do.
I think I knew a few already, just wasn't very clear. Your words showed me the light.
Like sketching scenes, defining placeholders, character creation, object interaction, tile sets, gameplay, animations etc.
I still have to research the background for the right feeling.
I hope when I get started I could use the forum help again and post my WIP.
I felt that just by reading the old posts with previous feedbacks on other's artwork I learned a lot already.

Thank you guys for replying