[WIP] pixel game advices etc.

[Raku]

Hi, I'm new here (and in pixels as well), and I'm looking for any advice/help in my drawing. I'm making pixel game - it will be something like platform-strategy for 2players, anyways my skills are weak and i dont know how to change it 

here is my example (some sprites) :


Sory for any errors couse im on TV screen

[Fool]

I think horsy suffers some anatomical problems - missing  leg's  lower joints, no  chest and animation on rear legs really messed up.
Here some refs you might use.=)

[robalan]

Just to note: there is an "Edit" button; triple-posting tends to be frowned upon around here ;-)

The sprites look pretty good, though they could use some polish.  A couple of them (minotaur and imp thing) are a bit dark; some highlights could help them.  Overall, the sprites could use a stronger lightsource, since they all seem a bit flat at the moment.  Also, getting rid of the internal black lines might help them look a bit cleaner and perhaps read better.  Good luck with this!

[Xion]

Just to note: there is an "Edit" button; triple-posting tends to be frowned upon around here ;-)

Sorry for third post but I've pressed the post button by accident and dont know how to delete it:

I think he knows. Sometimes edit and quote are too close.

So yeah, pay attention to Fool's horsies. Your horse has no stride in its gallop or trot or whatever. (Horses have too many names for speeds.) also, the neck looks more like it's rearing than stretching into a headlong run.
The AA on the outside looks a bit cheap. I think it'd be better without.
As Robbbbbblong said, everything looks real messy and hard to read.
Keep going though.

[Fool]

On sprites I think you pick a wrong technique. Random pattern dithering on sprite that size just make it look harsh and dull.

Here, I've fooled around your knight, using same palette , well, exept skin tone and two more highlights, trying to get armor feel out of it , I think ( ) it works well or so I hope .
 

Hope as well it might gives you some ideas.=)

[Raku]

Thanx Fool I'll get to work as sonn as I'm going to have my screen back ,the knights armor looks like space suit  i really must work on it. And here is a dragon which i dont know how to change... maeby i'll redraw it again from beggining

(old one)

(new one)

[Raku]

I've changed horsea a little 

[Fool]

It might work for a dance.=)

You should work on anatomy first in a still image - unless you fugure out all joints in a horse body you'll be stock with grow-n-shrink-legs walk animation style.=)


Here is what going on with a horse leg in slow motion:



Leg could strech a bit in a joints while reaching out and shrink under the load of a body weight  when on a ground, but  bones  tends to keep their  length most of the time.

[Fool]

Btw like that yellow dragon, very cute - i hope it not sounds  offencive=), in a funny, cartoonish way=). Would you mind if I color lines? Just for fun.=)

[Raku]

as you wish

[Rydin]

While the shape of them all are okay, I think some white highlights and darker shades would do wonders for you; at the moment they all seem very flat and dull, and as Fool showed with his edit, you can make these dramatically better by just raising the contrast a bit.

I'm unsure on anatomy, but I would say that it's off here and there an each piece.

A great start though--with enough refining, these will be suave.  Keep pixelling!

[Raku]

Here is the "animate-self" animation

And I've fixed a little armor

[ndchristie]

You're keeping with a very pillowed shading technique, which doesn't look good on your sprites.  Fool's edit had a great sense of lighting, i suggest you study these adn others and then get back to the shading of things.

[rougewisp]

The swords stick out to me, or the lines for them anyways.

People besides myself have line theory explained: http://derekyu.com/extras/pixel03.html

[Raku]

Thanks for tutorial i think it will help me a lot

[Raku]

I've started to draw character select screen and finished the necromancer, and there something wrong with him 

And I've fixed some sprites

[Sharm]

His head is too small compared to his body.  Take all the hair off and it becomes much more obvious.  The knight still looks pillow shaded.  Where's your light sorce?  It looks like below and to the left... sort of.  The other too are looking much better.

[Teknogames]

the many colours in the knights armour makes it look blurry, try not to pillow shade

[Raku]

I've fixed dragon head,

and here is firebolt and vampire girl

[Raku]

I've encouraged my bro to make sprites for one of armies in my game
Here's a sample

[miscdude]

wow, aside from the head being too small on the character select its really nice..i like the bone frame.....as for the sprites,i think a few of them are pillow shaded...other than that, the lineart is a little weird but not too badly. good job i say.

[Raku]

Thx, heres some animation, 4 spries per move

[yosh64]

hey

Firstly, I think it's cool that you have created all these .

Anyhows, my advise to you is to learn about lighting. When you pixel, choose a light source (I recommend from strait above), and then when you pixel, vision where the light hits, and where it doesn't hit, and shade accordingly . I hope this makes sense. Hmm, I'll try and pixel you something to show this, and I will upload and edit this post later.

But yea, I think your designs are quite nice, just keep at it .

edit
->
Well firstly I done an edit on one of your characters, and next I will try to explain some things.

I found with your orginal character, there was quite alot of chaos. I think it's like everyone of your pixels is trying to get our attention, and you want to show everything the character has to offer. But, this is not reality... can you really see the texture of the guys inner coat if there is hardly any light there?

I really think you need to simplify things, and let the basic form, and depth of your character be visible.


Here are some basics of lighting... I wanted to show that you need to see your characters basic form, and how the light reflects on your character, and shade your pixels accordingly. On all these the light source is from strait above .

Anyhows I hope you can learn something from this .

cyas

[Raku]

I've made a crypt (4 colours) with light from right side , the picture is made with a lot of ctrl+c, ctrl+v but thats not a problem right?

I didnt want to make strong light source couse i would have too much to change, just a weak light from the top

[fil_razorback]

I think you've got some big perspective issues on the crypt.
The entrance is nearly front view where as the side is nearly side view. It doesn't make much sense to me and results in flatness.