X-com personal armour sprite (16 x 16)

[happymonster]

Another sprite based on a design by Arne (2nd from left):


The reason it's foreshortened is both to fit into the 16 x 16 size, and for the top-down perspective used in games such as Laser Squad and The Chaos Engine. Unfortunately, this isn't quite right.. It's difficult to put detail into a face without making things too chibi'esque.. 

So, overall I'm not very happy with this, but thought I might as well post it..

[TrevoriuS]

THe previous one was really broad in the concept sketch; yet this one is really slim, where your sprite is not. PS: Why not go to twice the size? Every computer from 2000 and later can handle that =p

[happymonster]

If I make the sprite thinner, I either have to shrink the head (and lose the face) or let the head be even larger. EDIT: Or I can made the sprite be non-symmetrical as in the varient in the next post.

As for the 16 x 16 size, it's not really anything to do with what computers can handle, but an artistic choice.. something this whole board is focussed on, else we would all be using truecolour images! 

[happymonster]

Here's a varient. Unlike the other mockups I've done this one doesn't feature 2 lines of pixels in the horizontal centre of the sprite, but only 1 line. Well, I can't really explain what this is called, but it lets you do thinner sprites while having unequal amounts of space each side of the sprite.



I've raised up the shoulder pads to try to emphasise the top-down perspective some more, even though I know the angle is still too slight really.

[TrevoriuS]

32x32 is still small =P
Next to that, colour limits are something completely different than image sizes
Larger -> More time taken to draw
More colors -> Less control of drawing

[surt]

If you're going for a three-quarter view I'd suggest you lower the face a pixel and extend hair down a pixel. As is it looks like he's staring strait at the viewer.

More X-COM equals more good. So more please.

[happymonster]

As with using few colours, there is also skill involved in working in smaller sizes. I am attempting to improve my skills with these images, hence both small sizes and small amounts of colours.

Surt: Wouldn't that make her look even more hunched over?

[TrevoriuS]

Okay I dared an edit; attempted less colours; attempted more slender; attempted better perspective
Both go best on a dark background I think.

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/1152/personwe8.png

[happymonster]

That's good. The higher contrast seems to help, although I notice that the sprite looks less intelligable when zoomed in. You lose the facial details, but the hair looks better and more anime inspired. I like it.

[TrevoriuS]

You could always try to fit in an extra eye and such; The hair was a lucky shot really (though I think I'dve kept trying to get it right if it didnt turned out nice). By the way -> Darker hair means better looks on light background; Lighter body might cause better looks on dark background. See if you can play around with the palette a bit!