18 replies to this topic

[MoscowModder]

I'm splitting this off of our discussion in the Official Original Graphics showcase so as to not clutter up that big thread too much.

 

I'm trying to pick a graphical style for Carnage in Space 2. Currently, my custom graphics (main character, weapons, and UI for the most part) all have a resolution that looks vaguely 16-bit but they all use 'true colors' with no adherance to any color palette.

 

The overworld graphics look more 'genuine', and have only a few colors each. Many of the enemies, which I got from free video game graphics sets, also look vaguely 16-bit, but are from different sources and have no coherent style.

 

Here are two screenshots that pretty much sum up the situation:

 

 

After a discussion in the Original Graphics thread, I came up with 5 palettes for the main character:

1) An old, obsolete sprite with a lighter grey color scheme

2) The current sprite, with a very dark color scheme and no discernible palette

3) Koh's recolored version

4) My reduced-color version with a few of the same colors as #2

5) My re-colored version of #4

 

 

And now, question #2: What to do with the whole game's graphical style? With the remaining weapons, enemies, and environments?

 

1) Keep it as it is - no palette limitations; anything goes

2) Restrain to psuedo-16-bit sprites (like La-Mulana WiiWare/Steam) plus transparency and other effects

 

 

Please explain your choices after you vote.

[Moosh]

I'd go with Recolored (In-Between) and don't really care about palette limitations. What does worry me here is your use of scaling. IMO, one pixel should be the same size between all sprites. In your space battle screenshot in particular nothing seems to be the same scale. The background is more detailed than anything else and all your sprites are scaled really awkwardly. So while I don't think you should have to adhere to strict palette limitations, you should adhere to pixel limitations and make everything, including your counters, HUD, and backgrounds the same scale.

[MoscowModder]

Yeah, the scaling bothers me too. All of my own sprites are made to scale, but the ship took up too much screen space so I have it show full size and then quickly shrink down at the beginning of the level to a 'usable' scale. The enemies are probably temporary (I didn't make them), so if I convince myself to put enough time into it (or find someone to do it for me) I hope to have to-scale enemies in this game as well.

[Lightwulf]

Personally, I think #4 (Reduced Black) looks the best because it's easy to see the helmet's eye.  In #5, the lighter helmet color is lighter than the eye color while the darker helmet color is darker than the eye color, so the contrast throws off the appearance as to what it there; it's a little hard to tell what it is by looking at it.

[anikom15]

Grey is the only one I like. Everything else is too dark.

[Koh]

Personally, I think #4 (Reduced Black) looks the best because it's easy to see the helmet's eye.  In #5, the lighter helmet color is lighter than the eye color while the darker helmet color is darker than the eye color, so the contrast throws off the appearance as to what it there; it's a little hard to tell what it is by looking at it.

This is why I keep mentioning contrast.  You absolutely need it for readability, and it's impossible to see these details when you're not close enough to your screen.  It should never be like that on any piece of graphic.

[Shane]

A mix of cur and reduce would look good possibly - the others look gross as. Black looks more bad ass than light grey and purple, for sure.

[MoscowModder]

Charizard's point is one of the main reasons I like the current sprite - it just looks awesome in a way the more 'visible' sprites just kinda fall short.

[anikom15]

Purple is used for black in a lot of Japanese games. It tends to make the sprite have more depth whereas black is flat. For large sprites you didn't see much pop colors, but small ones (like Link's pink hair) did it a lot. That said, the purple sprite here doesn't look very good. It's too muddy.

[Koh]

Post this over on Spriter's Resource's Spriting Subforum, I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing.  There's not enough contrast to make the sprite readable.

[anikom15]

When I look at these with my laptop they look a little better. They're still too dark, but I can see the details more clearly. Maybe your (MoscowModder) monitor is set to be too bright? I know my laptop's monitor has a weird gamma and brightens everything. CRTs have really good color, but if you don't have one you can doublecheck your colors with a cell phone. The ones with OLEDs are really good. TVs have good color too when they are set up properly.

[DarkCloud86]

I went with / voted for the Kohl's Purpleish and Fake 16bit.. Although the old stands out more in front of the Bg graphics, it doesn't blend as good as the purpleish Kohl's and is not as sharp giving it a nice smooth quality to it..

 

I'm getting a hint of KAIN from FF4.. Hmm. Anyway:

 

The current sprite seems a bit dark.

The reduced color one is nice but the red stands out a lot with the color choice. Unless it's intended to be an evil look.

The recolor of #4 is fine but the edges are a bit darker even though the color is a bit brighter.

 

I haven't read all of what was posted about this so i may fall a bit ignorant to the matter as far as what else is going on with this project of yours.

[Shane]

Post this over on Spriter's Resource's Spriting Subforum, I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing.  There's not enough contrast to make the sprite readable.

A forum doesn't change my opinion.

 

Maybe if you go with a more blackish purple than going for a full purple colour, maybe it would look good to me? It doesn't portray any kind of black suit that the original sprite and MM's edits have, and that's the gross factor of your palette edit in my opinion. : x

[anikom15]

I'm getting a hint of KAIN from FF4.. Hmm. Anyway:

I knew it looked familiar....

[MoscowModder]

Seems like everyone is of a different opinion. I guess that means that I'll have to make the hard choice of deciding what my own opinion is.

 

I'm getting a hint of KAIN from FF4.. Hmm. Anyway:

 

So did I....

 

 

....

 

 

So sue me.