8 replies to this topic

[Max Headroom]

Hello everyone, long time no see. I've got a conundrum, how does one get better at sprite art? I see the more decorated tilesets and wonder how did they get so detailed. Is there a program (preferably freeware as I'm low income due to a birth defect.) you use to make external sprites that can be imported? Is there a method i'm clueless about? I'm just wanting to make my quest i'm working on (Working title: "Nomad and the soulstones", a Diablo-esque Zelda clone.) I'd like to make a ruined  / gothic tileset for dungeons and the towns to fit with the dark fantasy asthetic.

Also one last thing, how does one use the sprite ripper included with  2.55? I have the file i want to rip sprites from. (I won't say where i got it or how to as that's a violation of rules.)

Edited by Max Headroom, 08 December 2024 - 10:45 AM.

[Moosh]

I use a combination of Aseprite and Gimp. Aseprite is the better of the two for sprites but is paid software. You can however get it off their github and build it from the source to obtain it for free. So it's kinda like...hassleware I guess? They're worth supporting if you can spare 20 bucks.

 

Gimp is kinda like beating an ant with a sledgehammer and missing a few of Aseprite's useful tools for spritework, such as the tiled view mode. But really all you need to get into pixel art is something that can zoom in and out and edit palettes.

 

By the sprite ripper, do you mean romview? I don't think that's even packaged in ZC any more and I've never used it myself. Most older games have comprehensive sprite sheets out on the internet already and there's better tools available for ripping from roms. The ideal way to rip into ZQuest is to load from an image that uses an indexed palette that matches up with your tileset's structure. You can recolor in the editor, but it's a bit more unintuitive than something like Gimp or Aseprite.

 

I have no idea where to find skill. I just bash my head on things until it works.

[Ether]

I use Aseprite. Like Moosh said, it's $20, or free if you can compile the source code yourself. It's worth it. Before that I used Vista Paint, which is fine for still frames (I got my start drawing people in a Pokemon trainer style) but not recommended for things like animations or tileable components.

 

GraphicsGale is another pixel art program that's free; I don't know anything about it, though.

 

Detailed sprites are usually made by making simpler rough versions and then adding more and more details until it feels finished! It's not an exciting answer, but there it is. There's individual things I could tell you to do or not to do, or tips on how to use Aseprite to the fullest. Ultimately a lot of it boils down to finding and studying the things you like, developing a good eye for why they work, and practicing extensively.

[Ether]

It's also worth noting, a lot of the mood in a screen is conveyed through color and palettes, not just through spritework.

 

The cheat code to making better palettes is to open the screen in another program and start adding extra layers. Each layer should just be a solid block of one color covering over a specific aspect of the screen (like greenery, water, etc) with a nonstandard layer mode. (I use both GIMP and Aseprite for this depending on the situation; they both have pros and cons. GIMP has more, better layer modes and more dials for adjusting colors incrementally. Aseprite has more finesse for selecting only what you want.)

[Max Headroom]

Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I'm getting back into this as a hobby as I want to make stuff people can play and have fun with. And i may start making midis for my quests as well, i have the setup i just need a better USB Midi Piano lol.

Edited by Max Headroom, 08 December 2024 - 02:51 PM.

[Moosh]

If you have the ability to make music, that's a huge advantage IMO. There's only a handful of quests that feature original music (as in not arranged and not pulled from the PZC database) made specifically for them. If you can create something with an original soundscape that will instantly put your quest in unexplored territory.

[Shane]

Although the ZQ tile editor can be useful, I wouldn't get comfortable with it. I tried branching out with Aseprite but I just keep going back to spriting in the built-in tile editor. No shade on the tile editor, I wouldn't be using it if it was outright terrible, but you'd probably get better results using it more to edit sprites you make elsewhere. 

[Shoshon the Elegant]

Aseprite is extremely useful for me when I do any sprite work. And with the fee being a small one time charge, it was a lot easier for me to justify getting it.

I don't use it a lot, since I don't see myself as a "spriter". But it is nice.

 

Compare my old Prometheus quest:

https://www.purezc.n...e=quests&id=672

 

To this selection of newer sprites I had worked on in aseprite:

Spoiler

 

I'm not a technical mastermind of art or anything, but the newer stuff is a ton better than the older stuff.

[Mani Kanina]

Usually I'd say it's not really a question of what matter of tool you're using; at least not to start with.

Say you get into painting, having paint and a brush is enough. There is a lot more to it once you get better at the craft, but that's less important than just putting in the hours of learning the craft itself.

Pixel art, just like most art forms, is the same. It's a skill you gotta train up through practice and putting in the hours. Tutorials can help in learning certain techniques or general guidelines (don't pillow shade, etc), But there is no substitute for experience. I've done all my sprite art, with very few exceptions, in indexed coloured tools. So ZQ as well as tile editors made for ROM hacking (YY-Chr).