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Filler's Sprites - Printable Version

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RE: I decided to sprite again... - Gors - 07-02-2016

Question: can you post the complete pixel font here? I have lots to teach you but having the source in 1x would be great yeah

additionally, I don't think the gray AA on the outlines actually enhance anything, it actually makes the sprites blend in more instead of popping up against the background, but this is my personal thinking

additionally, the boy needs a lot more work, namely the face looks like a disform blob and changes depending on the angle, you might want the shapes to be more constant.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 07-02-2016

Thanks for the criticism, it's always welcomed.

The pixel font has changed quite a bit over time, honestly. The final version ended up looking like this. (I also forgot how to alphabet, as the N was added last)

[Image: SMa4eGb.png]

As for the gray pixels, it was sorta influenced by the Mario and Luigi RPG games. And the head does need some massive re-draws.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Gors - 07-03-2016

Very well!

One thing that you need to know when designing a font is the readability and aesthetics. Fonts, like any other visual art, are a type of art, too. My hobby is making pixelart fonts so I can be of some help.

The most glaring issue we have here is the lowercase letters. I see you tried for a more "handwritten" approach (as evidenced by the single-story letter "a", which looks like "ɑ". The "a" with the upper hook is known as double-story). However, the lowercase letters seem to be conflicting with each other a lot.

Every letter must follow a style, a theme in common. For example, in this post, you may have noticed that n and m are graphically similar, or that g and c and e have the same curvature. This makes the letters constant and none will stick out more than the rest. You want the letters to work together, not fight against each other.

So, I have picked the most offensive letters out of the bunch:

[Image: 49a8e7ac312821fc2b41ae6b91d445b2.png]

"whoa gors what the fuck are all of these wrong?? wow I suck at letters fml"

No, it's not that they are "wrong". They are readable on their own, however when put together, they look like letters from several different fonts. And that's the bad part! They are good on their own, but together, they aren't working well.

The quintessential rule of working with a font is to set the x-height. Basically, the height of the letter "x" will dictate the rest of the letters. As you see here,

[Image: 7a2a562cb2226e121d1078cf86ad60e9.png]

These letters are oscillating too much in height. b and d are lower than normal, and n and z are higher. This causes the text to wobble around and it's very grating.

[Image: 3d2a5d7e0518840e8fefc3089d64a601.png]

I made the b and d's curve taller, as well as making k taller, too. n and z have been lowered one pixel. But now we have some oddities, such as a pointy "c", a blobby "a" and a k with a shorter leg. Those aren't advisable but can be a stylistic choice. I changed them for you anyway.

[Image: 515b987d3d7886ebf90acacbb573a0dc.png]

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 07-03-2016

Wow, that actually looks miles better.

I was writing the letters how my handwriting works, actually, so that might of been a major issue.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Gors - 07-03-2016

Mimicking handwriting is often a good place to create a very personal font, but even then you should try to streamline the visuals. Try checking how computer fonts are made, and you'll notice that most of them are made to be less obstrusive to reading as possible.

As for the character sprites, M&L sprites have that gray AA outline because Mario and co. are often placed against bright and saturated backgrounds (as it's a cartoony game). In your case, I think it doesn't really weld well with the brown, cozy color you chose for the house, though it's my personal opinion.

either way it's obvious that some help is needed regardless of AA'ed outline so I'll try giving more insightful posts when I'm more free

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 07-05-2016

Tried the make the boy's rotation animation shapes more consistent. He is also now named Lenny. And I know what you wanna spam, but resist it.

[Image: 6e4U2Vi.png]

Dunno how to make the little hair peek rotate right, honestly. But is it a step better?

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Red Haired Bastard - 07-06-2016

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

not sorry

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Gors - 07-07-2016

You should be ashamed because there's a special emoji, especifically for those moments Lenny Face

the boy sprite looks much better though, stylistically he looks great, keep it up

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Gors - 07-07-2016

Oh right, I didn't notice the hair bang at all, that really needs work. The hair doesn't obey any perspective and looks really flat.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 07-08-2016

Not really an update, but I made the sprite into a rotation to see how it can be improved.

[Image: 6254w1q.gif]

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Gors - 07-08-2016

as you see, the hair bang seems to be rotating clock-wise while the character is rotating counter-clockwise. This is very grating, as expected. Try making it so the hair follows his head properly in the rotation.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 08-15-2016

Animation tests for new NPC in game, mostly worried talking. Much smoother than the normal, but I dunno if I should make the whole game like this.

[Image: bR181xV.gif]

[Image: 9GJCbL2.gif]

[Image: G306Mky.gif]

[Image: 8tpVvg1.gif]

They don't seem to be at the exact speeds in-game, but I tried as much as I could with making gifs in GIMP. I'm also thinking of removing the blinking, as there's way too much at this speed.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 08-24-2016

New character, never animated 4-legged stuff, so it's pretty hard for me.

[Image: tZo1NRT.gif]

Criticism is needed.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Ton - 08-24-2016

Pull back the forehead a bit so it has more of a snout.

RE: I decided to sprite again... - Filler - 08-24-2016

Redid Goat rotation, second time always seems to be better than the first for me.

[Image: ybQss7O.gif]

EDIT: 2 NPCs I worked on, used the same colour set for 'em, since I wanted to stay limited.

[Image: pKOvOVy.png]