So I-m currently making sprites for a sidescrolling RTS like game. I had made a palette for another game that consisted of brighter colors. They liked the colors I used, so I have just been using the same palette for the most-part, but the colors seem...odd for these sprites, as if they don't quite fit. The resolution they want in their sprites is a little smaller than I am accustomed to as well, so I am posting here for advice.

Is my palette okay? If not, how should I adjust it?

How readable are the sprites? Is their anything off about them in lighting or just the design in general? Especially if you guys have tips on drawing chainmail on a sprite this small.)





So some of this is just kinda drawing out ideas; a lot of them are subject to change already. These are just the current saved images I have.

Most of the mockup won't be used, it was just mainly for checking out what it would look like altogether.

Okay, here's a little update. Some characters look a little different. I'm mostly concerned about how it reads, just because...well these are small, it's just different for me. Does the chainmail look okay?

And thanks, Dyluck for the feedback. I already have this palette made, but for the background should I just add more colors specifically for the background?

I changed the colors a bit for those trees in the background, do those colors look okay?

I like the thicker humans.

As a design criticism, the orcish heads are too big to my taste. It gives a cartoonish impression, lesser heads, more proportioned would make the design a 'more epic' approach, if that's what you want to. In that case maybe you like to experiment with the human pixel eyes, colors between black and skin tone would make it more serious too.

You may want to check in the PJ gallery "orcish sprites", a piece (of mine) containing different orcs in a even lesser scale than your pixel sprites, that may give you another approach in case you want to lessen the head size.

About the palette choices... too personal a question for me to answer. Whatever you are more confortable with.

I really like the style. Goblins/Orcs are really great ! I find first chain mail on human better than the full dithered one. i think there has not to be visible every wire/chain on that part. The first one displays it's chain armor but it also does not display everything and I think it suits/matches the style better (compared to orcs for example) than the second version which clashes out way too much. If I would draw the chain I would stick to the first version.

Hey Fe,

It's no problem! Just remember to make sure the characters stand out from the background, which is even more important if you're not using a dark border around them.

Just becareful about banding as well.

For chainmail, I'd probably stick to two colours, that are different from the other metalic armour, because at this size i feel it adds more noise than anything else, if you have to shade the darker parts, maybe not dither them? I don't have too much experience with chainmail or dithering so please take what i've said with a massive pinch of salt.

Hope I've helped!

looks ok, but I think you keep all the detail there as well and due to low resolution, it blends with the sword. There's this trick I use in my animations, Not every move/frame has to be so detailed (as static) while moving. Works for me / I don't want to give bad advices.

I think we all make games here :) ya those sprites have their own charm. I really like this work.