Pixel Joint Forum: Chess Pieces [WIP]

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Got some cute chess piece concepts, I guess. Any ideas for how to improve the current designs or on what I should do for the Bishop, Queen, and King (for whom, admittedly, I don't have many ideas)? Once I have all the designs done, I will hopefully make some idle, walking, and attack animations, but I don't know about that just yet.

Edited by Pheno - 27 July 2014 at 3:56pm

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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Topic: Chess Pieces [WIP] Posted: 27 July 2014 at 3:55pm
	Got some cute chess piece concepts, I guess. Any ideas for how to improve the current designs or on what I should do for the Bishop, Queen, and King (for whom, admittedly, I don't have many ideas)? Once I have all the designs done, I will hopefully make some idle, walking, and attack animations, but I don't know about that just yet. Edited by Pheno - 27 July 2014 at 3:56pm
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jalonso Admiral Joined: 29 November 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13537	Posted: 27 July 2014 at 6:28pm
	Good take on these pieces. The horse is the hardest to read and mostly because of the mane :/
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StoneStephenT Commander Joined: 08 April 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 252	Posted: 27 July 2014 at 7:40pm
	The horse would likely look better if the mane came further down on the head (so that the ear on the "far" side wouldn't be visible).
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 27 July 2014 at 8:33pm
	Here's a quick edit to the horse, and also a bishop! I'm thinking of changing the pink on the black pieces to something that doesn't stick out as much, but I'm not quite sure.
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StoneStephenT Commander Joined: 08 April 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 252	Posted: 27 July 2014 at 10:58pm
	That horse head looks much better now.
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d9nis Commander Joined: 03 January 2025 Online Status: Offline Posts: 107	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 7:32am
	I really love them :)
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 8:02am
	*Originally posted by Pheno* Here's a quick edit to the horse, and also a bishop! I'm thinking of changing the pink on the black pieces to something that doesn't stick out as much, but I'm not quite sure. Is this any better?
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StoneStephenT Commander Joined: 08 April 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 252	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 11:26am
	Yes, that color replacing pink on the darker figures looks far less distracting and blends in much better.
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showtime Commander Joined: 14 May 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 105	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 12:33pm
	These are super sweet! This makes me want to create a bunch of pixel art of characters from Through the Looking-Glass.
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Daruda Commander Joined: 03 February 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 103	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 1:15pm
	The change of the pink is really well through, but somehow I liked that pink, it gave them a strange feel, even if it wasn't readable...
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 1:24pm
	I liked the pink as well (gave them a sort of ominous feeling), but the way I used the off-white on the light sprites didn't translate well to the way the pink contrasted with the dark greens and blues.
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Daruda Commander Joined: 03 February 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 103	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 5:46pm
	Tried that pink... Meh, maybe it need some AA for the contrast... But adding colors don't seems a good idea to me.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 6:59pm
	Wow, that looks really good! I think I may go with that, especially considering the way the Queen uses the palette (she's almost done)!
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 28 July 2014 at 7:35pm
	Here's the queen! Kind of iffy on her, what do you think?
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jalonso Admiral Joined: 29 November 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13537	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 5:42am
	The king does not match, imo. I think the legs are the problem mostly but the overall size too. The sword is too far out.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 7:52am
	I wanted the queen to be larger, as she's the second tallest piece. While I think the sword is alright, I'll try some revisions on her limbs, which do seem to be at odds with the stick-limbs of the lower classes.
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jalonso Admiral Joined: 29 November 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13537	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 8:52am
	I thought that was the king. It looks manly :p
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 9:00am
	Nah. Most likely the King will be old and decrepit, or perhaps sitting on his throne whilst being carried around by pawns. Would explain his lack of power compared to nearly every other piece. ;p
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 9:13am
	*Originally posted by Pheno* Here's the queen! Kind of iffy on her, what do you think? Quick edit in an attempt to make her look more feminine (though the high heels pain me and most likely won't be included). Thoughts?
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jalonso Admiral Joined: 29 November 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13537	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 9:30am
	The heel version is better because the legs match better to all the others. That beefy/muscle leg just doesn't match the pawn,rook,horse.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 12:35pm
	Here's the King. He's probably the best-looking one, in my opinion, though his design may be lacking.
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Daruda Commander Joined: 03 February 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 103	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 12:58pm
	I like them, but I agree with Jal that they don't match.
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jalonso Admiral Joined: 29 November 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13537	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 5:24pm
	The pawn, rook and horse match and belong in the same set. Bishop, queen and king do not and don't match each other too. I would think this is the most important thing in a chess 'set'.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 5:59pm
	Can you suggest some changes to make them more consistent?
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Daruda Commander Joined: 03 February 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 103	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 6:29pm
	I think that if they were sightly bigger that the bishop they would be ok. Because like this they seems 2 squares big.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 29 July 2014 at 7:31pm
	Made a quick alteration to the queen, I think lightening the colors on her cloak was a good start to helping her fit in. I'll mess around with their colors and see if I get anything nice.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 30 July 2014 at 6:34pm
	*Originally posted by Pheno* How's this look?
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Daruda Commander Joined: 03 February 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 103	Posted: 30 July 2014 at 6:42pm
	Seems more realistic. Anyway, the previous one was amazing and was my favorite of all of them...
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 30 July 2014 at 7:24pm
	If you mean the bishop, I liked it a lot, too, but it felt weird next to the other terrestrial pieces. Also, I scaled down the queen, though I'm not sure if keeping her head the same size was the best decision.
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Harmonica! Midshipman Joined: 26 February 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 58	Posted: 31 July 2014 at 11:47am
	I feel like the bishop needs a crozier
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 31 July 2014 at 5:28pm
	*Originally posted by Oh look a Harmonica!* I feel like the bishop needs a crozier How's this?
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Harmonica! Midshipman Joined: 26 February 2024 Online Status: Offline Posts: 58	Posted: 31 July 2014 at 6:38pm
	Nice
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SuperTurnip Commander Joined: 25 March 2026 Online Status: Offline Posts: 301	Posted: 31 July 2014 at 8:01pm
	The crosier actually makes the bishop fit right in with the other chess pieces. I think the thin limbs and chunky details of the first few pieces are very important for the look and feel of the rest. Finding a way to integrate that into the other designs could be fun, for instance giving the king an opened robe that reveals two gangly legs just like those of his subordinates. These are all great regardless, but it's just a matter of fitting them together.
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jtfjtfjtf Commander Joined: 17 July 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 162	Posted: 31 July 2014 at 10:22pm
	I really like the floating bishop. It has a lot of character and the added volume of the robes help it stand up to the chunkiness of the rook and knight. I think it would look good if the floating cloth strips were shortened so they didn't extend past the inner robe. Then you can add feet to match the other guys and emphasize the floating. The head could also use a 1 pixel width addition on each side to harmonize with the pawn head. Is it okay if I do an edit?
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 01 August 2014 at 12:36pm
	*Originally posted by jtfjtfjtf* I really like the floating bishop. It has a lot of character and the added volume of the robes help it stand up to the chunkiness of the rook and knight. I think it would look good if the floating cloth strips were shortened so they didn't extend past the inner robe. Then you can add feet to match the other guys and emphasize the floating. The head could also use a 1 pixel width addition on each side to harmonize with the pawn head. Is it okay if I do an edit? You've got some specific ideas! Go ahead!
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failureboy Midshipman Joined: 06 October 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 51	Posted: 01 August 2014 at 2:51pm
	I think the queen's sword is too fat and sticks out at an awkward angle. She takes up a little too much horizontal space, is what I'm saying. I mean, she IS the most powerful piece, so it makes sense that she be larger than the rest, but yeah, the sword has bugged me a little from the beginning. These are awesome, by the way.
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 01 August 2014 at 6:31pm
	*Originally posted by SuperTurnip* Finding a way to integrate that into the other designs could be fun, for instance giving the king an opened robe that reveals two gangly legs just like those of his subordinates. I want to keep his standing sprite like this; however, if I ever get to walk, attack, and death sprites, he will most definitely look spindly under that robe; like a visual gag of sorts.
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jtfjtfjtf Commander Joined: 17 July 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 162	Posted: 01 August 2014 at 10:56pm
	http://i.imgur.com/Zb2VC62.png Here is a link to a quick edit with the changes. His head is now comparable in size to the pawn and his body length is a little shorter so there's more consistency with the pawn/rook body size. And he has little feet like the rest of the guys. I think your pawn head is a good size marker and the king and queen can also be built off of it for consistency. Edited by jtfjtfjtf - 01 August 2014 at 10:56pm
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Pheno Midshipman Joined: 29 December 2023 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 02 August 2014 at 7:16am
	*Originally posted by jtfjtfjtf* http://i.imgur.com/Zb2VC62.pngHere is a link to a quick edit with the changes. His head is now comparable in size to the pawn and his body length is a little shorter so there's more consistency with the pawn/rook body size. And he has little feet like the rest of the guys. I think your pawn head is a good size marker and the king and queen can also be built off of it for consistency. Nice! I'm not sure about the wide head, but looking at my sprites it does look quite small. I'll play around with things.
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WIP (Work In Progress)
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