Beat-em-up Mockup
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9179
Printed Date: 22 April 2026 at 4:55am
Topic: Beat-em-up Mockup
Posted By: Endpiece
Subject: Beat-em-up Mockup
Date Posted: 28 September 2009 at 5:23pm
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http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=8867.0 - http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=8867.0 - Pixelation
Thread - contains oldest to most recent work, also links to finished
'splash screen' project I'm in the midst of creating a videogame screenshot mockup for general pixelart practice. The general scheme I'm going for is the Game Boy Color's palette, as seen in Pixelation's "Mock the Ocean's Sphere" thread. The initial idea was a battle set in a graveyard - four (!) characters on the hero's team, and a giant mook and braggart/archrival on the 'bad' side. Each is color-coded (red/blue/yellow/black/green) save for the giant mook, whom I'm still working on. Guidelines as borrowed from the aforementioned Blue Sphere thread: - Use GBC's Limitations - 8x8 Tiles - 8 four color palettes for the BG - 8 four color palettes for the sprites (one of the four being transparent) - RGB555 for the colors (optional for those who can't set the colors that way) - 160x144pxls - Be clever with your tile usage! - Animation is optional Most Recent Work   Current background, uses two background palettes (score/health counters and sprites don't count). Granted the area around the trees still needs some sorting out, and I may end up sacrificing another palette to do so. That floor needs some serious decorating as well. We'll see how that goes. Enemy spriting seems to be taking top priority at the moment:  From left to right: Conata, Conrad and Colette (the good guys), Medieval Zuko, Hazel, Wolfbatman, Ghost Strider, and Ghost Rider (created as base for GStrider). All the reference pictures were drawn by Pseudonym, and for some reason the forum is being picky about me posting lots of links to pictures - so you can find the whole album of references http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v235/kaiyokan3k/ - here . In some cases (Strider, Wolfbat) I changed the look of the sprites from the references, mostly to look less like a ripoff of one franchise (Ghost Rider and Batman respectively) but also because Pseudonym admitted to drawing off the cuff when references weren't on hand. The sprites suffer some adaptation decay as a result. I still love the Rider sprite despite its flaws. Ghost St/Rider uses two sprites - the flaming skull, and the main body and half of the scarf - ergo, two palettes. C+C away, guys! I need it! |
Replies:
Posted By: Endpiece
Date Posted: 29 September 2009 at 9:33am
 While I make no promises, I would like to think this whole mockup thing will turn out very special indeed. |
Posted By: Endpiece
Date Posted: 30 September 2009 at 1:06pm
Alright, putting on my 'serious question' face. I have Medieval Zuko here, both in idle stance (without sword, which I'll get to soon) and 'post-slash' stance. 1) He looks kind of 'static' in the second pose (I know he does in the first one, but the second is the one I'm concerned with at the moment). What can I do to make him look more alive, in-motion as it were? 2) Colour scheme. Zuko's general palette in the Avatar cartoon comprises of red and brown with a hint of gold. The general palette of a knight varies but isn't generally saturated (colours range from greys to faint hues to midtones). The reference picture supplied for Zuko doesn't have a colour scheme. What sort of colours should I give to this sprite to both (a) make him 'pop out', (b) still show him as a knight in shining armour, and (c) not have him confused with Conrad (also a red palette) mid-fight? |
Posted By: Zeratanus
Date Posted: 30 September 2009 at 1:19pm
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That guy's eyes are strange. he looks cross-eyed to me... anyway, the swinging pose, its pretty forced and unnatural. Grab a stick or something and take a swing with it. to come down in that position is pretty hard to do in a normal swing mostly due to the direction of the sword blade and position of the wrists. When you swing with a sword your arms AND wrists move to get the best chop - first your arms then your wrists. In your stance there the wrists arent turned and the sword is facing straight out. To make it more natural you'll have to turn the sword down more (from the wrist movement) and probably forshorten it so it looks to be facing towards the viewer a bit so it doesnt look like he's forcing it right down in front of him. HOWEVER, if he's swinging it in a specific way I can think of the sword being straight in front -does- make sense, but his body would be further back... I think I'd need to see all the steps in the swing before I could really tell you how I think it should be fixed.. Was that clear at all?  |
Posted By: Manupix
Date Posted: 30 September 2009 at 1:21pm
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I'd like to say something useful, but I don't have much beyond 'looks good'. I like the palette coldness. OK, this: before I actually read your post, I saw BigBen there. |
Posted By: Endpiece
Date Posted: 30 September 2009 at 1:47pm
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Originally posted by Zeratanus That guy's eyes are strange. he looks cross-eyed to me... I tried to draw it so that (1) he's looking to the left, and (2) he has a burn scar on the side of his face. I'll redraw it again later on so it looks less confusing. When you swing with a sword your arms AND wrists move to get the
best chop - first your arms then your wrists. In your stance there the
wrists arent turned and the sword is facing straight out. To make it
more natural you'll have to turn the sword down more (from the wrist
movement) and probably forshorten it so it looks to be facing towards
the viewer a bit so it doesnt look like he's forcing it right down in
front of him. I think I understand. The way the sword looks now, it's relatively horizontal, which would only really occur in the middle of the arc of the swing (and even then it'd still look rigid - you'd need it pointing slightly down to indicate the direction the arc was going in). Where he's slashing downwards now (and I really need to indicate that - speedlines? fat energy trail, ala Megaman Zero?), the sword should be tilted more diagonally still. Is that about right? You can elaborate if I'm getting it wrong, I may need further reference on this. Technically I may have to fiddle with the foreshortening, as Zuko's intending to strike at the person in front of him - the screenshots indicate some people standing sideways, and some facing 3/4, so I'll have to see how that works out. EDIT:  Added curve, tilted angle of blade, subtle degree of foreshadowing. I think I'm still doing this wrong, but I'm not dead certain. I
think I'd need to see all the steps in the swing before I could really
tell you how I think it should be fixed.. Really, all I wanted to show was that Zuko was slashing his sword overhead and downwards - the sprite you're seeing would be towards the end of his attack. Originally posted by Manupix OK, this: before I actually read your post, I saw BigBen there. Yeah, I was trying to draw a clock tower. |