Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

derekyu.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 90 posts

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#21

Post by bluescrn »

Paul_S wrote: post #4

Bad pixel art is a pet peeve of mine. This is really advanced advice compared the problem most games have: - pixels of different sizes - rotating (!) pixels - scaling pixels - smooth gradients with millions of colours - dynamic lighting overlayed on top ... I could go on :(

I'd agree with most of those, but I'll disagree on dynamic lighting. It's quite possible to do that tastefully without sacrificing the integrity of the underlying pixels.

'Enter the Gungeon' is one example of that. The lighting adds atmosphere, doesn't harm the pixel art, and it's not distractingly over-the-top.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#22

Post by brazzy »

greymalik wrote: post #20
barrysteve wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The techniques he mentioned don't serve the higher principle. Adding lights from a lighting engine over the top of sprites with baked shading, might make a pretty image but it is not pushing pixel art forwards. Scaling and rotating can produce poor quality sprites. P.s. Ashford is the best.

Who’s Ashford?

Reference to the username "Beltalowda", a character in "The Expanse" book and TV series.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#23

Post by MattRix »

Paul_S wrote: post #4

Bad pixel art is a pet peeve of mine. This is really advanced advice compared the problem most games have: - pixels of different sizes - rotating (!) pixels - scaling pixels - smooth gradients with millions of colours - dynamic lighting overlayed on top ... I could go on :(

There are two main categories of pixel art in games.

In one category it’s about retro authenticity and these games are defined by the fact that their final buffer is the same low resolution as their art. They also often feature limited palettes, especially ones that were actually used on retro consoles.

There’s also a second category of pixel art, where the style is more modern. The art is still low res, but the final screen buffer is high res. This is where you’re more likely to see stuff like smooth rotating sprites and lighting effects.

You may have a preference for one style or the other, but neither style is bad or “wrong”. Most people who use the modern style are doing it on purpose. There are fantastic looking games in both categories.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#26

Post by tpxl »

Frotag wrote: post #24

Not sure if it still counts as pixel art, but I've always preferred Maplestory's art style [0] over the art used by rougelikes like Dead Cells [1]. [0] https://youtu.be/k2rf45EXWTc?t=26 [1] https://youtu.be/pU6GHVvHCRk

I don't think MS has pixel art. Chibis with a relatively low res sprites indicative of the era (Released 2003-2007).

I do like the style though, and if I made a sidescroller, that's one of the art styles I'd like to have.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#28

Post by MattRix »

Frotag wrote: post #24

Not sure if it still counts as pixel art, but I've always preferred Maplestory's art style [0] over the art used by rougelikes like Dead Cells [1]. [0] https://youtu.be/k2rf45EXWTc?t=26 [1] https://youtu.be/pU6GHVvHCRk

Of course this is entirely subjective, but do you think you prefer it because Maplestory’s art is better, or because you like the game so much due to playing it during a formative time in your life (ex. high school)? Perhaps it even helped define your aesthetic sense in the first place.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#29

Post by fleabitdev »

MattRix wrote: post #23
Paul_S wrote: post #4

Bad pixel art is a pet peeve of mine. This is really advanced advice compared the problem most games have: - pixels of different sizes - rotating (!) pixels - scaling pixels - smooth gradients with millions of colours - dynamic lighting overlayed on top ... I could go on :(

There are two main categories of pixel art in games. In one category it’s about retro authenticity and these games are defined by the fact that their final buffer is the same low resolution as their art. They also often feature limited palettes, especially ones that were actually used on retro consoles. There’s also a second category of pixel art, where the style is more modern. The art is still low res, but the fina…

Can you recommend any games in the first category?

I surveyed the indie-game landscape a couple of years back, specifically looking for games in your first category, but struggled to find any recent examples. 2D transforms, alpha-blending and lighting effects seem to be the standard now.

Post reply on HN