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Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

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Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#31

Post by versteegen »

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…

"Modern style" pixel art doesn't always mean higher resolution. You could use low resolutions but high bitdepth or lighting or transforms or shaders or ...

(Although I would consider a low-res limited-palette game which uses transparency, lighting, rotation, scaling and other transforms as retro since that was already possible decades ago.)

I (and many others) think mismatched pixel sizes look bad, but that there's nothing inherently wrong with those other things.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#32

Post by Frotag »

MattRix wrote: post #28
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.

Yeah, sinking thousands of hours into that game has probably brainwashed me in one way or another.

I'd like to say the art is less noisy than the more common low-rez styles (narrower color palettes, less shading, easier to separate the background from the platforms / play area). But looking at screenshots now, I can't say it looks good. But it's charming and unique enough that I'd pick it over most other styles if I was making a game.

For comparison...

- Maplestory - https://mmos.com/wp-content/gallery/maplestory-3/MapleStory-...

- Dead Cells - https://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/916116-dead-cells-w...

- Hades - https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/11/13/hades_09-dec-201...

- Stardew Valley - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/screen/full/4/9/9/556499.jpg

- Mother 3 - https://lparchive.org/Mother-3/Update%2023/10-7.png

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#33

Post by derjames »

fleabitdev wrote: post #29
MattRix wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Empire Strikes Back remake for c64 https://megastyle.itch.io/esb-by-megastyle

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#34

Post by Narishma »

ceph_ wrote: post #15
Beltalowda wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are any of these things "bad"? Back in the day pixel art was constrained by technical limitations, but now you can use the same style but with less technical constraints, and include these sort of things. It's not "true" pixel art from 1990, but that doesn't make it "bad".

For the same reason people like the hiss and pops of a record, film grain, or even VHS tracking artifacts. Yesterday's technical limitations become today's aesthetic. But the real answer is they aren't inherently bad. People don't actually need it to conform to the past limitations. More that they want it to feel authentic to the nostalgic memory they have in their head. For example, games like Shovel Knight go for a…

It's been a while since I played Shovel Knight, but I don't remember it having any of the issues OP talks about.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#35

Post by lozenge »

fleabitdev wrote: post #29
MattRix wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Cave Story, Shovel Knight?

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#36

Post by frosted-flakes »

ceph_ wrote: post #15
Beltalowda wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are any of these things "bad"? Back in the day pixel art was constrained by technical limitations, but now you can use the same style but with less technical constraints, and include these sort of things. It's not "true" pixel art from 1990, but that doesn't make it "bad".

For the same reason people like the hiss and pops of a record, film grain, or even VHS tracking artifacts. Yesterday's technical limitations become today's aesthetic. But the real answer is they aren't inherently bad. People don't actually need it to conform to the past limitations. More that they want it to feel authentic to the nostalgic memory they have in their head. For example, games like Shovel Knight go for a…

I'm not sure about Shovel Knight because I've never played it, but Mina the Hollower (also by Yacht Club) actually does conform to the those limitations. It's based on the art style of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and does so quite accurately.

https://www.yachtclubgames.com/games/mina-the-hollower

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#37

Post by jehlakj »

I've always fancied japanese style pixel art. I still remember playing megaman x and it hasn't aged a bit. Or even simpler ones like super mario world or the last few pixel based pokemon games.

I remember looking for tutorials for this style, but ended up copying sprites and trying to understand why they such and such decisions. Interestingly enough, I find it harder to recreate pokemon style sprites because they're so abstract and yet a single pixel can make or break it. I know this is a bit off topic, but would love to know if there are any resources for this.

Re: Pixel Art: Common Mistakes (2020)

#38

Post by TeaDude »

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 :(

Scaling and rotating sprites definitely used to be overused but I don't think they're that bad considering they were featured in many classic consoles (GBA, DS, Sega Saturn, PS1 etc.) and too many arcade boards to count

I dislike lighting though (unless it's implemented tastefully) and I think normal maps look absolutely disgusting in any situation.

E: Also, overuse of shaders is discouraged. Especially non-pixel effects like blurring.

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