Post by: thernz on May 23, 2011, 03:22:50 AM
I made a Belmont sprite. What do you think of it?
I want to make a game set in the Byzantine Empire, but I'm still floating around in ideas. It would probably be a linear classicvania with no frills in any case and use no ripped graphics.
Post by: Inccubus on May 23, 2011, 04:15:47 AM
Interesting idea for a setting, too.
Post by: Kale on May 23, 2011, 04:30:48 AM
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F785954%2FRygarvania%2Fbelmont.png&hash=1afc0c7d6ee99c01ee33b655461900eb9988c981)
Higher res! It's much too small and pixelated as is! :'(
But it looks fantastic.
Post by: MRSKELETON on May 23, 2011, 04:34:22 AM
this sprite is readable, and I like the palette use. It's a strong sprite on it's own, and a good example of something that looks like it fits Castlevania's 'style'
also; why aren't you posting on tsr ):
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on May 23, 2011, 04:45:43 AM
@MrSkeleton: While it is indeed a sprite made out of pixels, the 'pixellated look' this sprite concept has is more of a dithered look.
@Thernz: I'm not sure if that's what you should go for. It's going to be a pain in the ass to animate later on if you have your colors like that.
I haven't analyzed the file in my graphics program so I don't know what palette or color limit you're using, so I guess more on that later.
Post by: Kale on May 23, 2011, 04:47:59 AM
thernz don't listen to kale, a sprite is supposed to look pixelated (it's made out of pixels)
this sprite is readable, and I like the palette use. It's a strong sprite on it's own, and a good example of something that looks like it fits Castlevania's 'style'
also; why aren't you posting on tsr ):
No wai!
Have you played the awesomeness that is Odin Sphere? Those were sprites... and THOSE WERE AWESOME!!!!!! if only my computer did well emulating the ps2 for that game, I'd play it now, but for that game... it doesn't do so good =(
Post by: thernz on May 23, 2011, 05:06:41 AM
Nah, I don't think I'm gonna aim for specific palettes or color limits. I'm used to animating these type of detail-ladden sprites. But is there an issue with the colors themselves? The light purple highlight could probably be combined with one of the lighter browns. I could try optimizing the palette a bit more.
It's a guy. His cuirass has a pretty deep shadow admittedly though, but I like deep shadowing. It's kinda formed in two parts too. You might be mistaking the overlap between his left pec as the outline for a feminine breast. I'd need to sketch up a higher res rendition of the design to make things clear I guess. Or lighten up the line.
@Kale
But it's about the same size as SoTN sprites. You might as well complain about every fan sprite then. ;;;
Odin Sphere-level stuff would be too difficult for the traditional animation I prefer too. Odin Sphere had to resort to a bunch of programming tricks, skewing and rotating, etc, for its stuff. Bigger sprites are just way too time consuming anyway.
@MRSKELETON
I-I do post at tsr. Just rarely!
I don't really make sprites a lot so I don't post a lot.
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on May 23, 2011, 05:09:26 AM
Post by: Chernabogue on May 23, 2011, 05:13:23 AM
Post by: Kale on May 23, 2011, 05:39:45 AM
@Kale
But it's about the same size as SoTN sprites. You might as well complain about every fan sprite then. ;;;
Odin Sphere-level stuff would be too difficult for the traditional animation I prefer too. Odin Sphere had to resort to a bunch of programming tricks, skewing and rotating, etc, for its stuff. Bigger sprites are just way too time consuming anyway.
Hah.. I'm not complaining... But really would be nice to have some high res sprites around.
Post by: Dark Nemesis on May 23, 2011, 08:55:31 AM
Post by: darkmanx_429 on May 23, 2011, 03:44:06 PM
Post by: Flame on May 23, 2011, 04:20:50 PM
Byzantine empire? well, the time frame certainly works, from Leon to Trevor there is a huge time gap of about 500 or so years, and if Leon was a crusader, he was most likely either French, or of the Holy Roman empire. (which im not sure the technical nationality of, either German or Itallian i think?) Though id lean towards French, with a name like Belmont. And they certainly got to Wallachia some time.
Post by: X on May 23, 2011, 06:48:09 PM
Except that in Japan, 'Belmont' is 'Belmondo' which comes off as more Spanish to me. But during the LoI prologue Leon is seen wearing a french knight getup. Love the Sprite thernz! It's got a lovely color scheme and it reminds me of Nathan Graves from CotM; just without his belt-cape thing. To me the colors are fine as is and if you work the game into said palette, I think they will compliment each-other very nicely.
-X
Post by: Flame on May 23, 2011, 07:05:16 PM
Post by: Inccubus on May 24, 2011, 12:20:30 AM
It is intended to be Belmont, but "berumondo" is the most comfortable way for Japanese speakers to say it. If it was intended to sound french it wouldn't have that last syllable at all and be written "berumon".
Post by: Flame on May 24, 2011, 02:29:13 AM
Post by: thernz on May 24, 2011, 02:45:37 AM
Made some edits.
Also, the story probably wouldn't even be related to any canon. It'll just share themes. The characters, including the vampire, probably won't even be named.
Post by: Flame on May 24, 2011, 02:47:18 AM
Post by: thernz on May 24, 2011, 03:17:07 AM
Post by: Vampire Killer on May 24, 2011, 03:52:39 AM
What does dithered mean? A more muddy/colorful sprite?
Post by: Inccubus on May 24, 2011, 04:17:10 AM
Post by: X on May 24, 2011, 04:26:46 PM
This particular Belmont could still be a youth considering how the bodily proportions look that way. Also the Trevor doppelganger from SotN also had rather skinny legs.
-X
Post by: Inccubus on May 24, 2011, 07:44:38 PM
Post by: thernz on May 24, 2011, 08:15:13 PM
How is this? In case you didn't know, the skin showing for his leg is where his knee is. That might be the thing making you think the legs are too short if you didn't know. His legs pretty much start at the bottom of the belt.
I don't get how he looks scrawny. His legs and arms are about as wide as Richter's. The big hair could also be making you think he has a bigger head but it's just big hair.
Post by: darkmanx_429 on May 24, 2011, 08:38:06 PM
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F785954%2FRygarvania%2Fbelmontcompare.png&hash=d227f7286d862aeb97027c3350a2e8466131299c)Nice head height charts! I think what people are talking about is the positioning of the rear leg is making the stance look kinda awkward. You almost got a 3/4 view perspective view there. Maybe if you tried a straight side view and a more dynamic pose it would look a little better. Just a thought...I do like how the rear hand is ready to clutch the whip. You should keep that.
How is this? In case you didn't know, the skin showing for his leg is where his knee is. That might be the thing making you think the legs are too short if you didn't know. His legs pretty much start at the bottom of the belt.
I don't get how he looks scrawny. His legs and arms are about as wide as Richter's. The big hair could also be making you think he has a bigger head but it's just big hair.
Post by: uzo on May 24, 2011, 09:43:45 PM
Post by: Inccubus on May 24, 2011, 11:15:57 PM
Post by: Jorge D. Fuentes on May 24, 2011, 11:53:12 PM
Maybe use a few more solid colors and less dithered shading to bring up the hair and the armor's details.
For those who don't know, "Dithering" goes back to the days of the Genesis and systems that did not have many colors. Instead of using a solid color to shade, you would do an array of 'dots' of altering colors, in different patterns (criss cross, square) at a pixel level in order to achieve the illusion of more colors/shading, at the cost of the sprite looking 'muddy' and losing some dynamics. I will try and find an example:
Ok here's an easy one everyone has seen:
The pipe tile here has three colors... but 'appears' to have four colors because of dithering in a perfect crisscross pattern on the underside on the horizontal pipe (and on the right side of the vertical pipe).
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimage.gamespotcdn.net%2Fgamespot%2Fimages%2F2007%2F352%2Freviews%2F943901_20071219_embed001.jpg&hash=59c730f955d51a4e6db07aa6b8d45b3fb237044f)
This is an example of a non-dithered pipe.
If you examine DOS games, and some older Genesis games, they use dithering.
In Pixel Artistry, dithering achieves a worn-out look. The best comparison I can think of is to compare Simon Belmont's armor from CV4 (chock full of dithering in the blue plated areas on his thigh armor)
BONUS: Check out the HEAVY Dithering on the incoming bat's red wing undersides, on the left! Dither-City!
And compare him to Richter Belmont and his solid blue colors with no dithering at all in his outfit:
Post by: thernz on May 25, 2011, 12:29:38 AM
decided to just ditch the use of brown colors on his pauldron to get rid of some muddiness
and edited arm
changed whip holster too
im keeping the dithering in the hair though. it's slicked back long hair. on second thought, i made add in some dithering later. i liked the feel it gave over this smooth one.
this guy's armor is sooooo not byzantine but idc
Post by: X on May 25, 2011, 03:21:28 AM
So do a lot of the GBA and DS games. In fact all the CV games of those two systems us it so much that it comes off as being cheap and non-professional. That's what bothered me about the DS titles. The GBA titles were fine as I expected the use of dithering, but there was no excuse to use so much of it in a next gen hand-held system with much, much more capability then the GBA had to offer.
PS. Your sprite is much more visible against a blue background there thernz. Now we can see all the juicy detales :)
-X
Post by: Inccubus on May 25, 2011, 07:31:02 PM
Post by: darkmanx_429 on May 25, 2011, 07:49:18 PM
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdl.dropbox.com%2Fu%2F785954%2FRygarvania%2Fbelmont.gif&hash=a59f313c36d85792791a4cc6ad33df2da419d2ce)This looks like a upgrade but hard to see. Can you make your sprites bigger to show?
decided to just ditch the use of brown colors on his pauldron to get rid of some muddiness
and edited arm
changed whip holster too
im keeping the dithering in the hair though. it's slicked back long hair. on second thought, i made add in some dithering later. i liked the feel it gave over this smooth one.
this guy's armor is sooooo not byzantine but idc