Topic: CV fangame that needs just one thing to get off the ground

[Chernabogue]

Sounds interesting. If you can lead this project to the end, I'd be happy to make some music/a soundtrack for you. If you're looking for music of course

[Mega Man Model T 101]

I could probably use a few original tracks. Thanks for the offer. I'll let you know once I actually get something done on the stages.

P.S. I tried working on the sprite yesterday, and I couldn't do it. Even trying to use other sprites as animation bases, and I couldn't even get the standing animation to look right. The main character is like the only obstacle to getting this underway properly at the moment.

[darkmanx_429]

I could probably use a few original tracks. Thanks for the offer. I'll let you know once I actually get something done on the stages.

P.S. I tried working on the sprite yesterday, and I couldn't do it. Even trying to use other sprites as animation bases, and I couldn't even get the standing animation to look right. The main character is like the only obstacle to getting this underway properly at the moment.

Original Size
I have a little time to play with from game design school so I whipped this up today Dracula X style. The base is from SOTN Saturn Maria, I just drew over it as I went and added the details. The boots tops are from SOTN Richter and again I just drew over them and adjusted everything on the fly. I hope this helps. Fun character to sprite, do you have a name for her yet?

Closer Look

[Mega Man Model T 101]

Well, that's a lot better than anything I could have done, but only problem is the attack doesn't seem very Belmont-ish. It looks kinda like Charlotte's pose when she attacks with her book.

Little tidbit, all the Belmonts swing the whip with their right hand. This is especially proven in the 2D.5D Dracula X for PSP, where we get to see Richter's stance from both sides. Although Nathan from Circle of the Moon, he wielded the Vampire Killer like a Belmont pretty well.

Meanwhile the Morris family used the Vampire Killer left handed. Both John and Johnathon. Just thought I'd point that out if it wasn't already.

As for the name, hmmm. I've been kicking it around but haven't really come up with a good female Belmont name yet. Hmmmm.

Sophia Belmont?

Regardless, that sprite is alright, but using Maria as a base doesn't really work to well. Simply because her movements and overall animations just don't exactly work to change into a Belmont.

About all I can suggest now is use this sprite and use it over this Richter sprite.



But again, I'm not sure if that'll get us into trouble with Serio or not. Any suggestions? I would suggest Reimu from the first Touhouvania, but those sprites are bigger than the CV sprites, period.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Christopher Belmont and his son Soleiyu, would like to have a word with you.
And Simon is ambidextrous, if he's doing down/diagonal whippings.

But yes, you're mostly right.  Most Belmonts swing with the hand that's facing the camera, rather than the one facing away.  It's a very classic stance and attack by now.

[Mega Man Model T 101]

I kinda forgot about that. But in the remake, Christopher uses the whip in the standard Belmont fashion. Although true, the Belmonts in the GB games were left handed for some reason. Possibly easier to animate for the GB screen? Who knows.

Still, I would like Sophia to use the traditional animations of most of the Belmonts before her. Not to mention with this title I plan to make a few nods the all the previous titles in the timeline this takes place. Obviously before Richter's time, but getting fairly close.

[uzo]

Vera Belmont
Dorina Belmont
Sorina Belmont
Alina Belmont
Loana Belmont
Viorica Belmont

[darkmanx_429]

Well, that's a lot better than anything I could have done, but only problem is the attack doesn't seem very Belmont-ish. It looks kinda like Charlotte's pose when she attacks with her book.

Little tidbit, all the Belmonts swing the whip with their right hand. This is especially proven in the 2D.5D Dracula X for PSP, where we get to see Richter's stance from both sides. Although Nathan from Circle of the Moon, he wielded the Vampire Killer like a Belmont pretty well.

Meanwhile the Morris family used the Vampire Killer left handed. Both John and Johnathon. Just thought I'd point that out if it wasn't already.

As for the name, hmmm. I've been kicking it around but haven't really come up with a good female Belmont name yet. Hmmmm.

Sophia Belmont?

Regardless, that sprite is alright, but using Maria as a base doesn't really work to well. Simply because her movements and overall animations just don't exactly work to change into a Belmont.

About all I can suggest now is use this sprite and use it over this Richter sprite.



But again, I'm not sure if that'll get us into trouble with Serio or not. Any suggestions? I would suggest Reimu from the first Touhouvania, but those sprites are bigger than the CV sprites, period.

Well, I actually had that in consideration when I made the sprite. I was thinking that it would be much easier and quicker for you to sprite, since you will be doing the bulk of the work than trying to recreate Jorge's spritework. The attack pose was just something I threw in their as kinda like a proof of concept. I wasn't meant to be a serious contender for a actual attack sprite, I was just kinda being different with it so that it doesn't look all the same with things we have seen before. Thanks for the complements. I still think if you want to get things goin for the character off the ground it would be easier for you to combine Maria and Richter sprites for the poses that you want and then going over them than going completely from scratch, but you are free to do what you please.

[Mega Man Model T 101]

I'm technically repeating myself here while adding some more information, but I'm not that good at making my own sprites, let alone editing existing ones. All I'm good at is recoloring and adding very small details. That's it.

Like you want a cape on a particular sprite? Might not be the absolute best cape, but hey, it looks fairly decent. Want elf or Numan(A Phantasy Star race.) ears? Done. But that's it. The only thing I did that was a bit higher than that was turning the Zero Suit Samus sprite into a Justin Bailey sprite, and added the arm cannon onto it. That just required a lot of recoloring to make it look proper, but that's different than trying to turn one character into another entirely.

I really don't like Maria's sprites all that much, just because. I don't really hate them, I'm just not really all that big of a fan of them.

I'm trying not to complain or whine, but if I could make the sprites myself and can look at them and be like "These could pass for the real thing." I would, but anything I try to go a bit beyond the fields I just mentioned, just looks like total trash, and I feel ashamed for even making it.

So I repeat as nicely as possible. If I could, I would. But I can't.

[X]

Spriting is difficult for some people who're still in the 'just started' stage. Or even those who have been spriting for several years still can't really grasp it as easily as others can. When I first started spriting I was at a loss for what to do or how to go about doing it. The first time I started this was when I converted Richter Belmont into Christy Morris for my CV game I had wanted to make. The sprite job looks mediocre at best and some of the animations don't blend as well as they should. All in all it's not my best work but I still keep that sheet around and look upon it from time to time. Like any other art, it takes trial and error. I would know  Don't lose heart if you're having trouble. Just set some time aside for you to practice getting the results you want. You've got nothing really to lose here 

[Mega Man Model T 101]

This is my attempt at changing the sprite, speak your honest opinions on it.

[Inccubus]

Looks good to me.

[Claimh Solais]

I don't see the problem in spriting over someone else's sprite sheet just to get animations down. Especially since, aside from the idle animation, all of the movements on Serio's sheet are the same as the original Richter. But also, in that sense, the normal RoB Richter would work just as well.

And by spriting over, I mean making your own original sprite, just using someone else's piece to get proportion and the animation down, not just simply editing that sprite to make your own (I'm not talking about anyone here, just clarifying - somewhat - what I mean).

[darkmanx_429]

I don't see the problem in spriting over someone else's sprite sheet just to get animations down. Especially since, aside from the idle animation, all of the movements on Serio's sheet are the same as the original Richter. But also, in that sense, the normal RoB Richter would work just as well.

And by spriting over, I mean making your own original sprite, just using someone else's piece to get proportion and the animation down, not just simply editing that sprite to make your own (I'm not talking about anyone here, just clarifying - somewhat - what I mean).

I think in either case you are editing those sprites to make them your own. Also MMMT101, that sprite of your looks pretty good to me as well. I think you are not giving yourself enough credit and therefore limiting yourself to what you could possibly sprite on your own. There are various frankenspriting tutorials on place like youtube that you could reference to get yourself started. We all had to start from somewhere. I think the best think for you to do is just do a full sprite sheet. Regardless, good or bad (in your opinion) just complete a full one. I know in the game design business artists reference material all the time; that includes even tracing over other peoples work to achieve their goals.  As long as you don't steal anyone else's work and then claiming it as your own you are good. It's all about using the available resources at your disposal and manipulating them to achieve your own goals. Good luck in your project!

[Claimh Solais]

Spriting over isn't the same thing as editing though.

Say you're using something like Paint.NET (like I am) or Adobe Photoshop (which most people don't recommend, don't see why not). It's as simple as making a new layer, and then spriting it, using the other pose as reference. Then, when you're done with the sprite, take it and move it onto a different sheet. And bam, the original sprite is still intact on the previous sheet (provided you actually deleted the overlayer rather than flattening it). It's called a reference, not an edit.

We all had to start from somewhere.

This is exactly what a lot of new spriters need to realize, and it's most apparent on Serio's CVBla board. Most of them are like, "Man, this is too hard. I give up." or "I'm no spriter, I can't do this." But they should realize, even Jorge must've been like that at one point, and look at his stuff now. Hell, I've even seen Serio's old work of that Richter sheet above (which is outdated, by the way), and it wasn't too fancy.

But again, MMMT101 (long abbreviation), I'll gladly give this a shot.