Hey!

I've been looking at pixel-art lately, and want to try to learn a bit of it. Apart from the fact that it's really hard to master, is it really any use in learning? Or should I just go 3d like "everybody else"?

Thing is, I like the look of a lot of this pixel-art.

I also like the thought of games with bigger tiles and more details. (f.ex. top-view "rpg-style" w/64x64px tiles.) But I guess that makes it even harder and I should start slow.. Ok I don't have more valuable stuff to add to this post so I'll stop now.

Edit: oh, by the way. I'm not just talking rpg-style games, but also games like elballo, point-n-click like sam'n'max and so on.. though that last style might be dead as a rock.. (I always loved those games, tho..)

/sealfin slots Metal Slug 3 into his PS2.
/sealfin nods; pixel-art is still cool.

I'm of the opinion that there's no reason why pixel-art can't be used if the platform of the game, the target audience of the game, and the theme and the genre of the game, don't make pixel-art an obviously unsuitable choice; I've never thought "eww, 2D" as a reason for putting a game back-on the shelf, but maybe I'm in the minority...

Fruity Wrote:Thing is, I like the look of a lot of this pixel-art.

Thats a more than good enough reason, go for it!

well... thanks for your support. Hopefully learning this will come in handy..

Btw. do any of you know of some good tutorials on pixel-arts? I've searched the web and worked my way through one.. made cubes and spheres and a little man.. but it would be nice to get some more opinions on how to do this before going ahead and experimenting a lot..

Well experimenting is the number 1 way to learn, but why not zoom right in and see how some really good examples of pixel art are are done, like the bosses of dodonpachi for example.

That's actually a very good idea.. Thanks.

I know from music that copying is the way to learn.. At least to a certain degree. Guess it's the same here.

Take a look at these screenshots from PoPoLoCrois.

http://www.konsolifin.net/ylli/upload/uu..._popo9.jpg
http://www.konsolifin.net/ylli/upload/uu..._popo7.jpg
http://www.konsolifin.net/ylli/upload/uu..._popo5.jpg
http://www.konsolifin.net/ylli/upload/uu...popo10.jpg

Creating pixel art as pretty as in that game only makes me want to try it out more than if it were a more generic 3D-screenshot like:

http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/...een002.jpg

Here's a rather nice community for pixel-artist: http://pixel-arts.org/pixelopolis/

Rincewind Wrote:Creating pixel art as pretty as in that game only makes me want to try it out more than if it were a more generic 3D-screenshot like:

http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/...een002.jpg

With some more attention to color, lighting, contrast, and illusion of depth, those graphics could be improved dramatically. As it is in the screenshot, it looks like a big ugly jumbled mess. I see what you're saying, though; those things can be controlled much more tightly with pixel-based graphics. Not to mention stylization...

ThemsAllTook Wrote:With some more attention to color, lighting, contrast, and illusion of depth, those graphics could be improved dramatically. As it is in the screenshot, it looks like a big ugly jumbled mess. I see what you're saying, though; those things can be controlled much more tightly with pixel-based graphics. Not to mention stylization...

Yeah, that was an exeptionally bad picture. It's extremely hard to distinguish the characters from the background, and everything is pretty much dulled out..

Pixel art is certainly not dead, but it's not quite the mainstream anymore. Most people prefer to see 3D, but that doesn't mean that there's no market for 2D art. I suppose it would be more like a niche market for video/computer games these days. I won't not play a game just for being 2D, but I find that with the extra 3rd dimension, it often adds more possibility for gameplay.

In my opinion, if you want to make a beautiful game, 3D is way overrated. One of the prettiest games (if not the) for the PS1 is Legend of Mana, pixelart mixed with drawn art.

Pixel art can help alot with 3d games as well. Sometimes you may only want a 256x256 texture map, and if you know pixel art the tetures will look better as you can anti-alias by hand and also make lines that appear sharp even if its only a one pixel line.

Check out this guys 3d, he uses pixel techniques alot.
http://adam.lastchancemedia.com/

This guy does some amazing pixel art:
Jeremy Dower

MilesBaskett Wrote:Check out this guys 3d, he uses pixel techniques alot.
http://adam.lastchancemedia.com/

This does not suck.

(From me, that is a ringing endorsement.)