The VG Resource

So, I started a sprite project a while back, and got some help but recently I hadn't received much help and ultimately the project was locked. which I'm okay with. But I still wanted some C + C on the sprites that I did make, soooo I'm going to start posting em here, First I'm going to start with the original 12 Smash Brothers Characters. after they are DONE I'll move on to other things. right now are just the walking sprites for them.


Character Master

also


my current Palette


Those are the characters so far, any character with a blue box in there set should be considered a WIP of course just because they don't have a blue box this doesn't mean i think there perfect, please C + C them!

Some notes:
* The sprites cannot exceed the limitations of the boxes (24 X 32) - so please don't recommend making a sprite bigger then that, also I was going for a Chibi style so any C + C please try to keep in mind I want the sprites in this style.

I'll post Updates as progress goes on Thanks in Advance!

Hey, I think I remember seeing these when you had just started! Too bad the project didn't work out.
First, and least important, why are they in two separate image?
Okay, now onto actual sprite crits. We'll start with Mario, shall we?
General notes: Your skin tones on Mario(and by association, Luigi, Link, Captain Falcon, and Ness) could use more contrast. When I look at it from zoomed out, it looks like one solid color. Make the darks darker.
There's a sort of lightsource conflict. The overalls suggest a lightsource from the front, but the hat and parts of the face suggest that it comes from above, or even behind, as it appears with the top of the hat. I must recommend against putting the highlight of the hat perfectly flush with the top outline.
The size of the middle forward Mario looks scrunched. Even though it is currently exactly the same torso and leg size as the forward walking ones, it looks shorter. You could probably fix it by making the legs a pixel longer. It could just be me though. For next update, just to make it easier to judge them against each other, could you line them up right, like maybe along the feet? Draw a straight line underneath the Marios' feet and you'll see what I mean.
Make the bill of the hat stick out more i.e. make it brighter.
On those back poses: What's up with the hat? First, it looks too long because the red blends WAY too easily with the hair color. I recommend a darkening of the hair color. From my count, you still have a color to spare, so this is as good a place as any to use it. Unless you don't have a color limit(I'm assuming 15+trans from what I see), in which case that opens up a whole new can of worms. Anyway, back to the hat. I know what you tried to do with that other highlight there, the one halfway down. You tried to emulate that back lump of Mario's hat. There are a few problems here.
First: You went from one side to the other. Not so good, it makes it look like a separation of the hat.
Second: You made the highlight a straight line again. This is still an issue, even on the top one. Round it out with a circle, not a line.
Third: It makes no sense. Look at your side poses. No lump! Just scratch that highlight, you need some other way to make the hat interesting from the back.
The lightsource error I described earlier about from in front of him or above him is even more distinct on the side poses.
That's all I can think of for Mario.

LUIGI: Well, 5 poses to crit here. I won't bother on the old ones, you're already fixing them.
My opinion? Good job. Exponentially better than Mario. These are good sprite I think. Shade some dark on Luigi's chin, brighten the cap bill, stop the top banding highlight, maybe shade a little on the arms. The color selection is good, except for the aforementioned skin tone, and the proportions are good. Perhaps most important, the lightsource is much clearer. Thumbs up.

DK: Oh goody, only one sprite. Up the contrast on the skin colors. Lots. Put some of the dark brown from the back legs on the arms, and invest in a brighter brown to lighten up the head hair. Shade a little on the eyebrows, dim down the chest behind the tie. Take another shot at the hands. Study the fist, and put the whole thing in contact with the ground. Maybe shorten the back legs a pixel to make him look more hunched over like a gorilla. Nice sprite, good work on getting the fur and muscle on the arms together well. You might invest in a brighter skin color too to add more detail to his big head.

YOSHI: I want to love it. I really do. Except he's looking right at me a opposed to everyone else in a slightly-facing-down view. Round off the feet, give a more top heavy view, and keep his shading beautiful. Maybe add a touch of AA to ease the edges of his eyes on the green. Otherwise, keep going. I want to note that I love your old Yoshi too.

Okay, I gotta go right now, so I'll post later with more, but I want to give you something to get started on.
p.s. the phrase is thanks in ADVANCE, not ADVANCED. Just so you're aware. Sorry if it was just a typo.

I want to work on one character at a time, to not spread myself thin, what do you think?

Good plan.
Nice job, it is a great improvement. The first thing I notice is the hat change. This is a positive change on all counts, ESPECIALLY the side poses.
First change I'd make now would be to put some of that highlight color from the hat bill onto the most exposed areas of the hat. Don't use too much, as it will cheapen the bill's color, but right now the rest looks too dark by comparison.
Second is the lump on the back facing ones. The lump, while sensible by comparison with other sprites now, is still odd looking. Now, this is not so much your fault as it is this lump being really hard to sprite(I've always had problems doing such lumps). It's easier for me to show you than to explain what I think would work.

Essentially, use highlight to define the lump, not shadow. I don't know how to better explain it.
If any other onlookers here can explain that better, could you?
Well, there's still something about the skin. I think it would be good to put some more shadow, or at least AA, on the chin on all the views, and some by the ears on the side views.
On the front views, maybe a touch of selective AAing on the bulk of the hat(not the bill).
I still maintain that the front standing view could use a 1 pixel leg extension. Just to try, it might not work out as well as I thought.
That's all I can think of right now. Good luck, and great improvement.

Yellow Boxes Update-
*highlight color from the hat bill onto the most exposed areas of the hat.
*used your hat for the lump, its pretty much what i would have done with your info anyways,
* I tried to add more shadows to the skin IDK if it worked out though,
*I gave idle mario on all 4 directions a 1 pixel boost

thanks for all the feedback this is really helping!

That looks much better

(02-05-2010, 01:15 AM)SupahGoombah Wrote: [ -> ]That looks much better

Thanks!

Wow, lots of improvement c:
i don't see anything I can crit on, until I can mess with the animation.
but I think the highlight on the side poses goes back a little too far. Try only having the highlight on the first... hat lump?
other than that I REALLY love how it's coming out.

(02-05-2010, 02:46 PM)Cyhuntastic Wrote: [ -> ]Wow, lots of improvement c:
i don't see anything I can crit on, until I can mess with the animation.
but I think the highlight on the side poses goes back a little too far. Try only having the highlight on the first... hat lump?
other than that I REALLY love how it's coming out.

Fixed highlight on bump. the animation wasn't as smooth as i thought it would be when I did it, i think it was because I made the idle for each direction 1 pixel higher...

(Down)
(Side)
(Up)

Yeah, it looks good! all I can say is move the walking states up one pixel so the bottom of the foot doesn't stick out. c:

(02-05-2010, 03:19 PM)Cyhuntastic Wrote: [ -> ]Yeah, it looks good! all I can say is move the walking states up one pixel so the bottom of the foot doesn't stick out. c:

Thanks the animation is a lot better i honestly don't know why i didn't think to move the other sprites up one pixel!

Hey, nice job. I like the hat highlights on the side, Cyhuntastic got it dead on. Also, animation should be just fine with the slide. You did the skin shadows exactly the way I was thinking, so great there. The height increase helped too.

All I have left to say is either add a touch of highlight or a touch of shadow to the arms on the side poses. After that? I think Mario is done.

If you want to go on to Luigi, I think many of the changes you made to Mario also would apply to him, particularly in the the hat and the skin. It MIGHT be good to increase his height too, but I honestly don't know how good it would look.

Before and After Mario. I'm considering Mario Completed.

Thanks for the Help! Next up will be Luigi!

EDIT:



WIP Luigi what do you guys think?

All I can think of is to AA the neck. Other than that, I'm thinking he's done too.

AAed some around teh neck, i didnt see much change, ive considered him done of course I can go back should anyone find problems with him. let me know >o<

ok.

Next up is... Donkey Kong. I have so been dreading him...