06-27-2012, 01:39 PM
I think that these tilesets are pretty sweet, especially the spaceship ones (they are actually awesome). This is a really cool idea, and a unique way of earning a living. I also really like that you're selling them so that they are royalty free for anyone that uses them! It means that people can pay you once and then not have to worry about the financial balancing of creating a great game.
As far as clashing images is concerned, I can sort of see that in the RPG one. I think it has to do with the outlines? Some of the features (like the path) don't have outlines, the bushes have outlines that are a darker colour of the inner colours (dark green in this case), and the fruits/logs have a dark black outline. This might be the primary feeling of clashing that everyone is talking about.
<rant>
As far as criticism is concerned, I would agree whole-heartedly that it's one of the best ways to improve your craft, though it can be hard to take at times, especially if you're not used to it.
However, I believe it's wrong not to also point out the positive aspects of someone's work. Spriters are human beings, not robots, and as such put a lot of heart and emotion into their work. We are also social, and desire approval and appreciation from others. To ignore this fact could develop a community of great spriters, but with terrible self-esteem and a cynical attitude towards others. Tim Schafer, one of the leader game designers of all time, mentioned in one of his Double Fine Adventure documentary videos that people need to learn that constructive criticism involves pointing out the problems, but also equally important is applauding the successes. He mentioned that he was actually quite hurt by his own fans when he released Full Throttle, and they blasted him for making the game too short instead of for making a great game.
Anyway, that may not be your policy here, but I personally don't think that making people feel like garbage (ie by not complimenting their work as well as criticizing it) is worth time or effort, even if it does improve their craft. There are real people here; it's not just disembodied text and images on a screen.
</rant>
Thanks for sharing your work, Roencia. You've got a good idea going, and with some improvements you could have many sprite sets that could save people a heck of a lot of time and effort, especially if they don't have artistic skills (which a lot of programmers and game designers certainly don't have... like me
)
As far as clashing images is concerned, I can sort of see that in the RPG one. I think it has to do with the outlines? Some of the features (like the path) don't have outlines, the bushes have outlines that are a darker colour of the inner colours (dark green in this case), and the fruits/logs have a dark black outline. This might be the primary feeling of clashing that everyone is talking about.
<rant>
As far as criticism is concerned, I would agree whole-heartedly that it's one of the best ways to improve your craft, though it can be hard to take at times, especially if you're not used to it.
However, I believe it's wrong not to also point out the positive aspects of someone's work. Spriters are human beings, not robots, and as such put a lot of heart and emotion into their work. We are also social, and desire approval and appreciation from others. To ignore this fact could develop a community of great spriters, but with terrible self-esteem and a cynical attitude towards others. Tim Schafer, one of the leader game designers of all time, mentioned in one of his Double Fine Adventure documentary videos that people need to learn that constructive criticism involves pointing out the problems, but also equally important is applauding the successes. He mentioned that he was actually quite hurt by his own fans when he released Full Throttle, and they blasted him for making the game too short instead of for making a great game.
Anyway, that may not be your policy here, but I personally don't think that making people feel like garbage (ie by not complimenting their work as well as criticizing it) is worth time or effort, even if it does improve their craft. There are real people here; it's not just disembodied text and images on a screen.
</rant>
Thanks for sharing your work, Roencia. You've got a good idea going, and with some improvements you could have many sprite sets that could save people a heck of a lot of time and effort, especially if they don't have artistic skills (which a lot of programmers and game designers certainly don't have... like me
)