Winter Zone (Please help)

[DogToon64]

A few suggestions I can tell you is this:

- Improve the shading on the icebergs in the background.

- As well as making the palette scroll, try giving the aurora in the corner 4 different animations to make it look like it's moving instead of the 4 animations in the top-right corner.

[jace1313]

I'm sorry it's been like, what? 4 days since my last update?

Here is a late update with some changes even though it could be too similar to the last one.



-Starting with the background, I added a moon, added more shading to the ice mountains, and the aurora now have a "change" thing in the topright corner.
-The trees now have a new trunk, with each of unique colors.
-Trying to make the examples different then the sheet is unnecessary, so I changed the examples to fit with the sheet.
-The objects have more shading compared to the last sheets.

[SQUIDWORD15]

Pillow shading on the snowman, some on Robotnik's gun, the ground, etc.

[Paraemon]

Please actually analyse how the shading in Sonic 2 works.


Credit to Yawackhary for the gloves from a couple of Sonic sprites.

Edit: After working on my version above, I realise how much of a problem it is to actually try and lunge at a full zone wholesale as a custom project, with foreground, background and objects, especially with a palette that has a restrictive grey shading scheme for the player character, and it seems to be early on in your spriting career.

As you can see, Jace, this is what I've been talking about. Now, please note that what I did is a very crude attempt, but hope that it illustrates my point. Using a couple of basic shapes and building out of those, I'm attempted to emulate a Genesis-esque style by looking at where and how to apply the shading relative to the light source. I also intentionally made a mistake on its 'belly', in that the white should be lower before it stops. I used the stage objects sheet alongside Sonic to get a general feel for the development while keeping the light source in mind - a more proper attempt will require specific analysis.

Advisory: Do not use my snowman. Again, it's a very crude work-up, and I'd rather it be left to disappear (it'll be auto-deleted in two weeks).

I suggest trying to work up something within the Sonic 2 style first that isn't a full zone. Something smaller than all the elements that make up a stage, like and object at a time. It's like trying to run before you can walk - full of trip-ups. Take it slow, don't pressure yourself and do what I keep telling you: analyse the Sonic 2 graphics.

[DogToon64]

As well as that, do the same shading technic on the ice bergs like Observer's snowman has

[jace1313]

so here is the new version. It may not seem like much, but pay close attention to the ground and objects and mountains.
They now have what i like to call "Grid Shading". They kinda feel better. The snowman was changed and inspired by Observer's. It's not the same tho, I would never steal it. It's just my take on it.

[Paraemon]

Grid Shading.

Another thing I realised earlier was how content in Sonic 2 was reliant on all four palette lines (excluding Sonic and Tails, and a few other things in relation to the amount of content in the game). While you've attempted to achieve that, I must highlight that each palette line cannot overlap with another for a sprite, and that if you want to use colors from two palette lines, you basically have to dissect the object in question into pieces that can be easily assembled so as to show the difference in color source.

Now, I'm saying this in the nicest possible way, I hope you haven't submitted that version of the sheet.

There's a library of Sonic 2 backgrounds, both the final version and the prototypes, on this page; I ripped them. There is no excuse to not look at them to see how the formulate your own background. Now there's the thing I've come across for the Winter Zone: "Winter Zone, created by Brenda Ross was to recycle graphics from the above desert stage but with a suitable winter palette[6]. Cacti would have been replaced with Christmas trees". A quick scroll up from that paragraph in the link will show you the Dust Hill Zone images.

Inspired by mine as it may be, the snowman is a far cry from the demonstration I posted. It looks like a prototype object for Sonic 1, but before even the earliest graphics we know of for Sonic 1 from all the magazine scans.

To put it simply, the graphic style you've got for the background fit in better with an old house-and-calendar game I played on a school computer in 1994. Sonic 2 has a very distinct style that puts it at odds with its predecessor and successor. Without trying to repeat myself yet again, please just analyse the Sonic 2 graphics, and practice with something so it fits in with that style. I don't want to keep saying it, but until that minimum criterion is met, you're only going to keep posting up a sheet and asking for help. I keep saying what to do, and somehow the end result is in a wholly different direction every time. I'm at a loss on what else I can possibly say at this point.

I want you to do well with this, but please acknowledge that I've helped as much and as far as I can, and at this point all I can do is repeat myself.

[jace1313]

instead of just posting a version of a sheet over, and over, and over again, i need someone to make a mountain range for me.
i know this is probably not the right place for this, but this forum is more active.

i am not a good drawer, if i kept doing this it would be like "oh look i made the mountains blue"

[DogToon64]

instead of just posting a version of a sheet over, and over, and over again, i need someone to make a mountain range for me.
i know this is probably not the right place for this, but this forum is more active.

i am not a good drawer, if i kept doing this it would be like "oh look i made the mountains blue"

I might help... BUT, if i make you some mountains, will you promise to be patient (because I got other things I'm working on as well (animations, sprites, etc.), and I'm going to work on my Sonic R Eggmobile sometime), and GIVE ME CREDIT? (this is a big "but" and "if")

If you DON'T give me credit, I'll report your sheet if it gets accepted.

Deal?


(ps. I don't mean to sound harsh, just thought I'd help you)

[jace1313]

deal.

[Spriter Theo]

instead of just posting a version of a sheet over, and over, and over again, i need someone to make a mountain range for me.
i know this is probably not the right place for this, but this forum is more active.

i am not a good drawer, if i kept doing this it would be like "oh look i made the mountains blue"

The Aquatic Ruin Zone in has a mountain range: https://www.spriters-resource.com/fullview/128189/

Does that help?

[jace1313]

instead of just posting a version of a sheet over, and over, and over again, i need someone to make a mountain range for me.
i know this is probably not the right place for this, but this forum is more active.

i am not a good drawer, if i kept doing this it would be like "oh look i made the mountains blue"

The Aquatic Ruin Zone in has a mountain range: https://www.spriters-resource.com/fullview/128189/

Does that help?

I want it to be unique.

[SQUIDWORD15]

instead of just posting a version of a sheet over, and over, and over again, i need someone to make a mountain range for me.
i know this is probably not the right place for this, but this forum is more active.

i am not a good drawer, if i kept doing this it would be like "oh look i made the mountains blue"

The Aquatic Ruin Zone in has a mountain range: https://www.spriters-resource.com/fullview/128189/

Does that help?

I want it to be unique.

But you said the zone reused dust hill tiles?

[jace1313]

The Aquatic Ruin Zone in has a mountain range: https://www.spriters-resource.com/fullview/128189/

Does that help?

I want it to be unique.

But you said the zone reused dust hill tiles?

You're right, but if I stole Dolphman's dust hill tiles, it would get rejected. Even if he agrees, I really can't make a good shade of blue in pain.net. it's always gonna be a dark blue teal green cyan color i don't want.
as the snow is much more unique.

[SQUIDWORD15]

Use a dedicated pixel art software.