Runcommand System Splashscreens!

[mediamogul]

@Rookervik

Man... That is excellent work and expedient to boot. I'm no stranger to graphic design, but have never really delved into pixel art. Do you have any recommended websites that cater to learning the aesthetic?

[herb_fargus]

@Rookervik would be swanky if this were 3dified

From the discussion here

Except being 3d it would be easier to make a distinction between shoulders and triggers

[Rookervik]

@mediamogul Eh, not really. I picked up a lot when I was making games with Construct Classic. Got to learn about how pictures unwrap in VRAM, limitations of tile size, color restraints. A good way to learn is limit yourself by a system....

Sega Genesis could have a max sprite size of 32x32 pixels. You could also only use 61 colors at the same time. The genesis had a smaller palette of colors than the SNES did, so while the SNES had 32768 colors to choose from, the Genesis had only 512 colors you could pick to be your 61 colors.

So set up a 32x32 image and use this color palette to color it. Be sure to only choose 61 colors maximum. Genesis Color Palette.

Be sure to use stipple such as this to really push the pixel effect.

[Rookervik]

@herb_fargus Is this you telling me that the retropad I designed was crap and to do this one instead? LOL.

[herb_fargus]

@Rookervik nope I love your retropad too. I like pretty much all your art :p

[mediamogul]

@Rookervik

Very helpful advice and exactly what I was looking for, thanks. This is something that I've wanted to learn for a long time.

[Rookervik]

@herb_fargus

[Rookervik]

@mediamogul Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help out. I don't know a lot of people that do pixel art. It's a little new to me, still. I learned art on paper and then scanned it into the computer and looked up tutorials on how to color. So I can still learn some stuff about pixel art as well.

[mediamogul]

@Rookervik

Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help out.

I appreciate the offer. As long as you don't mind, I do have a few questions about working on a larger scale that I'll work into a dedicated thread down the road. However, for the time being, I like your idea of working under specd limitations as an initial focus. I've attempted pixel art before with results that were passable, but I was never satisfied with the authenticity. It seems obvious now that a better understanding of the specific technical limitations would be key, in much the same way that studying anatomy is important for any believable human figure work. Now all I have to do is find the time to experiment.

[Rookervik]

@mediamogul Now if you really want to limit yourself and make things hard, try a Commodore 64 wallpaper. Each pixel is 2:1. And the C64 had a VERY limited palette. :D

NSFW: C64 Reclining Girl Wallpaper

[meleu]

@mediamogul maybe you'll like to know this software:
https://graphicsgale.com/us/

I didn' test it, and don't even know if there's English support, but I saw that some NES homebrew developers use it (but maybe they are all Japanese guys in the end...).

Cheers!

[mediamogul]

@Rookervik

Ha! Nice. Her color palette may be limited, but everything else she has in spades.

@meleu

I'll have to take a look at that. The animation features seem especially interesting.

[AndersHP]

@Rookervik said in Runcommand System Splashscreens!:

@AndersHP Good lord, you're not asking much are you? LOL.

Glad you're up for the challenge :D :D

Looks great with the controllers so far, but what I initially sought was a joystick + 6 button layout actually. Like this: https://goo.gl/images/uhfKnz

With some cool symbols from each system, I could help with different arrangements if you like :-)

[Rookervik]

@meleu Graphics Gale is what I use to get the basic shape of a pixel art laid down if it is over 64x64 pixels. Graphics Gale has a wonderful bendy-line-tool that makes controllers a cinch to draw :D

[Rookervik]

@AndersHP Hmm, having a picture showing all the consoles mapped to a 6-button arcade setup won't help me or anyone else I know except exobuzz. You would need an arcade setup to benefit from that.

But most everyone (except the people with pi arcades) would benefit from a typical controller image showing where that particular emulator's buttons are. Such as Atari; there are a lot of buttons that a user might not know. Like the level change and the game start switches.

[Rookervik]

@AndersHP However, I can draw an arcade stick and some buttons and give you the assets and you can create all the screens you need. LOL.

[AndersHP]

@Rookervik well, I'd like that then.
Actually I thought many in here had arcade builds, I'm just one of the few?

I'll try the program you mention, and post a result here if I can figure it out XD

[Zigurana]

@AndersHP @Rookervik
Me too!

[Howitzer99]

@Rookervik Nice, I like the retro sprite look of the controllers! A little tough to read the buttons, maybe brighter red color might work to help them pop a bit more.

[AndersHP]

@Rookervik
Were you kidding? Because I'd actually like this :)
And would you just use Graphics Gale to draw / write button mappings on top?