pseudo-iso minifig sprites - Draft in Progress
One thing that pixel32's excellent world hex tileset got me thinking about was how you could expand a basic hex-oriented width and height to come up with basic tiny avatar forms. I've gotten a start on one, and I'd love the help or thoughts or modifications of anyone else interested in this size and scale.
Although these sprites are designed to be compatible with isometric tiles, and orient either left or right diagonal to their torsos, their feet and arms are aligned flat (for now). Therefore, based on feedback, I have relabeled them 'pseudo-iso'.
The below is a DRAFT, and I will also upload the completed version (and delete this one once it's done, if that's appropriate). I'm submitting it as Art in case, for some reason, the final never gets done, so that this at least can be used down the line. Though I'm a big believer in CC BY-SA, I'm releasing this template figure as PD CC0, to give it max chances for future development, and in honor of pixel32's fave license. ^_^
It shows several iterations, from my earliest to my last (bottom row and last on 2nd to bottom row). I changed from color to greyscale focus on shapes for the template. I'll first list my design constraints, and then my questions for feedback or modifications.
My Design Constraints:
- It should be unique in form, with a different pixel layout than any other sprite, but evocative of classic gaming, so that it can be truly and fully open source!
- It should be clearly oriented looking left or right, and roughly 4 units high by 2 units wide with the head taking up most of the upper half. (This is the 'iso' compatibility layer.) (I learned quickly that, to get any mouth expressions, you need a lot of face to work with.) Although it could perhaps be twisted a bit more isometrically than it is, having it reverse cleanly but legibly from left to right facing was the main criteria.
My Questions:
- I am very pleased with the hands, the feet, the reversibility, and the rough proportions. But:
- I am less certain about the exact pixel shape of the face. As you will see if you flip between the different 'tall head' ones, (the ones with 2-tall eyes) there is a lot that can happen to the mouth and eye spacing by moving the face or jaw edge 1 pixel. I don't know which is best! The last 4 are the ones I like the best, as the mouth gets unique expression.
- Can you do one better? Care to submit?
(By the way, I used the excellent Sprite Something app on iPad to make the sheets; they're 4x scale for feedback's sake.)
Thanks for any feedback,
iso-avatar-draft.png 9.4 Kb [290 download(s)]
Comments
What on earth is "iso" about this?
I determined the height, width, and curvature of the sprite based on the iso(metric) hexes found in pixel32's world hex tileset. I stacked four such hexes on top of one-another to derive the overall outline, height, and dimensions.
Now, if what you're doing is asking, 'Could you orient this figure more diagonally to be aligned with isometric angles?', then, that would be most helpful feedback indeed. But taking your question at face value, my answer is that they're meant to be compatible with the iso hexes in the aforementioned tileset, and are built upon its grid.
- aq
You wrote:
But you have chosen CC0 as license o.O
kddekadenz - Thanks; I decided to release the drafts as PD after I'd started making the entry. I've removed the CC BY-SA note for this PD version draft. I've also remaned them to reflect their hybrid orientation thanks to surt.