what started as a reply to the topic Character Art got me thinking and i decided to post this as a full blown topic

One thing you probably already know is never go into any venture unprepared
and not being able to supply your own art, is being unprepared...the chracter art on the CD is sufficient,
however not to your needs.
almost sadd your using photoshop and the best you can do is overlay the color, and your definitely going to lose a large amount of detail by attempting to use regular pixels, when the image was 3d rendered....
all that aside, if you want to continue attempting this method, try the magic wand and fiddle with the tolerance, once you get the area you want to edit to the appropriate size,you can do whatever without affecting the rest(change colors).

or

go to
(url="http://"http://www.gamingw.net/resourcelist.php?sub=1&sectionid;=1")GamingWorld(/url)
note the images are offered in the .bmp format. Great for original and fan games... i.e stuff like this---> http://www.gamingw.n...0Fly%20Norm.bmp
and are set up for RPG Maker 2000, however you being the resourceful mac user, who apparently has a sum of time
on his hands, could easily crop ,select and edit these images to the correct taste using photoshop/graphic converter/appleworks/resedit...

or

of course there's always spending all this handy software money,everyone on this board seems to have in infinite supply, and spending it on a drawing course(and a scanner), and that way you'll never have to fight for mismatched scraps of art scattered across the web. Your all so worried about original art work that you devote time to editing and hacking someone else's work(whether free/purchased) and it looks pieced together anyway, why not do it yourself ?

or

learn to model 3d urself,using something cheap($30) fast and intuitive, like (url="http://"http://www.codenautics.com/meshwork/")meshworks(/url)

time to admit it folks it's gonna look home made anyway, don't try and make it look like you had 10 full time programmers, a map artist, chracter artist, 2animators, a team of writers and a publicist...just make the bestest most funnest, make me wanna download and fool around with game you can....we need to start publishing games.

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")"I'm gonna totally gnaw on your soul, and like floss with your spirit"(/url) visit my site (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' Software theNest(/url) (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")Kane your brother's blood cries out to me..." ~God, didn't think God was iLL like that didja?ż(/url)

(This message has been edited by ill_a_nois (edited 07-20-2002).)

If you're using animations that come in the "all-one-file" format like the example you posted, it's extremely useful to have Photoshop and set up an action to automatically extract a set of graphics. I'm using the old-skool style graphics from the add-ons (the "Zelda" ones), and I would have gone insane if I had to crop out each frame by hand.

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Who are the people most opposed to escapism? Jailors! - C.S. Lewis
Only member of the webboard to gain 2 karma points by writing a flame, and openly atychiphobic since 2000.

Quote

Originally posted by Glenn:
**If you're using animations that come in the "all-one-file" format like the example you posted, it's extremely useful to have Photoshop and set up an action to automatically extract a set of graphics. I'm using the old-skool style graphics from the add-ons (the "Zelda" ones), and I would have gone insane if I had to crop out each frame by hand.

**

*= for photoshop users
my God man
all it takes is then selecting the area and pasting it to a new file,
setting the paint bucket to white/*clear
save as

and repeat, in the 30minutes to an hour it takes to do this repetitious task,
which is truly less painstaking than drawing them all urself
you have all the character art you need for an entire game, sure it's boring but it's almost 1/32 the amount to do it all yourself

or you can simply open it using a picture viewer
and extract the frames using đ
apple+shift+4 to crop the frames and instantly save them to readdy to rock pict files
(of course you might want to go through them and clear out the colored background)

i plan on using some of the sprites myself to build lesser games; like fighters, a phony smash bros., and other games requiring quick assembly all you have to do is include like one line in the about window, under the thank you section

all you lazy people your ship has come in

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")"I'm gonna totally gnaw on your soul, and like floss with your spirit"(/url) visit my site (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' Software theNest(/url) (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")Kane your brother's blood cries out to me..." ~God, didn't think God was iLL like that didja?ż(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by ill_a_nois:
***= for photoshop users
my God man
all it takes is then selecting the area and pasting it to a new file,
setting the paint bucket to white/*clear
save as

and repeat, in the 30minutes to an hour it takes to do this repetitious task,
which is truly less painstaking than drawing them all urself
you have all the character art you need for an entire game, sure it's boring but it's almost 1/32 the amount to do it all yourself

or you can simply open it using a picture viewer
and extract the frames using đ
apple+shift+4 to crop the frames and instantly save them to readdy to rock pict files
(of course you might want to go through them and clear out the colored background)
**

Half an hour to cut out 8 closely spaced frames per character times say 40 different characters? /me bows before your 31337 graphics skills. It would take me several times longer, I'm afraid.

All I'm saying is that using Photoshop actions to batch prepare frames is a massive time saver. Plus it's not nearly so boring as doing all that repetitive work by hand.

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Who are the people most opposed to escapism? Jailors! - C.S. Lewis
Only member of the webboard to gain 2 karma points by writing a flame, and openly atychiphobic since 2000.

Originally posted by Glenn: to ill_a_noise

Half an hour to cut out 8 closely spaced frames per character times say 40 different characters? /me bows before your 31337 graphics skills. It would take me several times longer, I'm afraid.

I'll go you one better. I use Poser and create custom characters. It takes 144 frames to do all 8 steps ( not the 3 frame steps in Ill a noise's examples). spelling intended
Plus 8 positions of the compass, plus separate animations for the fight scenes. Plus what about the shooting (range)animations? And what about spell scenes? Now am I LAZY or what?
Never give up never say die.
Toast
from Texas, back from Minnesota
PS: Is it really true? Celchu only has a chronicle written and no game started yet. Hmmm!

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Quote

Originally posted by Toast:
**
PS: Is it really true? Celchu only has a chronicle written and no game started yet. Hmmm!

**

No, not true at all.

-Andiyar

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"Any good that I may do here, let me do now, for I may not pass this way again"

Dear Mr. Illanois,

Please try not to be so cocky! I never said that I couldn't do better than overlay the color, and I can, but that overlaying actually works quite well. You are, truly, possibly the most cocky, arrogant, and juvenile person I have ever met. Please, remove comments like those from the web board, as nobody appreciates them, except maybe your "superior" mind. I advise you to make different choices in your words next tun you post.

Thank you,
smodis

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I forgot to mention, I am perfectly prepared, it's just that it would greatly enhance my game to have different character art. (Will the ones from Trinity be released to registered users?) No offence to unregisstered users. Also, I really think it is extremely immature and juvenile, let alone nasty of you to be making fun of a 14 year old kid's computer skills.

Thanks,
Smodis

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Character guide for beginners

1. Take your time. make friends amongst game devs/animators/.... (Get them hooked on booze/drugs and have lots of exiting nighttime adventures, thus making your bond even stronger.) Become part of a gamedev community or a real life community rife with artists. They will help you, even when you are a noob.

2)Keep at it, work hard, earn karma points. Not only will your status rise. Your skillz will improve considerably after spending even 3 years doing anything. 3 years may seem like a lot. But they aren't! The secret?

3. Every moment see what is possible, decide what you are going to do, then do it before you move on. Maybe you'll find you are better suited for quicky's, maybe you'll find you are the type that really digs in. Your goals will change form time to time. But make sure you have a reasonable idea of what you are going to do - even if it is just by saying 'it took that guy two months, so I might be able to do the same in that time' . Reach for the impossible in small steps.

4. Kill your darlings. don't use your best ideas before you can do them justice. Wait, learn, and use them later. Do'nt put all your eggs in one basket either.
   Sure, robots are kewl. Sure, dragons are kewl. But it might be hard to pull off a good story with robots and dragons combined. The same goes for graphic styles.

the abridged version

1- Make friends - they will help you
2- Work hard - the only way to learn
3- Keep clear, easy goals - patience!
4- Everything in the right place -focus on what works

Think of it as zen-buddhism. All of these have one thing in common. Patience.

And learn to be proud of what you do. We all feel sick when we see the warcraft movies. We all want to be that good. But that quality was a victory for those artists. Learn to enjoy your own victories.

So if you are making a game, and you don't have sprites, don't worry about it too much. Keep on workin at it and the problem will be solved one way or the other.

Patience my friends!

(There was a certain zen master who tought his students Zen by hitting them over the head with a large stick. Patience isn't the only way... )

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Quote

Originally posted by smodis:
**I forgot to mention, I am perfectly prepared, it's just that it would greatly enhance my game to have different character art. (Will the ones from Trinity be released to registered users?) No offence to unregisstered users. Also, I really think it is extremely immature and juvenile, let alone nasty of you to be making fun of a 14 year old kid's computer skills.

Thanks,
Smodis

**

i said all this with a smile

if you'll notice it was no longer intended as a reply to your post, note the 0 replies next to your topic,

i could care less how old your are, don't be so thin skinned. Running around here like maladjusted prepubescent with your feelings hurt, calm down...
::stretches out open palm:: here have a lolly! :rolleyes:

since this is a continuance of your prattle from the previous post why not,use the edit feature instead of spamming?

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(url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")"I'm gonna totally gnaw on your soul, and like floss with your spirit"(/url) visit my site (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")eLL' Software theNest(/url) (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/ellrx/index.html")Kane your brother's blood cries out to me..." ~God, didn't think God was iLL like that didja?ż(/url)

smodis and ill_a_nois:

Please stop this little game of words you've got going here. If you really feel the need to continue insulting each other, do it by email. Any further posts in this vein will be deleted, and the poster will be karmaslapped.

-Andiyar

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"Any good that I may do here, let me do now, for I may not pass this way again"

Quote

Originally posted by Tarns?lion Andiyarus:
karmaslapped

Damn I love this word

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ker-whack

Quote

Originally posted by Tarnćlion Andiyarus:
**smodis and ill_a_nois:

Please stop this little game of words you've got going here. If you really feel the need to continue insulting each other, do it by email. Any further posts in this vein will be deleted, and the poster will be karmaslapped.

-Andiyar

**

You rule with an iron fist, you do...
Just remember—we little people can summon moki any time we want to... so get back in the cage!!!

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The greatest of harm can result from the best of intentions — Wizard's Second Rule, Stone of Tears.
— Cafall

(quote)Originally posted by Cafall:
**You rule with an iron fist, you do...
Just remember—we little people can summon moki any time we want to... so get back in the cage!!!

But if you really want to summon moki, feel free. I seriously doubt that he'd take an issue with my moderation style as it exists. And you can email me about it too if you like. Finally, I don't live in a cage. That's an ugly rumour started by necro, and since he is in England and I am not, nothing he says can be held against me (except the thing, in the place, with the people.) Neither can anything else I have done during or after periods of caffeine and sugar intoxication.

(Edit) I just noticed how far off topic this has got. I don't think it will go back now, so iLock. (/Edit)

-Andiyar

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"Any good that I may do here, let me do now, for I may not pass this way again"

(This message has been edited by Tarnćlion Andiyarus (edited 07-23-2002).)
**