DESPAIN'S PROFILE

author=Blitzen link=topic=4018.msg81571#msg81571 date=1245445802

Just because something was made in MS Paint and is made up of hard pixels does NOT mean that it is a pixel art piece.

I disagree, pixel-by-pixel drawing and a limited palette are basically the only rules to pixel art... right?

Yes, and a giant picture in MS Paint doesn't necessarily qualify for that. Using the pencil tool and just drawing isn't pixel art neither is using the spray can tool (which appears to have been used in Clest's winning entry). Zooming in and placing each pixel individually and purposely is pixel art.

Obviously it's not something that's so easy to define, and things can probably be classified as pixel art yet still be "less" pixel-arty than others, if that makes sense. It's about the methods much more than it is about the product itself. In most cases, ultimately the end result is what matters, and the methods it takes to get there doesn't matter. But when it's a competition specifically for pixel art skill, it's that kind of thing precisely that does matter.

Also, I don't see why someone can't do a 800x800 mockup piece if they want. It would show they have the panache to take on a canvas of that size.

You're absolutely right. I meant that by stating 800x800 as a maximum would make people want to shoot for that as a goal, which is absolutely ridiculous. A single 800x800 image is nearly unfathomable to a lot of people who are dedicated pixel artists, let alone the beginner. I wasn't saying that people shouldn't have the option to make something that large, but that the mere mention of those numbers would mess with the scale that people have in their minds. I personally think that there should be no maximum dimensions at all, and I'm glad that the contest rules have been updated to agree with this point of view.

I just want to help make the contest more fair and more in like with what the major pixeling websites think of the art form, while keeping in mind the game-design applications of sprites as well.

PS. Note that the Wikipedia pages for Pixel Art (and much more so for the Spriting Page) are pretty much run by the ripping communities and they are pretty skewed in their focus. The fact that the Spriting page has such a focus on ripping graphics should be enough proof of that. For the most part actual spriters have given up on the pages because the sheer numbers of the rippers make it impossible to fix.

Go with either RMXP or RMVXâ€"really the only big difference for a newcomer would be the appearance of their RTP. They're both good introductions and have plenty of advanced options. Once you're comfortable with one, it might be worth it to check out the other.

In all honesty, RM2K and RM2K3 are outdated. Yeah, I do have a special place for them in my heart, and so do most people around here, which is why they use them. But nowadays, RMXP and VX are the standard that you hould start with, especially when you consider their more advanced functionalities like their much more powerful handling of graphics, not to mention their RGSS features.

And if you're feeling ballsy, you might want to check out Enterbrain's newest and most versatile (but more complicated) programâ€"Action Game Maker.

Forgive my artwork, it's not the best.

Quite the understatement. Your artwork is hardly present.

This is not an "indie anime"â€"these are storyboards, and not particularly entertaining (or well-drawn) ones at that. I meanâ€"if it's enough for you, then go for itâ€"but if you want to produce a serious product, then you will need to do more than compile together 3-second sketches and slap some poorly-written dialogue on top of it.

Yeah, that's probably the worst "fail" image I've seen by far, if you're trying to say that the guy in the front isn't who it's talking about. Are you trying to say that the guy with all the people around him is cool or something, because he looks like a much bigger douchebag than the guy in the back.

What does that have to do with Hero's Realm anyway?

*posts overized really old 4chan memes on an rpgmaker forum*

Oh boy, this is so witty and clever. I've made a real good point here! :-*

I did three. The first one is my favorite of them by far:


Released in the summer of 2006, "The spark that must not go out" catapulted lesbian pop singer Ride into superstardom. Ride's unique voice, mixed with the haunting lyrics on the title track, cemented the album on a top position on charts all over America.


Famed opera singer Domenico Bidognetti covers new ground with his experimental album "Hook up with them later", in which his rendition of Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" is put to the backdrop of fast-paced electronica. When asked about the unique musical hybrid, he claimed that this was his "way of connecting with the modern digitial age".


Plymouth Meeting Mall's "Imaginings of a mere mortal" is the punk group's most recent release after their 2003 failure "Look up and see them". Unfortunately, the album has had an unimpressive initial release, which led last month's much-publicized suicide of lead singer Sid Emery.