Each to their own… as for myself I’ve spent a lot of time researching the old games to try and steal ideas but rarely come up with anything anyone would actually want to play these days. I loved them at the time but time has moved on.
For me, low-res pixel art always means casual games, therefore nothing I can dive into. It’s fun, but I would not be able to play something serious in this style (which is what I eventually want).
Still, I think that shitty pixel art is way better than the abominations we had to witness and create as programmers before ;).
I’m not sure exactly how this relates to the point of the topic, but you can’t simply dismiss low-res graphics if all you’ve seen is low-quality low-res graphics.
It’d be one thing if what was coming out was good pixel art. However, there’s far too many “1 pixel wide legs.” I refuse to touch anything with single pixel-wide legs or throw dollars at it on Kickstarter - looking at you Mr. Alien Plant thing that just so happened to appear 3 months after a certain obscure sci-fi series of novels added intelligent xenophobic alien seaweed.
“It’s not all about graphics, lol” - it’s a game - it’s entirely about presentation. Single pixel wide legs are either incompetency or laziness.
The Ludum Dare entries of “Deepnight” are great pixel art - despite having single pixel wide extremities because they end up being 3 pixels wide and looking like Zapf Bat from Castlevania IV.
I don’t think the pixel nasty is from MineCraft. Rather I think it probably came from Cortex Command, at least that makes the most sense as it shares the “wtf is that thing … oh it kills me” with modern ‘pixel’ focused indie games.
There really isn’t anything wrong with pixel art, but this recent flood makes the NES look like a PS3.
Muramasa is indeed awesome.
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There’s plenty of good looking games out there with 2 pixel wide characters and 1 pixel legs. You sound kinda elitist. I actually take offense that you think “1 pixel wide legs” is a trademark for lazy work. Considering this project right here.
Don’t tell me those 2px wide, 7px tall characters with 2x1 pixel legs “ruin” the game, it all depends on the reasoning behind it.
Pixel art is not better or worse than other styles of art.
It is just that: A style of art.
No style of art is superior to another. Different people like different styles more. I mean, some people spend thousands of dollars on some artist’s paint spill. If someone can see art in a mess of paint, how many more people can find art in some novice low-res graphics.
Furthermore, if executed poorly, bad art is bad art, regardless of style.
Some art styles are easy to pick up and hard to master, while others are hard to get started, but when you get there, are easy to master. A programmer’s main ‘art’ is really in their code and design, and not all of us can make art that meets everybody’s expectations.
Finally, if you want to (unconstructively) criticise someone’s art for their game, first make art that’s better then theirs, and then give it to them for free to use instead. If you can’t do that, then you don’t have the right to (unconstructively) criticise, because you’re admitting yourself that you can’t do what they’d have to do.
Personally, nope not for me, but that’s me. Total oops, I was actively trying to avoid sounding elitist - but I clearly let my occupational superiority slip through (PHA/LOPA/FMEA/SRS/SIL … etc)
I’d be more impressed with garbage but creatively rendered 3d (kuwahara filter maybe) models animated via IK (similar to “Die By the Sword”), given how completely cake IK is (SIL2 is about 1200 matrix mults), that’s not a tall order.
[quote]and then give it to them for free to use instead. If you can’t do that, then you don’t have the right to (unconstructively) criticise, because you’re admitting yourself that you can’t do what they’d have to do.
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No. One does not exert effort and give it for free. If they write a check, then certainly. I also have other plans.
There is no “unconstructive” in this debate. It is a debate of taste and taste is subjective. The mean may be to parade the merit of garbage single pixel wide legs, but I choose to be the devil in this.
Please, keep ripping into me. I’m prepping to do LD#1-#30 alone back to back without any break in a 60 day spree, because I have vacation time I need to use and it happens to be 70 days.
No. One does not exert effort and give it for free. If they write a check, then certainly. I also have other plans.
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So do the developers. They don’t have time to do all the extra work of making more complex art for no benefit do they?
[quote]So do the developers. They don’t have time to do all the extra work of making more complex art for no benefit do they?
What makes your time more important than theirs?
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Simple. My hourly rate versus theirs.
I’m not planning to do an LD1-30 back to back for nothing. I know there’s massive monetary gain for me in doing such. In fact, if I can manage even just 6 back to back, that makes me better than you by a massive longshot.
I think it is an awesome way of seriously increasing your chances of actually finishing that small project of yours. Especially for games that quantity matters. Isn’t everyone talking about this? As a primarily gameplay and not graphics guy I don’t really care, it’s not stunning but it doesn’t feel wrong either.
This makes no sense what so ever. Welcome to the internet, criticism is rife (be it unconstructive or not), it’s up the receiver to filter the bits they can use and make use of it. Thats the release early, release often mindset, customer feedback (good or bad) absolutely as soon as possible.
I have a feeling AcidFaucet is working, which means they’re paid for their time, which in turn means the idea of building art then giving it away for free just because you passed critique is totally non-sensical.
Would you really want anyone that couldn’t write a better game than you stopping giving you feedback - you’d lose so much!
More interested on the cause of the upsurge in pixel art games, which I’ve had some great answers to already!
‘Good’ pixel art is easy to make in the terms of art, where 1 or 2 years of learning is considered a short time.
Go to DeviantArt, pick a few nice pieces and ask their drawers how long they’ve been drawing. I’m pretty sure 90% of the answers will be above 10 years. :point:
And then there’s 3D modeling which was barely mentioned in the topic. It takes just as much skill as drawing + teamwork, because apparently someone who’s good at modeling might not be great at lighting, or animation, texturing, etc.
I’m not planning to do an LD1-30 back to back for nothing. I know there’s massive monetary gain for me in doing such. In fact, if I can manage even just 6 back to back, that makes me better than you by a massive longshot.
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Your elitist is showing. Seriously, you’ve just lost all credibility. I don’t care who you are, what you know, or how much you’re paid. You’re simply arrogant and your opinions are invalidated by your pigheadedness. At least I can feel better about my “lazy and incompetent” project and it’s 1 pixel wide legs now.
Regardless if you’re flat-out lying because you’re actually a troll, or you’re telling the truth about yourself, either way makes me have a distaste for you. So this will be the last time I bother communicating with you in this thread.
Can’t we all just get along? AcidFaucet made 3 posts, all confrontational and indicative of a larger than life ego. This can only lead to a lot of back and forth about what was said, and how things should be interpreted.
If there is anything I learned in recent years, it’s that bickering is exceptionally damaging, regardless of who’s started it, or who’s right. AcidFaucet has been escorted to the padded room (no medals, no post editing, for 2 weeks) - consider this a first and last warning.
I really don’t have a problem with pixel art. Anyone who grew up in playing SNES, SEGA, ATARI, or anything in the arcades, pixel art is what we grew up with. I can safely pin down three reasons for the uprising of pixel art.
All Grown Up
A lot of the people making these games grew up on pixel graphics. It is a little bit more than nostalgia as these graphics actually resemble what I’d try to draw in my head as a kid, but didn’t have the skills. There is an imaginative, colorful innocence that these graphics give that can take very violent topics and make them cute and palatable. With the majority of this generation in the work force, these type of games are certainly on the rise.
No artist, no problem
One of the biggest factors is that art, even from amateur artists, is very expensive to get. Many of my friends who are artists think signing up for indie is a huge waste of time with no bottom line. Plenty of artists already have to pull a second job to keep art alive, and indie developers just don’t give a lot of upfront cash for a workload that is 2x what the industry would give. So there is a huge rift between artists and developers because let’s face it, having no cash is something both have in common. Pixel art is easier to draw, less work load, and you can bypass having to pay a good artist and still have good looking art. Win win win win situation.
The Nostalgia
The big problem about big budget has to be the significant focus on graphics. Pixelated graphics have an art quality to it where you are not limited by the power of your engine, but by what you create with it. In other words, these graphics transcend all programming languages ( Java, C++, Python) and platforms (PC, SNES, PS, Xbox). A good pixel art game is always going to be the same experience, regardless of platform.
It is very powerful, because your games get compared to early games like Mario, Sonic, Space Invaders. Just like artists today would be compared to past artists. A normalized canvas for game making means that your game REALLY has to be good and can’t ride off of pretty technology to be noticed.
Anyway, 2d hits my imagine space better than 3d. In 2d, I know it isn’t real, so I imagine myself in the role and experience it. In 3d, especially in later titles, I feel more like the game is deciding for me what I should do next. Sometimes to the point of me just wishing I was sitting and watching it in a movie theater. Doesn’t help at all that it is easier to get lost and objectives got more complicated over time… :point: