Sprite Jam - The Undead - Winner Announced

Started by ThreeOhFour, Fri 27/02/2009 06:21:13

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Misj'

#20
I always have my sketchbook (or some other paper I can draw on) by my side, so despite my lack of time I managed to make some doodles that eventually evolved into an adequate character and concept-sheet:


-- click for larger version --

Ok, so I didn't want to go with zombies, ghosts, or chickens (the latter of whom may not be undead, but you can never be too careful). Instead I tried to come up with a more outside-of-the-box concept, and ended up with Sisyphus. So why do I believe that guy famous for pushing a rock against a hill fits within the undead-theme? - Well, the thing is: there are - in Greek mythology - only a few people who have managed to escape Hades after they died; according to the myth Sisyphus is one of them. Well, if you (temporarily) manage to cheat Death even after you've died, I think you fit within the undead theme.

As for the sprite:


-- click sprite for larger version --

To make him more compatible for a low resolution (and a little easier to animate) I simplified the design a little when compared to the original concept art. I gave him a slightly feminine pose (albeit a heroic-feminine pose) to tap into that Southern-European macho attitude...I figured that a man who considered himself to be smarter than Zeus might be at least a little macho. This heroism and machismo is also reflected in a concept walk-cycle (I made to practice/learn some animation skills):

from left to right:
1. Walk-test from basic structures
2. Walk Outlines only
3. Walk Coloured
4. I wanted to show how easy it it so animate a glowing character (like Loominous's below):
5. Glow on a dark background
6. The advantage of using a palette is of course that with a minimal amount of clicks the character can be changed to a more common-zombie-like (or ghost-like) appearance.
              
There's a small 'hold' that occurred during the conversion to .gif. The full-size animation (below) is therefore slightly smoother.

Walk Animation final size:


Ps. Decided not to do RoboCop...Sisyphus was more interesting to design.

Edit: It turns out I forgot to fill up his eye, which now appears coloured rather than the intended white. Please click here to open the original sized sprite in a separate browser-tab/window.

Edit2: While I'm not entirely happy with the walk, I had to try and animate him.

Edit3: Playing around with outlines...
     
The most-right version is a little too 'stamped on' for my taste.

Pps. Yes I know, this is post is starting to become a little too elaborate. :)

loominous



Got a bit carried away with the background, the intention was simply to put them against something dark/textured to make the transparency/glow visible, but it turned into a semi finished background.

The glow thing is really easy to make and animate, and requires minimal additional effort - provided you have the proper software.
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Eggie

If you can make a game that looks like that then I will EAT THE UNIVERSE in appreciation.

Jakerpot




Dualnames

Quote from: loominous on Mon 09/03/2009 18:24:56
Got a bit carried away with the background, the intention was simply to put them against something dark/textured to make the transparency/glow visible, but it turned into a semi finished background.

The glow thing is really easy to make and animate, and requires minimal additional effort - provided you have the proper software.

Stop entering sprite jams and make a game. Any game. Even a slideshow with such kind of pictures would get a 5 cup rating. That's really beatiful..
Worked on Strangeland, Primordia, Hob's Barrow, The Cat Lady, Mage's Initiation, Until I Have You, Downfall, Hunie Pop, and every game in the Wadjet Eye Games catalogue (porting)

Layabout

Misj, absolutly loving the design. The animation is pretty kick ass as well. One small little thing, the hands looks somewhat goofy in the unanimated side view.

Loomy, beautiful as always. Love the design, love the glow effect, and the simple high contrast shading works brilliantly.
I am Jean-Pierre.

Misj'

Quote from: Layabout on Wed 11/03/2009 14:44:05Misj, absolutly loving the design. The animation is pretty kick ass as well.
Thanks :)

QuoteOne small little thing, the hands looks somewhat goofy in the unanimated side view.
Yeah, I'm used to drawing a more comic (four finger) type of hand, but decided to go take a more realistic (five finger) approach here...unfortunately adding an extra digit doesn't always work out the way it's intended. His right hand (in front of him) more or less worked out the way I wanted. But if this were a real project I would indeed have to redraw his left hand and right foot...

uncle-mum

I know its not a valid entry but I just thought I'd share with you my recent brush with undeath...

ThreeOhFour

Your time is up, folks!

Unfortunately, we can't all just sit down and say "Hurrah we drew pictures", I must now decide a winner. The excellent standard of entries here has made it very hard to pick one out, but I have chosen. Before I get onto that, let's look at all the entries:

SSH: Yes, yes, very clever ;). I was pleased to see you entered something more serious later down the thread with your ectoplasm and eyeballs. Thanks for entering :).

Eggie: Very nicely overstated pose and expression! I also like the eyes in particular. Nice job!

Hofmeier: You used a brave palette and an interesting idea, and I really like this sprite. The face is very reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster, which I like, and the whole concept is nice too.

SpacePaw: Very functional for a sprite and very clear as to what the creature is. The brain sticking out is a really cool touch :).

Helme: That is... a very strange zombie. But I like it. Because I like strange things! The unconventional approach to design and anatomy is very refreshing, and the character still retains a feel of unlife. Nicely drawn!

Bog: Simple, clear and well executed. I like the whole unsaturated look you have here, and it's a very functional illustration for game purposes :).

Babar: Nice use of blue gives it a very ethereal feel! I like the concept of a rowdy bandit ghost, and you managed to make his image reflect his character well. If I were scoring with points, you'd get a bonus 3 for using the word 'dacoitry' ;).

Indie: Another very clear and functional sprite (which you demonstrated well with your nice animation!). I particularly like this character's eyes, I feel they really add to the sprite and give the style a unique touch. Lovely!

Mad: I really dig this style of colouring, and the whole form of the sprite is excellent as well! Beautiful use of your palette and very nice drawn :).

Evil: A very cute design idea and it works quite well. I'd enjoy playing a game in this style I think, and the zombie and skeleton sprite work particularly well here, I feel!

Aljoho: I did not expect a zombie elephant, but it's nice to see people having fun with their entry ideas! It's an interesting idea and nicely drawn, plus I'd certainly be a bit freaked if I saw that in a game :).

Cat: I really like the anatomy of this character, the large round head and pose are drawn in a very appealing way! I also like the fact that the eyes are showing, and it would clearly work very well in a game. Nice!

Misj': Your Robocop idea and your Sisyphus ideas are both very nice interpretations of the theme, excellent! The amount of time you have spent here is quite apparent, and I'm quite sad that I'm only taking into account your static sprite (although I must comment here that your walk cycle is very nice and smooth, fantastic work!). The strong facial lines are something I am unused to, and I definitely get a very Greek Mythological feel from it. If you tweaked that right foot a bit, I'd say you have a perfect sprite!

Loominous: A very haunting and interesting idea, which instantly gets me curious about the nature of these characters. Technique is as stunning as usual, but I have to say that the contrast between these two characters is really what makes them special for me.

Uncle-Mum: Great! Even though it isn't an entry ;).

Ok folks, I can't let this continue forever, so I have to tell you who now gets to host the next jam. As I indicated earlier, this was a very hard decision to make, and there were a number of different sprites that were vying for my attention here. However, I declare the host of the next jam to be Loominous, and thank you all for entering and making this such a magnificent activity to host. I hope you all had fun!

Misj'

QuoteI declare the host of the next jam to be Loominous, and thank you all for entering and making this such a magnificent activity to host.

Congrats Loominous...a nice win!


loominous

Thanks for the kind comments!

I'll get a new one up asap.
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