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Very interesting discussion.  I'd like to add a few things.

There are Real-Time RPGs like Final Fantasy IV where characters on a screen sort through menus to pick a choice of action, while the monsters timer counts down to attack the characters repeatedly.

Then there are action-RPGs like Zelda or the Seiken Densetsu (secret of mana etc) games.  In this type of game, you freely move about while wielding a weapon of some type - swinging, throwing, whatever have you - at the monsters.  Collision detection is needed for this type of game, but not for the aforementioned style game.

In Zelda's style scrolling, you have rooms of a set size, made up of tiles.  When you move off screen, the room does not scroll as it appears, but rather the tiles are pushed over (or up/down/left/right depending) bit by bit while the new room's tiles (already loaded) are pushed onto the new area.   I believe in Zelda, your character either stands still during this, floats, or something similar.

I don't believe anyone mentioned Strategy-RPGs either.  Wonder if anyone would ever have the desire to work out some of that stuff...

There are several types of those as well.  There's the Warsong, Fire Emblem, Shining Force styled sRPG - almost like a board game where pieces are moved about a playing field.  Battles are sometimes randomly fought out, the computer computing the outcome (almost like a short movie).   Others allow choices between attacks and even more options come into play with games like Super Robot War.

And then there's realtime strategy, but that's not going to happen I fear. :p

I'd love to incorporate RPG stuff into a game.  Not saying I will, but if I do I will certainly make a tutorial of the process to add here.

Static-X have a new album out and although I ordered it, I'm not really that excited as it doesn't sound like anything new for them really.

Slipknot? Oh I don't care about them. 

Do they? Well that's worthy news! I don't care if it's not new, I like the sound they have. ^^

Yah I'm not a slipknot fan either, but I'll give the album a listen or two probably.

The trees need to get smaller the nearer the top of the screen, they get. To be consistent with the perspective of the castle. I'm surprised no one has pointed this out yet...

He originally mentioned something about making an RPG, if I'm not mistaken.  Most classically styled overhead RPGs don't seem to account for that.

Well until you're ready to purchase a host and setup your webcomic for sale etc, you still have plenty of options.  Start an online journal and post comics there, you can host them on photobucket as storage etc.  Hell, you could even ask me and I'd gladly host them.  Or there's DA, plenty of good webcomics to be found and they'd certainly appreciate yours. 

Plenty of other options - not really appropriate to this forum though, but if you have any questions about that stuff hit me up with a PM.

Vary the wood color from the dock to the boat, they seem the same.  Also you could add some detail to the boat in order to really sell it as an actual boat.  It doesn't have to be super detailed, just draw some things you'd see on a real boat.  For instance the edge of the boat, if that's the top of the boat, shouldn't the inside be lower?  Draw a rail, life preserver...anything...

Looks great.  I liked the sandman strip.  Like everyone else said, it's a pretty common style.  Hey though, that didn't stop the other guys and don't let it stop you either.  ^^  Keep at it!

So you do intend to make it into a webcomic?

It's tough to fix the grammar for english without changing the way your song flows.   Seems like a good song, though I'm not sure I understand it all with your choice of words.  However, I'd like to hear it when you finish.

Seems like a cool concept.  As for whether or not the off perspective works, I'm not sure.  For me it works until my eye moves towards the tennis court, and then it's suddenly not so good.  I think with wacky perspective stuff, you actually have to do even more to make them work ... and I'm not really sure why they do, to be honest.

My preference regarding whether to shade or not is totally irrelevant though, since it's Zaider's taste that matters, which is why I haven't mentioned mine before. But thanks for improving the thread by so thoroughly sharing yours.

I suppose what I said seemed a bit stupid.  Maybe it was, but I just speak my mind and I meant what I said.   It was good information, I didn't bash that.   And, you're welcome! ^^

Well, backgrounds are actually drawn with more than one size brush.  Other tools are useful as well, like the fill (paintbucket) tool, eraser, burn tool, dodge tool, etc.  Even smudge is ok once in a while lolz.

The paintover I did took me 12 minutes.  I'm curious, are you clicking a pixel at a time? In most programs, and honestly I don't use MSPaint so I don't know...but you can usually just hold down the button and move the mouse around to draw many pixels at a time.

Another thing to speed things up is to get a program with layers.  Because then you could make a base tree, copy it over many times, and edit them individually later on if you desired on their own layers.  This way you won't have to keep drawing those trees for five hours :p

I know nothing of Corel Photo Paint Select Edition? Maybe someone else will help you out with that.   Usually though, you can just click the brush menu of sorts and change the slider or size of brush from 3 to 1.  Good luck.

Well just looking at it, looks fantastic.  Maybe darkening the shadows that might be happening between the islands will separate things more for you?  That's what I'd do, but hey maybe I go over board with extreme darks, I don't know. ^^

The background is a bit light though, for an underground cavern?  Perhaps seeing it against a back that is more appropriate for the cavern would help you see the next step in its evolution?  You got me on this one, but very nice background altogether so far.

Sweet, I'll look foward to hearing more of your piano playing.    As for the remix, well it was done really fast and just out of curiosity mainly.  I don't play piano, but I noticed it seemed rather dry to me.  I'm really digging it with the reverb, and I can't hear the things you mentioned. :/  One day I hope to learn how to play piano.

I dunno, the castle is bigger sure...but hmm.  Maybe that could just be a leg of the castle, like a barracks or castle house or something.   Nice moat and bridge. :p  Just keep at it, you'll get it figured out.

I really honestly preferred what you had in the beginning with the exception of the shoe laces.  I don't know why, but in the concept they were very much in towards the middle of the shoe - but in your drawing they're giant patches of shoe lace.

Other than that I really have no suggestions, the character is perfect.

There's a point when "help" goes a bit overboard is all I was saying.

Sorry, don't agree. If Zaidyer doen't want to pick up on it, someone else might. I find the input to this thread very valuable.

Not debating whether or not it's valuable.  I'm just saying it seems to be off-topic.  But yah...if you need to know about lighting it's great - use google you'll find a whole slew of info on lighting.

[anyone's]

Seriously, "inconsistent" - "consistent" who cares??  The sprite looked great the first time, the second time, the third time.  And for all you know the white sploches on his pants were meant to be paint stains and not "lighting".  lolz.  Interesting discussion on light, but meh....

I was going to pm this to you, but you seem to have blocked pm's.

This sort of thing is not helpful to someone looking for tips on improving their work, it just confuses them.  The input offered on lighting and consistency is a valuable asset in improving anyone's sprite work, so it definitely matters! 

That's weird, I don't remember blocking PMs.

To quote Zaidyer:
"The two are relatively distinct from one another, but the inspiration should be obvious. I think that's where these paint-overs sort of got off track... They changed the overtly cartoony intention of the original design too much. Now we're talking about things like realistic lighting and hair. That's good advice, but it doesn't apply to this particular art style without changing it completely."

I didn't read that post earlier, but that's simply what I was trying to say.

Wow that's crazy.  If I were him, I'd just color the entire character black now. :p

Seriously, "inconsistent" - "consistent" who cares??  The sprite looked great the first time, the second time, the third time.  And for all you know the white sploches on his pants were meant to be paint stains and not "lighting".  lolz.  Interesting discussion on light, but meh....

Personally I'd keep with the original sprite.

Do you have one of those monitors that flickers when they encounter dithering. I mean I didn't even notice the dithering on the green without zooming in Maybe I just have a blurry monitor. Free antialias

I second that.

Yah I'm thinking you just need to get something other than paint...but whatever I did this out of boredom and to give you some ideas.



Trees, bushes, bridge, river, mountains, sky...whatever.  Anything to keep it from being boring.  Obviously this won't really work as anything with the sizes of your guy/castle etc, but fix those up and pick a viewpoint and you're set!

The problems with this character really come into play with the side view.  It seems like the waist is too high.  It's like the belt is choking his stomach instead of keeping his pants up, ya know? 

His arms aren't the correct length, or what I mean is the forearm seems much too short to me, or the elbow is at the wrong place.  Also the shoulder seems too far from the back.  I could go on but the bottom line is that a simple look at yourself in the mirror will solve most of these problems.  Make the stance you want him in yourself, and make note of things.

Anyway I tried a paintover, I'm not the best character artist and there are still problems.  I do much better when I get to start from scratch

And yes, this IS a paintover of your guy, but I got really bored...



Here it is a little bigger:


Lolz, obviously his legs still don't look that great. Meh ^^