Photoshop workspace for pixel creating

[sunteam_paul]

What Spectrum, MSX game(s) (sprites) do you all recommend looking at?

Anything by Ultimate:Play The Game or Raffaele Cecco (Exolon, Cybernoid) is a good start, or games like Starquake as well.

[Sadler]

Anyone use Paint .NET?

Yes, frequently. It's my go to paint application. Any functional/technical specification I've done has probably used Paint.NET. I'm not an artist though, and I've never used it for PCE stuff. Anything I've attempted on PCE has been NeoPaint.

[Arkhan]

What Spectrum, MSX game(s) (sprites) do you all recommend looking at?

ccovell: what is UAE? didn't know the Emirates made sprites as well as playgrounds for the rich and famous

Looking into GrafX2.

You guys kick ass, thank you!

WinUAE is an Amiga emulator for windows.


And as far as sprites to look at on MSX, it depends.

For MSX2: Check out Fray and Xak for sure.

for MSX1 games, check out Knightmare, Maze of Galious, any of the other Konami games really...

Then there's Sorcerian, Drasle Family...

MSX is an interesting machine since it has hardware and software sprites.  What kind of spriting are you looking for here? 

MSX1 is basically hardware sprites with color tricks to get more than 1 single color.  This game Caos Begins (homebrew) is a good one to see for that kind of shit

MSX2's most popular screen mode was Screen5, a bitmapped one.  (Fray)

Sexy shit.

[Nando]

Paul: Thanks!

Ark: Information on both types would be helpful. (hardware/software)

[Nando]

Paul you also mentioned a shared color among sprites. Could you all clarify this? Also there is no true "alpha" on the PCE correct?

[TheOldMan]

a shared color among sprites

Not just sprites. Background tiles too, iirc. Slot 0 in each 16-color palette block is shared. Whatever color you put in there automagically becomes 'invisible' when on the screen.
Have to check, but I think it only applies to slot 0, though. You -might- be able to use the same color value in a different slot, and get it to show up.

[Arkhan]

Ark: Information on both types would be helpful. (hardware/software)

Software sprites for MSX can be ANY size you want really.  they are blittered.   in Screen5 for example, you have a 16 color palette for the ENTIRE screen.

Tiles and sprites share this single palette.  Sprites can be as many colors as you want from that palette.  You can blit to screen with or without transparency.  Color 0 of the screen palette is used as the transparent color.


hardware sprites can be used in many modes (even 5).  there are monochrome sprites for MSX1 (1 single color. holycrap)

msx2 has better sprite possibilities.  but its still really tricky since you can do like 2 colors per line and shit.  You'd be better off getting the v9938 chip manual and reading the section explaining it , or find an MSX sprite editor and mess with it that way.   I am terrible at graphics.  Most good looking sprites in games are more than one sprite on top each other.   that's why Screen5 is so popular.  You can just use software sprites instead....

http://www.ccas.ru/brychkov/MSX/V9938_programmers_guide.pdf

To get really great sprites you have to use multiple sprites and do tricks to create more colors via ORing.  It's nuts.

[Nando]

Jesus christ on a trike the MXS can read convoluted. Guess it's just a matter of understanding it.

Makes me appreciate the design of the PCE even more.


If you have any ther PCE specific sprite related info let me know please.

Ark, I'm going back to all that documentation you sent me awhile back as well.

Thanks all!

[Arkhan]

The PCE has better game hardware since its a game platform.  It's got one of the best sprite/tile modes ever.


MSX is a computer, so it has more to deal with basically.

But, once you start using the VDP of the MSX, it's pretty friggin easy.

[Arm]

For those interested, I'm continuing with this demo project and all the tiles/artworks are made with photoshop.

[Arkhan]

God damn I f*cking love Lunar.

[Arm]

The idea of the demo is to remake/enhance the prologue of the game (from the beginning up to the point when Alex and Luna part)

[Nando]

Looks sharp!  Thanks for sharing. Any place on the web you got more info on the project?

Do you have any particular setup for your PS workspace?

[Arkhan]

The idea of the demo is to remake/enhance the prologue of the game (from the beginning up to the point when Alex and Luna part)

can you hide hentai in the demo somewhere? 

[Arm]

nando : Sorry,  I still don't have a dedicated site for this project. There was an old thread on this forum with a couple of old screenshots which don't reflect the final version, as I've completed most of the maps of the prologue since then. I shall put additional pictures when the project is more advanced.
I use photoshop 7 because it is pretty light and effective. I don't have any special workspace. I've been creating artworks for around 13 years with photoshop before doing pixel art, but the principle is the same. The posterize level 8 command is very useful to have compatible colors with pce color palette.

arkhan : I had done a softcore syscard picture, but I don't know if I should go further than that. Although the game is on the pc engine, it would look more like a dragon knight game rather than Lunar. Nonetheless, you never know...