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Digitized characters instead of drawn sprites?

pixeltroid

Member
Are there any games made with GM that feature digitized charecters like in early MK games?

I imagine it must be much easier (if not quicker) to just photograph people posing in costumes and edit them as sprites instead of drawing everything. This style was all the rage in the 90's. But I wonder why we dont see this style used in retro styles games these days. I love pixel art as much as the next person, but it would be interesting to see digitized characters in games for a change these days.

I started doodling some characters and I thought if using a camera and a model would make a noticeable difference . I could maybe photograph a friend in a motorbike helmet and camos, holding a nerf gun and my cyborg supersoldier sprites are as good as ready. If I wanted wizard sprites, I could use a fake beard, bathrobes and pointy hats that should be easy to find. Of course finishing touches would be required but the overall process is more "hands on" and do a lot for character building.

Discuss!
 
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RangerX

Member
Its just as much work in my opinion. You have to start by planning all the keyframes of all your animations because the actor/actress will need to place himself in all the different positions to take the pictures. You'll also need a very good pictures and setup with good light. Pro setting as much as possible. Then you take your thousands of photos and you shink them down, cut them, fix the colors, you literally need an artist making them recognisable sprites that actually don't look like a mess. I think its the hardest part there and probably the longest.

Depending how big are your sprites, it can take quite forever just like if you drew them by hand from the start. And big digitised sprites vs small pixel art --- the later probably wins in matter of production time.
 
I've tried it, I wasn't really prepared for it though.
I didn't have a good green screen substitute so cutting the images out was a lot of work and I had too many inconsistencies with the poses which made it frustrating to line up the animations.
So my advice in addition to RangerX's is to use tape or something to mark feet and camera positions and plan everything out before you start shooting.
 
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Fodderbot

Guest
Actually, I think the most effective way of creating sprite animations is to use a 3d program like max or maya, do the animation, set up a camera from a specific angle that matches your game and render each frame to a single image. Drawing each frame seems like work more suited to a Korean sweat shop. like shows like the simpsons used. They would send their primary keyframes and the Koreans would do all the tweens.
 

Jon

Member
I actually used this technique a little bit in my game Retroids (https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Software-Retroids/dp/B01G8FAVGS). It's an Asteroids-style game with various skins. One of the skins I made by using photos of crumpled balls of paper as the asteroids, space ships and UFOs I colored with crayons and photographed.
I am going to use this again by using photos of jointed paper puppet things using brass fasteners.
 
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ajan-ko

Guest
You mean, you want to put something like handdraw to game maker?
Or something like [dong dong never die] (google it)

 

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I think it's a creative solution that enabled better graphics back when rendering textured 3D models in realtime still was impossible, at the cost of a more complicated setup (hiring actors, getting props, shooting, digitize, cleanup), but much like FMV and text adventure input parsers, there are better solutions available nowadays that give a better player experience, an easier developer experience, or both.

From my experiences - or experience in singular - you DEFINITELY need a greenscreen that makes it easy to cut out the character from the background (any monocolored surface will do), and make sure you have the proper lighting.
 
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ajan-ko

Guest
I think it's a creative solution that enabled better graphics back when rendering textured 3D models in realtime still was impossible, at the cost of a more complicated setup (hiring actors, getting props, shooting, digitize, cleanup), but much like FMV and text adventure input parsers, there are better solutions available nowadays that give a better player experience, an easier developer experience, or both.

From my experiences - or experience in singular - you DEFINITELY need a greenscreen that makes it easy to cut out the character from the background (any monocolored surface will do), and make sure you have the proper lighting.
Yup, get a green screen, if you play dong dong never die, you will see the process of making those absurd video games.
Also, if you really want to make this into game maker game,
you need to make your model into white then make the alpha layer, so there's no white background.

The reason these style won't work today, because In 80/90s there's lot of low budget movie with bad special effect. (B movies)

When you look back, the movie we watch is probably like mortal combat. Very cheezy and absurd. Some are good. (I like the 1st TMNT)

So this style only works nowadays, IF you're making absurd style, or B-90 style movie.
 
It all depends on the complexity of your game. Personally, i use skelettal animations a lot, because this way I don't need to draw every single frame myself :)

And of course digitized pictures would adapt to skeletal animations well :eek:
 
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