Only 8 pixels wide
Entry posted by Guest
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So... where was I?Well, I managed to wrap up the coloring on the Solar Plexus label. Jess posted a picture of it here.Still on my "to do" list is the last part (or two) of the label tutorial. I just need to make some time for it.The big project turned out to be the manual for the 2005 MiniGame MultiCart. Besides a tight deadline, it was like doing seven manuals in one, so it turned out to be quite a challenge to cram everything in there, without it turning into something the size of a phone book. But in the end, everyone seemed happy with it, and it got finished in time for Albert to have the game ready for the vgXpo in Philly last week, so it's all good. I would've liked to have done some illustrations for that one, but with seven games and very little time, it just wasn't possible.RPS didn't make the show, but hopefully that will be along soon. The label and manual are all done, I'm just waiting for the final binary to update some of the info and screenshots.Meanwhile, I've been asked to work on yet another project - this time it's some more sprites for another homebrew.The real trick with the 2600 is trying to make something look good that's only 8 pixels wide. Still, it can be done. Take a look at the Garfield prototype. Or better still, Popeye. While Olive Oyl isn't much to look at (she never was anyway), Popeye is completely recognizable - right down to his pipe! In both games, the sprites are a mere 8 pixels wide. I can only imagine how much the programmers had to agonize over every pixel to make them look right.Being able to use multiple colors for sprites can really add a lot to them. Kaboom! and Gangster Alley both make great use of color, and the programmers managed to add a lot of personality to their characters, too.In all of these cases though, you're dealing with cartoon characters. So you have an opportunity to make a pretty large face, which really helps bring the character to life. But even games like Pitfall managed to have good looking sprites. I still remember being very impressed that Pitfall Harry actually had hair! The fact that the animation of Harry running was very good really added a lot to the game, too.Conversely, you look at something like Miner 2049er, or worse yet, Quest for Quintana Roo, and you have to wonder if they put any effort into trying to make the characters look good at all. Looking at those games, it's hard to believe that the same system was also capable of a pretty faithful re-creation of Kermit and Miss Piggy.So now I'm working on some 8 pixel-wide character sprites, and they really need to look good. No Bounty Bob or Yucatan Sam here. And while I don't have the vertical height needed for a good cartoon sprite, maybe I can at least end up with something that wouldn't have looked out-of-place next to Pitfall Harry or the guy from H.E.R.O.For what it's worth though... space ships are much easier. 
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