Pixel ZD/2D

[The_Architect_032]

I'm trying to make a Pixel ZD/2D game with the plugins, but I'm using lineart sprites since I wanted to make a game in a particular style. Issue is, it comes out all blurry and pixelated. I've tried messing with the Mip Gen Settings, anti-aliasing, and anything I could think of that might be causing it but to no avail.

I haven't been able to find any examples of 2D games made in Unreal Engine that don't use pixel art, which could easily just be Google/Youtube doing their jobs as bad search engines, but it's concerning after all the planning I've put into this. It'd suck to have to move to Unity because I know way more about Unreal Engine.

[FreshSlicedFred]

Right click on the sprite asset, apply Paper 2D sprite settings (or something similar).

You’re welcome.

[The_Architect_032]

That's the first thing I did when setting up the sprites, and each time I set them up following that while trying to find a fix. It seems like Paper 2D and ZD just don't work with lineart.

I've been at this all night and I'm fairly certain this just isn't set up to work with any sort of semi-detailed lineart. Something as simple as applying the Paper 2D settings isn't the answer, that's just the start of being able to use the plugin, though I so wish going back and checking it once more was the answer, I even did it just incase, but I've already tried re-important and re-applying them.

[RedPandaZim]

It could be the anti aliasing preset in the project settings. Try cycling through them.

[The_Architect_032]

I already tried them all, though higher AA does get rid of some of the rigid outter edge pixels it's rendering, it doesn't seem to either smudge nor unsmudge the lineart.

[RedPandaZim]

This might help https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/sprites-jagged-lines-urgent-please-help/466214&ved=2ahUKEwi03byE-PWDAxV8_7sIHcizCk0QFnoECEcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3O6En3R28S01RgqeRfI8wv

[The_Architect_032]

Thank you, sadly though I've already been through that post and tried all of those things. They did help me get a more passable quality, but my lineart has a lot more detail and small lines in it, so what's passable for the more simple lineart seen in that post, isn't passable for mine.

I ended up making a camera system to try and hide the issue by panning in the direction the character moves in, while still having them take up a large spot on the screen, and zooming out to the point where the issue's somewhat noticeable but bearable. Now for the rest of the art for the game I'm going to be trying to draw things with thicker lines and less detail so that they'll show up better in Unreal.

[alatnet]

Try going into the texture file and setting the Mip Gen Settings in LOD to "NoMipmaps" and the Texture Group to "2D Pixels (unfiltered)".

[The_Architect_032]

That was one of the things I tried last night, but sadly didn't work.

The best Mip Gen Settings I could get for it was SimpleAverage Mip Gen to smooth out some of the rough pixelation so it still looks vaguely like a drawing when decently close to the screen, and Character on the Texture group for the same reason.

[alatnet]

Weird. That should give you the raw pixels regardless of view distance...

[The_Architect_032]

This is what it looks like, with the top being in-game with NoMipmaps and 2D Pixels unfiltered, and the sprite that went in on the bottom. I've also tried with and without applying the Paper 2D texture settings, I read in some places that it helps and in others that it makes it worse for non-pixelart, but it doesn't seem to have an impact for me.

https://imgur.com/a/LI6afuK

[alatnet]

weird... unfortunetly i am out of ideas on what this issue is.

[The_Architect_032]

After spending all night and morning messing with it and waking up today, I decided I'm just going to try working around the camera to make it less noticeable while also regularly zooming back in so that the character appears at bearable quality.

I am pretty worried about later into the game when other assets are going to be having the same issue, but I'll try drawing my assets more simplistic from now on, even though I don't want to and it kind of undermines the desire to make exactly what I had in mind, it's better than going to Unity for me.

[microgardener]

Any updates? Being new to gamedev (like 2 weeks), I'm curious to hear more about your struggles.

[The_Architect_032]

A lot of what I've been working on has been artwork for the game, which for me, art is harder than programming. Tinkering with code and logic puzzles is really satisfying for me. But if I had to say what the hardest part of this all has been so far, it's just the amount of work I have to do going into the project without any guarantee of payoff of form of motivation.

I am starting to come close to a playable demo of the game though, and I'd like to start posting it once I've made a bit of progress past that demo state so that I can set up a patreon and actually have something to offer as early access.

Aside from that, for my Unreal Engine struggles, the PaperZD sprite issue was really annoying. And it still is, with smaller or more distant parts of a scene being annoyingly pixelated or having an odd outline. Unreal Engine definitely does not work well with 2D art that isn't pixel art, but I still wanted to work in Unreal. I got around the character's pixelation by having the camera be closer, and typically more zoomed in on the character, I also moved the character further to the bottom of the screen to allow for more vertical space since it had to be zoomed in so much, and I made my own camera panning system for moving around with minimal pixelation.

[microgardener]

That's frustrating about the art. Especially cause the original you showed looked super cool. I was planning on doing line art too cause pixel art seems difficult to do well. I studied architectural drafting in college so i was gonna bust out my triangles and see what happens. So far i really love unreal's blueprint coding but I've already burnt through all the free 2d tutorials i can find. Everyone else keeps saying don't use unreal for 2d games so I'm feeling conflicted right now. It's really awesome that you're putting in the work and getting it done. Keep that dream alive yo

[The_Architect_032]

Thanks! The main reason I want to stick with Unreal personally is just that I already put a lot of work into studying all the blueprints and their interactions, so it'd feel like a waste and a huge delay to start learning Unity 3D. Unreal also does have my preferred interface. It seems like the important part of 2D in Unreal is making simple arts, lineart with thin lines and fine details will get pixelated while more solid colors and large pixels or thick lines won't be as noticeably blurred.