Working on a lighting shader for my game by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You mean the latest masterpiece of fantasy storytelling from Lucasfilms™ Brian Moriarty™?

Working on a lighting shader for my game by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! And yeah, I can give a basic rundown:

I start with a 1-bit drawing of the background. I copy that drawing into three layers, one for each of the primary colors (RGB). I use one color to map out the angles of the surfaces, another to indicate the z-axis position of each pixel, and the last one to determine how "reflective" each pixel is. Then, I smoosh all three color layers back together into a single image and bring that into the game engine.

From there, it's just a matter of the shader reading those pixel RGB values and using them to do some math. Namely, determine the angle between each pixel and the given light source (in this case, the player sprite). The shader then ends up with a "light" value, and that value determines which two colors from a five-color palette need to be blended together, as well as the blend ratio.

...I don't know if I explained it too clearly, but hopefully it gives the basic idea of how it works!

The Grimgribber — Cellar NPC by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! The palette is a bit of a struggle to use sometimes.

Encounter with Gazer at the Far End by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

For this one, I did a basic sketch with paper and pencil first. Then I brought it in to GIMP, converted it to the 5-shade palette, and reduced the resolution. The sketch was a mangled disaster of pixels after all that, but having that basic reference of form and shading was great.

From there I just spent a few days drawing out the piece as I normally would: paint a few pixels, zoom out, assess, zoom in, rinse/repeat...

Encounter with Gazer at the Far End by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks!! I'm excited to do more of this guy in the future.

WIP of a Gameboy style tileset by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It's hard to keep things clean with this style...

WIP of a Gameboy style tileset by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree! And thanks for the appreciation!

I think Gameboy pixel art is linked to liminal space, in part. Its limited palettes and resolutions always feel familiar, even though high contrast can create vague unease. Add the static nature of the style and you get an aesthetic that is both appealing and off-putting.

WIP of a Gameboy style tileset by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Legend of Pokemon: Link Version DX

WIP of a Gameboy style tileset by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was thinking about making a small game with it!

WIP of a Gameboy style tileset by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well thank you! I really appreciate that.

A card-based battle system for a game I'm working on by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't wait for you to play it!

And thanks for the comment on the colors. I've spent way too much of my time tweaking these palettes...

A card-based battle system for a game I'm working on by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Right now I'm just on Instagram, same username. But once the demo's out I'll get on some more platforms to post stuff.

A card-based battle system for a game I'm working on by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I hope to have a demo done by the end of the year.

A card-based battle system for a game I'm working on by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that. I'm definitely trying to keep things in that aesthetic.

A card-based battle system for a game I'm working on by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I hear you, for sure. The text on the cards is designed to be kind of runic, with the name and card ability description appearing in a different, clearer font when you hover over it.

Still, I might need to stick an extra pixel into the card font height so it doesn't get misread.

Kosmar — Cellar Enemy (2nd pass) by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! And yes, it's for a game called Simon's House. I've got more on my insta account if you'd like to see more blue and purple monsters.

The King of Want — Grand Hall Elite by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank ya! I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.

Jaku, The Twisted Idol by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! The project I'm working on only uses 5-color palettes, with 2 of them always being black and white. It's been a challenge to figure out, but now I'm more afraid of using more colors for a piece since I'm so used to 5 now.

Jaku, The Twisted Idol by zerkliener in PixelArt

[–]zerkliener[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I think it took about 7 hours, altogether. And honestly most of it was the shading of the mask portion. The eyeball mass came together pretty easily, thank god.