# Do you know good places to find Pixel Artists?



## test84 (Mar 20, 2008)

Hi guys,
Do you know specific places/forums to find pixel artists willing to try stuff for my MyMario game? 
(link in my sig)


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## test84 (Mar 20, 2008)

any help is really appreciated.


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## Killermech (Mar 23, 2008)

Well if you don't mind paying. Deviantart's forum is a pretty good source.


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## test84 (Mar 23, 2008)

umm, Is there other places? I dont have a job and I'm downloading roms with Dial up internet connection, I cant pay the artist.

Would you please tell me other alternatives?


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## jeklnoo (Mar 24, 2008)

you probably aren't gonna get much help. here's what your request sounds like to me:

"i'm not satisfied with stealing work that's already been done, i want people to do custom work for me for free as well"


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## Awdofgum (Mar 24, 2008)

jeklnoo said:
			
		

> you probably aren't gonna get much help. here's what your request sounds like to me:
> 
> "i'm not satisfied with stealing work that's already been done, i want people to do custom work for me for free as well"



i'm sure there's someone out there that would enjoy helping him out just to be credited for their work in the game.
as for a certain place, i'm sorry, but i'll look

Edit: You could try Here


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## test84 (Mar 24, 2008)

I donno why it sounded like that to you and why you suppose that I stole anything but as I see everyday, there are programmers who work with pixel artists and music writers and stuff.

If you think I'm not with current graphics and you think I stole mario as my protagonist, I must remind you that this is the engine I'm developing and I used other's graphic just to test the logic inlying but now that engine is going to get finished in no time, I was searching for original graphic for the game I'm making with this engine.

I hope that clarifies things and misunderstandings.


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## Twiffles (Mar 24, 2008)

Hmmm, I got a place. Love the sprites the guys make here. http://pixeltendo.net/


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## Awdofgum (Mar 24, 2008)

btw, i can't find the link in your sig.


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## test84 (Mar 24, 2008)

awdofgum said:
			
		

> btw, i can't find the link in your sig.



http://www.swfpages.com/view/113312.htm


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## Psyfira (Mar 24, 2008)

You're going to have a lot of trouble finding someone. Unless you track down someone who's still learning spriting, wants something to work on but isn't confident enough to take on a real project.

I can't believe there isn't a small archive out there of practice stock sprites made for homebrew authors. This problem must come up a lot with programmers just starting out, but I'm damned if I can find one.


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## test84 (Mar 24, 2008)

thnx Psyfira, I found some sprites but I wanted someone to discuss with and draw for our project, not using some archived sprites.

I think if I make a blog about my game or finally put up my web site and dedicated a place for my game, it will draw more attention and people are more willing to work if I announce it at deviant or other places.


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## Psyfira (Mar 24, 2008)

I don't want to curb your enthusiasm because it's great that you're so into this, don't lose that drive but to be honest, in this case you're being a little overambitious. This isn't a full-scale "project", it's a classroom exercise. Programmers have folders full of them, just because you get a working program at the end doesn't automatically mean it's a "release". You're making this up as you go along. Projects have more planned out from the start, it's not a project until you can write a short essay about decisions you've had to make whilst stucturing the code (I'm talking like why you've used certain data structures, not where to put a ladder), and if you try to use it in a portfolio that's exactly the kind of questions they'll be asking. 

Just be patient, you've got more than enough motivation to keep learning, once you know the language a little better you'll get there


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## test84 (Mar 25, 2008)

Maybe its a classroom project where you live (and I'm still yet to see a good flash platform game, beside N) but here no one has any game around, beside stupid board games in their stash of game dev and since there is no game dev industry here or anyone to talk or work, its great for me and no one in our university even bothered with making games.

I do respect you Psyfira but I think you a little under-rated my work, Maybe it doesnt show itself but I spent alot of time on it, much much more than a class room exercise and even at its current stage of development, it is capable of being release as a game, maybe it will not be the best platform out there, but it is something that when I release, our newspapers will talk about it since no one ever done anything like this, all of whats done is half written codes of C++ and openGL.

and about the language you suggested, I already know C++/C#/VB/etc but I selected Flash for other reasons, to stay away from graphic handling that learning them will just make me slow, which did for most people I know and they stuck at openGL forever and never reached for game logic cuz preparing the scene for the game logic is tremendous work and for me that I want to learn game logic, it was not necessary.

and I do have planning, if you look at my TODO list and changelogs, you see every little detail is documented there, I even have some bug codes for future references, maybe I dont have a solid release date for my game, thus even Blizzard don't, but since I'm currently doing other stuff beside this, keeping this up is already a tremendous work for me. 

For me (and alot of people that I know of), writing this game is like developing Quake 3 Arena for John Carmak, its really hard for me and takes alot of time and energy and since I'm getting at bottom of my todo list for this game (since I moved some to later versions), I was going to find some artists to work on graphics parallely when I'm working on finishing the todo list and polishing the game.

thats all. 

And I thank you again for your caring toward me and my future as I see it here and in testing the game itself whenever I released a new version.


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## techforumz (Mar 25, 2008)

When you get the game written, then could you put some blank or demo sprites. If you'd send me the demo sprites (for identification purposes), and a linux version of the game (for reference as to where...) I will try to make you a small set. I'm not the best, but I can do pretty good with GIMP and Blender. I made my own wallpaper entitled 'nuclear plasma' with Blender. No guarantees, but I will try. If I'm not still on GBATemp, then I'm afraid you'll have to get someone else. A PM will get my attention, assuming I use GBATemp regularly then.


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## myuusmeow (Mar 25, 2008)

Don't take this the wrong way:
No one that can sprite will even consider making sprites for a Mario fan game. If they even would give it a thought, they have thousands of other Mario fan games they could sprite for.

Also, if the link you posted is any example of the current state of your "project", it is nothing special, no matter what university you go to. Jumping, ladders, and invincible enemies that don't fall off ledges isn't anything "major"


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## test84 (Mar 25, 2008)

techforumz said:
			
		

> When you get the game written, then could you put some blank or demo sprites. If you'd send me the demo sprites (for identification purposes), and a linux version of the game (for reference as to where...) I will try to make you a small set. I'm not the best, but I can do pretty good with GIMP and Blender. I made my own wallpaper entitled 'nuclear plasma' with Blender. No guarantees, but I will try. If I'm not still on GBATemp, then I'm afraid you'll have to get someone else. A PM will get my attention, assuming I use GBATemp regularly then.
> 
> 
> Thank you, your response was so heart warming.
> ...



Its not a mario fan game, I used mario as a temporary sprite.
and for the "enemies that dont fall", if you just see the first few seconds of my game, you can see two twisty's that go right and fall 2 times.


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## TheStump (Mar 25, 2008)

hmm, not to sound rude man, but Psyfira is absolutely right.  You development process seems to be really "underdeveloped".  It really looks like you haven't sat down and planned what you are doing, eg. Story, Original Code, Characters, Enemy, Target Audience etc.  those are just really simple ones of the top of my head.

Also you said you haven't seen any good Platformer games in Flash.  I really don't think you have researched you medium well enough my friend.  Even browsing Newgrounds would prove you wrong.

Now don't get me wrong, i think its great that your doing this project, but to be really honest, Psyfira was being 'nice' and truthful, but i'll be a little harsher to get the point across.  You are thinking way ahead of yourself, if like you say, your game 'engine' is near completion then your have some serious considerations to make.  From mostly everyone's point of view besides yours, this game is generic, underdeveloped, confusing, buggy, and looks like it was made over a weeks time.  Now i understand you are learning still and thats fine, but you are approaching this project as if someone is going to actually buy it and people are going to talk about it in your newspaper.  Tell me how your would possibly publicize it and get people to notice it.  This is just one of the things you are lacking, marketing.

Basically what i am seeing is; a tweaked existing code (which you have still failed to site), with popular generic graphics, pointless gameplay and poorly executed.

Im saying this to you now because thats what i see, i'm not going to be your mom and say you did a good job, i'd rather you hear it from an random then getting blasted by someone when you try to pitch it to them to publish it, or even as folio work.

I've looked at your todo list ands it seems to be missing things like UI, heath bars, alternate enemy sizes and stats, a concept etc.
Even little things that when looking at your project it shows you haven't really sat down and planned.  You are just winging it, which is why not many people are taking your game seriosuly.

Good luck, none the less, but as Psyfira said you are still learning, don't expect this game to sell or even have custom sprites made for it.  First finish your concept developing stages before you even bother with coding an engine.  If you want some help with indy developing, maybe you should talk to GBAtemp's member TakaM., he is currently in the process of making a 2D platformer game based on Twinsen (from an old PC title Little Big Adventure). http://takam.wordpress.com/downloads/

He might be willing to give you a few pointers. ("might")


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## techforumz (Mar 26, 2008)

Ok, well, what do you want? I thought it was a real game. It looks promising, but I don't care too much for flash games. I'll try to make you something just the same. If I may, though, the levels are completely unorganized. Sorry, but it's the truth. And the way you CAN'T jump on Goombas like on ALL mario games (except SMB2, which sucked), is really confusing. My suggestion, grab some paper, and draw out all your levels, then put them in your Flash program.


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## myuusmeow (Mar 28, 2008)

test84 said:
			
		

> and for the "enemies that dont fall", if you just see the first few seconds of my game, you can see two twisty's that go right and fall 2 times.


I meant the enemies that don't fall as a "feature", not like it was absent.


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## test84 (Jul 25, 2008)

I was searching for pixel artists for my game that I found this great article, its recommended to every programmer who ever thoughts about searching for pixel artists.

Here it is:
How to bootstrap your indie art needs. @ LostGarden.com


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## dinofan01 (Jul 25, 2008)

why not just use the spriters resource


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## test84 (Jul 25, 2008)

thnx but that site doesnt load for me or D.F. .


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## silent sniper (Jul 26, 2008)

Twiffles said:
			
		

> Hmmm, I got a place. Love the sprites the guys make here. http://pixeltendo.net/


DON'T go to pixeltendo. those guys are a bunch of faggots.

go to www.spriters-resource.com and use their forums. Pixeltendo WAS spriters resources forums at a time, but since the place became a shithole filled with pricks, Dazz (tSR's webmaster) decided to create a new forum, it's a nicer place, less members than PT, but again, nicer.\


edit: tSR's server has been coming and going recently, try again often


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## EmeraldEx (Jul 26, 2008)

No, Silent Sniper, you're a faggot.

Don't go to Pixeltendo because they're not going to do your work FOR YOU. 

If you want pixel work done either learn yourself or pay somebody.


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## psycoblaster (Jul 27, 2008)

well first of all, graphics would come last before a finished game.
why don't you develop your game until you think it's in the final release stage, and then look for a pixel artist that is willing to redraw some sprites for you?

I mean - just think about it - if a pixel artist draws everything for you and you can't finish your game, then what was the point of the artist to make sprites for you???

wel but if you need a pixel artist, try .takaM from http://takam.wordpress.com/
he's one of the best pixel artist I have ever seen.


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## .TakaM (Jul 27, 2008)

I mean no offense, but if you emailed me with this as a proposal I'd pass.
You've got a solid start to the engine, but at the moment I can't really see much of a plan behind it.


So let's get into it.
At the moment you really do have the basics, running, jumping and climbing.
First of all, they'll all require specific animations, then all those animations will require transitions such as landing, reaching the top of the ladder, turning around while standing/jumping etc.
then think about things like what if you get hurt while turning around, which direction will the players sprite revert to? Will the next time the player turns have the animation executed correctly?
For Twinsen we still don't have his movements 100% correct, there are a few small glitches that occur under specific scenarios that are tough to iron out.


Basically, you need to plan, plan, plan.
We started Twinsen with barely any plans, just about everything has changed since then, and I've had to redo pretty much everything at least twice.
It might seem easier just making it as you go, but it's much easier to have a comprehensive plan in the long run



And finally, about finding a spriter.
I think it's a bit premature to recruit anyone right now. It would take about 30 minutes to make original graphics for everything in your build so far.
When you have a complex and versatile engine I'd recommend the pixeltendo forums, just about everyone there is an amateur in highschool with plenty of free time, not everyone there is very good, but there's a handful of people with real potential.


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## test84 (Jul 28, 2008)

Thank you .Takam,
I do know what I'm gonna make but since my vision of this platform game is vague for me, whenever I see a feature somewhere in a platform game, I start adding it to my TODO list so "Maybe we need slope tiles" or "Maybe we need upward shooting" and so I'm kinda building a 2D platform engine if you want my opinion instead of my game and currently stuck for 12 days rewriting like 75% of code (which is ALOT of lines).

I know the concept of my game but can't decide between type of platform games, I personally want to make it less action and more atmospheric (because of my theme & its music) but I'm a little afraid not to be able to deliver such atmosphere with just graphic, music, sound FX and I'm adding shooting and stuff.

"I" don't think even I need scrolling but since its my first game (if you don't count my Snake with C) I think I have to do theses normal enemy things that I dont really want.

I'm sure you know David Cage (the guy behind Fahrenheit), I'm after doing making such game, to deliver emotion and atmosphere (like Nifflas's WaDF or Knytt) rather than mario type action platformer since the thing I want to deliver is no "fun".

I know I have to sit down and define a structure for my game and follow it but I can't.
I read some articles at GamaSutra (which is recommended BADLY to anyone) but still can't find my way. I know of iterative software cycle (I'm a Software Eng.) but I have to set a first brick in order to build the rest with it and can't decide.

And since I'm so lonesome in this project, I was very happy to see you guy's posts here.


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## Endogene (Jul 28, 2008)

engine goes first, use placeholders until you're done with the engine


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## test84 (Jul 28, 2008)

the problem is features that I don't know to add or no, I have a big TODO list now that I don't know that my game will use them or not!


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