Tips on Sprite creation in the Hexen game/engine (Just some topics to keep in mind, I'll add more as I remember them) There are some points that I would like to leave a bit clearer: - When making a new sprite for hexen, you must first study the original ones, and try hard to make it with as much resemblence as possible with the existing ones. This is important because with today?s tools, there are effects (like Blur, for example) that will make the sprites look completely different than the old Hexen?s ones (that appear much more hand made). - Be aware of the colors you use to make the mods or new sprites: in Hexen, the only colors allowed are the ones from the original engine (Hexen?s Palette). Even though the WAD itself will accept any graphic in 256 colors, the game will convert the graphics automaticly, something that can really make the sprites look completely artificial. You must realize that every sprite should be according to the Hexen?s Palette in it?s final stage, so you can have a precise view of how it?ll look in the game. - Study the proportions of existing monsters and player?s sprites when you are about to make a new NPC. Hexen?s monsters have in general small height comparing to the width. Take the Ettin, for example: it has huge shoulders and a big torso, but have tiny legs, that doesn?t fit into his overall body proportion. I guess this fact is due to Hexen?s engine low resolution, where the creators had to make detailed monsters in such a small sprite, so they wouldn?t look like giants just to have the details. So they somehow distorted the proportions of every sprite (even the Chas serpents, the Warrior or the Cenaturs have small legs and big torsos), focusing more on the head and torso, and less in the lower body (probably because it?s a First Person Shooter and the legs won?t be seen as much as will the upper body in the player point of view). This is important for the sprite creation: since we are focusing in humans, it gets hard at times to draw them ?solid? enough to blend in Hexen?s world, without having to be ?fat? and small ? if you draw humans the normal way, they will look way to tall and thin in the game, so you have to take care with those proportions. - When making new weapons graphics, you have to take great care on how the animation goes along, because the weapons sprtes are in your face, and if the frames doesn't fit togheter, lack in flow or have something wrong, the player WILL notice and it will make the fun of that weapon decrease...

- Probably the best way to come up with detailed characters, with "realistic" graphics (in terms of Hexen's sprites), is to work on the NPC in two different sizes: . All the new characters I made were constructed first in a much larger state (something like 180 height), with somewhat simplified shadows, so that when resized, the pic will look better than it would if the bigger drawing had too much details. Still, one thing to keep in mind is the color you choose - If you choose a color that is too far from the ones in Hexen's pallete, it will get totally destroyed and distorted once will aplly it, meaning that a good thing to do BEFORE start that shadowing is to aplly the palette once the colors are choosen and on the NPC. If it match with Hexen in a regular fashion, then proceed with the editting safely. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> When the koraxdev gets up, I'll post more on the subject. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Also, some colors have a lot of shades to it. In other words, there are at least 16 reds, grays, blues, etc. of varying brightness. This will allow you to make better looking sprites using those colors. Other good colors are green-gray (mossy stone), blue-gray (ice), wood brown, blue, yellow, and green. Colors like purple, crimson, and fire just don't have nearly enough colors to use effectively, except for trim, decorations, and other effects.

Absolutely right. I once made a dress for a woman NPC that looked good in real size and 16 million colors, but when I resized it and apllied the Hexen's palette, it would look really bad, because the original had a light blue base color, so all the little variations of light-blue didn't exist in Hexen's palette and the dress was very roughly simplified... That's why I also said that you should save your work all the time and test it in it's final size AND after being applied the Hexen's palette - do it often to keep control on the final result of your sprite.

I put some sprites in Dark Realms, but the truth is I didn't make them: I borrowed them from DOOM and Heretic, then changed the colour scheme. They look good, but I think I'd be happier if I put in sprites that actually are my own. I'd like to, but my PSP shareware license expired and the only alternative program on my computer is Paintbrush.

There are some pretty good alternatives arond the web. There's this one freeware graphics program called GIMP that is great, resembling Photoshop a lot (you can find it in Tucows.com). It's aroud 20 mega, so if you want something smaller, you can also find there some very good programs that are free or shareware. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->