The Battle for Wesnoth Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:Irrevenant

2008-05-06T13:36:45Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Add Jetryl's recent posts to the wiki.
* Finish the [[Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the [[Talk:Faction:Free_Goblins|Faction Talk page]]).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Started - needs Elves & Dwarves added]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a [[Good Ideas]] wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum. [Started]
* Create a backstab attack animation for the Thief. [Draft one done]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept].
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer.
* Created new castle & village icons (from existing Wesnoth art) for the Map Editor.

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

Wesnoth Acronyms and Slang

2008-01-10T19:14:58Z

Irrevenant: /* Forum Language */

Use the following list to demystify the various (mostly wesnoth specific) acronyms you may run into at the forum.



== Official Campaigns ==

*EI - "The Eastern Invasion" (campaign name)
*HttT - "Heir to the Throne" (campaign name)
** BoP - "Bay of Pearls" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** DD - "Dwarven Doors" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** HotNE - "Home of the North Elves" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** IotD - "Isle of the Damned" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** RtW - "Return to Wesnoth" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** SoE - "Siege of Elensefar" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** SoF - "Scepter of Fire" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** TotC - "Test of the Clans" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** VoD - "Valley of Death" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
*TSG - "The South Guard" (campaign name)
*TRoW - "The Rise of Wesnoth" (campaign name)
*TB - "A Tale of Two Brothers" (campaign name)
*UtBS - "Under the Burning Suns" (campaign name)
*SoF - "Scepter of Fire (campaign name)
*DiD - "Descent into Darkness" (campaign name)
*NR - "Northern Rebirth" (campaign name)
*SotBE - "Son of the Black Eye" (campaign name)

== Unofficial Campaigns ==

*FtF - "Flight to Freedom" (campaign name)
*IftU - "Invasion from the Unknown" (campaign name)
*LoW - "Legends of Wesmere" (campaign name)
*SE - "Saving Elensefar" (campaign name)

== Forum Language ==

*AMLA - After Maximum Level Advancement
*AoH - Age of Heroes
*BfW - Battle for Wesnoth (the name of the game)
*BWH - Been suggested before. We think it's a good idea. Hope to add it eventually.
*CABD - Can Already Be Done. eg. You can create a unit ability yourself via WML.
*CtH - Chance to Hit (also C2H)
*CtBH - Chance to Be Hit (also C2BH)
*CtK - Chance to Kill (also C2K)
*CtBK - Chance to Be Killed (also C2BK)
*CVS - Old term for up-to-date Wesnoth: [[WesnothCVS]]
*DA - Dark Adept (a unit from the Undead faction)
*EP - Elvish Pillager, moderator and great man :) at forum
*FoW - Fog of War (i.e. fog)
*FFA - Free For All (playing a map with >2 players without teams)
*FPI - Frequently Posted Idea (read the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1158|FPI Post] from the Ideas Forum)
*HANE—EtH - Hexes Are Not Evil - Embrace the Hex
*HAPMA - Hexes Are Possibly Miles Across - http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1882
*HI - Heavy Infantryman (a unit from the Loyalist faction)
*HP - Hit points
*IIRWIIR - It Is Ready When It Is Ready
*KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid: Applies to coding, not game rules (although indirectly it does): see [[WesnothPhilosophy]]
*MP - Movement Points
*MP - Multiplayer
*MoL - Mage of Light
*N3T - No 3-Teams; A belief stating that contests between three equal and opposing forces are inherently unbalanced
*OAB - Options Are Bad; In reference to gameplay, not user interface options. Mostly used by Turin. See also [[FrequentlyProposedIdeas]] (idea #1)
*OFWRA - Old Flame War Revival Alert; In other words, we have discussed this before and have no interest in discussing it again, especially if it got ugly
* OOS - Out Of Synch - an error generated by Wesnoth. OOS errors occur when game data for one player is different/incompatible from the others
*OT - Off Topic: can refer to either the forum (http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=11) or spam
*RiPLIB - Reduction in Power when Levelling Is Bad: means that when a unit upgrades, at least one of its options should be strictly superior to the original unit. [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1423 Reference 1] / [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7205 Reference 2]
*RNG - Random Number Generator : used by Wesnoth to determine whether attacks are successful or not
*RPG - Role Playing Game - [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4385 1)] Wesnoth's experience system. <nowiki>2)</nowiki> An "RPG-style" game on the MP server means the primary focus will be walking your leader-units through a scripted storyline involving map exploration and lots of WML.
*RtFM - Read the Manual
*RTS - Real Time Strategy Game - not Wesnoth
*SP - Single Player (Campaigns)
*SVN - Term for up-to-date Wesnoth [[WesnothSVN]] ([[What_Is_SVN]])
*TBS - Turn Based Strategy Game - Wesnoth
*ToD - Time of Day
*TWP - The Wesnoth Philosophy: [[WesnothPhilosophy]]
*UMC - User Made Campaign (any campaign not packaged with Wesnoth)
*WC - Walking Corpses
*WICOT - WML is capable of this (the requested feature is already possible to script, so no need to hard-code it in C++)
*WINR - Wesnoth Is Not Realistic
*WIN_ - Wesnoth Is Not... (Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, medieval Europe, an RPG, a wargame, a war simulation, etc.)
*WML - Wesnoth Markup Language: [[ReferenceWML]]
*XP - Experience
*ZoC - Zone of Control

== General Acronyms ==

*AFaICT - As Far as I Can Tell (A statement with a disclaimer on truthfulness)
*AFaIK - As Far as I Know (A statement with a disclaimer on truthfulness)
*AfK - Away from the Keyboard
*ASaP - As Soon as Possible
*BRB - Be Right Back
*BtW - By the Way (A statement with a disclaimer on relevance)
*EV - Expected Value
*FYI - For Your Information
*GtG - Got to Go
*IIRC - If I Recall Correctly (A statement with a disclaimer on truthfulness)
*IMHO - In My Humble Opinion (A statement with a disclaimer on objectiveness)
*IMO - In My Opinion (A statement with a disclaimer on objectiveness)
*LTNS - Long Time No See
*OMG - Oh My God
*OtOH - On the Other Hand (A contrast)
*RotFL - Rolling on the Floor Laughing; also RoFL
*RNG - Random Number Generator
*NYSPoS - No, You Stupid Piece of **** (An impolite refutation hidden in an acronym)

== See Also ==

* [[WesnothAcronyms(alphabetic)|Wesnoth Acronyms (alphabetic)]] - common wesnothian acronyms explained

Wesnoth Acronyms and Slang

2008-01-10T19:09:22Z

Irrevenant: /* Forum Language */ +OOS

Use the following list to demystify the various (mostly wesnoth specific) acronyms you may run into at the forum.



== Official Campaigns ==

*EI - "The Eastern Invasion" (campaign name)
*HttT - "Heir to the Throne" (campaign name)
** BoP - "Bay of Pearls" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** DD - "Dwarven Doors" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** HotNE - "Home of the North Elves" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** IotD - "Isle of the Damned" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** RtW - "Return to Wesnoth" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** SoE - "Siege of Elensefar" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** SoF - "Scepter of Fire" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** TotC - "Test of the Clans" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
** VoD - "Valley of Death" (scenario in "Heir to the Throne" campaign)
*TSG - "The South Guard" (campaign name)
*TRoW - "The Rise of Wesnoth" (campaign name)
*TB - "A Tale of Two Brothers" (campaign name)
*UtBS - "Under the Burning Suns" (campaign name)
*SoF - "Scepter of Fire (campaign name)
*DiD - "Descent into Darkness" (campaign name)
*NR - "Northern Rebirth" (campaign name)
*SotBE - "Son of the Black Eye" (campaign name)

== Unofficial Campaigns ==

*FtF - "Flight to Freedom" (campaign name)
*IftU - "Invasion from the Unknown" (campaign name)
*LoW - "Legends of Wesmere" (campaign name)
*SE - "Saving Elensefar" (campaign name)

== Forum Language ==

*AMLA - After Maximum Level Advancement
*AoH - Age of Heroes
*BfW - Battle for Wesnoth (the name of the game)
*BWH - Been suggested before. We think it's a good idea. Hope to add it eventually.
*CABD - Can Already Be Done. eg. You can create a unit ability yourself via WML.
*CtH - Chance to Hit (also C2H)
*CtBH - Chance to Be Hit (also C2BH)
*CtK - Chance to Kill (also C2K)
*CtBK - Chance to Be Killed (also C2BK)
*CVS - Old term for up-to-date Wesnoth: [[WesnothCVS]]
*DA - Dark Adept (a unit from the Undead faction)
*EP - Elvish Pillager, moderator and great man :) at forum
*FoW - Fog of War (i.e. fog)
*FFA - Free For All (playing a map with >2 players without teams)
*FPI - Frequently Posted Idea (read the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1158|FPI Post] from the Ideas Forum)
*HANE—EtH - Hexes Are Not Evil - Embrace the Hex
*HAPMA - Hexes Are Possibly Miles Across - http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1882
*HI - Heavy Infantryman (a unit from the Loyalist faction)
*HP - Hit points
*IIRWIIR - It Is Ready When It Is Ready
*KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid: Applies to coding, not game rules (although indirectly it does): see [[WesnothPhilosophy]]
*MP - Movement Points
*MP - Multiplayer
*MoL - Mage of Light
*N3T - No 3-Teams; A belief stating that contests between three equal and opposing forces are inherently unbalanced
*OAB - Options Are Bad; In reference to gameplay, not user interface options. Mostly used by Turin. See also [[FrequentlyProposedIdeas]] (idea #1)
*OFWRA - Old Flame War Revival Alert; In other words, we have discussed this before and have no interest in discussing it again, especially if it got ugly
* OOS - Out Of Synch - an error generated by Wesnoth when the Wesnoth game data differs between players in a multiplayer game
*OT - Off Topic: can refer to either the forum (http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=11) or spam
*RiPLIB - Reduction in Power when Levelling Is Bad: means that when a unit upgrades, at least one of its options should be strictly superior to the original unit. [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1423 Reference 1] / [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7205 Reference 2]
*RNG - Random Number Generator : used by Wesnoth to determine whether attacks are successful or not
*RPG - Role Playing Game - [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4385 1)] Wesnoth's experience system. <nowiki>2)</nowiki> An "RPG-style" game on the MP server means the primary focus will be walking your leader-units through a scripted storyline involving map exploration and lots of WML.
*RtFM - Read the Manual
*RTS - Real Time Strategy Game - not Wesnoth
*SP - Single Player (Campaigns)
*SVN - Term for up-to-date Wesnoth [[WesnothSVN]] ([[What_Is_SVN]])
*TBS - Turn Based Strategy Game - Wesnoth
*ToD - Time of Day
*TWP - The Wesnoth Philosophy: [[WesnothPhilosophy]]
*UMC - User Made Campaign (any campaign not packaged with Wesnoth)
*WC - Walking Corpses
*WICOT - WML is capable of this (the requested feature is already possible to script, so no need to hard-code it in C++)
*WINR - Wesnoth Is Not Realistic
*WIN_ - Wesnoth Is Not... (Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, medieval Europe, an RPG, a wargame, a war simulation, etc.)
*WML - Wesnoth Markup Language: [[ReferenceWML]]
*XP - Experience
*ZoC - Zone of Control

== General Acronyms ==

*AFaICT - As Far as I Can Tell (A statement with a disclaimer on truthfulness)
*AFaIK - As Far as I Know (A statement with a disclaimer on truthfulness)
*AfK - Away from the Keyboard
*ASaP - As Soon as Possible
*BRB - Be Right Back
*BtW - By the Way (A statement with a disclaimer on relevance)
*EV - Expected Value
*FYI - For Your Information
*GtG - Got to Go
*IIRC - If I Recall Correctly (A statement with a disclaimer on truthfulness)
*IMHO - In My Humble Opinion (A statement with a disclaimer on objectiveness)
*IMO - In My Opinion (A statement with a disclaimer on objectiveness)
*LTNS - Long Time No See
*OMG - Oh My God
*OtOH - On the Other Hand (A contrast)
*RotFL - Rolling on the Floor Laughing; also RoFL
*RNG - Random Number Generator
*NYSPoS - No, You Stupid Piece of **** (An impolite refutation hidden in an acronym)

== See Also ==

* [[WesnothAcronyms(alphabetic)|Wesnoth Acronyms (alphabetic)]] - common wesnothian acronyms explained

User:Irrevenant

2007-12-20T23:26:03Z

Irrevenant: /* Game Stuff */ +Map Editor stuff

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the [[Talk:Faction:Free_Goblins|Faction Talk page]]).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Started - needs Elves & Dwarves added]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a [[Good Ideas]] wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum. [Started]
* Create a backstab attack animation for the Thief. [Draft one done]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept].
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer.
* Created new castle & village icons (from existing Wesnoth art) for the Map Editor.

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-11-25T20:58:28Z

Irrevenant: spacing & grammar tweaks.

== Intro: An attempt at spriting==
by [[user:Wayfarer alias Shadow|Wayfarer]]

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here. (The different sprite at the end is just there for size comparison purposes).

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start molding the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actually, doesn't look bad does it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools: sponge, dodge and burn.

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png

(Dodge and burn are available in both The GIMP and Photoshop - sponge is only available in Photoshop). You should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Use rough edges. Straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough.
* Show stuff moving - use wind as another artistic tool.
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit take a break from the brush tool and use the pencil and add some straight lines, especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like embroidery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Template:WML Tags

2007-11-14T12:24:04Z

Irrevenant: +[damage]

{| class="gallery" style="width:175px;float: right;border: 1px solid #B48648; color:#B48648; font-size: 7pt;margin-left;10px;"
|-
|
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:WML Tags|action=edit}} edit ]
'''WML Tags'''

|-
|''A:''
[[AbilitiesWML|abilities]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Babout.5D_tag|about]],
[[UnitWML|advancefrom]],
[[UnitWML|advancement]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|advances]],
[[AiWML|ai]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_recruit]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_undo]],
[[VariablesWML|array]],
[[AttackWML|attack]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|attacks]],
[[AiWML|avoid]];
|-
|''B:''
[[UnitWML|base_unit]],[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bbinary_path.5D_tag|binary_path]],[[HelpWML|bold]];
|-
|''C:''
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bcampaign.5D_tag|campaign]], [[DirectActionsWML|capture_village]], [[ReplayWML|choose]],
[[InternalActionsWML|clear_variable]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|colour_adjust]],
[[ReplayWML|command]];
|-
|''D:''
[[AbilitiesWML|damage]],[[StatisticalScenarioWML|deaths]],[[InterfaceActionsWML|debug_message]],[[UnitWML|defend]],[[StatisticalScenarioWML|defends]],
[[UnitWML|defense]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|delay]],
[[ReplayWML|destination]],
[[DirectActionsWML|disallow_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|do]];
|-
|''E:''
[[EffectWML|effect]],[[InternalActionsWML|else]],[[ReplayWML|end_turn]],
[[DirectActionsWML|endlevel]],
[[EraWML|era]],
[[EventWML|event]],
[[ThemeWML|expenses]];
|-
|''F:''
[[FilterWML|filter]], [[FilterWML|filter_location]], [[FilterWML|filter_second]], [[HelpWML|format]], [[AttackWML|frame]];
|-
|''G:''
[[GameConfigWML|game_config]], [[ScenarioWML|generator]], [[DirectActionsWML|gold]], [[ThemeWML|gold]];
|-
|''H:''
[[InternalActionsWML|have_unit]], [[HelpWML|header]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|hide_unit]];
|-
|''I:''
[[InternalActionsWML|if]], [[TimeWML|illuminated_time]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|image]],
[[HelpWML|img]], [[ThemeWML|income]], [[HelpWML|italic]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|item]];
|-
|''J:''
[[HelpWML|jump]];
|-
|''K:''
[[DirectActionsWML|kill]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|killed]];
|-
|''L:''
[[LabelWML|label]] ([[InterfaceActionsWML|map]], [[ThemeWML|theme]]), [[LanguageWML|language]], [[AiWML|leader_goal]];
|-
|''M:''
[[ThemeWML|main_map]],[[ThemeWML|menu]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|message]], [[ThemeWML|mini_map]],
[[AttackWML|missile_frame]], [[SingleUnitWML|modifications]], [[DirectActionsWML|modify_side]],
[[DirectActionsWML|modify_turns]], [[ReplayWML|move]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|move_unit_fake]], [[UnitWML|movement costs]],
[[UnitsWML|movetype]], [[ScenarioWML|multiplayer]], [[EraWML|multiplayer_side]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|music]];
|-
|''N:''
[[FilterWML|not]], [[ThemeWML|num_units]];
|-
|''O:''
[[DirectActionsWML|object]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objectives]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objective]],
[[ThemeWML|observers]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|option]], [[InternalActionsWML|or]];
|-
|''P:''
[[ThemeWML|panel]], [[IntroWML|part]], [[DirectActionsWML|place_shroud]], [[ThemeWML|position]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|print]], [[AiWML|protect_location]], [[AiWML|protect_unit]];
|-
|''R:''
[[UnitsWML|race]], [[ReplayWML|random]], [[ReplayWML|recall]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recalls]],
[[ReplayWML|recruit]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recruits]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|redraw]],
[[HelpWML|ref]], [[DirectActionsWML|remove_shroud]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|remove_unit_overlay]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|removeitem]], [[SavefileWML|replay]], [[SavefileWML|replay_start]],
[[UnitWML|resistance]], [[ThemeWML|resolution]], [[ReplayWML|results]], [[InternalActionsWML|role]];
|-
|''S:''
[[SavefileWML|save]], [[ScenarioWML|scenario]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to_unit]], [[HelpWML|section]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML#.5Bset_menu_item.5D_.28SVN_trunk_only.29|set_menu_item]], [[DirectActionsWML|set_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|set_variable]], [[SideWML|side]], [[ThemeWML|side_playing]], [[SavefileWML|snapshot]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|sound]], [[ReplayWML|source]], [[AbilitiesWMLTechnical1.1.3|specials]], [[EventWML|special_filter]], [[EventWML|special_filter_second]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bstatistics.5D_tag|statistics]],
[[ThemeWML|status]], [[DirectActionsWML|stone]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_gold]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_locations]],
[[InternalActionsWML|store_starting_location]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_side]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_unit]], [[IntroWML|story]];
|-
|''T:''
[[AiWML|target]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bteam.5D_tag|team]],
[[DirectActionsWML|teleport]], [[UnitWML|teleport_anim]],
[[TerrainWML|terrain]], [[DirectActionsWML|terrain]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|terrain_graphics]], [[TerrainMaskWML|terrain_mask]], [[ScenarioWML#Test_scenario|test]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Btextdomain.5D_tag|textdomain]], [[ThemeWML|theme]], [[InternalActionsWML|then]],
[[TerrainGraphicsWML|tile]], [[TimeWML|time]], [[ScenarioWML|time_area]], [[ThemeWML|time_of_day]],
[[HelpWML|topic]], [[HelpWML|toplevel]], [[SingleUnitWML|trait]], [[ThemeWML|turn]], [[ScenarioWML|tutorial]];
|-
|''U:''
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unhide_unit]], unit ([[UnitWML|define]], [[SingleUnitWML|create]]),
[[ThemeWML|unit_abilities]], [[ThemeWML|unit_alignment]], [[ThemeWML|unit_description]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_hp]], [[ThemeWML|unit_image]], [[ThemeWML|unit_level]], [[ThemeWML|unit_moves]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unit_overlay]], [[ThemeWML|unit_profile]], [[ThemeWML|unit_status]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_traits]], [[ThemeWML|unit_type]], [[ThemeWML|unit_weapons]], [[ThemeWML|unit_xp]],
[[UnitsWML|units]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstone]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstore_unit]], [[ThemeWML|upkeep]];
|-
| ''V:''
[[InternalActionsWML|variable]], [[VariablesWML|variables]], [[SideWML|village]], [[ThemeWML|villages]];
|-
| ''W:''
[[InternalActionsWML|while]], [[FilterWML|wml_filter]]
|}

Template:WML Tags

2007-11-14T10:55:49Z

Irrevenant: +[special_filter] & [special_filter_second]

{| class="gallery" style="width:175px;float: right;border: 1px solid #B48648; color:#B48648; font-size: 7pt;margin-left;10px;"
|-
|
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:WML Tags|action=edit}} edit ]
'''WML Tags'''

|-
|''A:''
[[AbilitiesWML|abilities]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Babout.5D_tag|about]],
[[UnitWML|advancefrom]],
[[UnitWML|advancement]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|advances]],
[[AiWML|ai]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_recruit]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_undo]],
[[VariablesWML|array]],
[[AttackWML|attack]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|attacks]],
[[AiWML|avoid]];
|-
|''B:''
[[UnitWML|base_unit]],[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bbinary_path.5D_tag|binary_path]],[[HelpWML|bold]];
|-
|''C:''
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bcampaign.5D_tag|campaign]], [[DirectActionsWML|capture_village]], [[ReplayWML|choose]],
[[InternalActionsWML|clear_variable]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|colour_adjust]],
[[ReplayWML|command]];
|-
|''D:''
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|deaths]],[[InterfaceActionsWML|debug_message]],[[UnitWML|defend]],[[StatisticalScenarioWML|defends]],
[[UnitWML|defense]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|delay]],
[[ReplayWML|destination]],
[[DirectActionsWML|disallow_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|do]];
|-
|''E:''
[[EffectWML|effect]],[[InternalActionsWML|else]],[[ReplayWML|end_turn]],
[[DirectActionsWML|endlevel]],
[[EraWML|era]],
[[EventWML|event]],
[[ThemeWML|expenses]];
|-
|''F:''
[[FilterWML|filter]], [[FilterWML|filter_location]], [[FilterWML|filter_second]], [[HelpWML|format]], [[AttackWML|frame]];
|-
|''G:''
[[GameConfigWML|game_config]], [[ScenarioWML|generator]], [[DirectActionsWML|gold]], [[ThemeWML|gold]];
|-
|''H:''
[[InternalActionsWML|have_unit]], [[HelpWML|header]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|hide_unit]];
|-
|''I:''
[[InternalActionsWML|if]], [[TimeWML|illuminated_time]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|image]],
[[HelpWML|img]], [[ThemeWML|income]], [[HelpWML|italic]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|item]];
|-
|''J:''
[[HelpWML|jump]];
|-
|''K:''
[[DirectActionsWML|kill]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|killed]];
|-
|''L:''
[[LabelWML|label]] ([[InterfaceActionsWML|map]], [[ThemeWML|theme]]), [[LanguageWML|language]], [[AiWML|leader_goal]];
|-
|''M:''
[[ThemeWML|main_map]],[[ThemeWML|menu]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|message]], [[ThemeWML|mini_map]],
[[AttackWML|missile_frame]], [[SingleUnitWML|modifications]], [[DirectActionsWML|modify_side]],
[[DirectActionsWML|modify_turns]], [[ReplayWML|move]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|move_unit_fake]], [[UnitWML|movement costs]],
[[UnitsWML|movetype]], [[ScenarioWML|multiplayer]], [[EraWML|multiplayer_side]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|music]];
|-
|''N:''
[[FilterWML|not]], [[ThemeWML|num_units]];
|-
|''O:''
[[DirectActionsWML|object]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objectives]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objective]],
[[ThemeWML|observers]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|option]], [[InternalActionsWML|or]];
|-
|''P:''
[[ThemeWML|panel]], [[IntroWML|part]], [[DirectActionsWML|place_shroud]], [[ThemeWML|position]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|print]], [[AiWML|protect_location]], [[AiWML|protect_unit]];
|-
|''R:''
[[UnitsWML|race]], [[ReplayWML|random]], [[ReplayWML|recall]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recalls]],
[[ReplayWML|recruit]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recruits]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|redraw]],
[[HelpWML|ref]], [[DirectActionsWML|remove_shroud]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|remove_unit_overlay]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|removeitem]], [[SavefileWML|replay]], [[SavefileWML|replay_start]],
[[UnitWML|resistance]], [[ThemeWML|resolution]], [[ReplayWML|results]], [[InternalActionsWML|role]];
|-
|''S:''
[[SavefileWML|save]], [[ScenarioWML|scenario]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to_unit]], [[HelpWML|section]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML#.5Bset_menu_item.5D_.28SVN_trunk_only.29|set_menu_item]], [[DirectActionsWML|set_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|set_variable]], [[SideWML|side]], [[ThemeWML|side_playing]], [[SavefileWML|snapshot]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|sound]], [[ReplayWML|source]], [[AbilitiesWMLTechnical1.1.3|specials]], [[EventWML|special_filter]], [[EventWML|special_filter_second]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bstatistics.5D_tag|statistics]],
[[ThemeWML|status]], [[DirectActionsWML|stone]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_gold]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_locations]],
[[InternalActionsWML|store_starting_location]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_side]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_unit]], [[IntroWML|story]];
|-
|''T:''
[[AiWML|target]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bteam.5D_tag|team]],
[[DirectActionsWML|teleport]], [[UnitWML|teleport_anim]],
[[TerrainWML|terrain]], [[DirectActionsWML|terrain]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|terrain_graphics]], [[TerrainMaskWML|terrain_mask]], [[ScenarioWML#Test_scenario|test]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Btextdomain.5D_tag|textdomain]], [[ThemeWML|theme]], [[InternalActionsWML|then]],
[[TerrainGraphicsWML|tile]], [[TimeWML|time]], [[ScenarioWML|time_area]], [[ThemeWML|time_of_day]],
[[HelpWML|topic]], [[HelpWML|toplevel]], [[SingleUnitWML|trait]], [[ThemeWML|turn]], [[ScenarioWML|tutorial]];
|-
|''U:''
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unhide_unit]], unit ([[UnitWML|define]], [[SingleUnitWML|create]]),
[[ThemeWML|unit_abilities]], [[ThemeWML|unit_alignment]], [[ThemeWML|unit_description]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_hp]], [[ThemeWML|unit_image]], [[ThemeWML|unit_level]], [[ThemeWML|unit_moves]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unit_overlay]], [[ThemeWML|unit_profile]], [[ThemeWML|unit_status]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_traits]], [[ThemeWML|unit_type]], [[ThemeWML|unit_weapons]], [[ThemeWML|unit_xp]],
[[UnitsWML|units]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstone]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstore_unit]], [[ThemeWML|upkeep]];
|-
| ''V:''
[[InternalActionsWML|variable]], [[VariablesWML|variables]], [[SideWML|village]], [[ThemeWML|villages]];
|-
| ''W:''
[[InternalActionsWML|while]], [[FilterWML|wml_filter]]
|}

FilterWML

2007-11-14T10:53:30Z

Irrevenant: /* Filtering Weapons */ Updated info re: filtering weapons - possible in a few places now.

{{WML Tags}}
== Filtering in WML ==

A ''filter'' is a special WML block.
Filters are used to describe a set of units, hexes, or weapons.
Filters are defined as matching something if all the keys in the filter match that thing.
For example, if a unit filter contains two keys,
a unit must match both of the keys in order to match the filter.

== Filtering Units ==

Filters are often used in action tags (see [[EventWML]]).
In this case the phrase "standard unit filter" is used in place of the set of standard keys.
Sometimes a filter is used to find the first unit that matches the filter;
for example, the '''[recall]''' tag recalls that unit.

Standard unit filters are also used in the tags '''[filter]''' and '''[filter_second]'''.
These are subtags of '''[event]''' which describe when the event should trigger.
Most event names (see [[EventWML]]) have units related to them called "primary unit" and "secondary unit".
In order for an event to be triggered, ''primary unit'' must match the filter contained in '''[filter]''',
and ''secondary unit'' must match the filter contained in '''[filter_second]'''.

When a unit filter is applied to a map, first it applies to all units on the field,
based on their coordinates.
Next it applies to units in the recall list.
This is important to remember as it means, for example,
that the tag '''[kill]''' can be used to kill units in the recall list.

{{DevFeature}} : you can access the filtered unit within the filter as the ''$this_unit'' variable, see [[SingleUnitWML]] for the possible content of these variables

Any number of the following key/tags can be used in a standard unit filter:

* ''description'' unit matches the given description. This is the same as ''description'' in the [unit] tag. Note that it is independent of ''user_description'', which can be internationalized independent of this. See [[SingleUnitWML]].
* ''speaker'' alias for description
* ''type'' matches the unit's type name (can be a list of types)
* ''race'' the race of the unit type. Races are listed in the unit files ('''data/units/''')
* ''ability'' unit has a given ability; see [[AbilitiesWML]]
* ''side'' the unit is on the given side (can be a list)
* ''has_weapon'' the unit has a weapon with the given name
* ''canrecruit'' 1 if the unit can recruit (i.e. is a leader)
* ''gender'' female if the unit is female rather than the default of male
* ''role'' the unit has been assigned the given role; see '''[role]''', [[InternalActionsWML]]
* ''level'' the level of the unit
* ''x,y'' the position of the unit
* ''find_in'' name of an array or container variable; if present, the unit will not match unless it is also found stored in the variable {{DevFeature}}
* '''[wml_filter]''' {{DevFeature}} this is WML level filter for the unit. In it, you can filter on anything that is in the WML description of a unit. This description can be found in any savegame also in [[SingleUnitWML]].
* '''[and]''' an extra unit filter. Unless the unit also matches the [and] filter, then it will not count as a match. {{DevFeature}} ''Note: [and],[or], and [not] filters are considered after the containing filter; they are then processed in the order encountered.''
* '''[or]''' an extra unit filter. If a unit matches the [or] filter, then it will count as a match regardless of conditions in previous filters or the containing filter. {{DevFeature}}
* '''[not]''' an extra unit filter. If a unit matches the [not] filter, then that unit will not be considered a match by the containing filter.
* '''[filter_adjacent]''' {{DevFeature}} standard unit filter; if present the correct number of adjacent units must match this filter
** ''count'' - a number, range, or comma separated range; default "1-6"
** ''adjacent'' - a comma separated list of directions; default "n,ne,se,s,sw,nw"
** ''is_enemy'' - a boolean specifying whether the adjacent unit must be an enemy or an ally (optional)
* '''[filter_location]''' (in 1.2 a special filter / {{DevFeature}} standard location filter) - the tile that the unit is standing on matches the location filter.
** ''time_of_day'' filter matches only on a given time of day (one of lawful, chaotic or neutral).
** ''terrain'' comma separated list of terrains. If you are using terrain letters ([[TerrainLettersWML]]), then yes you must use commas to separate the terrains; this is different from the the '''[store_locations]''' tag or IF_TERRAIN macro (of utils.cfg)! So instead of "gfm", write "g,f,m" here.
** ''x,y'' the same as in the unit filter; supports any range {{DevFeature}}
** '''[filter]''' a standard unit filter; if present a unit must also be there {{DevFeature}}
** ''owner_side'' the side of the owner, if this location is an owned village. {{DevFeature}}
** ''find_in'' name of an array or container variable; if present, the location will not match unless it is also found stored in the variable {{DevFeature}}
** ''radius'' matches if any location within the radius matches this filter {{DevFeature}}
:If you aren't storing any locations successfully, it may be because you put the radius or filters in the wrong place for them to combine correctly.
[have_location]
terrain=Gg^Vh
[and]
x=$x1
y=$y1
radius=1
[/and]
[/have_location]

** '''[filter_radius]''' a standard location filter; normally the radius extends outwards from matching locations one step at a time without checking any additional information-- however, if this tag is present, the radius will be restricted so that it can only expand outwards in the directions where it passes the given location filter {{DevFeature}}
** '''[and]''' an extra location filter. Unless a location matches the [and] filter, then it will be excluded. {{DevFeature}} ''Note: [and],[or],and [not] extra location filters are considered after everything else in the containing filter (except radius, which is considered last in 1.3.8 and greater); they are then processed in the order encountered.''
** '''[or]''' an extra location filter. If a location matches the [or] filter, then it will count as a match regardless of conditions in previous filters or the containing filter. {{DevFeature}}
** '''[not]''' an extra location filter. If a location matches the [not] filter, then that location will be excluded. {{DevFeature}}
** '''[filter_adjacent_location]''' a standard location filter; if present the correct number of adjacent locations must match this filter {{DevFeature}}
*** ''count'' - a number, range, or comma separated range; default "1-6"
*** ''adjacent'' - a comma separated list of directions; default "n,ne,se,s,sw,nw"

* You are limited to having one ''description'', however this can be worked around. If you have several specific units you want excepted from matching, use a separate [not] subfilter for each one. If you want to match any of several specific units, you can apply DeMorgan's law and do the test by having a [not] subfilter and then below that another [not] subfilter for each unit you want included. For example to kill ([kill] uses the standard unit filter) all units except Gwiti Ha'atel and Tanar you can do the following:
[kill]
[not]
description=Gwiti Ha'atel
[/not]
[not]
description=Tanar
[/not]
[/kill]
:And similarly if you wanted to kill both Gwiti Ha'atel and Tanar, but no one else you could do the following:
[kill]
[not]
[not]
description=Gwiti Ha'atel
[/not]
[not]
description=Tanar
[/not]
[/not]
[/kill]
:although this is probably easier achieved using two tags:
[kill]
description=Gwiti Ha'atel
[/kill]
[kill]
description=Tanar
[/kill]
:although in {{DevFeature}} you would just do it like this:
[kill]
description=Gwiti Ha'atel
[or]
description=Tanar
[/or]
[/kill]

== Filtering Locations ==

As you have seen, standard unit filter can contain a location filter.
Several actions, such as '''[terrain]''', also use location filters.
Location filters are represented on this site by the phrase "standard location filter".

The following keys are used:
* ''x'' the first coordinate
* ''y'' the second coordinate
(in the development version, all the keys and tags found in [filter_location] above are part of the standard location filter {{DevFeature}})

While some locations should only be one hex (like the starting position of a unit),
others filter over multiple hexes.
The following syntax is used to filter over multiple hexes:

Dashes('''-''') are used to have the location be a range of hexes.
There must be values before and after the dash;
everything in between these numbers (inclusively) is part of the range.

Commas(''',''') are used to separate coordinates into a list.
The '''x''' and '''y''' lists are then paired up, with each pair representing one hex or range.

Note: although the ordering of locations in a list generally does not matter,
the action '''[move_unit_fake]''' takes in a list of hexes,
and moves an image onto each of those hexes in order.

== Filtering Weapons ==

Sometimes weapons are filtered on in WML. See also [[EventWML]], [[EffectWML]], [[AnimationWML]].

These keys are used as filter input for weapon filters.

* ''range'' a range to filter
** 'melee' only melee weapons pass
** 'ranged' only ranged weapons pass
* ''name'' filter on the attack's name.
See '''data/units/''' or http://wesnoth.slack.it/unitlist.cgi
to find the name of a particular unit's attack.
* ''type'' filter on the attack's type.
Values are 'blade', 'pierce', 'impact', 'fire', 'cold', and 'holy'.
* ''special'' filter on the attack's special power.
For values see [[AbilitiesWML]].

=== Filtering Terrains ===

'''''[[User:SkeletonCrew#Branch_terrain|(SVN terrain only)]]'''''
At some places the terrains can be filtered with a
match list. This list is only usable with the new terrain
strings. The list is a comma separated list and matching will stop
at the first matched terrain string. There's one special character
''!'' which inverts the meaning of a match. Terrain strings can
use the wildcard * to match zero or more following letters, characters
behind the * are not allowed and the result is undefined.

Eg: 
ww* matches ww, www, wwW but not WWW 
!, ww returns false if ww found and true if not 
!, ww, wa, !, aa returns false if ww or wa found and true if aa found and false if none found.

== See Also ==

* [[UnitWML]]
* [[EventWML]]
* [[ReferenceWML]]

[[Category: WML Reference]]

Template:Unit Info

2007-11-14T08:17:37Z

Irrevenant: Added support for 4 attacks rather than 3

===={{{name}}}====

{{Unit_Level_Names|nameL0={{{nameL0|}}}|nameL1={{{nameL1|}}}|nameL2={{{nameL2|}}}|nameL3={{{nameL3|}}}}}
{{{unit_img|}}}
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="900">
<tr>
<th width="170">Battle Stats</th>
<th width="220">Unit Info</th>
<th>Other Info</th>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
Level: {{{level}}} 
Cost: {{{cost}}} 
Hitpoints: {{{HP}}} 
Movement: {{{move}}} 
Experience: {{{XP}}} 
Alignment: {{{alignment}}} 
Attacks: 
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack1Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack1Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack1Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack2Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack2Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack2Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack3Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack3Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack3Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack4Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack4Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack4Special|'''''}}}}}

Abilities: {{{abilities|none}}} 
</td>
<td>
ID: {{{id}}} 
Name: {{{name}}} 
Race: {{{race}}} 
Usage: {{{usage}}} 
Movement type: {{{movetype}}} 
Advanceto: {{{advanceTo}}}
</td>
<td>
{{{description}}}
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-28T05:55:58Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the [[Talk:Faction:Free_Goblins|Faction Talk page]]).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Started - needs Elves & Dwarves added]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a [[Good Ideas]] wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum. [Started]
* Create a backstab attack animation for the Thief. [Draft one done]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

Talk:Free Goblins

2007-10-28T04:38:25Z

Irrevenant: /* To Do */

== To Do ==
===Stats===
* Give Ponderers the ability to level up into almost-levelled Ponderers.
* Remove traits for Building Site & Towers

===Coding===
====Abilities====
* Make Contemplative scroll to units that level up - otherwise they level offscreen and you don't know which is which.
* Create Battle Tutor ability [Done]
* Fix Skypillow's skirmish ability
* Code Kemmist's Volatile ability [Done]
* Code "Acid" weapon special (& Corroded state)
* Code "Enrage" weapon special

* Create Traps ability
* Systematically test abilities

===Art===
Base Frames: 24/24 Done
* Preyrunner needs to look more L1 compared to the Hunter.
Attack Animations: 0/24 Done
Defend Animations: 0/24 Done
Unit Portraits: 0/24 Done

== Campaign Notes ==
=== Scenario 1 ===
A group of orcs are preparing to attack a human settlement. Dwerp is
arguing that using goblins as arrow fodder is a waste. The other goblins
half-heartedly try to shush him but are really interested in what he has to
say. One of the orcs has had enough and decides to make a violent example
of Dwerp. His mate springs to his defence. Then more goblins. And the
fight is on...
Available Units: NEW: Dwerp, his friend, Goblin Spearmen

==== Intro ====
A squad of Orcish forces working for Queen Asheviere prepare an ambush for rebel forces loyal to the upstart Konrad.
"I's just saying - Goblins is small, enemy is big. It stupid us go up close to fight alla time. Why not from far? Or why not fight so small size is good? Many us goblins die for no point."
<mumbles of agreement>
"Shut up, Dwerp. If goblins die we send OTHER goblins."
"But why not fight smarter? Then be even MORE goblins".
<"to die for no point..."> (mumbles Grunch)
"This last time, Dwerp".
"But..."
"Goblins fight better without your yap yap yap." <draws sword>
"Hey! No hurt Dwerp!" (said Grunch)
<Brawl ensues>

=== Scenario 2 ===
Summary: Dwerp and co. have taken refuge in the woods. Unfortunately, so too have a
band of outlaws who don't take kindly to the intrusion...

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch. NEW: Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester.
[Loyal spearmen will become Spearers for this scenario]

=== Scenario 3 ===
Summary: A loyalist merchant caravan is passing through on its way to take supplies
to Asheviere. They end up in conflict with the Goblins somehow. [The
caravan contains a shipment of high quality fabric which will be very
useful for making balloons later.]

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester. NEW:
Goblin Staffmen, ShieldGoblins

=== Scenario 4 ===
Summary: The local lord doesn't take kindly to his caravan being hijacked and sends forces into the woods to deal with the Goblin infestation.

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins. NEW: Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary: A Free Goblin stumbles across an Elven settlement and is captured. The
Elves, anticipating a Northerner invasion set out into the woods to deal
with it. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with the Loyalists, the
player must get a Persuader to the Elven leader to negotiate a truce with minimal loss
of life on either side.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer NEW (conditional): a couple of Elvish units

=== Scenario 6 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Scenario 7 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Final Scenario ===
Summary: Sick of their arrow fodder defecting, several orcish tribes band together
to put an end to the Free Goblins. The local Lord's men arrive in force at the same time. Mayhem ensues. If you managed to befriend the Elves, they turn up to help.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-23T20:00:48Z

Irrevenant:

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the [[Talk:Faction:Free_Goblins|Faction Talk page]]).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Started - needs Elves & Dwarves added]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a [[Good Ideas]] wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum. [Started]
* Create a backstab attack animation for the Thief.

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-21T11:43:27Z

Irrevenant:

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the [[Talk:Faction:Free_Goblins|Faction Talk page]]).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Started - needs Elves & Dwarves added]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a [[Good Ideas]] wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum.

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-20T06:15:31Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the Faction Talk page).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a [[Good Ideas]] wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum.

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-20T04:05:15Z

Irrevenant:

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the Faction Talk page).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]
* Create a "Good Ideas" wiki page to capture the good ideas posted in the Ideas Forum.

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-20T04:02:48Z

Irrevenant:

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the Faction Talk page).
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Done]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]

Talk:Free Goblins

2007-10-19T08:01:32Z

Irrevenant: /* To Do */

== To Do ==
===Stats===
* Give Ponderers the ability to level up into almost-levelled Ponderers.
* Remove traits for Building Site & Towers

===Coding===
====Abilities====
* Make Contemplative scroll to units that level up - otherwise they level offscreen and you don't know which is which.
* Create Battle Tutor ability
* Fix Skypillow's skirimish ability
* Code Kemmist's Volatile ability
* Code "Acid" weapon special (& Corroded state)
* Code "Enrage" weapon special

* Create Traps ability
* Systematically test abilities

===Art===
Base Frames: 24/24 Done
* Preyrunner needs to look more L1 compared to the Hunter.
Attack Animations: 0/24 Done
Defend Animations: 0/24 Done
Unit Portraits: 0/24 Done

== Campaign Notes ==
=== Scenario 1 ===
A group of orcs are preparing to attack a human settlement. Dwerp is
arguing that using goblins as arrow fodder is a waste. The other goblins
half-heartedly try to shush him but are really interested in what he has to
say. One of the orcs has had enough and decides to make a violent example
of Dwerp. His mate springs to his defence. Then more goblins. And the
fight is on...
Available Units: NEW: Dwerp, his friend, Goblin Spearmen

==== Intro ====
A squad of Orcish forces working for Queen Asheviere prepare an ambush for rebel forces loyal to the upstart Konrad.
"I's just saying - Goblins is small, enemy is big. It stupid us go up close to fight alla time. Why not from far? Or why not fight so small size is good? Many us goblins die for no point."
<mumbles of agreement>
"Shut up, Dwerp. If goblins die we send OTHER goblins."
"But why not fight smarter? Then be even MORE goblins".
<"to die for no point..."> (mumbles Grunch)
"This last time, Dwerp".
"But..."
"Goblins fight better without your yap yap yap." <draws sword>
"Hey! No hurt Dwerp!" (said Grunch)
<Brawl ensues>

=== Scenario 2 ===
Summary: Dwerp and co. have taken refuge in the woods. Unfortunately, so too have a
band of outlaws who don't take kindly to the intrusion...

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch. NEW: Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester.
[Loyal spearmen will become Spearers for this scenario]

=== Scenario 3 ===
Summary: A loyalist merchant caravan is passing through on its way to take supplies
to Asheviere. They end up in conflict with the Goblins somehow. [The
caravan contains a shipment of high quality fabric which will be very
useful for making balloons later.]

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester. NEW:
Goblin Staffmen, ShieldGoblins

=== Scenario 4 ===
Summary: The local lord doesn't take kindly to his caravan being hijacked and sends forces into the woods to deal with the Goblin infestation.

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins. NEW: Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary: A Free Goblin stumbles across an Elven settlement and is captured. The
Elves, anticipating a Northerner invasion set out into the woods to deal
with it. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with the Loyalists, the
player must get a Persuader to the Elven leader to negotiate a truce with minimal loss
of life on either side.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer NEW (conditional): a couple of Elvish units

=== Scenario 6 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Scenario 7 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Final Scenario ===
Summary: Sick of their arrow fodder defecting, several orcish tribes band together
to put an end to the Free Goblins. The local Lord's men arrive in force at the same time. Mayhem ensues. If you managed to befriend the Elves, they turn up to help.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-19T07:56:49Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** (more detailed Progress Info on the Faction Talk page).
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Done]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Cleared the Mods & Devs - to be tweaked, posted and finalised]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

Talk:Free Goblins

2007-10-18T11:48:55Z

Irrevenant:

== To Do ==
===Stats===
* Give Ponderers the ability to level up into almost-levelled Ponderers.
* Remove traits for Building Site & Towers

===Coding===
====Abilities====
* Make Contemplative scroll to units that level up - otherwise they level offscreen and you don't know which is which.
* Create Battle Tutor ability
* Fix Skypillow's skirimish ability
* Code Kemmist's Volatile ability
* Code "Acid" weapon special (& Corroded state)
* Code "Enrage" weapon special

* Create Traps ability
* Systematically test abilities

===Art===
Attack Animations: 0/24 Done
Defend Animations: 0/24 Done

== Campaign Notes ==
=== Scenario 1 ===
A group of orcs are preparing to attack a human settlement. Dwerp is
arguing that using goblins as arrow fodder is a waste. The other goblins
half-heartedly try to shush him but are really interested in what he has to
say. One of the orcs has had enough and decides to make a violent example
of Dwerp. His mate springs to his defence. Then more goblins. And the
fight is on...
Available Units: NEW: Dwerp, his friend, Goblin Spearmen

==== Intro ====
A squad of Orcish forces working for Queen Asheviere prepare an ambush for rebel forces loyal to the upstart Konrad.
"I's just saying - Goblins is small, enemy is big. It stupid us go up close to fight alla time. Why not from far? Or why not fight so small size is good? Many us goblins die for no point."
<mumbles of agreement>
"Shut up, Dwerp. If goblins die we send OTHER goblins."
"But why not fight smarter? Then be even MORE goblins".
<"to die for no point..."> (mumbles Grunch)
"This last time, Dwerp".
"But..."
"Goblins fight better without your yap yap yap." <draws sword>
"Hey! No hurt Dwerp!" (said Grunch)
<Brawl ensues>

=== Scenario 2 ===
Summary: Dwerp and co. have taken refuge in the woods. Unfortunately, so too have a
band of outlaws who don't take kindly to the intrusion...

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch. NEW: Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester.
[Loyal spearmen will become Spearers for this scenario]

=== Scenario 3 ===
Summary: A loyalist merchant caravan is passing through on its way to take supplies
to Asheviere. They end up in conflict with the Goblins somehow. [The
caravan contains a shipment of high quality fabric which will be very
useful for making balloons later.]

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester. NEW:
Goblin Staffmen, ShieldGoblins

=== Scenario 4 ===
Summary: The local lord doesn't take kindly to his caravan being hijacked and sends forces into the woods to deal with the Goblin infestation.

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins. NEW: Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary: A Free Goblin stumbles across an Elven settlement and is captured. The
Elves, anticipating a Northerner invasion set out into the woods to deal
with it. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with the Loyalists, the
player must get a Persuader to the Elven leader to negotiate a truce with minimal loss
of life on either side.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer NEW (conditional): a couple of Elvish units

=== Scenario 6 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Scenario 7 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

=== Final Scenario ===
Summary: Sick of their arrow fodder defecting, several orcish tribes band together
to put an end to the Free Goblins. The local Lord's men arrive in force at the same time. Mayhem ensues. If you managed to befriend the Elves, they turn up to help.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Apprentice Healer

Talk:Free Goblins

2007-10-18T08:54:51Z

Irrevenant:

== To Do ==
===Stats===
* Give Ponderers the ability to level up into almost-levelled Ponderers.
* Remove traits for Building Site & Towers

===Coding===
====Abilities====
* Make Contemplative scroll to units that level up - otherwise they level offscreen and you don't know which is which.
* Create Battle Tutor ability
* Fix Skypillow's skirimish ability
* Code Kemmist's Volatile ability
* Code "Acid" weapon special (& Corroded state)
* Code "Enrage" weapon special

* Create Traps ability
* Systematically test abilities

===Art===
Attack Animations: 0/24 Done
Defend Animations: 0/24 Done

== Campaign Notes ==
=== Scenario 1 ===
A group of orcs are preparing to attack a human settlement. Dwerp is
arguing that using goblins as arrow fodder is a waste. The other goblins
half-heartedly try to shush him but are really interested in what he has to
say. One of the orcs has had enough and decides to make a violent example
of Dwerp. His mate springs to his defence. Then more goblins. And the
fight is on...
Available Units: NEW: Dwerp, his friend, Goblin Spearmen

==== Intro ====
A squad of Orcish forces working for Queen Asheviere prepare an ambush for rebel forces loyal to the upstart Konrad.
"I's just saying - Goblins is small, enemy is big. It stupid us go up close to fight alla time. Why not from far? Or why not fight so small size is good? Many us goblins die for no point."
<mumbles of agreement>
"Shut up, Dwerp. If goblins die we send OTHER goblins."
"But why not fight smarter? Then be even MORE goblins".
<"to die for no point..."> (mumbles Grunch)
"This last time, Dwerp".
"But..."
"Goblins fight better without your yap yap yap." <draws sword>
"Hey! No hurt Dwerp!" (said Grunch)
<Brawl ensues>

=== Scenario 2 ===
Summary: Dwerp and co. have taken refuge in the woods. Unfortunately, so too have a
band of outlaws who don't take kindly to the intrusion...

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch. NEW: Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester.
[Loyal spearmen will become Spearers for this scenario]

=== Scenario 3 ===
Summary: A loyalist merchant caravan is passing through on its way to take supplies
to Asheviere. They end up in conflict with the Goblins somehow. [The
caravan contains a shipment of high quality fabric which will be very
useful for making balloons later.]

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester. NEW:
Goblin Staffmen, ShieldGoblins

=== Scenario 4 ===
Summary:

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins. NEW: Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary: A Free Goblin stumbles across an Elven settlement and is captured. The
Elves, anticipating a Northerner invasion set out into the woods to deal
with it. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with the Loyalists, the
player must get to the Elven leader to negotiate a truce with minimal loss
of life on either side.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 6 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 7 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 8 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Final Scenario ===
Summary: Sick of their arrow fodder defecting, several orcish tribes band together
to put an end to the Free Goblins. [Another enemy force opposed to the
first arrives at the same time?]
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-18T08:19:26Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** Art: Base Frames [24/24]
** Statting: [24/24]
** Coding [Started but not yet working properly] (more detailed To Do on the Faction Talk page).
** Art: Attack Frames [Not Started]
** Art: Defend Frames [Not Started]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Cleared the Mods & Devs - to be tweaked, posted and finalised]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

Template:WML Tags

2007-10-14T02:37:42Z

Irrevenant: save revert (type isn't a tag)

{| class="gallery" style="width:175px;float: right;border: 1px solid #B48648; color:#B48648; font-size: 7pt;margin-left;10px;"
|-
|
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:WML Tags|action=edit}} edit ]
'''WML Tags'''

|-
|''A:''
[[AbilitiesWML|abilities]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Babout.5D_tag|about]],
[[UnitWML|advancefrom]],
[[UnitWML|advancement]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|advances]],
[[AiWML|ai]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_recruit]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_undo]],
[[VariablesWML|array]],
[[AttackWML|attack]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|attacks]],
[[AiWML|avoid]];
|-
|''B:''
[[UnitWML|base_unit]],[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bbinary_path.5D_tag|binary_path]],[[HelpWML|bold]];
|-
|''C:''
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bcampaign.5D_tag|campaign]], [[DirectActionsWML|capture_village]], [[ReplayWML|choose]],
[[InternalActionsWML|clear_variable]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|colour_adjust]],
[[ReplayWML|command]];
|-
|''D:''
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|deaths]],[[UnitWML|defend]],[[StatisticalScenarioWML|defends]],
[[UnitWML|defense]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|delay]],
[[ReplayWML|destination]],
[[DirectActionsWML|disallow_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|do]];
|-
|''E:''
[[EffectWML|effect]],[[InternalActionsWML|else]],[[ReplayWML|end_turn]],
[[DirectActionsWML|endlevel]],
[[EraWML|era]],
[[EventWML|event]],
[[ThemeWML|expenses]];
|-
|''F:''
[[FilterWML|filter]], [[FilterWML|filter_location]], [[FilterWML|filter_second]], [[HelpWML|format]], [[AttackWML|frame]];
|-
|''G:''
[[GameConfigWML|game_config]], [[ScenarioWML|generator]], [[DirectActionsWML|gold]], [[ThemeWML|gold]];
|-
|''H:''
[[InternalActionsWML|have_unit]], [[HelpWML|header]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|hide_unit]];
|-
|''I:''
[[InternalActionsWML|if]], [[TimeWML|illuminated_time]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|image]],
[[HelpWML|img]], [[ThemeWML|income]], [[HelpWML|italic]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|item]];
|-
|''J:''
[[HelpWML|jump]];
|-
|''K:''
[[DirectActionsWML|kill]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|killed]];
|-
|''L:''
[[LabelWML|label]] ([[InterfaceActionsWML|map]], [[ThemeWML|theme]]), [[LanguageWML|language]], [[AiWML|leader_goal]];
|-
|''M:''
[[ThemeWML|main_map]],[[ThemeWML|menu]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|message]], [[ThemeWML|mini_map]],
[[AttackWML|missile_frame]], [[SingleUnitWML|modifications]], [[DirectActionsWML|modify_side]],
[[DirectActionsWML|modify_turns]], [[ReplayWML|move]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|move_unit_fake]], [[UnitWML|movement costs]],
[[UnitsWML|movetype]], [[ScenarioWML|multiplayer]], [[EraWML|multiplayer_side]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|music]];
|-
|''N:''
[[FilterWML|not]], [[ThemeWML|num_units]];
|-
|''O:''
[[DirectActionsWML|object]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objectives]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objective]],
[[ThemeWML|observers]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|option]], [[InternalActionsWML|or]];
|-
|''P:''
[[ThemeWML|panel]], [[IntroWML|part]], [[DirectActionsWML|place_shroud]], [[ThemeWML|position]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|print]], [[AiWML|protect_location]], [[AiWML|protect_unit]];
|-
|''R:''
[[UnitsWML|race]], [[ReplayWML|random]], [[ReplayWML|recall]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recalls]],
[[ReplayWML|recruit]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recruits]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|redraw]],
[[HelpWML|ref]], [[DirectActionsWML|remove_shroud]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|remove_unit_overlay]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|removeitem]], [[SavefileWML|replay]], [[SavefileWML|replay_start]],
[[UnitWML|resistance]], [[ThemeWML|resolution]], [[ReplayWML|results]], [[InternalActionsWML|role]];
|-
|''S:''
[[SavefileWML|save]], [[ScenarioWML|scenario]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to_unit]], [[HelpWML|section]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML#.5Bset_menu_item.5D_.28SVN_trunk_only.29|set_menu_item]], [[DirectActionsWML|set_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|set_variable]], [[SideWML|side]], [[ThemeWML|side_playing]], [[SavefileWML|snapshot]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|sound]], [[ReplayWML|source]], [[AbilitiesWMLTechnical1.1.3|specials]]
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bstatistics.5D_tag|statistics]],
[[ThemeWML|status]], [[DirectActionsWML|stone]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_gold]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_locations]],
[[InternalActionsWML|store_starting_location]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_side]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_unit]], [[IntroWML|story]];
|-
|''T:''
[[AiWML|target]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bteam.5D_tag|team]],
[[DirectActionsWML|teleport]], [[UnitWML|teleport_anim]],
[[TerrainWML|terrain]], [[DirectActionsWML|terrain]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|terrain_graphics]], [[TerrainMaskWML|terrain_mask]], [[ScenarioWML#Test_scenario|test]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Btextdomain.5D_tag|textdomain]], [[ThemeWML|theme]], [[InternalActionsWML|then]],
[[TerrainGraphicsWML|tile]], [[TimeWML|time]], [[ScenarioWML|time_area]], [[ThemeWML|time_of_day]],
[[HelpWML|topic]], [[HelpWML|toplevel]], [[SingleUnitWML|trait]], [[ThemeWML|turn]], [[ScenarioWML|tutorial]];
|-
|''U:''
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unhide_unit]], unit ([[UnitWML|define]], [[SingleUnitWML|create]]),
[[ThemeWML|unit_abilities]], [[ThemeWML|unit_alignment]], [[ThemeWML|unit_description]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_hp]], [[ThemeWML|unit_image]], [[ThemeWML|unit_level]], [[ThemeWML|unit_moves]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unit_overlay]], [[ThemeWML|unit_profile]], [[ThemeWML|unit_status]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_traits]], [[ThemeWML|unit_type]], [[ThemeWML|unit_weapons]], [[ThemeWML|unit_xp]],
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|-
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[[InternalActionsWML|variable]], [[VariablesWML|variables]], [[SideWML|village]], [[ThemeWML|villages]];
|-
| ''W:''
[[InternalActionsWML|while]], [[FilterWML|wml_filter]]
|}

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-14T01:26:01Z

Irrevenant: Tweaks as per http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=257240#257240

== Intro: An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here. (The different sprite at the end is just there for size comparison purposes).

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start molding the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools: sponge, dodge and burn.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Dodge and burn are available in both The GIMP and Photoshop - sponge is only available in Photoshop). You should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Use rough edges. Straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough.
* Show stuff moving - use wind as another artistic tool.
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit take a break from the brush tool and use the pencil and add some straight lines, especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like embroidery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Description

2007-10-13T11:42:53Z

Irrevenant: /* Features */ Heir to the Throne -> The '''Heir to the Throne''' campaign

== What is Battle for Wesnoth? ==

The Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based strategy game with a fantasy theme.

<div class="thumb tright"><div>
[http://www.wesnoth.org/images/sshots/wesnoth-1.2-b.jpg http://www.wesnoth.org/images/sshots/wesnoth-1.2-b-175.jpg]
<div class="thumbcaption">A magical lightning strike</div></div>
</div>

Build up a great army, gradually turning raw recruits into hardened veterans. In later games, recall your toughest warriors and form a deadly host against whom none can stand! Choose units from a large pool of specialists, and hand-pick a force with the right strengths to fight well on different terrains against all manner of opposition.

Wesnoth has many different sagas waiting to be played out. Fight to regain the throne of Wesnoth, of which you are the legitimate heir... step into the boots of a young officer sent to guard a not-so-sleepy frontier outpost... vanquish a horde of undead warriors unleashed by a foul necromancer, who also happens to have taken your brother hostage... guide a band of elvish survivors in an epic quest to find a new home.

200+ unit types. 16 races. 6 major factions. Hundreds of years of history. The world of Wesnoth is absolutely huge and limited only by your creativity - make your own custom units, compose your own maps, and write your own scenarios or even full-blown campaigns. You can also challenge up to 8 friends - or strangers - and fight in epic ''multi-player'' fantasy battles.

== Features ==

<div class="thumb tright"><div>
[http://www.wesnoth.org/images/sshots/wesnoth-1.2-e.jpg http://www.wesnoth.org/images/sshots/wesnoth-1.2-e-175.jpg]
<div class="thumbcaption">The '''Heir to The Throne''' campaign</div></div>
</div>

* Build up a formidable fighting force, starting from a single leader and a small amount of gold.
* Over 200 unit types in six major factions, all with distinctive abilities, weapons and spells.
* Experienced units gain powerful new abilities as they advance.
* Several multi-player options available, including internet play.
* Scores of different custom-designed maps, and unlimited random maps.
* Hundreds of campaign scenarios available for download via a simple in-game procedure.
* 'Fog of war' feature available for a true test of generalship.
* Sophisticated mark-up language lets advanced users make their own maps, factions or campaigns.
* Excellent language support – 35 different languages currently available.
* GNU/Linux, Windows, MacOSX, BeOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, AmigaOS4, OS/2 & eComStation compatible.

{{Play}}

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-13T09:34:57Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** Art: Base Frames [24/24]
** Statting: [24/24]
** Coding [Started but not yet working properly]
** Art: Attack Frames [Not Started]
** Art: Defend Frames [Not Started]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Cleared the Mods & Devs - to be tweaked, posted and finalised]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T03:20:11Z

Irrevenant: +"Intro:" to intro heading

== Intro: An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Use rough edges. Straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough.
* Show stuff moving - use wind as another artistic tool.
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit take a break from the brush tool and use the pencil and add some straight lines, especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T03:18:06Z

Irrevenant: /* Conclusion */ grammar tweak

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Use rough edges. Straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough.
* Show stuff moving - use wind as another artistic tool.
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit take a break from the brush tool and use the pencil and add some straight lines, especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T02:58:12Z

Irrevenant: /* Conclusion */ use of wind.

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Use rough edges. Straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough.
* Show stuff moving - use wind as another artistic tool.
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit. Let it rest take the pencil and add some straight line especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T02:56:55Z

Irrevenant: /* Conclusion */ Rough edges sentence - tweaked grammar.

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Use rough edges. Straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough
* Moved stuff , wind as another artistical tool
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit. Let it rest take the pencil and add some straight line especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T02:43:34Z

Irrevenant: tweaked line breaks, couple of other tweaks

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least The GIMP, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png

A quick hack that took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg

He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Rough edges straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough
* Moved stuff , wind as another artistical tool
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit. Let it rest take the pencil and add some straight line especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under GPL to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T02:36:09Z

Irrevenant: /* Anatomy */ laminate-> disguise

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least the Gimp, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to disguise this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png
A quick hack took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg
He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Rough edges straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough
* Moved stuff , wind as another artistical tool
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit. Let it rest take the pencil and add some straight line especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under gpl to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T02:34:30Z

Irrevenant: Named the parts

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least the Gimp, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Anatomy==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to laminate this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Creating the base==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png
A quick hack took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Color==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg
He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Detailing==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Conclusion==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Rough edges straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough
* Moved stuff , wind as another artistical tool
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit. Let it rest take the pencil and add some straight line especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under gpl to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

Creating a scratch built sprite

2007-10-13T02:30:57Z

Irrevenant: Spelling & Grammar tweaks & stuff

== An attempt at spriting==
by Wayfarer

Everyone seems to just "Frankenstein" sprites (ie. cobble them together from pieces of existing sprites). Now and then I'm asked how I create sprites from scratch.
To make it short (I hate long introductions) this is a kind of recipe, but it doesn't replace experience and practise.

'''Reguirements:'''
Graphic Program that can handle layers and transparency.
At least the Gimp, Photoshop. Pain.. err I mean MS Paint if you want to suffer and you will.

At least advanced knowledge about spriting. Sadly nothing for the beginner, sorry. You should have at least pushed some stuff around digitally.

==Part 1==

OK after a while in the forums I realised that I missed one important point. Anatomy!

Shading, color choice, anatomy - it is all like music. Everything works together. Otherwise good art with wrong anatomy is like a nice voice with no rhythm.

Normal human anatomy is that legs are half the size of the whole body. In Wesnoth the legs are a bit shorter and the head slightly too big (That doesn't mean you can make it even worse - take another sprite and compare it to yours. If the anatomy differs too much you have made something wrong.).
That's the No. 1 reason I use capes - I try to laminate this anatomical flaw a bit. Nothing more nothing less.

That doesn't mean that sprites are completely detached from the real world. An awkward pose will fall into the eye of the viewer. So stick to the real world and imitate it. Use references!

In Wesnoth you'll probably mostly sprite warriors. You should note that most martial arts build on a firm stance. That means your sprite should show this.
Stretched Legs and not a guy that almost falls over or stands to attention. That doesn't mean that he doesn't look dynamic, far from it. Here are some good examples:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/3856/13tt0.jpg
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/5781/11ck5.jpg

Note: Not done by me, linked from a Games Workshop artist. If there are any problems with them I'll remove them.

Everyone who has practised martial arts will know that this stance is stable - a good stable position with much room to move.
And the most important thing : it looks very dynamic.

I've used this trick quite successful on my latest sprites.
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7881/greatbowv2cg7.png http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6696/slayerv14dl5.png

Let's conclude: simulate reality and take references. If you came up with a very difficult pose or you you can't put your finger on what's wrong with your sprite, look for real life pictures or refs from better artists.

I repeat it again: take a reference.
You can draw like Dürer, have Da Vinci's knowledge of colors your Picture still look like it has just escaped from Picasso's "Guernica". (Sadly all 3 were true for Picasso :( )

Other links provided by Jetryl:
Books about anatomy quite good and interesting for portrait art. The same rules apply to spriting too, but to a lesser extent.

[http://www.amazon.com/Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy/dp/0823024970/ref=sr_1_1/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Human-Anatomy-Made-Amazingly-Easy

[http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy-Reference/dp/0823023982/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-1709014-5120035?ie=UTF8&qid=1189548452&sr=8-1]Drawing-Cutting-Edge-Anatomy

==Part 2==

I started the same way as anyone else, creating sprites from cut and paste and smaller edits. But I was wonderfully free of any prejudices towards spriting like limited color schemes, hard edges or that the sprite must look like it is chiseled out of a rock. I was open to try something new and this has leaded to a bit quirky style.

Firstly, this means my art isn't always compatible with mainline but, well, you can't please everyone.
Secondly, I don't claim it is perfect - I just like it that way.

In the past I mostly did some Frankensteining to get the proportions right and the overall shape of the sprite until it looked like I wanted it. This is time consuming and actual very limiting. Some artists like [[user:Neoriceisgood|Neo]] seem to be able to draw a sprite just from scratch with a mouse.
I can't that's why I went another way.
Most of the time I make a small sketch of the sprite as small as possible to get an overview of how it will look. (Preferred 200 x 200 pixels)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1092/wayfarerlinesdz6.png

Some experience with drawing is definitely helpful. The general anatomy isn't that important because Wesnoth sprites aren't that exact with anatomy anyway. Smaller flaws aren't too bad because they can be eliminated later with the coloring. The most important thing is to get the shape right and the look you want to achieve.
If you are happy with your first draft you can go to step 2.

Scaling down the pic. First crop the unused part of the sketch as possible then reduce the height or width (the one which is bigger) to 72 pixels.(cubic algorithm).
The result should be something like this.
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9718/linessmallax0.png

Next you should make another layer and lay some color under the lines (the flats)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9875/linesflatqm2.png

As you can see it doesn't look very impressive but that is just the beginning. The most difficult part still awaits - the shading.

There's a different way to get to this stage that I used to prefer. In the past I filled some areas with colors and erased the edges until I got the shapes right (a little bit like carving). Occasionally I still use this technique for capes and other big flooding objects that should look random.
As I said that's my current way and it might not the best but it works for me at the moment (Yeah I'm still developing).
Experiment with it and find out what suits you the best.

Another example:
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/8829/exebigrz7.png

That's the original size.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1526/aragmagefemalese1.png
Cutting it down to the final size.
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3233/finalzc6.png

I used the same techniques for this one as described and it is actual inspired from a older drawing I did.
[http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs12/i/2006/306/b/5/The_Weight_by_wayfarerpg.png]Reference picture

I know I keep repeating: it is always helpful to have a kind of reference.

If you are good enough you can also sprite it in original size and draw it easily freehand (the other ways aren't that straightforward, they should just make the process a bit easier).
If you do this then you have 2 possibilities.
If I use a brush for the base shape I have the advantage that I can create the base without much erasing (at the beginning) and it comes very natural to me. Unfortunately, in the end I must hunt down dozen translucent pixels.

Pencil is a bit harder but I can avoid those artefacts that the brush causes. It boils down to personal taste.

I can do this too though it is just a matter of practice. Again there is no "one and only way". I can just show some possible ways. In the end it is just a question how much time you want to devote.

'''Example:'''

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6884/sorceressqi5.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1928/66863960kd6.png http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8412/99517190fk9.png http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2695/14990273go2.png
A quick hack took me half an hour with the help of the reference. Still improvable but it should illustrate what I want to say.

==Part 3==

Okay, if I start with shading first a small course in color Theory. This is more important for portraits but it can also be used for sprites.

The contrasts and color theory. I know what you think. http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif

The fact is, colors can be ordered in a circle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Farbkreis_Itten_1961.png

(Thanks to Wikipedia for a deeper analysis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_theory Color theory]

although the German site is better - those who can read it should do so
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultankontrast#Simultankontrast_-_Sukzessivkontrast Kontraste])

So there are 7 different kind of contrasts I'll try to at least briefly cover all of them.

The first is the '''complementary contrast''' . If you look at the circle, orange lies opposite to blue. That means both colors painted next to each other will create a strong contrast. It's an eye-catcher but be careful as it can make the sprite quite noisy.

The second '''dark and light'''. A good example is missing, I'll add one later. Many dark areas and only some brighter areas.

'''Cold Warm contrast'''
People find orange and red as "warm" while they associate blue with "cold" this can be used too but should be used sparingly.

'''Color contrast''' or how is it called well Bogus for us we use colors.
Example
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Marc-blue-black_fox.jpg

'''Simultaneous contrast - successive contrast'''
Well now it gets interesting. Neo uses this from time to time to add more depth to his shading.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Simultan2_Kopie.jpg
He lays pixels in different colors next to each other so they boost each other.
For example on normally white highlights bright blue or green. Surrounded by other colors.

The '''Quantity and Quality contrasts'''.
Drum roll, please.

No, seriously - some big words, but in fact the first is easy. Quantity means, for example, that a big picture is mostly green and with some small red areas. They will fall in the eye of the watcher.
The next one is the most important. Lucent pastel colors (mostly mixed with white) next to blunt and dark colors (grey and black mixed in).

A good example is this painting of my favorite artist.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg/800px-Caspar_David_Friedrich_035.jpg

To conclude I use mostly Quantity and Quality contrasts and dark and light contrasts. I'll show soon how I put them on a sprite.

I've now probably chased away all my readers with my http://www.adipositasgemeinschaft.de/forum/images/smilies1/blah2.gif.

But these are the tools that an artist can use to make his art ''good'' art.
It's not like I say "well now I use Cold Warm contrast". I experiment until I think it looks right. It is just helpful to know the tools you have at hand.

Further external links kindly provided by jacobolus. For a bit deeper overview.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell]color theory

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/color11.html]color theory again

[http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html]and again

Though this gets more interesting for portrait art.

==Part 4==

In 25 inconvenient steps to a scratch build sprite. Only $5, a bargain price soon in your library.

Just kidding.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/4712/testtl2.png

1.
I did pretty much know what the sprite should look like. For example I can take a ref picture and I can produce a basic sprite out of it. It gets harder if I don't actual know what I want. In that cast I can waste hours on it. (That means a good ref picture is priceless, even a quick sketch you made for yourself helps).
It helps immensely if you already know what you want.
I use different approaches to create my sprites. Sometimes I fill large areas with color and erase the parts that look wrong. Sometimes I make a small sketch (as described in part 2). Mostly I just mix it. Like here.

I should note that I normally Frankenstein some parts to speed up the process. I mustn't draw a new face just because they look all very different from each other. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
In this case it is completely from scratch.

(Other example partly with Frankensteining to show how short you can cut it)
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6538/progressgo5.png

That means I'm not against Frankensteining - it just limits the possibilities.
Nothing more nothing less.

As you can see I struggled from 1 till 2 to get the shape right. Normally you mustn't start to make the basic shading until the shape is right. I do it anyway because I can't work until I get a feeling how the finished sprite will look. (Everyone has his own small quirks) http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif

Anyway, once you have the shape right you should apply basic shading. This consists of at least 3 different shades of the colour. With these colours you start modelizing the highlights, the shadows and the textures on the folds.
As you can see here in big.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3483/exeqn7.png

Dark areas with darker colours. Exposed positions, uprisings with bright colours.

As the cretin I am I can't count to 5 - I've forgotten to add 3.
Anyway, I added the hair and more details until I reached stage 5.

This is nothing too fancy. The only thing I can say about it: keep everything that covers the body in different layers. In my case the book and the staff (I have switched them various times to see where they fit best).
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, it saves you time and makes it easier to animate the whole thing. Secondly, if you don't like it you don't have to erase half of the sprite and redraw it. BTW I learned this the hard way too.

5. Actual doesn't look bad doesn't it? (At point four I added some green to the white highlights to let them stand out a bit, like Neorice does.)
If you are good you can work further with a pencil tool and further shades.
If you want it different, well:
First I use these tools.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7158/toolsab9.png
(Available in The GIMP and Photoshop, you should test out the different settings to see which one fits you the most).

These tools are not essential - they just make it easier. You can emulate the effect with carefully chosen brush strokes. If you don't have brushes, well, sucks to be you. ;)
Seriously, you can emulate it with careful chosen pencil dots. This goes much too far for me, personally.

Basically tools that adjust the brightness and contrast.
In the first round I add darker areas. I deepen the shadows or add further ones. Than I make the highlights brighter. I use these tools on large areas to get a nice smooth transition between the different areas.

Before and after
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/163/93794620nu1.png http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7233/35075772dk7.png

Than I work on the finer shadings with a pencil with low opacity and fading out.
I add reflections and make the shadows smoother in the process. Mostly with white and black, sometimes with other colours. Because the reflection of light is not always white and not every shadow is just black. Again real life gives nice sources of inspiration. (Golden reflections on blue textures. Red on polished metal, etc... use your imagination)

'''A big note though!!!'''
Shading <> ambience light. Many seem to misunderstand it. Shading means that you model the surface. You add folds to cloths, waves to hair and surface to faces. You make the sprite dimensional. Ambient light is a light source that adds different light values onto a surface to make it more interesting. Ambient light without proper shading doesn't work but it goes the other way around too. A sprite without prober ambient light looks dull.

Before and after
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5194/49958573tb5.png

I probably went overboard with the detailing in the process but magnified you quickly lose the overview. That's why you should keep a window open displaying the sprite at original size. Test the sprites very often against in-game background. Else you might get evil surprises.

To conclude:
-Shaded surface.
-Worked out details
-defined light source,ambient light
-smooth transitions avoiding the "comic" effect(areas separated by lines, you know those cheap comics in newspapers)

Another thing is TC (Team colouring). I don't really like it because I lose control of how the colours of the unit will work together with TC. That, and the fact that I can't just paint it the way I do the rest of the sprite. This means you keep it best in a separate layer too (also, if your brush slips it won't work anymore happened to me too, actually far too often). I changed it various times until I found the right position for it and pink fits to nothing. http://wesnoth.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif

This is basically one way, but there are various variations of it. (For example brushing larger areas of the cape, which is a bit more trickier, because you add the folds on the fly with a brush and you'll need a calm hand to avoid the straight lines). Basically, everyone develops their own way which is the easiest for them. And no, there is not the one and only way - just various paths. :)

'''Further links:'''

[http://www.warpedspace.org/lightingT/part1.htm]light and reflection

'''Internal links:'''

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Shade] How to Shade

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/How_to_Anti-Alias_Sprite_Art] How to Anti-Alias Sprite Art

[http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Team_Color_Shifting] Team Color Shifting

==Part 5==

Don't do. (I tell you)

* Rough edges straight lines are evil. 90°, 45° degrees too.
* Symmetry is boring, a symmetric face stands for beauty but still boring.
* Avoid the "chiseled out of a rock" look (moved cape stretched stance,.. etc help avoid that).
(A doctrine of the first greek sculptor was that the statue can be rolled down a hill without any damage. Don't make the same mistake)
* You like dark colors, fine. But make sure you have enough highlights in it, so the unit doesn't looks washed out or boring.
* Don't expect details which are 2*2 to be seen. Only if the viewers second name is "Hawk Eye".
* Don't start with a highly complex project and give up frustrated in the middle of it
* Don't start emulating some anime stuff you have seen. Anime exaggerates too much and breaks every physical law.
* Don't separate the different parts of a sprite with a 1 pixel wide line ie. the "comic" effect. Don't do it. If you must, let it look like a shadow a 2 or 3 pixel wide line of darker shades. Play around but avoid this 1 pixel line because the line will have a high contrast to the other color areas and if it separates two different color areas from each other it looks ugly.
* Don't overreact to critiques. Everyone makes mistake and the one on the other side of the monitor isn't be always right.

Do
* Monochromatic can work if the contrasts are high enough
* Moved stuff , wind as another artistical tool
* Use optical illusions. If you can draw a face with 4*4 pixels fine but no one will see it. Hint it.
* Choose one light source and stick to it.
* Small steps if you are a beginner but steps and not backwards is not the right direction.
* Do good taste a favour and avoid color overload. aka Rainbow warrior (You can use many colors but stick to some major colors and add the other colors in a limited amount).
* Exaggerate slightly if it helps to communicate the message.
* Realism is good. Try to stick to it but not so much that it would hinder you.
* If you paint a unit. Let it rest take the pencil and add some straight line especially on the edges of capes to break up the shading. It can add some very nice contrast. Use it with care. (On texture it looks like stitchery)
* Use smooth transitions between the different parts of the sprite.
* If you need the space take it. You won't achieve anything with 2*2 pixels
* Accept critique. Actual learn to critique yourself.
* Experiment. Try something new.
* Save often. Look often at the real size. Look at it ingame.
* Put it away and make a new start after some sleep.
* Keep copies of various development stages. Once you made a mistake you can still give the whole thing a new direction.

So Questions anyone? Suggestions? Random praises? Flames? (Warning: I flame back).
So feedback can be posted in the forum in the appreciate topic. I'll try to work the feedback in.
[http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0]

To close it with one of my favorite philosophers:

''I know that I know nothing. You pay for a round? A double one for me!''

'''Note I'll try to replace the example pics with something under gpl to avoid any trouble. At the moment I haven't much better stuff.'''

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-12T21:38:23Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** Art: Base Frames [24/24] - '''actually, I need to add shadows to a number of them'''
** Statting: [24/24]
** Coding [Started but not yet working properly]
** Art: Attack Frames [Not Started]
** Art: Defend Frames [Not Started]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Clearing through the Mods & Devs @ 29-Sep-07]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-12T21:37:32Z

Irrevenant:

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** Art: Base Frames [24/24]
** Statting: [20/24]
** Coding [Not Started]
** Art: Attack Frames [Not Started]
** Art: Defend Frames [Not Started]
* Tidy up the language in [http://www.wesnoth.org/wiki/Creating_a_scratch_built_sprite Wayfarer's tute] on the wiki. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Clearing through the Mods & Devs @ 29-Sep-07]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

Template:WML Tags

2007-10-12T21:30:26Z

Irrevenant: + missing bracket

{| class="gallery" style="width:175px;float: right;border: 1px solid #B48648; color:#B48648; font-size: 7pt;margin-left;10px;"
|-
|
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:WML Tags|action=edit}} edit ]
'''WML Tags'''

|-
|''A:''
[[AbilitiesWML|abilities]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Babout.5D_tag|about]],
[[UnitWML|advancefrom]],
[[UnitWML|advancement]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|advances]],
[[AiWML|ai]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_recruit]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_undo]],
[[VariablesWML|array]],
[[AttackWML|attack]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|attacks]],
[[AiWML|avoid]];
|-
|''B:''
[[UnitWML|base_unit]],[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bbinary_path.5D_tag|binary_path]],[[HelpWML|bold]];
|-
|''C:''
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bcampaign.5D_tag|campaign]], [[DirectActionsWML|capture_village]], [[ReplayWML|choose]],
[[InternalActionsWML|clear_variable]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|colour_adjust]],
[[ReplayWML|command]];
|-
|''D:''
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|deaths]],[[UnitWML|defend]],[[StatisticalScenarioWML|defends]],
[[UnitWML|defense]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|delay]],
[[ReplayWML|destination]],
[[DirectActionsWML|disallow_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|do]];
|-
|''E:''
[[EffectWML|effect]],[[InternalActionsWML|else]],[[ReplayWML|end_turn]],
[[DirectActionsWML|endlevel]],
[[EraWML|era]],
[[EventWML|event]],
[[ThemeWML|expenses]];
|-
|''F:''
[[FilterWML|filter]], [[FilterWML|filter_location]], [[FilterWML|filter_second]], [[HelpWML|format]], [[AttackWML|frame]];
|-
|''G:''
[[GameConfigWML|game_config]], [[ScenarioWML|generator]], [[DirectActionsWML|gold]], [[ThemeWML|gold]];
|-
|''H:''
[[InternalActionsWML|have_unit]], [[HelpWML|header]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|hide_unit]];
|-
|''I:''
[[InternalActionsWML|if]], [[TimeWML|illuminated_time]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|image]],
[[HelpWML|img]], [[ThemeWML|income]], [[HelpWML|italic]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|item]];
|-
|''J:''
[[HelpWML|jump]];
|-
|''K:''
[[DirectActionsWML|kill]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|killed]];
|-
|''L:''
[[LabelWML|label]] ([[InterfaceActionsWML|map]], [[ThemeWML|theme]]), [[LanguageWML|language]], [[AiWML|leader_goal]];
|-
|''M:''
[[ThemeWML|main_map]],[[ThemeWML|menu]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|message]], [[ThemeWML|mini_map]],
[[AttackWML|missile_frame]], [[SingleUnitWML|modifications]], [[DirectActionsWML|modify_side]],
[[DirectActionsWML|modify_turns]], [[ReplayWML|move]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|move_unit_fake]], [[UnitWML|movement costs]],
[[UnitsWML|movetype]], [[ScenarioWML|multiplayer]], [[EraWML|multiplayer_side]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|music]];
|-
|''N:''
[[FilterWML|not]], [[ThemeWML|num_units]];
|-
|''O:''
[[DirectActionsWML|object]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objectives]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objective]],
[[ThemeWML|observers]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|option]], [[InternalActionsWML|or]];
|-
|''P:''
[[ThemeWML|panel]], [[IntroWML|part]], [[DirectActionsWML|place_shroud]], [[ThemeWML|position]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|print]], [[AiWML|protect_location]], [[AiWML|protect_unit]];
|-
|''R:''
[[UnitsWML|race]], [[ReplayWML|random]], [[ReplayWML|recall]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recalls]],
[[ReplayWML|recruit]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recruits]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|redraw]],
[[HelpWML|ref]], [[DirectActionsWML|remove_shroud]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|remove_unit_overlay]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|removeitem]], [[SavefileWML|replay]], [[SavefileWML|replay_start]],
[[UnitWML|resistance]], [[ThemeWML|resolution]], [[ReplayWML|results]], [[InternalActionsWML|role]];
|-
|''S:''
[[SavefileWML|save]], [[ScenarioWML|scenario]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to_unit]], [[HelpWML|section]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML#.5Bset_menu_item.5D_.28SVN_trunk_only.29|set_menu_item]], [[DirectActionsWML|set_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|set_variable]], [[SideWML|side]], [[ThemeWML|side_playing]], [[SavefileWML|snapshot]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|sound]], [[ReplayWML|source]], [[AbilitiesWMLTechnical1.1.3|specials]]
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bstatistics.5D_tag|statistics]],
[[ThemeWML|status]], [[DirectActionsWML|stone]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_gold]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_locations]],
[[InternalActionsWML|store_starting_location]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_side]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_unit]], [[IntroWML|story]];
|-
|''T:''
[[AiWML|target]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bteam.5D_tag|team]],
[[DirectActionsWML|teleport]], [[UnitWML|teleport_anim]],
[[TerrainWML|terrain]], [[DirectActionsWML|terrain]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|terrain_graphics]], [[TerrainMaskWML|terrain_mask]], [[ScenarioWML#Test_scenario|test]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Btextdomain.5D_tag|textdomain]], [[ThemeWML|theme]], [[InternalActionsWML|then]],
[[TerrainGraphicsWML|tile]], [[TimeWML|time]], [[ScenarioWML|time_area]], [[ThemeWML|time_of_day]],
[[HelpWML|topic]], [[HelpWML|toplevel]], [[SingleUnitWML|trait]], [[ThemeWML|turn]], [[ScenarioWML|tutorial]], [[SideWML|type]], [[EraWML|type]];
|-
|''U:''
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unhide_unit]], unit ([[UnitWML|define]], [[SingleUnitWML|create]]),
[[ThemeWML|unit_abilities]], [[ThemeWML|unit_alignment]], [[ThemeWML|unit_description]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_hp]], [[ThemeWML|unit_image]], [[ThemeWML|unit_level]], [[ThemeWML|unit_moves]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unit_overlay]], [[ThemeWML|unit_profile]], [[ThemeWML|unit_status]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_traits]], [[ThemeWML|unit_type]], [[ThemeWML|unit_weapons]], [[ThemeWML|unit_xp]],
[[UnitsWML|units]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstone]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstore_unit]], [[ThemeWML|upkeep]];
|-
| ''V:''
[[InternalActionsWML|variable]], [[VariablesWML|variables]], [[SideWML|village]], [[ThemeWML|villages]];
|-
| ''W:''
[[InternalActionsWML|while]], [[FilterWML|wml_filter]]
|}

Template:WML Tags

2007-10-12T21:28:43Z

Irrevenant: + type

{| class="gallery" style="width:175px;float: right;border: 1px solid #B48648; color:#B48648; font-size: 7pt;margin-left;10px;"
|-
|
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:WML Tags|action=edit}} edit ]
'''WML Tags'''

|-
|''A:''
[[AbilitiesWML|abilities]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Babout.5D_tag|about]],
[[UnitWML|advancefrom]],
[[UnitWML|advancement]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|advances]],
[[AiWML|ai]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_recruit]],
[[DirectActionsWML|allow_undo]],
[[VariablesWML|array]],
[[AttackWML|attack]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|attacks]],
[[AiWML|avoid]];
|-
|''B:''
[[UnitWML|base_unit]],[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bbinary_path.5D_tag|binary_path]],[[HelpWML|bold]];
|-
|''C:''
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Bcampaign.5D_tag|campaign]], [[DirectActionsWML|capture_village]], [[ReplayWML|choose]],
[[InternalActionsWML|clear_variable]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|colour_adjust]],
[[ReplayWML|command]];
|-
|''D:''
[[StatisticalScenarioWML|deaths]],[[UnitWML|defend]],[[StatisticalScenarioWML|defends]],
[[UnitWML|defense]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|delay]],
[[ReplayWML|destination]],
[[DirectActionsWML|disallow_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|do]];
|-
|''E:''
[[EffectWML|effect]],[[InternalActionsWML|else]],[[ReplayWML|end_turn]],
[[DirectActionsWML|endlevel]],
[[EraWML|era]],
[[EventWML|event]],
[[ThemeWML|expenses]];
|-
|''F:''
[[FilterWML|filter]], [[FilterWML|filter_location]], [[FilterWML|filter_second]], [[HelpWML|format]], [[AttackWML|frame]];
|-
|''G:''
[[GameConfigWML|game_config]], [[ScenarioWML|generator]], [[DirectActionsWML|gold]], [[ThemeWML|gold]];
|-
|''H:''
[[InternalActionsWML|have_unit]], [[HelpWML|header]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|hide_unit]];
|-
|''I:''
[[InternalActionsWML|if]], [[TimeWML|illuminated_time]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|image]],
[[HelpWML|img]], [[ThemeWML|income]], [[HelpWML|italic]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|item]];
|-
|''J:''
[[HelpWML|jump]];
|-
|''K:''
[[DirectActionsWML|kill]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|killed]];
|-
|''L:''
[[LabelWML|label]] ([[InterfaceActionsWML|map]], [[ThemeWML|theme]]), [[LanguageWML|language]], [[AiWML|leader_goal]];
|-
|''M:''
[[ThemeWML|main_map]],[[ThemeWML|menu]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|message]], [[ThemeWML|mini_map]],
[[AttackWML|missile_frame]], [[SingleUnitWML|modifications]], [[DirectActionsWML|modify_side]],
[[DirectActionsWML|modify_turns]], [[ReplayWML|move]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|move_unit_fake]], [[UnitWML|movement costs]],
[[UnitsWML|movetype]], [[ScenarioWML|multiplayer]], [[EraWML|multiplayer_side]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|music]];
|-
|''N:''
[[FilterWML|not]], [[ThemeWML|num_units]];
|-
|''O:''
[[DirectActionsWML|object]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objectives]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|objective]],
[[ThemeWML|observers]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|option]], [[InternalActionsWML|or]];
|-
|''P:''
[[ThemeWML|panel]], [[IntroWML|part]], [[DirectActionsWML|place_shroud]], [[ThemeWML|position]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|print]], [[AiWML|protect_location]], [[AiWML|protect_unit]];
|-
|''R:''
[[UnitsWML|race]], [[ReplayWML|random]], [[ReplayWML|recall]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recalls]],
[[ReplayWML|recruit]], [[StatisticalScenarioWML|recruits]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|redraw]],
[[HelpWML|ref]], [[DirectActionsWML|remove_shroud]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|remove_unit_overlay]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|removeitem]], [[SavefileWML|replay]], [[SavefileWML|replay_start]],
[[UnitWML|resistance]], [[ThemeWML|resolution]], [[ReplayWML|results]], [[InternalActionsWML|role]];
|-
|''S:''
[[SavefileWML|save]], [[ScenarioWML|scenario]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll]], [[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|scroll_to_unit]], [[HelpWML|section]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML#.5Bset_menu_item.5D_.28SVN_trunk_only.29|set_menu_item]], [[DirectActionsWML|set_recruit]],
[[InternalActionsWML|set_variable]], [[SideWML|side]], [[ThemeWML|side_playing]], [[SavefileWML|snapshot]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|sound]], [[ReplayWML|source]], [[AbilitiesWMLTechnical1.1.3|specials]]
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bstatistics.5D_tag|statistics]],
[[ThemeWML|status]], [[DirectActionsWML|stone]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_gold]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_locations]],
[[InternalActionsWML|store_starting_location]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_side]], [[InternalActionsWML|store_unit]], [[IntroWML|story]];
|-
|''T:''
[[AiWML|target]],
[[StatisticalScenarioWML#The_.5Bteam.5D_tag|team]],
[[DirectActionsWML|teleport]], [[UnitWML|teleport_anim]],
[[TerrainWML|terrain]], [[DirectActionsWML|terrain]], [[TerrainGraphicsWML|terrain_graphics]], [[TerrainMaskWML|terrain_mask]], [[ScenarioWML#Test_scenario|test]],
[[CampaignWML#The_.5Btextdomain.5D_tag|textdomain]], [[ThemeWML|theme]], [[InternalActionsWML|then]],
[[TerrainGraphicsWML|tile]], [[TimeWML|time]], [[ScenarioWML|time_area]], [[ThemeWML|time_of_day]],
[[HelpWML|topic]], [[HelpWML|toplevel]], [[SingleUnitWML|trait]], [[ThemeWML|turn]], [[ScenarioWML|tutorial]], [[SideWML|type]], [[EraWML|type];
|-
|''U:''
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unhide_unit]], unit ([[UnitWML|define]], [[SingleUnitWML|create]]),
[[ThemeWML|unit_abilities]], [[ThemeWML|unit_alignment]], [[ThemeWML|unit_description]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_hp]], [[ThemeWML|unit_image]], [[ThemeWML|unit_level]], [[ThemeWML|unit_moves]],
[[InterfaceActionsWML|unit_overlay]], [[ThemeWML|unit_profile]], [[ThemeWML|unit_status]],
[[ThemeWML|unit_traits]], [[ThemeWML|unit_type]], [[ThemeWML|unit_weapons]], [[ThemeWML|unit_xp]],
[[UnitsWML|units]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstone]], [[DirectActionsWML|unstore_unit]], [[ThemeWML|upkeep]];
|-
| ''V:''
[[InternalActionsWML|variable]], [[VariablesWML|variables]], [[SideWML|village]], [[ThemeWML|villages]];
|-
| ''W:''
[[InternalActionsWML|while]], [[FilterWML|wml_filter]]
|}

EraWML

2007-10-12T21:25:56Z

Irrevenant: /* the [era] top level tag */ +type tag

{{WML Tags}}
== the [era] top level tag ==

This tag describes one era.
An era is a set of teams to play in multiplayer.
In the multiplayer game selector screen,
an era is chosen by the host by the 'Era' option button.

The following key/tags are recognized for '''[era]'''
* ''name'' displayed name of the era.
* ''id'' ID of the era - must be unique. No gameplay effect
* '''[multiplayer_side]''' a faction in the era. This tag contains many of the same keys as a [side] tag (A description of the [side] tag can be found in [[SideWML]]). When a multiplayer game is played, then the [side] tag for the scenario is merged with the keys(currently, not tags) of the [multiplayer_side] tag of the faction which the side chose.
** ''name'' a description that is displayed as the option for selecting that faction. (see [[DescriptionWML]])
** ''id'' faction ID - must be unique to your era. No gameplay effect
** ''leader'' a list of unit types. When this faction is chosen, the side can choose any of these unit types to be the side's leader (i.e. "Choose your Leader"). They will also have the option of having one of these types being chosen randomly.
** ''random_leader'' if a ''random_leader'' (list of types) is present, it would use this list to instead to choose a random leader. If not it would use ''leader''
** ''random_faction'' default 'no'. If 'yes', then when this faction is chosen, another faction will be randomly chosen instead. The leader will also be chosen randomly.
** ''type'' the unit type of the default leader for the side. This must be present.
** ''terrain_liked'' an unseparated list of terrains (see [[TerrainLettersWML]]). On random maps, these terrains will determine which keep the side is assigned, attempting to put it near the listed terrains.
* '''[event]''' any [event]s written inside the [era] tag will get included into scenarios that are played using this era. See [[EventWML]] and [[WML_Abilities]]

== See Also ==

* [[ReferenceWML]]
* [[SideWML]]

[[Category: WML Reference]]

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-12T08:31:18Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** Art: Base Frames [24/24]
** Statting: [20/24]
** Coding [Not Started]
** Art: Attack Frames [Not Started]
** Art: Defend Frames [Not Started]
* Port [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Wayfarer's tute] to the wiki and tidy up the language. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Clearing through the Mods & Devs @ 29-Sep-07]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

User:Irrevenant

2007-10-02T10:16:24Z

Irrevenant: /* Stuff I intend to do/am doing */

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]].
** Art: Base Frames [20/24]
** Art: Attack Frames [Not Started]
** Art: Defend Frames [Not Started]
** Statting: [1/24]
** Coding [Not Started]
* Port [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Wayfarer's tute] to the wiki and tidy up the language. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Clearing through the Mods & Devs @ 29-Sep-07]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

User:Irrevenant

2007-09-28T12:18:28Z

Irrevenant: links

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]]. [Status: Alpha]
* Port [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Wayfarer's tute] to the wiki and tidy up the language. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Clearing through the Mods & Devs @ 29-Sep-07]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif new hands for the Dark Adept]
* Modified the [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/templates/subSilver/images/icon_minipost.gif Skeleton death animation] to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

User:Irrevenant

2007-09-28T11:47:06Z

Irrevenant:

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]]. [Status: Alpha]
* Port [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16760&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Wayfarer's tute] to the wiki and tidy up the language. [Status: Not started]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise [http://www.wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17792 new rules for Ideas Forum] [Status: Clearing through the Mods & Devs @ 29-Sep-07]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]
* Create a GIMP plugin to convert the selection to T-Colour [Status: Not started, and given how rusty my coding skills are, don't hold your breath]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made new hands for the Dark Adept
* Modified the Skeleton death animation to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

User:Irrevenant

2007-09-21T11:52:40Z

Irrevenant: Update!

== Stuff I intend to do/am doing ==
* Finish the [[Faction:Free_Goblins|Free Goblins Faction]]. [Status: Alpha]
* Duplicate the Walking Corpse animations over to the Soulless. [Status: Not started]
* Finalise new rules for Ideas Forum [Status: Awaiting Maeglin's input]
* Add Wesnoth style and proportions standards to art tutorials (include [http://wesnoth.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9458&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=154 Jetryl's comments from the Elf druid thread]) [Status: Not started]
* Create an anti-creeping-biggerism art template [Status: Not started]

== Stuff I actually did ==
===Game Stuff===
* Made new hands for the Dark Adept
* Modified the Skeleton death animation to suit the Skeleton Archer

===Forum Stuff===
* Prepared a Forum document on how to offer art critique
* Revamped the FPI list

Template:Unit Info

2007-09-19T11:58:58Z

Irrevenant: N->n

===={{{name}}}====

{{Unit_Level_Names|nameL0={{{nameL0|}}}|nameL1={{{nameL1|}}}|nameL2={{{nameL2|}}}|nameL3={{{nameL3|}}}}}
{{{unit_img|}}}
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="900">
<tr>
<th width="170">Battle Stats</th>
<th width="220">Unit Info</th>
<th>Other Info</th>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
Level: {{{level}}} 
Cost: {{{cost}}} 
Hitpoints: {{{HP}}} 
Movement: {{{move}}} 
Experience: {{{XP}}} 
Alignment: {{{alignment}}} 
Attacks: 
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack1Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack1Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack1Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack2Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack2Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack2Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack3Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack3Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack3Special|'''''}}}}}

Abilities: {{{abilities|none}}} 
</td>
<td>
ID: {{{id}}} 
Name: {{{name}}} 
Race: {{{race}}} 
Usage: {{{usage}}} 
Movement type: {{{movetype}}} 
Advanceto: {{{advanceTo}}}
</td>
<td>
{{{description}}}
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>

Template:Unit Info

2007-09-19T11:53:15Z

Irrevenant: forgot {{{ }}}

===={{{Name}}}====

{{Unit_Level_Names|nameL0={{{nameL0|}}}|nameL1={{{nameL1|}}}|nameL2={{{nameL2|}}}|nameL3={{{nameL3|}}}}}
{{{unit_img|}}}
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="900">
<tr>
<th width="170">Battle Stats</th>
<th width="220">Unit Info</th>
<th>Other Info</th>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
Level: {{{level}}} 
Cost: {{{cost}}} 
Hitpoints: {{{HP}}} 
Movement: {{{move}}} 
Experience: {{{XP}}} 
Alignment: {{{alignment}}} 
Attacks: 
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack1Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack1Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack1Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack2Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack2Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack2Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack3Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack3Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack3Special|'''''}}}}}

Abilities: {{{abilities|none}}} 
</td>
<td>
ID: {{{id}}} 
Name: {{{name}}} 
Race: {{{race}}} 
Usage: {{{usage}}} 
Movement type: {{{movetype}}} 
Advanceto: {{{advanceTo}}}
</td>
<td>
{{{description}}}
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>

Template:Unit Info

2007-09-19T11:52:24Z

Irrevenant: +Name heading

====Name====

{{Unit_Level_Names|nameL0={{{nameL0|}}}|nameL1={{{nameL1|}}}|nameL2={{{nameL2|}}}|nameL3={{{nameL3|}}}}}
{{{unit_img|}}}
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="900">
<tr>
<th width="170">Battle Stats</th>
<th width="220">Unit Info</th>
<th>Other Info</th>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
Level: {{{level}}} 
Cost: {{{cost}}} 
Hitpoints: {{{HP}}} 
Movement: {{{move}}} 
Experience: {{{XP}}} 
Alignment: {{{alignment}}} 
Attacks: 
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack1Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack1Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack1Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack2Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack2Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack2Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack3Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack3Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack3Special|'''''}}}}}

Abilities: {{{abilities|none}}} 
</td>
<td>
ID: {{{id}}} 
Name: {{{name}}} 
Race: {{{race}}} 
Usage: {{{usage}}} 
Movement type: {{{movetype}}} 
Advanceto: {{{advanceTo}}}
</td>
<td>
{{{description}}}
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>

Template:Unit Level Names

2007-09-19T11:36:05Z

Irrevenant: -bold

{{{nameL0|N/A}}} 
*{{{nameL1|N/A}}} 
**{{{nameL2|N/A}}} 
***{{{nameL3|N/A}}}

Talk:Free Goblins

2007-09-18T22:31:48Z

Irrevenant: Campaign outline

== Campaign Notes ==
=== Scenario 1 ===
A group of orcs are preparing to attack a human settlement. Dwerp is
arguing that using goblins as arrow fodder is a waste. The other goblins
half-heartedly try to shush him but are really interested in what he has to
say. One of the orcs has had enough and decides to make a violent example
of Dwerp. His mate springs to his defence. Then more goblins. And the
fight is on...
Available Units: NEW: Dwerp, his friend, Goblin Spearmen

==== Intro ====
A squad of Orcish forces working for Queen Asheviere prepare an ambush for rebel forces loyal to the upstart Konrad.
"I's just saying - Goblins is small, enemy is big. It stupid us go up close to fight alla time. Why not from far? Or why not fight so small size is good? Many us goblins die for no point."
<mumbles of agreement>
"Shut up, Dwerp. If goblins die we send OTHER goblins."
"But why not fight smarter? Then be even MORE goblins".
<"to die for no point..."> (mumbles Grunch)
"This last time, Dwerp".
"But..."
"Goblins fight better without your yap yap yap." <draws sword>
"Hey! No hurt Dwerp!" (said Grunch)
<Brawl ensues>

=== Scenario 2 ===
Summary: Dwerp and co. have taken refuge in the woods. Unfortunately, so too have a
band of outlaws who don't take kindly to the intrusion...

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch. NEW: Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester.
[Loyal spearmen will become Spearers for this scenario]

=== Scenario 3 ===
Summary: A loyalist merchant caravan is passing through on its way to take supplies
to Asheviere. They end up in conflict with the Goblins somehow. [The
caravan contains a shipment of high quality fabric which will be very
useful for making balloons later.]

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester. NEW:
Goblin Staffmen, ShieldGoblins

=== Scenario 4 ===
Summary:

Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins. NEW: Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary: A Free Goblin stumbles across an Elven settlement and is captured. The
Elves, anticipating a Northerner invasion set out into the woods to deal
with it. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with the Loyalists, the
player must get to the Elven leader to negotiate a truce with minimal loss
of life on either side.
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 5 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 6 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 7 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Scenario 8 ===
Summary:
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

=== Final Scenario ===
Summary: Sick of their arrow fodder defecting, several orcish tribes band together
to put an end to the Free Goblins. [Another enemy force opposed to the
first arrives at the same time?]
Available Units: Dwerp, Grunch, Goblin Spearer, Goblin Forester, Goblin
Staffmen, ShieldGoblins, Goblin Ponderer, Goblin Woundpatcher

Template:Unit Info

2007-09-18T21:43:14Z

Irrevenant: I have no idea why ''''' produces an empty string, but it seems to. :?

{{Unit_Level_Names|nameL0={{{nameL0|}}}|nameL1={{{nameL1|}}}|nameL2={{{nameL2|}}}|nameL3={{{nameL3|}}}}}
{{{unit_img|}}}
<table border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="900">
<tr>
<th width="170">Battle Stats</th>
<th width="220">Unit Info</th>
<th>Other Info</th>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
Level: {{{level}}} 
Cost: {{{cost}}} 
Hitpoints: {{{HP}}} 
Movement: {{{move}}} 
Experience: {{{XP}}} 
Alignment: {{{alignment}}} 
Attacks: 
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack1Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack1Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack1Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack2Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack2Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack2Special|'''''}}}}}
{{Attack_Info|attackName={{{attack3Name|'''''}}}|attackDamage={{{attack3Damage|'''''}}}|attackSpecial={{{attack3Special|'''''}}}}}

Abilities: {{{abilities|none}}} 
</td>
<td>
ID: {{{id}}} 
Name: {{{name}}} 
Race: {{{race}}} 
Usage: {{{usage}}} 
Movement type: {{{movetype}}} 
Advanceto: {{{advanceTo}}}
</td>
<td>
{{{description}}}
</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>

Template:Attack Info

2007-09-18T21:41:17Z

Irrevenant: I have no idea why ''''' produces an empty string, but it seems to. :?

{{{attackName|'''''}}} {{{attackDamage|'''''}}} {{{attackSpecial|'''''}}}