Isometric Projection Sprites

[Karawasa]

Hey guys I'm hoping to get a cost/time estimate from someone who has experience with sprites. We will be having two types of sprites. Creeps that move up, down, and left/right with walk and death animations. Towers that don't move and have attack animation. Level of quality would be slightly higher than WarCraft 2. See picture below;

 

[Karawasa]

I should clarify that this is for an indie game. Three animation states for creep movement and three for death. One animation state for tower attack.

PS: Is three animation states enough for creeps and one animation state enough for towers to make the animations look good?

 

[RiotZ]

I should clarify that this is for an indie game. Three animation states for creep movement and three for death. One animation state for tower attack.

PS: Is three animation states enough for creeps and one animation state enough for towers to make the animations look good?

I think it depends on what quality of visuals you want to achieve.

Three per animation type will probably look good.

 

[Statharas]

I'd go for 5, 3 if it's fast paced.

 

[Karawasa]

I'd go for 5, 3 if it's fast paced.

I was leaning towards 5 for movement and 3 for death. This will be a tower defense (surprise!).

I know this is a big question but just how hard is it to make sprites? Say that archer in the picture I referenced.

 

[RiotZ]

I was leaning towards 5 for movement and 3 for death. This will be a tower defense (surprise!).

I know this is a big question but just how hard is it to make sprites? Say that archer in the picture I referenced.

I used to do it 2-3 years ago... It's a lot easier than making textures lol... But still a bit difficult since you have to make sure the animations are all in the same place and relatively proportionate.

I'm a big fan of the WC3 map btw.

 

[Karawasa]

I used to do it 2-3 years ago... It's a lot easier than making textures lol... But still a bit difficult since you have to make sure the animations are all in the same place and relatively proportionate.

Say I'm looking for quality slightly higher than the picture. Then say I'm looking for 5 animation states for movement and 3 animation states for death. Can anyone provide a rough estimate on cost (money and/or time)?

I'm a big fan of the WC3 map btw.

Glad to hear it .

 

[RiotZ]

Say I'm looking for quality slightly higher than the picture. Then say I'm looking for 5 animation states for movement and 3 animation states for death. Can anyone provide a rough estimate on cost (money and/or time)?



Glad to hear it .

Time, yes, money no... You can probably get someone to do it for free, but I don't know anyone personally.

I doesn't take long to make sprites, though it depends on who's making them.

 

[Statharas]

Karawasa, it's amazingly easy to make the sprites. If you have your basic sprite, it's actually easier to make MORE frames per animation than a smaller amount of sprites.

Say you use 10 sprites per animation, you would make the basic, then make a tiny alteration 8 more times and end it with the final.
If you use less, you have to predict stuff like that.

 

[Karawasa]

I doesn't take long to make sprites, though it depends on who's making them.

As a rough estimate, how much time per creep for someone experienced?

Karawasa, it's amazingly easy to make the sprites. If you have your basic sprite, it's actually easier to make MORE frames per animation than a smaller amount of sprites.

That is very interesting!

 

[RiotZ]

As a rough estimate, how much time per creep for someone experienced?



That is very interesting!

Per creep, probably 15 to 40 minutes. That's all animations and frames, like Stath said sprites are easy as hell to make, making the base sprite is the hardest part.

 

[Karawasa]

Per creep, probably 15 to 40 minutes. That's all animations and frames, like Stath said sprites are easy as hell to make, making the base sprite is the hardest part.

Does that estimate include the base? Wow, I didn't realize it was so easy. Someone on SC2Mapster was saying it is as hard as modeling...

 

[RiotZ]

Does that estimate include the base? Wow, I didn't realize it was so easy. Someone on SC2Mapster was saying it is as hard as modeling...

Lol it's not... And yeah that includes the base... Depending on the size of the sprite, a good drawer could finish a base in 5-10 minutes.

 

[Karawasa]

Thank you for the information guys. This definitely helps put things in perspective. Now say I want;

33 unique creeps with 3 angles of movement/death and 10 animation states. 44 unique towers with 1 angle and 5 animation states.

How reasonable is that with detail higher than the WC2 picture above?

 

[RiotZ]

Thank you for the information guys. This definitely helps put things in perspective. Now say I want;

33 unique creeps with 3 angles of movement/death and 10 animation states. 44 unique towers with 1 angle and 5 animation states.

How reasonable is that with detail higher than the WC2 picture above?

A month's worth of work maybe... And only a single MB if that in file size.

So very reasonable.