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u/FireBlueMonster

▲ 11 r/RPGMaker

Created a random sprite-swap system that affects BGM without restarting it in RPG Maker.

Hi! I’m working on the visual changes for my game ScapeSir. It’s slowly taking shape, you can still see some unedited sprites, but what I’m here to show is the random swap I’ve been working on: every now and then, some sprites will take on horror forms.

What do you think of the new sprites? (Floor, table, blue carpet, and the elf in her 3 forms). Is the art direction heading a good way?

P.S. The hard part wasn't generating the sprite swap to the horror form, but making sure the sound didn't restart when slowing down. RPG Maker is quite fickle, and I had to program a plugin to prevent that.

P.P.S. The elf's art in her human form looks a bit "off" from a distance, so I’ll probably give her an update soon.

P.P.P.S. I have a question: truth is, I’m quite new to Reddit and I’d like to know what’s the normal margin for posting. I can still see my old posts just by scrolling a bit and I don't want to seem like a spammer.

P.P.P.P.S. I’ll leave a zoomed-in look of the horror sprite (from Aseprite) in the comments, along with the link to the first version of the game (with generic/placeholder art) just in case you're curious and want to try the gameplay. The "story" is complete and it's free!

P.P.P.P.P.S. Have a great day!

u/FireBlueMonster — 10 hours ago
Image 1 — Redesigning my game's characters since most people seem to think video games are nothing more than the art style.
Image 2 — Redesigning my game's characters since most people seem to think video games are nothing more than the art style.
Image 3 — Redesigning my game's characters since most people seem to think video games are nothing more than the art style.
Image 4 — Redesigning my game's characters since most people seem to think video games are nothing more than the art style.
Image 5 — Redesigning my game's characters since most people seem to think video games are nothing more than the art style.
▲ 4 r/RPGMaker

Redesigning my game's characters since most people seem to think video games are nothing more than the art style.

These are the idle sprites for one of my characters in both versions (normal - monster).
I accept critiques, but I’m not an artist and I have no clue how to apply color logic; I just drew them until I could say: "Oh, well, it’s not completely ugly."

Pixel art is very forgiving because you can draw with your thumb from your bed. So, I’m going to work on the art this way, very slowly. I’ll go for a "minimalist to the core" style, to hell with the fine details.

Why this change? Two weeks ago, I released my game, ScapeSir, for free after 3 years of work. My goal was to use donations to hire an artist to redesign everything: remove the AI-generated menu art, use hand-drawn illustrations, and replace the generic RPG Maker sprites.

But looking at the analytics (Image 5), it’s clear that no one is going to play or donate. It seems the only thing that actually sells is the art, not all the programming behind it.

To top it off, I’ve run out of money. I have a disability, and in my country, companies don't really like hiring you if you're sick. I released the game to try and get something for my meds, but seeing how it’s going, that’s going to be impossible. This past week, I had no choice but to find a temporary job, one incompatible with my health. I got sick and have been bedridden for several days.

I had a lot of time to think and told myself: "Whatever, to hell with it all, I don't want to watch my 3-year project die." So, to hell with donations and to hell with the money.

If you like how the sprites turned out, I’m glad. If not, feel free to tell me what you didn't like.

u/FireBlueMonster — 3 days ago