2015-12-03 - Sprite Update (Round Two)

[Odeen]

I am glad I grabbed extra splits when they were showing up low time in the AP. I has the feels they won't do that for awhile now.

 

To those that did not.

 

/neener

RIP me ;-;

[Firstborn Dragon]

I am in LOVE with the new spilt sprites. I did a double take when I first saw them on my scroll.

 

And the silvers look more alive now.

 

Thank you spriters!

[Ixxyon]

But I'm not keen on the look of the new male Silver. It doesn't look masculine. It looks like a blue version of the female which looks feminine.

This. I think one reason he doesn't look masculine is because of the smaller horns.. :/

[Nyda]

Wow, love the new updates! Never really been a fan of Splits before, but think I just might collect some more of these new sprites now, they look absolutely awesome.

 

Also really like the new Silvers. So much more silvery now, they live up to their name. They looked more gray than silver before, and the anatomy is greatly improved.

 

I can understand that some people are upset about their lineages being messed up due to the Silvers change. True they look very different so they don't fit as well in some lineages anymore, however they do fit better with more nerwly released dragons. So it's a chanse to create new awesome lineages.

 

Personally I've never really made any serious attempt at a Silver lineage, so I'm just happy they look awesome while sitting on my scroll ^.^

Edited December 3, 2015 by Nyda

[blackdragonqueen]

Hmm... unfortunately not a fan of the new silvers. Nothing against the poses or anything but now they look... blurry to me I guess? Maybe it's the light pastel colors but ... still fuzzy.

 

Dual heads are okay. Neat muscles.

[Toyo]

/neener

Omg

[Naeril]

wow... the new shading and the minor tweaks of the poses fit them so well! That's some stunning job there!

Big thanks for the artists!

[steeve]

After staring at the new silvers, sadly I still don't like them :c Like someone pointed out, why did the silvers need updating, when they were fine as-is and a very popular dragon. Why change something that wasn't that broken?

 

It was really unique that a metallic dragon was a nice, soft gray, like a nickel. It was a really nice change from all the new, super shiny dragons (like the heralds). The silver tinsels were also crazy shiny! The silvers stood out solely because of the dullness. Not to mention the pose, expression, and movement was really unique and had a lot of character. Now, they look very flat, generic, and overworked... Someone mentioned they seem 'blurry' in lineage view, and that's a great way of putting it. I'm very bummed old lineages now look terrible; the 'new' 'modern' look really clashes with the older, cartoony style, and the shine is no longer a universal, neutral gray. I wish the revamp stuck more closely to the original goofy character the silvers had.

 

It would be really amazing if users could pick the sprites they want displayed, of if new eggs had a 50/50 chance of hatching with a new sprite. They are beautiful for a new release, but don't really follow the original silvers... Nevermind :c

 

(I think I said something about Tinsels updating--that was just me wishing for a slight edit! Nothings happening with those, just be adding to the list of dragons I personally wish were edited.)

Edited December 3, 2015 by steeve

[Shichibi]

Not a fan of the new Silvers, at all :|...

I liked the ones from Slaskia, Whitekeaton and Opal Dragon from the The Silver Update Spriting Topic waaay more.

For me, Lyz' style doesn't quite fit for the Silvers, while I do love various other things she created.

 

Plus, when the Silver Thread was shut down, it was said that there was no update planned and I find it a little bit sad and rude that it got closed and not re-opened, when there WAS an update planned then, while so many people tried to work on it and together.

Only shows once more, that the community shouldn't bother too much and shouldn't get their hopes up, if they try to accomplish something altogether.... really sad.

 

 

I like the Split's polishing.

The heads look good and I really love how the original poses AND colors were kept as good as possible.

The only thing I don't like are the wings, because they seem a bit too thin, like paper, compared to the old ones which looked way more sturdy.

Other than that, I like the polishing on those, as much as I like the Holly one.

[Marrionetta]

It would be really amazing if users could pick the sprites they want displayed, of if new eggs had a 50/50 chance of hatching with a new sprite. They are beautiful for a new release, but don't really follow the original silvers...

That idea has been suggested and already responded to.

 

Alas, the old sprites have been removed from the code. They're gone and aren't coming back. The ship has sailed.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Marrionetta

[schenanigans]

BOTH of the new sprites are gorgeous, I will say that.

 

I love the Splits - thoroughly, 100%. I've always been bummed that drakes & 2-headed dragons can't breed with normal dragons (it makes sense, I understand why!) and this only increases that bummy feeling! I love them The hatchlings are absolutely adorable.

 

The Silvers... As sprites, they are very pretty, and imho, very well done. However, I feel that replacing an old sprite, which has already been in the hearts of many DC players for many years, is a tricky process. The spriter(s) have to capture the look, feel, nostalgia, characteristics, etc. of a dragon already in the cave, and sometimes not even designed or sprited by them originally, and completely update them. And unfortunately, these Silvers didn't quite do that, at least not for me. I am sure I will grow to love them over time, it will just take some getting used to. Their look is just a bit drastic, being so shiny and fairly different from many of the other DC dragons... There'll be plenty of new lineages and combinations that can be made with these Silvers, though.

 

I'll miss the old Silvers, for sure, but as I have not invested in them as heavily as some, I'm not nearly as bummed as a few others are. I picked this lovely in anticipation of the new sprites, and I still believe the pairing looks very nice

[lollipop00]

I really would prefer Opal Dragon's Silvers over the new sprite we have now for the silver from The Silver Thread but that may be just me.. Oh well cannot seem to go back now

 

Splits look great though

[amillionelephants]

oh my goodness!!!! these are so wonderful

[stardust13]

Well, ok, is it possible to address one of the biggest issues with the new silvers - Can they appear less blurry in the lineage view?

 

Personally, I also think they look smaller in the lineage view than they used to, but if they were given better definition, the size difference might go away.

 

Is there any way to ink the lines of the silvers to give them better definition?

Example of the washed out appearance of the male silver, especially.

[Nerei]

I'm very pleased with the silvers, they finally match their description and encyclopedia entry with their glow and silveriness! The anatomy is greatly improved, while the sprites still retain much of their original appearance.

[WestWindReborn]

Awesome! Love updates that keep with the spirit of the original.

[KaelaBoo24]

Looooove the Two-Headed sprites! They look a lot more formidable and realistic.

 

I'm a little iffy on the Silvers...I remember back when numerous people showed their own updated versions of the Silvers and I didn't like any of them. I'm afraid I'm not really excited about these ones either (though they could grow on me, which happened to me with the Holly update.) I agree the old sprites looked a bit outdated, but something about them didn't make me mind that they were outdated. I definitely don't hate these, but I'm not exactly a fan either right now.

[Nearzilla]

I absolutely adore the new sprites! They look incredible! <3 <3

[LadyNightshade]

Wowzers the new splits look amazing!

 

I never realized how... outdated they were, but now they look so freaking awesome.

 

Great job spriter(s), I'm psyched to have these on the top of my scroll now!

[Wandering4Ever]

i think i know what is really bugging me with the silver sprites.. and it's that they're SUPER shiny, and the shadows are INSANELY deep on them. especially on the male's hind legs and tail, and the female's back.

 

i knew that i was going to be very iffy with whatever the sprites were changed to. in The Silver Thread, there was only really one set of the sprites I was okay with... I dont know. I guess im going to have to wait and see. this is the only sprite update that I've actually had the initial taste of dislike. every single other one i've been perfectly content with. the Holly update i was actually over joyed with.

 

the split i'm also shaky on though. it's now lost its bulky feeling to me. it isnt this huge, imposing dragon anymore. now.. it looks awkwardly short (length wise). I will say though, those wings are indeed beautiful. I really quite like those, and i can probably get used to the splits.

 

but the silvers... artist (im sorry, i'm not sure who it is currently), would it be possibly to maybe dull their shine and lighten their shadows a little? i understand completely if i'm the only one saying this to be ignored. but i have seen quite a few others mention that they seem too shiny.

[Ashes The Second]

ot a fan of the new silvers, too washed out to me.

[Gryphonic]

Coming back to post more since I was hurrying out the door to work on my last one:

 

The silvers are impressively shiny and silvery, I'll agree with that! I think the female did a better job of capturing the pose and feel of the original sprite that the male did, and I think I'm more likely to make lineages with them now. I like the floof on their tails, both genders, though on both I think the mane down their backs could have used more flowy lines (Undines) or obvious feather shapes - they look like pink and blue fuzz in lineage view rather than a mane like I was picturing for the breed, and which is visible only on a dragon's personal view. I like the pose of the male's lower body more than the upper half. I think pulling the right foreleg upward closer to the chest, and most of all tucking the head down like the old sprite had would have made it work. It wouldn't have had to be broken-necked like the old one, just have the muzzle lowered like he was proudly showing off his horns and mane again. And something about their outlines doesn't quite 'pop' off DC's background enough compared to other dragons, as other players have commented. Again, it worked better on the female. Agreeing with stardust; changing their size/resolution in lineage view would mitigate most of my objections.

 

tl;dr: They're fine in and of themselves, looking at them with new eyes, though I wish a few things were a little different. I was mostly upset that the one Silver-using lineage I was invested in I will no longer continue. Unless the Deep Seas themselves get an upgrade that miraculously matches the new Silvers in style, in which case I will be very upset because I like them fine the way they are.

 

Man I wanna breed Splits with Bloodscales so bad, but I'm not sure either blue quite works... but Hooktalon x Split is totally a thing on my list now. My brain is conjuring up all sorts of nice pairings that I belatedly realize aren't compatible. Howlers, Frostbites, Yellow Undines, Almandines, Brutes, RCs, Terraes, Embers... I'll stop now.

[cyradis4]

(snip)

 

The two-headed ones look fantastic though! A little bulky, but that's just because I'm used to seeing the old sprite. Fantastic work on the wings! The tail looks great too, a small detail I always overlooked in the original. Huge improvement!

 

(.... Maybe tinsel revamp soon?)

 

So, there I was, on page 13, reading, and went.... WHAT? Tinsels are getting a re-vamp??? So, out of curiosity I went back to try to find the original statement. It being TOTALLY a-typical for someone other than TJ to let the cat out of the bag, and Tinsels being so perfect already, and what I found was.....

 

Its smoke with no fire. The rumor was started by someone stating on page 6 that they'd like a Tinsel revamp, and by page 13 (when I originally started paying attention) it was Stated Fact.

 

This post (which I've snipped) is where the rumor started. A most interesting study on the propagation of rumors!

 

So thankfully, no Tinsel re-vamp. Love dem Tinsels! Gotta love DC Rumors, I've found that most have a VERY questionable connection to the truth.

 

Though there are a number of dragons I'd love to see have some work.... *eyes Dorsals, I'm talking about you!*

 

Cheers!

C4.

[brevi]

I really would prefer Opal Dragon's Silvers over the new sprite we have now for the silver from The Silver Thread but that may be just me.. Oh well cannot seem to go back now

 

Splits look great though

Splits look awesome, but I prefer LipizzanerKgirl's Silver sprite. And I'm not sure why, but the Silver sprite just seems blurry to me...

[The Evil Doer]

Silver was one of the most epic sprites, went well with pretty much 90% of the dragons on the site, now we have a "silver" which goes well with 5-10% of the dragons on the site.

 

What they did to the male silver is just awful, I dont even see it as a male anymore, it looks so feminine, that it's like we have 2 versions of a female "silver" if whatever these sprites are can be even called "silvers".

 

No clue who thought of this bright idea to butcher silvers of all the dragons on site, but it was a rather poor decision.

 

Just looking at my collection of silver hatchlings and all the cool lineages I had that look now like a drunk person thought of making them, makes me extremely disappointed.

 

Splits, dragons that cant even breed with normal dragons, splits that 90% of the playerbase couldn't care less about get an amazing improvement, while silvers, one of the most iconic breeds on the site get done like that - sad day for dc.