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

[TCA]

I actually enjoy the changes to the hatchlings much more than the changes to the adults on the Silvers.

Edited December 4, 2015 by TheCompleteAnimorph

[angelicdragonpuppy]

I must wonder then, why don't more people have an issue in Pokemon, where the sprite appearance changes almost every game (it's even 3D models now). If sprite changes/updates were a problem wouldn't then far less people would transfer their previous content to the new game?

 

Or perhaps there is a community of people who don't because they don't like the changes, that I just never met. And I don't mean the old "gen wunners" mess and all that stuff, only talking about the sprites.

I can interact with my Pokemon in ways I can't do on DC, so appearance isn't everything. In DC, though, there's not a heck of a lot of things to do but collect dragons and make lineages based on their looks, so when a sprite changes it's pretty much changing everything I enjoy about a dragon / the lineages based on it. It feels not like getting a new Pokemon sprite, but more like a total gameplay changer here, as if all my beloved Pokemon had been replaced with level 5, unnamed, untrained ones. Except there at least I could work my way back to what I had. In DC I can NEVER get back the old silvers or the many dozens of lineages I made that worked well only with their previous looks.

[Elzapeth]

Oh my god! I love these new sprites. I might have to go on a breeding binge of all my original splits now!

[Jennie]

I think the new silvers look great, and I never did give a heck about lineages. I think lineages are extremely over-rated, and I have never been able to catch even one silver from the cave, so all my silvers are left overs from people who were able to catch hundreds. The silvers I do have look lovely on my scroll. Thanks, TJ and the spriters who worked so hard on this project. I appreciate you.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Jennie

[Amazon_warrior]

I actually enjoy the changes to the hatchlings much more than the changes to the adults on the Silvers.

They remind me of a small animal sitting up to wash its face. My guinea pigs adopt a very similar pose (and also tend to look like they're about to face-plant) when they're grooming themselves.

[Wahya]

I must wonder then, why don't more people have an issue in Pokemon, where the sprite appearance changes almost every game (it's even 3D models now). If sprite changes/updates were a problem wouldn't then far less people would transfer their previous content to the new game?

 

Or perhaps there is a community of people who don't because they don't like the changes, that I just never met. And I don't mean the old "gen wunners" mess and all that stuff, only talking about the sprites.

I don't think that kind of game is a really good comparison to this one, since they are vastly different types of games, with totally different mechanics. But going on that comparison, I'll share my views.

 

I gave up Pokemon back when I was a kid for more than one reason, so I can't say that the sprites were the reason I gave it up. However, I'd considered getting a Horsea tattoo for a long time (I was actually still considering it last year), since that was my favorite from the first game I played (and yes, I'm a gen wunner). I wanted a pixel tattoo of Horsea as opposed to the cartoon version, because I was waaaay more attached to the games than the anime/cartoon. Guess which version I wanted tattooed?

 

 

That, to most people, is certainly not the best Horsea sprite by far. But that's the one I fell in love with, and the one that means something to me. And yes, I'm being serious - I considered getting that sprite permanently etched into my skin. I would do the same for the Tsunami Wyverns if I wanted to get a DC tattoo. IDC how much better they could look, how much shiner, 3D and new skool they could be (I know their sprites aren't "outdated" by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm not so naive that I think that they won't ever be changed), I fell in love with the Tsunami Wyverns for what they are. For some of us, "New and Improved" isn't improved at all. And that is why I completely sympathize with those who've essentially lost their favorite dragon. You can compare it to photoshopping a picture of a fond moment in time for someone - you can make a photo of your grandparents look 50 years younger, but then the meaning of the picture and all it represents is completely altered and potentially destroyed.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Wahya

[FireMaster13]

I must wonder then, why don't more people have an issue in Pokemon, where the sprite appearance changes almost every game (it's even 3D models now). If sprite changes/updates were a problem wouldn't then far less people would transfer their previous content to the new game?

 

Or perhaps there is a community of people who don't because they don't like the changes, that I just never met. And I don't mean the old "gen wunners" mess and all that stuff, only talking about the sprites.

I'm going to have to agree with Wahya and demonpuppy here and say Pokemon is not a great analogy- go on a small tangent.

I've been a pokemon player for a looong time, getting almost every game as it was released. You interact with these sprites in a vastly different manner as well as having completely different game mechanics.

For each new game released (sometimes in less than a year between), any sprite updates are gradual and keep the same "look" and design elements of said pokemon. They're "upgrades" are on a much more consistent scale, with every player having the mindset that pokemon will advance and the imagery will change.

Taking something that hasn't changed in (for some people) 7 years and making it (to most of us) highly altered in appearance is a lot different than changing something on a regular basis.

The mindsets are completely different between the two games.

 

Almost all you can do in DC is collect dragons and make gorgeous lineages with them. We love that. In Pokemon you're using sprites for completely different purposes where slight sprite changes each game are not inherently important. Plus, if you look at original sprites vs what they are now, the design and appearance is still almost exactly the same.

 

*

 

Many of us don't like these new sprites. We're allowed not to like them just the same as those that adore them. We shouldn't be derided because we don't like them- told to deal with it, stop whining, etc... Our opinion of losing something we cared about is as important as those loving the new sprites and thinking of ways to utilize them in lineages.

Some of us will be able to adjust, some won't.

 

 

[Hailwidis]

I personally love the new silvers, they are beautifully done, respect the original sprite, match the description better and I think overall LadyLyzar did a phenomenal job.

 

However, I can empathise with the people who were attached to the original sprite and/or the lineages they had created with it. I understand, I really do: they represent a huge time investment, and have emotional value which is irreplaceable and irrational. I wish there was a way everyone could be happy about this.

 

Overall I think there would be much less complaints if the lineage view could just be fixed, it doesn't do the full-size sprite justice.

 

I'm currently not really playing anymore, just checking in for events and releases, but if I was I would be excited about the new lineage possibilities. I have half a mind to start working on a silver x herald checker...

 

A big hug to all those that are disappointed, take a deep breath and step back from it for a while. That usually helps me rationalise this sort of thing.

[Jennie]

You can compare it to photoshopping a picture of a fond moment in time for someone - you can make a photo of your grandparents look 50 years younger, but then the meaning of the picture and all it represents is completely altered and potentially destroyed.

 

Yes, but a sprite in an online game that thousands of people play is hardly the same thing as a photo of someone's grandparents. My grandparents look very different from your grandparents or the grandparents of the people who live across the street from me or from you. The sprites on my scroll are not different from anyone else's unless they are those special spriters' versions or something. I understand that many people are more attached to these sprites than I am -- I'm not attached at all, so that's a no-brainer -- and I'm not trying to put them down or accuse them of anything, okay? I'm just trying to point out that the concept of the sprites on any one individual scroll being as individual as photos of your relatives is just a concept in your mind. It's not a fact. I know the meaning of my grandparents. The meaning of the sprites somehow escapes me. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not attacking anyone. I'm just mystified.

[Leon Kuwata]

...I really like these new silvers. I was waiting for the silver update for so long, and it was worth it.

[Watari]

It's going to take some time to get used to the silver sprites. I like them, but I still don't really feel like it was necessary to update them. The old sprites were still very pretty, unlike the old gold sprites. Bleh.

[SomeoneSneaky]

My splits! My splits are even more gorgeous now! Thank you so, so much!

 

*hoards even more*

[Windnose]

I love the new sprites, but I particularly love the new Silver hatchlings.

 

When I first joined DC, I thought the Silver hatchlings were awkward looking mice. So I'm very, very happy that they actually look like dragons to me now.

[Pokemonfan13]

The two head was long overdue. It was back during the replacement and they *needed* to be shaded, and they ended up being shaded by someone who really wasn't up to par, even with the lower bar back then. (this was back when people could just grab and do rather than the massive permission asking now) The old hatchlings...*shudder* So glad they're updated.

 

I adore the new silvers. I wonder how much of the "they look wrong/bad" will go away once those people are more used to them. The male did loose some length because that level of spine curve was rather odd and looked kinda jammed in the "box" of the sprite, which is probably where the "westernized" thing came from, since it technically has a normal, non-elongated body now. It was a catch 22 tho, because it was either have the spine funnily curved, shorten the body, or shrink the rest of the sprite to make room for more body, and shorten the body won. I think the female actually gained length, tho. But for the people who say "they didn't need it", yea they really kinda did. Yes, there are other dragons that also need it (I swear guardian will be updated if it kills me, if it was up to me it already would have been), but it isn't the ones that need it "the most" that are going to get it. There's complicated things like permission involved.

 

 

 

Heh, silvers went from one of the coolest dragons to a confused horse look, heh, messed up, lets hope ice and neglecteds never get updated

Both already were. xP A permission issue came up with the original neglected, so a completely new and totally gorgeous sprite set was made. Ices had a subtle update a while ago, mainly shading touches.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Pokemonfan13

[Zovesta]

The new ones are definitely nice, but I'll still really miss the old ones, and prefer them in some respects. =( The new split babies I do vastly prefer though. The new silver babies, not so much. The main reason why I loved the silver babies was because they looked so strange and helpless compared to all the other hatchlings, like an indication of how valuable and fragile they were. The spriters did a great job on the updates nonetheless, it's just not to my personal tastes so much. But I'm only here for nostalgia anyway, I'm biased. =P

[Mirowchy]

Ugh.... I hate the new silver sprites... :/ They're so out of place and fuzzy. Pink silver used to be my favourite...

 

The twin headed ones are fine I suppose.

[Seiti]

the new 2-headed sprites are very awesone

 

the new Silver sprites are pretty, but a bit to bright

I remember a fanart of a sprite updated Silver from somone who look much better

[Hohtis]

I'm not that big of a fan of the new silvers - don't take me wrong, the art is pretty but I think the previous ones looked better. As some people said above me, they look kind of fuzzy. I love the pixel look in the old ones.

 

The two headed instead - are gorgeous!

Edited December 4, 2015 by Hohtis

[MisaTange]

The two-headed sprites are very very excellent looking and I felt like they needed a little retouching. Wings seemed "folded up" in the old ones, and now they properly look like expanded wings, and there was some clarity issues in the old one (the tail looks a lot like a third hand).

 

The silvers, however, are pretty okay, I guess? I wasn't really a fan of the original silvers in the first place and there are some improvements in some respect. Hatchlings look super weird, and I think it outlined the catlike look of the original hatchlings a lot more.

[xeyla]

I wanted to wait till I posted my own opinion. I have been looking at the silvers for a few hours now, and I do like the new sprites. But, when I compare them to my gold dragons, they do not match anymore. There is too much shine on my silvers, and I do not notice any outlines like my golds have:

 

I do not know if this was supposed to happen? The silvers look too soft. Are they covered in hair, as opposed to scales, aside from their mane and tail? Their descriptions do not say, so I thought they were covered in scales, and scales tend to be not-soft looking. Aside from not having distinct outlines, I think they look really good.

 

I really love the split update too. I didn't really collect them because I got bored of them not matching the new two-headed dragons, and I didn't like breeding them to them either. But now with the new update, I will start doing that.

 

All in all, thank you spriters for the updates, I know you try to please the majority of users, but you can't please all of them.

[Library_gremlin]

Ohhhhhh. I love the new Two-Headed sprites.

 

Also, I really like the Silver females. I never much cared for Silvers, but abruptly I'm massively obsessed.

Edited December 4, 2015 by tiny_5nake

[zorua9]

Lookin' good

[Gryphonic]

Dear TJ... please resize/recrop the male Silver's lineage view. I think I will learn to like the Silvers if I think of them as a new breed, but right now lineages like this look too visually unbalanced to continue several more generations like I had intended. Silvers in lineages look like tiny fairy easterns at the moment (I have a sudden urge to see how they'd look with pygmies like Magelights, and to sketch pygmy easterns) and the existing art detail that would prevent them looking 'blurry' is too small to make out. Yes it will cut off more of the sprite that you want to display, but the way it is now none of it looks as good as it could. I would rather have a smaller sample of pretty than a bigger view of meh.

 

Perhaps

Okay, still a little blurry (and lost the lovely tail fan), but easier to recognize for part of a dragon instead of the shiny squiggle in my other window. Other dragons are even more severely cropped and we like them anyway.

[ScnBrain_2008]

I LOVE THE SILVER TAILS!!!!!

 

[BluefootTheWarrior]

Oh my lord those look amazing!!!!!