ANSWERED:Vampire Sprite Update

[spatio]

I think I got everyone's newest sprites up on the first post. If I missed an update, please let me know!

[blockEdragon]

Out of the group I like Spatio's design the best, they look the most corpsey and gothic, like they are in perpetual hunger for blood! They also look the most aggressive, just all-around what i'd expect from a dragon based on a vampire.

[olympe]

I'm in no way willing to contradict you, quite the contrary. Spatio's design is awesome. But the problem is that the vampire dragon is already in the cave, and an update needs to be as subtle as possible while addressing the issues the current sprite has. And I feel that Spatio's work is too far removed from the original to work for an update. Which is why I prefer the linework done by VixenDra. (And I'd love to see Spatio shade Vixen's lines, to be frank.)

[blockEdragon]

Look at the gold update, look at the zombie sprite update (not the new breeds the western) look at the Nilla pygmys, none of them had to have their sprites be exact, nor should they, if the pose is outdated it should be fixed, if a better pose is proposed then I see no reason it reject it just to stick to status quo.

 

And its not that far off, not like it gained an extra pair of wings or *drastically* changed pose, it's just a slightly more natural looking version of the pose, and a slimming down that is pretty common in sprite updates and makes them look more ravenous.

Edited January 7, 2017 by blockEdragon

[Guillotine]

Also, Vampires don't have the lineage view concerns that breeds that can, well, breed, do. They can be taken as a pure standalone.

 

Also of note for precedence is the Horse update; the males got a completely new sprite.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Guillotine

[olympe]

The male horse may have gotten a completely new sprite, but it looks surprisingly consistent with the old one in lineage view, as the colors and overall shape of the lineage pics match quite well.

 

And you both know how badly the update of the old gold sprite was received. My daughter still often looks at the old gold sprite with nostalgia. (Only time ever I see my 13-year-old nostalgic, to be honest.) And also the nilia update had quite a bit of opposition. I also remember how disappointed I was at first when I saw the Val '09 update, as the fierceness of the original sprite got lost in the transition.

 

On the other hand, the original horse update, the update of the waters, whiptails, sunsets, purple females and even hollies (and probably a number of other breeds I don't even remember) were practically unproblematic, sometimes not even noticed by players for a while. And why was that? Because the updated sprite stuck closely to the original while still fixing anatomy and shading issues.

 

Which is the base for my reasoning to stick as close to the original as possible while, at the same time, fixing the issues the in-cave sprites obviously have. Spatio's work fixes all the issues, but looks very different from what we have right now, which is not what we need for a sprite update of a breed that many of us hoard - or used to. I don't think that lineage view is the only thing we need to consider here.

[Confused Cat]

I really like the completed set (VixenDra's Lines, shaded by Shadowwolf6).

 

The skinny ones with the changed pose (Spatio) look great, too, but I would be sad if we lost the existing Vampires to them. The Vampires' pose has always looked like "GRARR! I'm a Vampire! I'm going to bite you!" to me, like they just landed in front of me after jumping down from a castle wall, and that effect is completely gone with the changed pose.

They're just standing there - which would be completely fine for a new dragon*, but in my opinion it would be a step backwards for a dragon that already had a pose matching its character.

 

(* I often prefer the simple "posing for a photograph" poses to the "acrobatic" ones that make it difficult to identify body parts.)

 

As for the precedents with previous updates - I did NOT like the ones that got completely new sprites. Just because it was done doesn't mean it should be done again.

There is one breed or another that I don't like that much, and maybe I would start liking them if they were changed - but then the players who love them now would be unhappy.

Therefore in my opinion updates should always be as subtle as possible.

[aussieJJDude]

I'm really liking the Lines by VixenDra, shading by Ayumi_Seto... I personally think its as close to the original... The sprite that I hold dear. As much as the other sprites look amazing, I can't help but feel like they so different from the breed I use to like. And this may sound childish, but I don't think I would go out and actively collect vamps.... They don't feel the same to me.

[blockEdragon]

Not that i'm gonna convince anyone of anything but i'm gonna state my opinion.

 

To me the old one makes no sense, the pose just looks weird.

It's probably the second or 3rd most outdated sprite on the site, the shins bend, the wings look off and the hands are in a weird pose, and it has hands, not talons or something to walk on.

The sprite sticks out and looks bad among the newer ones for a similar reason as to why 1980s Micky Mouse would look weird in a Batman cartoon.

 

The other sprite submissions are fine, just fine, (i'd give them a solid B ) and a massive step up from the old DC aesthetic but they look pretty generic to me, Not that they are bad but they don't look near as vampire-y as Spatio's.

 

And to everyone freaking out over a pose change, this isn't even that big of a change, It still has the same facial expression and the same overall pose, it's just that it is a bit more realistic then the old one,

Look at its face, same tongue, same facial expression, while I support a pose change if it's better then the old pose this isn't that large of a change.

A small movement of the neck, a more realistic wing position, and a less bendy overall body (try and bend your Metatarsal bones without breaking anything, you can't, and unless it has bones made of rubber or has lazy-U shaped foot bones, then this is an issue)

Edited February 26, 2017 by blockEdragon

[Zeditha]

I've always loved the current Vampires, but I do agree that their sprites are a bit outdated.

 

However, I do think that any sprite update would need to be as subtle as possible, fixing anatomy issues while leaving as much the same as possible. It should only be possible to tell the two apart without a trained eye by placing the two side-by-side, like with the Holly update.

 

I like the shading done by Ayumi_Seto; the adult looks very similar to the original.

However, vixendra's hatchling flats lack the wolf-like reminiscence that I love so much in the current sprites. I think that the majority of that loss is due to the increase in neck length. Reducing the neck back would probably go a long way to restoring their wolf-like qualities.

 

I'm not too fond of shadowwolf's shading. Not only does it look... grainy, especially on the female and wings, it makes the sprites 'pop' way too much, making it obviously different from the original. Ayumi's shading is subtler, more like the current sprites, but still realistic enough to retain the 'style of DC'.

 

tl;dr: I'm for a sprite update, but it has to be subtle, and I like Ayumi's adult the best.

[Fuzzbucket]

Yes - I am OK with them as they stand actually (I'm into history !) but Ayumi's shading looks noticeably more scary . Shadowwolf's shading is cuter somehow, and Spatio's is just adorable. Which is not what a vampire should look like

 

But Ayumi's shading needs the tail spines added back.

[Indigo_Dragon]

Vixendra's lines by Ayumi-seto looks the best to me. :3 I love the completed set line up. :3

[Ayumi_Seto]

I'm really liking the Lines by VixenDra, shading by Ayumi_Seto... I personally think its as close to the original... The sprite that I hold dear. As much as the other sprites look amazing, I can't help but feel like they so different from the breed I use to like. And this may sound childish, but I don't think I would go out and actively collect vamps.... They don't feel the same to me.

Zeditha

fuzzbucket

Sapphira_Majoram

 

Hi everyone I'm still here. I've just been busy with things. I'm glad to hear that you all like my shading. I really hope that the full set of sprites will look good when I finish them. Also what tail spines do you mean @fuzzbucket? I haven't posted the male sprites yet and they're the only ones I know of that have tail spines/spikes.

 

Anyway I tried to fix the problem of the egg being to shiny/glossy. The first egg is the old one and the second is the new one.

 

How does it look now?

 

 

 

I'm still working on the male hatchling and the adult male because I want them to have the same colors as the main colors of the egg. I'm also working on shading the adult female's wings a more pink color. Once I think the sprites look good I'll post them.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Ayumi_Seto

[Ayumi_Seto]

Okay I wasn't happy with how the egg looked when I posted it. For some reason it looked different to me and a bit to dark.So here is the newest egg edit along with the previous egg attempts.

 

 

The first egg was to shiny/glossy. The second egg was to dark/dull, but the third egg was...just right?

 

(That was a reference to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. : )

 

 

-----> ----->

Edited March 22, 2017 by Ayumi_Seto

[Paradisiske]

Okay I wasn't happy with how the egg looked when I posted it. For some reason it looked different to me and a bit to dark.So here is the newest egg edit along with the previous egg attempts.

 

 

The first egg was to shiny/glossy. The second egg was to dark/dull, but the third egg was...just right?

 

(That was a reference to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. : )

 

 

-----> ----->

the third egg is just right imo

[Laura-Borealis]

For me, the original has better contrast, and it's easier to see the markings and tell what it is. Sorry I do think it needs polished up, as it's rather flat (like many of the old egg sprites). But making it darker just makes it harder for me to see it. If I was cruising the AP it would be difficult to distinguish from other dark eggs.

[spatio]

@Ayumi: Just let me know what egg(s) you want on the front page.

 

I haven't been on here in a while, are everyone's sprites on the first post their most recent/preferred? (I'm reading back through the thread and I /think/ it should be up to date.

[Fiona]

Just going to throw this crit out there, not sure if it's been mentioned before. But Vixendra's lines shouldn't have the dip in the line of the back. That's really... not how animal backs are shaped, generally. And especially that would be true of the line between the back and where the wing attaches. As far as lines are concerned I like Shokomon's pretty well except the wings, and the wings on Spatio's. (though that one looks a leetle bit emaciated overall to me.)

[Ayumi_Seto]

the third egg is just right imo

The egg looks good but I think as Laura-Borealis said it is a bit to dark on the lower of part. I just need to fix that real quick and I think it will look good for everyone after that.

 

Laura-Borealis

I'm going to do my best to fix it. I'm trying to make it look close to the old egg but improve it too. Here is a side by side comparison between the original Vampire Dragon egg and the new egg.

 

dragonwinxzodiac

Okay I'll let you know. Right now the last egg is the best looking one so far but I need to slightly lighten the bottom of it. This is the egg you can post now if you want to.

Edited March 23, 2017 by Ayumi_Seto

[RealWilliamShakespeare]

I've always seen the sprite in Spatio's signature and thought "wow, I wish that was the actual Vampire sprite!" The pose of the original Vampire always bugged me - something about it's stature never seemed right - but Spatio's new pose looks really nice. It seems to be standing in a way that looks comfortable and natural, but is somehow made more spindly and skinny and creepy. To me, it's everything a Vampire should be, right down to the creepy wing fingers. There's so much talented art throughout this thread, but Spatio's sprite is always gonna have my vote

[spatio]

@Shakespeare (Grey? I see we both have the long 'n unrelated username issue lmao): Thanks for the support! ^u^

 

@All current artists (myself included): Something to consider - none of the current sprite submissions include the little "jagged" edge of the wing membrane where it meets the abdomen. In the spirit of staying true to the breed's original design (perhaps not so much anatomy), perhaps this could be incorporated as markings? Creepy red rib lines would spice up all the current sprites. Just a thought!

did someone already say this? i have the nagging feeling someone already said this but 15 pages to dig through on mobile cries

 

//disappears back into piles of homework assignments x^x

[BatPopsicle]

I was against a sprite update....until I saw VixenDra's Lines, shaded by Shadowwolf6. I really like what they did.

[Sextonator]

 

.....I honestly don't know where I left off on these but they have been hanging around the back of my mind for awhile, and I think I'm finally at a point where I can try to focus on them some more.

[olympe]

Overall, they're quite nice. However, the chest, shoulder, upper arm and upper leg areas look rather grainy, while the tail, lower arms/legs, wings and neck look pretty smooth. Personally, I prefer the smooth look, since vamps aren't made of stone. Maybe you could smoothen it out a little? (And, yes, the grainy-ness is more pronounced on the female.)

[Sextonator]

 

I had to add another shade but tbh I don't like it. :2 It needs to be broken in areas, I tried to fix the contrast because I felt it was an issue, but it still seems like it's too high for a less grainy shading style.

 

I could have done it wrong but I don't want to work on it any more tonight.