Cactose

[Kerth]

Alright, I'm trying to make my first unit (Cactose, for a user made campaign... and if they don't want I'm sure I can somebody too.). So far, I've got a rough draft of an idle stance done... I'd just like to see how to improve it. (i.e. I'm not very good at making shadows). I made the eyes magenta because I don't see a different spot to put team markings on the unit.

[Devas]

Doesn't look like it has spines to me. (it's name sounds like "cactus", so I just guessed it is one)
And you could give it flowers at the sides of the head or on the hands that could have the team color. (and that could also justify giving it a poisonnous attack, if you want to)

[doofus-01]

It's not a bad sprite, but cactus isn't the first thing that came to mind. The roots should probably be replaced with little cacti or something. Some spines or striations would also make it look more cactus-like.

There's a wiki page on shadows, it's somewhere in the "create" link at the top of this page.

[Kerth]

I like the flower idea a lot . I did notice the lack of spines, I'm still trying to make them look good. I haven't spined the bottom of the Cactose (Cactus Wose) because I do agree it needs to look more like a cactus then roots. I do think the spines I did add help make it more of a cactus, though. I'll probably do the flower last... I just need to find out how to make the little cacti roots :p

[A-Red]

Yeah, the question of how to do the roots is tricky...most cacti seem to have shallow, flimsy root systems (presumably made up for by their general lightness and the fact that large animals aren't keen on touching them). This pic may help:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/96207 ... 96.jpg?v=0

Note that the color transitions to brown well before getting to the roots, making a sort of "trunk". I realize not all cacti are like that, but it may be something else to consider, because a sprite with only one main hue never looks as good as it could. I think you may want to make the green parts less green too--cacti are pretty green, but they're a lot closer to yellow or brown than the color you're currently using.

[Kerth]

I really don't know what I'm going to do about the root system... I didn't make this unit from scratch, fyi. I took the wose walking corpse and heavily edited it (you can see the similarities mostly in the body). The tree trunk is the best I can do... If I leave it like it is however, it may still give off a wose-ish vibe. It also has to look thick enough for the cactose to be able to hold itself up... Question, does it strike you as woselike at all at the current moment?

[Zerovirus]

The bottom is distinctively wose. Right now, it has a kinda rotating-grooved trunk. Most cacti have vertical grooves. Try changing it to vertical grooves and it may look more original.

[Kerth]

I need it to be woselike still, as it is a Cactus Wose, not just a walking Cactus, meaning it still needs the woselike features... I'm just trying to decide if this is the fine line where I stop, or if I should go further and do the vertical grooves that you suggest I do :/

[Deusite]

Hi Kerth, I appreciate you taking this on. Your sprite is encouraging

On the roots, I say keep the same shape because if they looked like real cactus roots, they would never be able to get anywhere; they're long and stringy. However, I would make them more brown. Remember woses are closer to animals than plants according to our lore.

Have a go at the vertical grooves, it is very characteristic of cacti. I would also make his head slightly less bulbous at the back. His head looks more like a prickly pear than a bog standard cactus.

Also, none of the mainline sprites use pure black. You'll want a light/medium brown colour.

[Vendanna]

I think that you should go for a \./ bottom part, and simply make him "leap" like a frog for a movement animation.

Cheers for your efforts, atm is looking better than the only "animated" cactus I ever saw.

a fruiti

[Neoskel]

I'd suggest using yellow instead of black for the spines.

[Devas]

Who cares about roots not looking enough like cactus ones? It's a cactose (wose+cactus), not a real one. And the name is suggestive enough for us to understand it's a cactus. Remember this isn't an encyclopedia, it's just a game! :p
(But I do agree for the spines not looking enough like real cactus ones :p)

[Kerth]

I'm pretty sure I've gotten rid of all the pure black (The mouth is just really dark green, not black :p). I think it looks bad as a plain transparency with the checkered tile and everything with the brown/yellow spines (I had to darken them because they just looked silly), but when placed on a desert tile it looks good I think. The best color for the spines is pretty difficult to find, but I feel this is a fairly good color for them. I have no idea how to do the thin roots, so those are a no go. I'm fairly useless in regards to the grooves as well. I think this is the best it's going to get aside from recolorization of the spines and body.

[StDrake]

looks fine to me, only thing i would have more try at is the right hand looking a little flat with its (no?) shading, but only a little

[Kerth]

Thread necro! Of course, it's my thread, and I don't see the need to make a new one when it is regarding the same subject. I finally have time to give it a melee, ranged, and defense sprite, but the problem is... I'm not sure exactly what to make the frames (i.e. what does he do for attack).