For spriters: TSR revives TUGS!

[Zerovirus]

http://www.pixeljoint.com/2011/06/17/34 ... S_TUGS.htm

Basically, it's a pixelart tournament with three brackets of skill- beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I'm sure there's plenty of people at Wesnoth who'd be interested! The joining deadline's on June 30th, and there's already more than sixty people signed up.

And yes, I'm joining this too. It should be fun!

[artisticdude]

The idea is cool, although the rules are rather blurry to me (or maybe I'm missing something?). Are they looking for sprites (if so, what size, palette limitations if any, what criteria you will be judged on, etc.), or just pixel art in general? They don't make that very clear. Despite that, I might just take a shot at it. Worst that can happen is I get my butt handed to me by someone else from the Wesnoth community.

I'd seriously love to see Jet and Sleepwalker enter this. TSI, too, but I understand he's really busy IRL these days...

[thespaceinvader]

Both busy and chronically unmotivated. When I'm doing art, it's for Wesnoth.

[powershot]

Both busy and chronically unmotivated. When I'm doing art, it's for Wesnoth.

I agree with him, I am currently working on my campaign "SOS ". And I only make art for portraits or sprites or to use for something else, or, I draw on paper.

[woodmouse]

...now I say the words I've always wanted to say on this forum as well, but never have had the chance to: "this is the most [censored] thing ever to be invented". I mean... the idea is awesome, but like artisticdude said, there's no clear rules or anything, and besides, it's basically a one-sprite-per-day thing, which makes me doubt the results I could achieve, if I'd even plan to join (which I don't). You know, I suck more than a 5 year old with paint, when it comes to pixel art... although I myself like to think it's only that way with PIXEL art, but well...

I think it honestly is an awesome thing they're doing this, but I just can't help but wonder if anyone who enters gets things finished... and just how they judge them. I doubt it's with "skill" or "style", but with "epicness points", which would mean it's a "style in the head of the judge" thing; most probably those who're best making 'dynamic pieces of art' win, while those who have a distinct and awesome style get pushed down the space toilet...

PS: random weird thing: it ends on my birthday.

[Iris]

chronically unmotivated

I know how it feels.

[Dixie]

...now I say the words I've always wanted to say on this forum as well, but never have had the chance to: "this is the most [censored] thing ever to be invented"

Come on, don't be so bitter and angsty. Why would it be [censored]? Because you think you're not able to compete? I'm not entering and possibly wouldn't hold a sprite a day either, but it doesn't mean it's the worst thing ever. And while it's true that there are no clear judges or rules... Well so what? It's not like there's a multi-million dollars prize or anything at the end. It's mostly a for-fun thing. What's wrong with having fun spriting? Just don't join if it's so hard on you. I'm sure it's a great opportunity to have fun, practice and learn for any aspirant sprite artist, win or loss, fair or not.

[Zerovirus]

http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1284337715

The above is an incomplete archive of the past TUGS entries in all three categories. Basically it works something like Weekly Challenges on Pixeljoint; of course they're not telling you what exactly they want yet, otherwise people would go off and start working on it already. There's apparently three or four rounds of specific requirements- pallete restrictions, subject restrictions, canvas size restrictions- that you have to comply to. Some of the entries aren't even finished, but most of them are. Go look at the archive yourself.

Oh, Neorice entered once. It was pretty damn epic.

Speaking of him, he's been invited again this year but he says he may not have time. Badassbill is definitely entering, and people are thinking of dragging Elk into this.

I'm personally not entering to win, but more to have fun- it's not so often that such a big event in pixelart comes up, and working alongside other people on a common theme in a competition sounds fun to me.

@artisticdude: Well of course they're not telling you what they want yet, if they did people would go off and start working on entries before the deadline ended. TSR tends towards mockups and characters a bit more than traditional landscapes and such, though. They've made it clear that they're looking for general pixelart and that challenges will not be restricted to character art, game-sprites, or the like.

@woodmouse: Iiiii dunno, some of what you said sounds more like an excuse not to try and compete with others in art rather than a solid opinion on the tournament itself. It's really a last-defense measure to try and excuse art styles for looking weird based on the notion that 'it's my own special snowflake style'- I'm pretty sure there's been multiple posts on the subject somewhere in the art-debate threads.

@Powershot: Not to be mean or anything, but I haven't actually seen you make a single pure-pixelart sprite. Most of your work is aliased brush or photoshop effects+recolors, while actually making the sprites out of pixels is what the tournament is about. Given that, I'm not sure if you'd be allowed entry anyways.

[woodmouse]

...now I say the words I've always wanted to say on this forum as well, but never have had the chance to: "this is the most [censored] thing ever to be invented"

Come on, don't be so bitter and angsty. Why would it be [censored]? Because you think you're not able to compete? I'm not entering and possibly wouldn't hold a sprite a day either, but it doesn't mean it's the worst thing ever. And while it's true that there are no clear judges or rules... Well so what? It's not like there's a multi-million dollars prize or anything at the end. It's mostly a for-fun thing. What's wrong with having fun spriting? Just don't join if it's so hard on you. I'm sure it's a great opportunity to have fun, practice and learn for any aspirant sprite artist, win or loss, fair or not.

I didn't mean that at all. I'm all about having fun, I do nothing in life unless it's fun... I just meant that it's "[censored]" because I have no idea how anyone can think it's fun to be shackled to something, no matter how hard you want to quit... That's the feeling I get from it; you have to keep doing sprites as long as you lose, which would mean, that eventually, it's not fun anymore.
I was on a forum that had in the rules "only active members are allowed, post at least once a day" or something like that. I disappeared for a few months; no one complained, but they thought I was "[censored] for not 'understanding' the rules". That's why I said "[censored]", sorry if it wasn't clear.

@woodmouse: Iiiii dunno, some of what you said sounds more like an excuse not to try and compete with others in art rather than a solid opinion on the tournament itself. It's really a last-defense measure to try and excuse art styles for looking weird based on the notion that 'it's my own special snowflake style'- I'm pretty sure there's been multiple posts on the subject somewhere in the art-debate threads.

Everything I say is seen as an excuse for something. It's just a general observation, you know. But what I mean is that while it's always said that imitating other people's styles is the best thing someone can do, and then twist it together, but if you have your own style from the beginning, while others think it's crap, but you yourself like it... isn't that a good thing? Like... uh, I'm not sure what it's called, but art is like self-satisfaction or something, in my opinion.

[Zerovirus]

Yeah, enjoying your own art is good- it's when you show other people knowing that they may not like your style and try to force them to like it anyways is when the real drama starts. I've seen it happen so many times it's crazy. When your style is unique enough that you're pretty much the only fan of it, it'd probably be a good idea to keep it to yourself instead of try to get widespread praise or the like.

And hey, if this is your definition of shackled- three or four small art projects over a month's time- you may need a biiiit more discipline. Then again, I suppose your art thread's rather filled with unfinished odds and ends... I have to agree though that the forum you mention has some pretty darn silly rules. What was it a forum of?

[woodmouse]

Yeah, enjoying your own art is good- it's when you show other people knowing that they may not like your style and try to force them to like it anyways is when the real drama starts. I've seen it happen so many times it's crazy. When your style is unique enough that you're pretty much the only fan of it, it'd probably be a good idea to keep it to yourself instead of try to get widespread praise or the like.

And hey, if this is your definition of shackled- three or four small art projects over a month's time- you may need a biiiit more discipline. Then again, I suppose your art thread's rather filled with unfinished odds and ends... I have to agree though that the forum you mention has some pretty darn silly rules. What was it a forum of?

Hmm, yeah, I agree with the first thing, but the opposite is equally annoying (when people copy something 99% and then say they're so awesome at everything).

I thought there's at least 10 'rounds' in the tournament thing. Oh and yeah, unfinished stuff is piling up pretty much, sometimes I finish things but think I'd rather not post them since people always tend to go "you still need to X the Y of Z, then you'll succeed at making Y like X." It was a music forum, btw, which makes it even more disturbing. Although I also am on a pixel art forum, since 2008, and most people are like "oh, a new guy" when they see me post, then I'm like "I've been here since 2008, but I just post once a month" then everyone dies.

PS: off topic is piling up...

[Zerovirus]

Well, there's three brackets. Considering that the 60+ people are split evenly (in theory), you get 20 people per bracket- about 4-5 rounds, since 4 rounds of competition gives you 16 people who can compete and 5 gives you 32. If you take the whole tournament, though, you get three times that which is around 12-15 rounds. Also, there's a prelim round in which you present an example piece so the judges can decide which bracket you go in, so that's another set of rounds.

[Iris]

Woodmouse: stop using so many smilies per paragraph in your posts. Your very last post in this topic is pretty much borderline.

[powershot]

@Powershot: Not to be mean or anything, but I haven't actually seen you make a single pure-pixelart sprite. Most of your work is aliased brush or photoshop effects+recolors, while actually making the sprites out of pixels is what the tournament is about. Given that, I'm not sure if you'd be allowed entry anyways.

Ok. Is this pixel art? It's a special kind of a drake head(although not a replacement for the mainline). Problem:It's not facing south west.

[woodmouse]

Ok. Is this pixel art? It's a special kind of a drake head(although not a replacement for the mainline). Problem:It's not facing south west.

It... it's... it's like spiderman having sex with batman, which... isn't exactly pixel art. Pixel art is like what the sprites in Wesnoth are, etc. Image google "pixel art", and you'll see what it is. What you did isn't pixel art, but... brush art or whatever.

This kinda stuff is pixel art.

PS: it looked nothing like a Drake head imo.