Fire-Forged Friends

[Zamael]

it's using quicktime, so if you dont have whatever version it is it might not work i think... For me you jsut open it and hit play. version 7.6.2

Well, I don't have quicktime. My computer just plain doesn't recognize the whole file.

If you could just put it in .gif, or just as a series of images, then maybe I could see it too.

Just wondering, where abouts on the Wesnoth history time-line does this story take place (approximately)

During the reign of Li'Sar and Konrad the First. A few years after Northern Rebirth, I think.

Optional ending

Thanks for the suggestion, but I already have an ending in my mind.

[solsword]

Just a few comments on the sprites so far... the Xel sprite looks good, but I think it might look even better if you made the shackles wrought iron instead of what looks like steel. I know that they're supposed to be magical and all, but the dark color would make them stand out a lot more. I do like the look of the chains (although of course if you made the shackles dark the chains should probably be dark as well). In terms of Silan... that sprite is pretty noisy (it has a lot of tiny, high-contrast details) and has a very rough outline. Overall, its pretty far from the style of mainline sprites. Look at the shading on the dark adept for an example of something more Wesnothian... the noisiness also contributes to an overall flat impression, because the shading is harsh and formed around the many deep folds of the cloth that you've drawn, and so it doesn't get a chance to conform to or reveal the shape of the guy's body. In addition, Zamael can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't think that Silan's garments have much of a ripped and torn aspect to them: they're well-worn traveling clothes, but otherwise in good condition. If anything, I'd imagine them to be one step smoother and less frayed than the robe that the adept is wearing. More like the shadow mage than the shadow lord, although to me, neither sprite quite fits with the mainline sprites, and, at least to me, that quality of *fitting* is highly desirable. I'm much less concerned about sprites being mainline-quality in other ways (such as frames of animation, etc.), but the overall style of UMC sprites is something that bothers me a little in many cases.

At some point, I *may* attempt some sprites for these characters... but seeing as how I should really be working on the WML... and on my own campaign... and on sprites for my own campaing... and on cliffs... and probably just a little bit on graduate school... Okay so I probably won't be doing sprites any time in the near future.

EDIT: On a completely unrelated note, I've noticed that your goblin is wearing magenta, Shawer. Yes, magenta. (see my sig for details)

[Zamael]

In addition, Zamael can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't think that Silan's garments have much of a ripped and torn aspect to them: they're well-worn traveling clothes, but otherwise in good condition. If anything, I'd imagine them to be one step smoother and less frayed than the robe that the adept is wearing. More like the shadow mage than the shadow lord,

Your assumptions would be largely correct. Silan isn't concerned with "bling" or looking good, just the basic usefulness. There aren't many high-class tailors in the wilderness, and he usually doesn't meet too many people to show off his fancy clothes anyway.

although to me, neither sprite quite fits with the mainline sprites, and, at least to me, that quality of *fitting* is highly desirable. I'm much less concerned about sprites being mainline-quality in other ways (such as frames of animation, etc.), but the overall style of UMC sprites is something that bothers me a little in many cases.

I'm having about the same priorities. Xel's sprite hits very close - although I can't say anything of the animation quality yet - but Silan's is a bit off the mark.

At some point, I *may* attempt some sprites for these characters... but seeing as how I should really be working on the WML... and on my own campaign... and on sprites for my own campaing... and on cliffs... and probably just a little bit on graduate school... Okay so I probably won't be doing sprites any time in the near future.

Don't overload yourself. We don't want you to pass out from exhaustion, at least until you get the very final mission of mine coded. After that, you may rest.

[Shawer]

Before school, quick update on how my sprites are going. Xel is going somewhere, while cheska and silan are going nowhere, yay!
Anyway, i have the frames here, if the attack frame lasted just a little longer, then it seems to work to me.Changed shackles do an iron, and the chains as well. I put the lighter colours on the shackles to make them stand out better, actually, and im not so sure if this darker one does stand out well. But it's your choices...
Here are both frames!

[solsword]

Mmm that's not quite the color I was thinking of, looks a bit like 50% grey. I was thinking of wrought iron, which is considerably darker, maybe something like #221111 or the like? I don't know enough to know exactly how to get them looking distinctively metallic, but I'm sure if you mess around with highlights (maybe relatively quite bright highlight colors?) you could do it. Speaking of which it doesn't seem like they're shaded very strongly in this version... they look very flat. Compare with the spear head (although that has a different shape).

The shape of the chains looks really good, though.

[Shawer]

Well, iv'e fixed those shackles! i hope.... It might still be a bit to light, but that' only on the parts where light's glancing off it i think, the colour it was based off (on the left of each shackle) seems dark enough to me. Well, here is the hopefully final version of Xel! And ill fix his attack frame up like that to when i get the chance. Here it is!

[Zamael]

They still look rather one-dimensional. I don't get the impression those things are circling around his wrists and ankles.

[Shawer]

Hmm... if i make them darker in the middle and get lighter the closer it gets to its edges...
*artistic mumbling*

[solsword]

That metal is still very light-colored for wrought iron. I've made my own take on him, with a darker and slightly reddish metal. I also tried to give it sharp highlights to make it look more metallic. I worked from the palette you see drawn in the picture to make the shackles (I also changed some of the shackle placements, as they looked a bit off to me), but afterwards I messed with the brightness/contrast a little to make them even darker, so the colors don't match the palette exactly.

I welcome comments, although most of the credit goes to Shawer for the shackles design (and the idea of putting an extra foot in there to show them off: genius, by the way).

[Zamael]

(Whistle)

(Note to self: Think of a way to sabotage Solsword's own campaign and make him abandon it, without revealing it was you, so that he'd have more time to not only for my campaign but for sprites als-) Um, did I just say that out loud?

You heard nothing.

[Shawer]

*presses the delete button of the file he just attached*
That works better then what i just made xD
Forgot the shackles on his wrists i think, or maybe i just can't see them, but i find the colour scheme and the shackle in general very good
Good job

*note to self*
Kidnap Solsword, make him do sprites for me then pass them off as my own....

Woops >>'

Edit: The reason i didn't do the iron that dark is because it may look to much like the edge of the sprite and just look bad, apparently you can go reallyreallyreally dark and it can be JUST passed off as gray still... I also forgot about the wesnoth grass background, which just makes it look better...
But meh, bitterness isn't really my thing, good job again!
Edit2: And because of the shadows, but i forgot the sprites are meant to have the purply shadows now xD

[solsword]

Woah, give yourself some credit here. In fact, give yourself most of the credit. You're the one who drew the shackles in the first place, all I really did was re-shade them. And I think that even my coloring would be hard-to-notice without the chains that you did. In fact, when I first noticed the black borders in the sprite (which is atypical of a Wesnoth sprite... I had not noticed what you were working with) I was discouraged and thought that maybe my idea wouldn't work. But I went ahead with it anyway and it turned out okay.

About the shackles on the wrists: they did wind up a little hard-to-see, so my idea wasn't an unmitigated success. However, thinking about it, you'll often see Xel alongside other non-shackled Saurians, and this difference will make the shackles stand out more. You're also right about the grass helping... although I'm a tiny bit worried that other terrains might hurt. We'll see.

Random thought: putting an extra foot into the attack animation makes Xel the Kenshin of saurians .

[Shawer]

Ill star seeing if i can do other sprites later then, im a bit hungry right now and dad's making pancakes for breakfast

[Zamael]

So I was thinking the other day... how did I get myself a coder? By showing people that I sucked at it myself. I pulled a pity act and it worked.

So now I figured that hey, maybe the same would work with art! And then I made and scribbled some real sucky portraits for my three main characters: maybe someone will feel pity at me and draw something infinitely awesome to replace them. ...Or, even if someone coloured the ones I did, that'd be more than enough too.

(Also I haven't cleaned up the sketches, because whenever I do that, my art ends up looking all flat.)

Cheska ended up looking a lot more tough than I thought she'd be. Plus that haircut is rather inappropriate for a noblewoman. Silan became more childish and young than he originally was: and I spend more time to his hands than the entire rest of the portrait put together, I can't draw hands at all. Also I thought drawing Xel would be the hardest of them all, but actually it was pretty easy - and the only reason he's still got those chains in his feet is because of Shawer.

Shawer, you honestly should be proud of yourself. Any half-competent spriter can take a character concept and turn it into a moderate but soulless piece of sprite, but you went further than that. You shaped the character himself. If now some über-awesome and skilled spriter showed up and conjured up an absolutely perfect and flawless Xel, then I suppose I should think the best of the campaign and pick that one over yours - but you should still be bloody proud, because your legacy will live on even then, because you went beyond creating sprites.

Edit: Also you know what? Before I began drawing these, I thought to myself "At least I can do better than the guy who drew Rise of Wesnoth, oh boy did he suck". I looked at the RoW art a bit beforehand, and laughed. But after I had done these, something struck me, and I looked back at them. I paid some more attention to the details. "No... it can't be..."
I went to the /story folder and saw the awesome piece of Eldaric's last stand, and then it finally struck me: "Goddarnit this guy is an awesome artist after all!" He simply had a simplistic style, and me in my pride and ignorance failed to see that. And I was angry.

[Huston]

those actually aren't that bad. loose the anime chin though