For the record, the original character bases are also available under CC-By. Note that this doesn't include any expansions done by others during the contest.
Re: CC-By-SA: it's a mess for the reasons you stated, and I generally don't use it myself. I think copyleft is a great idea, but -SA doesn't do it for me.
Yo. This is something I've worked on before (for the 2D Ultimate Smash Friends project, which I believe is no longer active). You can see the resources which were assembled here: http://opengameart.org/content/ultimate-smash-friends Most of those are original characters, though.
The major problem I came across is that so few open source games are character driven--the ones that even have characters tend to either use Tux (who really isn't a character IMO, just an icon) or do something like what the Maryo project did.
One which I came across was Surge from OpenSurge (an unfinished sonic clone, albeit one with promising demo builds). Another suggestion would be one or more characters from Wesnoth (ala Marth and Roy).
"For however long it takes, the site funnels all available talent to produce the art necessary for that type of game." For the record, this is simply not how things work. The site's contributors are not a cohesive group under the site's control--they are generally a disparate group of free givers with different styles, abilities and interests. OGA can only direct things either by paying artists (as they have occasionally done, already generally in the service of cohesive art packs) and by running events (like the LPC, also in the service of a cohesive art pack). What you're asking for just isn't really realistic.
The first issue you have here is mixed resolutions. The base you're working with is at 2x (3x?) while the things you're drawing on are at 1x. This leads to a mix of single and doubled pixels which you really want to avoid. Always work with unresized sprites. This is a pretty common issue with beginners (I had trouble with it myself when I first started).
Re: time, shading, overally look, etc: don't worry, these things come with experience. You're already off to a decent start--if you keep practising they should come naturally. Having light from the upper left is generally a good strategy as it keeps the shading from being too visually boring and lets it show off the sprites forms better than straight-on light would.
It's a constant struggle, but if you don't have cash you're generally going to have to compromise some on graphics. OGA's purpose is in part to make this compromise much less painful by providing quality graphics that you can use free of charge, but it's rarely going to be exactly what you're after, and you'll likely have to loosen your requirements to some extent. If you do decide to make your own base to work from, I'd encourage you to post your works in progress here. It may also be possible for you to modify the LPC base to match your specs.
@AlexCons: Thanks, I'm glad you like them! Unfortunately, as I've said above I really don't have time to expand these at the moment. At least when it comes to unpaid work, my plate is pretty full.
For the record, the original character bases are also available under CC-By. Note that this doesn't include any expansions done by others during the contest.
Re: CC-By-SA: it's a mess for the reasons you stated, and I generally don't use it myself. I think copyleft is a great idea, but -SA doesn't do it for me.
Nice work, and likely useful for a variety of projects. Thanks for the permissive license too.
Yo. This is something I've worked on before (for the 2D Ultimate Smash Friends project, which I believe is no longer active). You can see the resources which were assembled here: http://opengameart.org/content/ultimate-smash-friends Most of those are original characters, though.
The major problem I came across is that so few open source games are character driven--the ones that even have characters tend to either use Tux (who really isn't a character IMO, just an icon) or do something like what the Maryo project did.
One which I came across was Surge from OpenSurge (an unfinished sonic clone, albeit one with promising demo builds). Another suggestion would be one or more characters from Wesnoth (ala Marth and Roy).
"For however long it takes, the site funnels all available talent to produce the art necessary for that type of game."
For the record, this is simply not how things work. The site's contributors are not a cohesive group under the site's control--they are generally a disparate group of free givers with different styles, abilities and interests. OGA can only direct things either by paying artists (as they have occasionally done, already generally in the service of cohesive art packs) and by running events (like the LPC, also in the service of a cohesive art pack). What you're asking for just isn't really realistic.
The first issue you have here is mixed resolutions. The base you're working with is at 2x (3x?) while the things you're drawing on are at 1x. This leads to a mix of single and doubled pixels which you really want to avoid. Always work with unresized sprites. This is a pretty common issue with beginners (I had trouble with it myself when I first started).
Re: time, shading, overally look, etc: don't worry, these things come with experience. You're already off to a decent start--if you keep practising they should come naturally. Having light from the upper left is generally a good strategy as it keeps the shading from being too visually boring and lets it show off the sprites forms better than straight-on light would.
It's a constant struggle, but if you don't have cash you're generally going to have to compromise some on graphics. OGA's purpose is in part to make this compromise much less painful by providing quality graphics that you can use free of charge, but it's rarely going to be exactly what you're after, and you'll likely have to loosen your requirements to some extent. If you do decide to make your own base to work from, I'd encourage you to post your works in progress here. It may also be possible for you to modify the LPC base to match your specs.
I might be, as it would be fun practise. But I am currently away and will be for a further 2 weeks. When I get back I may be able to do one or two.
Congratulations! I'm so happy for you, and I'm sure she will make you very proud.
Fantastic work! You've done a great job at pulling a lot of character out of a small space.
@AlexCons: Thanks, I'm glad you like them! Unfortunately, as I've said above I really don't have time to expand these at the moment. At least when it comes to unpaid work, my plate is pretty full.
@zironid_n: thanks :)
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