Avatars Created by Sprites

[Erroneous 0]

I like to complete the immersion on my other RP sites by having users use character generated avatars through an avatar generator, i.e. use your post counts to earn spending money and use that money to buy new avatar gear. I have such a system and it will work here however it will lack sprites related to Sword Art Online. I have well known system used at my other site Integrability, but obviously those sprites convey clothing and gear related to the dothack series, another anime/game title altogether.

Or should we allow users upload or link to their own avatars elsewhere? Or perhaps make our own avatars and host a gallery for users to choose from?

[Namine 0]

Really would depend on if we can either A) Get good spriters, or B) How we go about using player's own avatars.

If we can get a good sprite team that's willing to take on the task of creating SAO Themed sprites, it'd work out well. I've seen lots of styles of the SAO cast ranging from chibi to realistic, so it works in any aspect.

Uploading of people's own avatars is a hit or miss for me. If you want total immersion the avatar system similar to or exactly like we have on Integral would work better. Plus even with the multiple avatars you can save, making new characters would work quite well. We just need the spriters to actually draw and design the clothing for it.

[Guest]

What about taking screenshots of the characters from SAO, and altering the colors for avatars? Or is that a copyright issue?

Before even committing to the sprite system and getting spriters, this RP needs to become popular. Which may not be a problem in the next couple of months, seeing as SAO is such a popular anime right now. It would just be unfortunate to create such a grand assortment of sprites, only to have them wasted for no use.

Then again... if we did have the sprite system, and a good basic amount of sprites, that could be a good key in getting this RP popular.

[Erroneous 0]

Feeling mighty lazy. Until we sort this out, I've uploaded a few avatars to the avatar gallery found in the UCP. The gallery link is below near Reset and Submit.

Also I've already setup the dynamic avatar software here incase we ever decide to use it, it's already installed and setup. Minus any content of course.

[Namine 0]

If you make them look good I don't have a problem personally with altering colors and using them.

[Erroneous 0]

In other news, 204 avatars added to the gallery "AnimeSuki". All animated.

[Guest]

Soooo happy there is someone with Pink hair <3

[Tokio 0]

Since I can't sprite, I can't really say that I can help with that, but taking the avatars from SAO and just swapping the color palettes doesn't really sound like we'll be having our own characters. It would seem like we're using alternate versions of SAO characters, but that's just me.

Also, hallo again everyone! ^^

[Crim 0]

Well Discriptions and art never hurt anyone :P I dont see a problem with players who have art skills to draw up there own character to use as a reference to what they look like in SAO until we can get a site wide setup of something like a spirt system. Also wouldn't hurt to type out what your character looks like XD Just saying :P

[Erroneous 0]

Well Discriptions and art never hurt anyone :P I dont see a problem with players who have art skills to draw up there own character to use as a reference to what they look like in SAO

And who should be left in charge of this? the users or the GM's? I just don't want to see 50 million Goku's, Pikachu's, etc.. being uploaded.

[Mythee 0]

Loving the avatar gallery. Nice collection you have there. (tssssssss) xD

Maybe people could use externally hosted image files, so nothing would really be uploaded?

As for people providing their own character art- I was thinking that SAO doesn't really have character sprites, as a game. Chibi or pixelly things belong to an entirely different kind of game so it would feel kind of out of place. If I wanted to have an character-representing avatar that felt more authentic to the game/novels/series, I would imitate the style of their awesome character concept art. Perhaps that would be a good substitute character avatar system?

Though everyone simply being able to provide their own art/request art stands would probably make the artists really happy, and make the whole difficult artist recruitment process obsolete. In such a case, if the GMs were to wish to impose quality standards, they could make a thread wherein people post their avatars and only begin to use them if they get the go-ahead from the GMs/other reviewing staff.

[Namine 0]

And who should be left in charge of this? the users or the GM's? I just don't want to see 50 million Goku's, Pikachu's, etc.. being uploaded.

I don't see why the users can't handle this themselves. If there's something terribly wrong a GM can intervene if needed.

@Mythee: .hack also had a similar style and I've thought that for a long time, but Integral seemed to make it work really well. Not saying I agree or disagree on this, it really depends on if we can get staff that'll do it. Either way I plan on trying to get someone to draw my character for me :P.

[Sieg 0]

I do kind of see where he's coming from, if I read into this wrong please tell me, but you may have multiple people that can't draw just uploading an image if a well known anime or manga character. Like someone like me could upload a Isshin, then have like 10 other people follow in example.

[Namine 0]

@Sieg We could try it like TWRP where we only allowed art of your character to be used. If I'm not remembering this correctly, refresh me Edan because it's been god knows how long since those days. Also if we do do this we'd have to make it optional I'd imagine. So that it's not a requirement to have to pay someone to/draw your own character just to get into the RP.

[Mythee 0]

Oh, I see what you mean now Sieg. Yeah, I've always kind of disapproved of RPs where people use art of characters that aren't theirs to represent their own. It's like... character design theft. xD; Unless you're playing AS that character as their creators originally intended for their design, I mean.

I know the chibi avatar sprite system worked well for Integral, but it's... a lot of work over a lot of time! Plus, maybe trying something new with more freedom and less work would be refreshing and speed up the start of the RP, though I'm sure it would be great either way.

[Guest]

What ifff..... we did do the spriting system, however, make the character be just a face, bust up or waist up:

Waist Up:

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... O1HOsTboKQ

Bust up/Face:

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/ ... 3ey6mb.jpg

Of course, we'd have to locate spriters, but I think something super easy, rather then a full on body, keeping it just half or bust wouldn't be difficult. And No Chibi.

[Nevina 0]

I had actually mentioned just a head-shot as that'd be easiest to keep up, just do hair and expression, but was told that part of the SAO appeal was the outfits. But for the purposes of avatars, think that'd be the quickest route to maintain SAO style while giving some customization. I've done something kinda like that before.

(le old)

[Guest]

I had actually mentioned just a head-shot as that'd be easiest to keep up, just do hair and expression, but was told that part of the SAO appeal was the outfits. But for the purposes of avatars, think that'd be the quickest route to maintain SAO style while giving some customization. I've done something kinda like that before.

(le old)

Something like that would be perfect. You can still customize your characters face, which makes them who they are. Outfits are pretty and all, but that takes too much time and finding the proper dedication.

Now the reason why I'm so on board with this, is because this is something I could help with, because its such a small project. Granted, I haven't sprited in YEARS, but, doesn't mean I lost my ability to do so :3

We could do a 3/4 view, almost like my current avatar. Or straight on.. we'd have to pick on.

[Erroneous 0]

Obviously my stock is the full body chibi sprites. We'll have to remake all bodies to fill a 150x150 area of space compared to the full bodies which I think the heads were like 25x25 pixels of space. So I guess we can start there with a bust up of a paper doll style body. We could even do shadows for nose depth and eye socks to indicate where eyes go, and allow various ears to be added or removed.

[Nevina 0]

Bust-up means designing outfits to some degree though, which means more time/commitment/finding skilled artists that'll stick around long term. Headshot-only like what your avatar currently is with a shoulder or neck-up seems like it'd be easiest. And in peoples' individual journals, they can post any art that they commission or build with other doll maker things for reference?