Dev talk 2:The great graphics debate

[ssbCasper]

Hello friends! Even when I decided to make a game I didn't imagine I'd be posting here so much, but all the awesome people keep bringing me back. Now it's time to tackle one of the most important decisions devs have to make. What style of graphics will I use?

 

So on the surface this is a easy question, pick either what's most appealing to the audience or what best suits the tone and atmosphere of your game. When It comes to Pokémon the two common choices are gen 3 or a mix of gen 4-5 style. Time for a comparison. Gen 3 has been used for so long that there are sooo many til sets available and they are really easy to edit and customize even for those who aren't good with the artsy stuff, they are also the fan favorite. Gen 4-5 is technically higher quality and less used due to there not being tilesets for every situation or many custom ones that are public. Pokémon Empire has been using gen 3 graphics and recolored default tiles. Recently with all the support I've been getting my brother and I decided to switch to gen 4-5 just to be a bit more unique. With this comes the challenge of editing gen 4 over world trainer sprites which for some reason seems a lot more difficult. 

 

So this topic was a lot less informative than the first, but there isn't really much technical talk with graphics that isn't directly related to spriting and making tilesets (which will be saved for another talk). Hope you guys got to see the thought process of how devs look at graphics and how they are chosen. Til next time! 

 

 

[Octavius]

All excellent points. I agree completely.

Except I would immediately switch back to gen 3, only because if you enlist others in mapping, spriting, etc., they are going to have the most experience with gen 3 graphics and tilesets and that is what they are going to want to work with. Switching to gen 4-5, while it will make 'Empire' unique, it is also going to alienate you from getting valuable support in doing the grunt labor and making the game the highest professional quality it can be. So go gen 3. It's a safe option; it's a smart option; it's the best option.