Monday, 12 December 2011

Game Art Styles

2D Sprites

What are they?
They’re a 2D image or animation that can be put into a larger scene. They a usually a png because it has a good compression and supports alpha channels and colour pallets.

What is the purpose of it?
Easy way of putting characters on screen and making them move/animate.



3D Isometric Sprites


What are they?
A sprite that looks like the image is 3D when it is not; it just uses shadows and angles to look 3D, Again these are usually png files.

What is the purpose of it?
It’s a rather easy and cheap way to make the game look 3D.




Concept Art (e.g. Character, Weapon, Vehicle, Environment)


What are they?
Artwork based on a game, the artist’s impression of a character or level. Can be done before release to show what the game is like, or after release by fans of the game. It is usually made digitally but not always. The best file format for them is TIF as they are high quality and have lossless compression, but are often converted to jpegs for use on the internet.

What is the purpose of it?
It shows the style of the game without revealing the game itself.


Textures (e.g. Face, Surface, Building)


What are they?
They’re images that wrap around a model to make an object or person.

What is the purpose of it?
To make an in game object look more realistic, by making it look shiny, smooth, rough, spikey etc. by adding lights and shadows in the right place.



In Game Interface


What are they?
The menus in game they can include inventories, health bars and other icons.

What is the purpose of it?
They make the game easier to play and look better when played.


Printed Media (e.g. Box Art, Manual, Poster, CD)


What are they?
Artwork that comes with or advertises the game.

What is the purpose of it?
Box Art – Make someone want to buy the game.
Manual – Explain how to play the game/ how the game works.
Poster – Advertise the game and make people want to buy it.
CD – Make the CD look interesting rather than just a plain disc. Tells you what game it is easily.

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