So we’re changing things up a little bit starting this week. You may see random-yet-relevant updates from the team. As such, we’re doing another art comparison–don’t worry we’ll still do a new character on Friday. However, we wanted to give everyone an idea of some of the changes that are being done to the background artwork to A) maintain the look that Pixel worked so hard to originally create and B) also give the in-game artwork some flash for anyone who might be late to the party while keeping it consistent.
Contrary to what some people may think, we’re not using any scaling algorithm. Stuff like Eagle and 2xSAI are awesome tools to quickly, effectively and globally improve the general look of old-school pixel art. If this sounds Greek to you, head over to Wikipedia and check out more information on Pixel Art Scaling Algorithms.
Back to Cave Story, we’re not using software scaling because, well, it looks like software scaling. We’ve chosen to give each new piece of artwork the human touch. The image at the top of this post is part of the tileset that is used to create one of the first areas in Cave Story, Mimiga Village. We don’t want to spoil too much of the surprise so this is only a partial cut from the tileset. But it gives you a good idea of what the rest of the area could look like.
On the top you have the original artwork, intended for a resolution of 320×240; it still holds up quite well, even on a television screen. Being that the Wii can do up to 640×448 (almost exactly double the original res), we are able to effectively double the artwork size. Keep in mind that it’s doubled in X and Y, so it’s more like quadrupled. What that gives us is a lot more room to take the original artwork and dress it it up more.
Above is a computer-scaled example as seen on Scale2x’s homepage. It’s Willow, the hero from the eponymous movie and game. The first image is the original artwork as it was created by Capcom. The second image uses an algorithm to “fill in” the pixels in between to smooth out the image. While it looks good enough, the biggest difference between this and redrawning artwork is the variety and personal touch created by an artist. A software routine isn’t going to know when and where to add more or less details. We’re biased and taste is subjective, but we’re working hard to make sure we do our best.
C’mon, tell us what you think. Your opinions count!
23 Responses to “Cave Story Art Comparison: Mimiga Village Tiles”
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November 5th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I love it!
It looks very smooth and fluid. The detail is clearer than before too.
Great job!
btw, about this: “On the left you have the original artwork”
Don’t you mean “on the top”?
November 5th, 2008 at 1:13 am
jcys810, thanks for the comment and correction!
November 5th, 2008 at 1:32 am
This is awsome. Should prove the naysayers all wrong about how the game looks like it was being passed through a filter.
November 5th, 2008 at 1:33 am
Also
“We’ve chosen to give each new piece of artwork has the human touch”?
Working late night shifts now, are we?
November 5th, 2008 at 5:15 am
[...] More details on the blog update here [...]
November 5th, 2008 at 6:53 am
People really actually thought that the new Cave Story was scaled? Boy, I musn’t be looking hard enough!
I personally thought that scaling never gets the charm of unfiltered work. (besides, most look blurry to me) Call me old-school, but boy, am I happy that you guys at Nicalis are taking the time to re-draw by hand!
November 5th, 2008 at 7:15 am
You definitely did a brilliant job with the grass.
I hope we get to see some death spikes down the track.
Oh, and the comparison posts are good as always.
November 5th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I like the fact that the outlines are still 1 px weight, unlike with the 2x method.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Cool
November 5th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Yes, It’s definetely an improvement and still manages to keep the original look fresh.
indeed nice work.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
This kind of stuff is right up my alley, gee, I sure wish I could work with you guys as I love the retro-style game art stuff and pixel art. It would be a dream come true.
As for scaling algorithms, yes, it could never replace mi-nute details put into a character when rescaling art, done by a real person.
I also noticed it tends to affect pixels that don’t need smoothing, such as the glove/hands which you might want a sharp edge on the outside of.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Awesome! I’m glad you guys are taking the time and effort to do it manually, because scaling algorithms just look… bad (especially for games like, say, Riviera).
Coming from someone who’s dealt with pixel art before, It really means a lot to see this much being done to the original tile sets and characters. Keep up the great work
November 5th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I can’t wait to buy this so that Pixel can get some money that he deserves. I would love to see the sprite comparison for the Little Man or the Ducks that shoot out on Level 3 of the Nemesis gun. That has to be fun.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I’ll probably want to play as the original sometimes, but each thing you guys show looks better and better as far as the graphical updates.
November 6th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I think the graphical updates so far look GREAT — they add more detail but also remain distinctly pixelated and retro.
Almost like going from an NES game to a SNES game — almost.
I really like it. I want to hear more of the new soundtrack, honestly.
I still have my hopes up for this port, I am in love with the original game.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:15 am
I’ll be honest, I HATE scaling. For every emulator I use, I keep it off. It just makes things look blurry and smudged.
The way you guys are having the graphics redone is MUCH better.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Way better this way, can’t wait for this to come out.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
there alot of comments and this is an older post… so I hope you guys read this.
I dont know if the wiis memory could handle this, but I would love to have a feature where you could switch between the old & new graphics on the fly. Like hitting the select button and it toggles the graphics. Im very interested in seeing all the improvements and this would be the best way to compare everything. I say this because simply playing with the new graphics isnt enough to appreciate them fully.
November 10th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Very smooth and nice.
November 12th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Wow, you guys are are definitely going above and beyond, considering your amazing attention to detail. The level of dedication you show to improve upon this game is truly impressive, and I was compelled to register just to comment and let you know how much I think it matters. You guys are the best, and I will be among the first to download the game when it’s available. Keep up the good work!
Oh, and I second the request for a feature to toggle between the new and old graphics. You guys should definitely show off the difference! Maybe you could make it unlockable after beating the game once? Don’t know how difficult it would be to code, but I’m sure you could do it
November 14th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
That scale2x filter looks ok guys… but the hq2x through hq4x filters easily top it for pixel interpolation quality…. check this shit out: http://www.hiend3d.com/hq4x.html
December 4th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I agree w/ bytesmasher because I’ve been using HQ4x forever, and it really does a much better job. Plus, you can modify the source. I’m sure the Wii can do at least HQ2x.
June 10th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Ahhh I wish I could make pixel art like that!