[sc]The Heat of Battle - [Complete!]

Nice work new guy

This challenge will now enter the grading phase. Until the grading is complete and results are posted sit tight. Once we've finished grading we'll open this topic back up and post the results. Thank you to those who participated and to those who wanted to participate don't worry because more challenges are on the way!

My grading will be pretty cut and dry. It might sound harsh but I don't mean much by it. So I'll get right down to it.

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Shock:

Spoiler:

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Face:

Spoiler:

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David:

Spoiler:

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Poet:

Spoiler:

So there you have it. Thanks for everyone's submissions.

Hi everyone, surprise judge. Not as elaborate as the other guys, but some input nonetheless:
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5h0ck - Pyrotech vs Tenkuu

There's definitely heat in this battle. This is the most visually clean of all the submissions, but I feel like this makes it not as intense. It falls under the "two characters simply punching each other is definitely them fighting" category, missing the creativity to add intensity to it. The Tenkuu sprite also feels really out of place, like it shouldn't exist in this world. Thank you for not adding any borders or text to your submission though : D.

Rating: 50/100


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Face - Ninja Inu vs Sith Inu

This one is the most intense for sure because of the amount going on: the flames, rain, blood, and weapon swipe. The character edits also stand out because they're turned into entirely new characters as opposed to edited existing ones. I think more pixels could have gone into the flames, everything else is detailed and they really stick out as looking out of place. It could have done without the blackbars and watermark, really makes it feel like it's a screenshot from an existing animation.

Rating: 70/100


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Davidchao23 - Sonic vs Shadow

This one stands out the most the most to me because it doesn't just look like a screenshot from one of our animations, it feels more like a carefully crafted picture. I think the effects contribute to that, and the sprites look very detailed showing more emotion. One big problem is that it's not entirely clear Sonic and Shadow are fighting each other, and I honestly think it's just because Shadow is looking straight ahead and not at Sonic. For all we know there could be some enemy ahead and they are working together to fight it. There is still the feeling of "The Heat of Battle" nonetheless. This one also could have done without the text.

Rating: 80/100


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TheCynicalPoet - Ninetales vs Togekiss

The angle on this one makes it stand out from the others, and you used the source material to justify it. But I think you went a little too close to the source, it looks like it could just be a screenshot from the game. While it is still creative, I think it would have looked better without the health bars to make it a little more original. I also feel like the trainers should have been on the field instead of a separate section, feels too separate from the battle going on.

Rating: 60/100


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Please see my grading below.

Note that some things that I kept in mind were probably things that some people might not hold as high importance. I feel that the scores reflect accurately on the guidelines shown from the beginning, though.

5h0ck - Pyrotech vs Tenkuu:

Spoiler:

Davidchao23 - Sonic vs Shadow:

Spoiler:

Face - Ninja Inu vs Sith Inu:

Spoiler:

TheCynicalPoet - Ninetales vs Togekiss:

Spoiler:

So, how I will be grading the submissions is first looking at the overall scene which accounts for 25% of the total score. Then I will look at the sprites themselves which will account for 75% of the total score. To make it easier to understand I will make the overall scene score out of 25 total points and the sprites score out of 75 points.

5h0ck - Pyrotech vs Tenkuu

Overall Scene: The buildings and mountains work together nicely, but there’s not really a sense of depth to any of the structures, so they kinda just feel like a ripped backdrop. And to be clear I’m not grading this part on the quality of the background and buildings you used but on their use in the submission. And even then, this part doesn’t necessarily account for a large part of this score. What unfortunately does, however, is that the platform is very detailed and has a high pixel density which works for Pyrotech since he is also highly detailed, but doesn’t work as well for Tenkuu. As a result, Tenkuu’s presentation feels out of place which hurts the overall scene quite a bit. 15/25

Character Sprites: Pyrotech is a good edit. The changes in the belt are a nice touch. It doesn’t feel like it was just tacked on without thought. It feels like an actual part of the design of the character. Same goes for the shirt but overall they’re not major edits. The head is a bit tougher to review. I think in this scenario you added too much and as a result it’s hard to really make out what’s going on with his head mainly if that’s a mask going over his mouth or something else.

Tenkuu kinda feels off. For one thing, instead of just rotating a sprite it would have been better to create the actual sprite in that pose. From top to bottom, a lot of portions of the body feel like they lack completeness. For example, the pants are shaded but feel like they lack definition. The arms have shading and better definition but the shape, especially around the wrists, feel unnatural. I can’t really tell if his feet are extensions of the pants or just the same color as the pants so that could use more work to make the pants and feet are more distinguishable. 45/75
Total score: 60/100

Face - Ninja Inu vs Sith Inu

Overall Scene: So immediately I like the intensity of this fight. There are things going down and blood is being shed (literally). There are a couple problems that I see right off the bat though. The fire is very basic which contrasts with the overall detailed sprites of the characters and structures in the scene. The other thing is that there’s a bit too much going on. The fighting is good but the structures make it hard to focus on the fighting part of the scene. 20/25

Character Sprites: The sprites themselves are good edits. The scythe kind overshadows the sprites of the characters themselves though. Probably would have been better to just show the scythe at the end without the scythe trail of his swing with the blood splattering out like it is. While these are pretty good edits they are also just edits so they won’t be scored as well as fully custom sprites… but they were really good edits.55/75
Total score: 75/100

Davidchao23 - Sonic vs Shadow

Overall Scene: The scene here is nicely made and I especially like how this is a remake of a battle between Sonic and Shadow from Sonic Adventure 2 (though this is not gonna earn you more points lol). The problems with the overall scene though are that you also have a bit much going on though it’s not as overbearing as Face’s submission. You probably could have cut out the dust dash effect under Sonic since it doesn’t add anything to your submission. Also, you got some kind of bloom thing going on and again that’s kinda unnecessary and sorta detracts from the feeling of the scene overall. Lastly, it would have been better for you to make Shadow look at Sonic as they are fighting each other. 15/25

Character Sprites: So, this is where your submission shines. The proportions of the characters are nicely done and the shading is extremely well done as well. Not only that but these sprites are fully custom which is extremely impressive. The only thing is that the poses themselves are not custom and are based on the GBA sprites. 70/75
Total score: 85/100

TheCynicalPoet - Ninetales vs Togekiss

Overall Scene: Alright, first off the dust effect is pretty unnecessary. I get you’re showing the power of the flamethrower but it doesn’t really “fit” with the background you chose. Speaking of the background, it works but it’s just a bit lazy since it is a straight up rip from the game. I do like the lighting of your submission a lot though, it adds to the intensity of the flamethrower attack, but at the same time the focus are the Pokemon so in a way it kinda takes away focus from the Pokemon. The trainers are a nice touch and don’t overtake too much attention from the Pokemon. Those sprites are good as well. 15/25

Character Sprites: So, the sprites for Nintetales and Togekiss are very nicely done. You very accurately captured the feeling of the 3D models from newer Pokemon games but in sprite form. Where your sprites are lacking, however, is that they look too close to the original Pokemon sprites from the games so the sprites feel uninspired. The face of the Togekiss is a nice edit, but try working on adapting the sprites to your own style a bit more. 60/75
Total score: 75/100

So, now that all the results have been posted let’s get to the results!

And with that the Heat of Battle Challenge has concluded. Thank you to everyone who entered the Challenge and made a submission. These Sprite Challenges are created to challenge (heh see what I did there) you as a spriter so that you may hone your skills. This was only the first Challenge so if you were upset with your results, then don’t worry there will be more Challenges in the future. Additionally, because this was the first Challenge there are many ways that it could have been improved upon and handled better, so this was not only a learning experience for you all but for me as well. Discussions about how we can improve future Challenges are already taking place and you can bet the next Challenge will be even better. Again, thank you to all the contestants who entered. The thread will now be opened back up for comments!