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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperArt (Moderator: JWK5)A free sprite database
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Bad Sector
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« Reply #20 on: October 27, 2008, 10:16:11 PM »

How does it makes an artist's life easier if someone who was going to use his sprite if it was restriction-free now is restricted in not being able to use it?

I really have a difficulty understanding this and i'm someone who makes all his sprites himself and even worked for a while as a freelancer and i AM willing to not restrict the usage of my work. In fact i already have the sprites of Nikwi available for anyone since two years now for any use, including commercial (and btw thanks to doing that i got a few requests for making some pixels for others).
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isaac
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« Reply #21 on: October 27, 2008, 10:30:49 PM »

And I'm just saying that more people will submit their sprites to the site if you don't force them to follow your own philosophy on usage. Just because you're willing to be so generous and open with your work, it don't mean others are.

It is, of course, your site and you can do as you wish with it.
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Skofo
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« Reply #22 on: October 27, 2008, 10:51:42 PM »

How does it makes an artist's life easier if someone who was going to use his sprite if it was restriction-free now is restricted in not being able to use it?

Hm, I don't know how else to explain this...

The whole point of restricting your work in certain ways is so people that would otherwise use it for things that you don't want to don't use it. Your philosophy on sprite work is a good one, and many people probably share it, so they wouldn't commercially restrict their art. Not everyone is going to commercially-restrict their work if you add an option for people to not let others use their hard work for themselves and sell it, but some might want to. By not giving people an option, you'll only attract artists to your site that have no problem with other people selling their work. If you DO put an option, you'll attract those people PLUS people that want to let other people use their work but not for their own monetary gains. You will end up with a bigger sprite database on your site, which is a good thing, because there are -many- developers that don't try to make money off of their work, so they should also be able to find free sprites made by artists that allow people to use their sprites in free things.

But yeah, it is your site. If you're looking to build a database of just public domain sprites, then by all means do it. But I think that letting artists give more options for what they want to do with their work would be helpful for everyone.

If you're still not seeing where we're coming from, try to look at it this way: Do you want me to sell your free programs and games and then maybe decide to hire you to make more programs and games that I can sell?
« Last Edit: October 27, 2008, 11:07:55 PM by Skofo » Logged

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Bad Sector
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« Reply #23 on: October 28, 2008, 12:05:52 AM »

Well, most of my free programs' and games' licenses allow that :-). I don't lose anything if you do it anyway.

But.

Since there seems to be demand for this, i will add an option for 'non-commercial' usage. However i'm not much concerned about those who REALLY REALLY want to restrict their sprites. I don't believe that those are many. I'm more concerned about those who will select 'non-commercial' "just because" or because they're not really informed or, well, for many invalid reasons (always according to my beliefs). So ok, i'll put this feature.

But those who select it will suffer a great lecture from me before accepting it Evil

See? Sometimes discussion works  Smiley

EDIT: ok, now we solved this, can i get some more comments about the database's features? Also is anyone interested in designing the site (it would be fun if it was like in a game i think)?
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« Reply #24 on: October 28, 2008, 12:38:46 AM »

Hooray for discussion! Grin

I like Farb's idea of an embedded image editor... which I could happily code.

I could contribute css... but I tend to hate it after a very short time. My limit is a couple of hours before a hateful screed comes pouring out of me towards browsers and all programming languages interpreted by them.
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Don Andy
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« Reply #25 on: October 28, 2008, 01:36:38 AM »

I'd say just go for it, I really like the idea about a properly organized sprite database that's NOT just there for ripped sprites.

I mean, sure, we can discuss about what the artist would prefer and not and how to make everyone happy for ages now, but I say just go ahead and do it. Either it works out or it doesn't.
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Hajo
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« Reply #26 on: October 28, 2008, 01:43:35 AM »

Usually I'm happy with the creative commons "Attribution - Share alike" license type, but things like GPL and Artistic License are ok, too.
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« Reply #27 on: October 28, 2008, 06:40:26 AM »

I like it when sites give you a set of options for licenses. Also donating things to public domain. Just one of those things I happen to look for. Mainly because I want to know exactly what it can be used for since Debian has strict limitations on what is allowed (CC sa/3.0+ is pretty much is it for the CC licenses).

Also, I would include format. I like SVG sprites (I know, I'm weird), but I think there is at least one other person out there would wouldn't mind a collection of them.
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increpare
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« Reply #28 on: October 28, 2008, 07:48:29 AM »

Also, I would include format. I like SVG sprites (I know, I'm weird), but I think there is at least one other person out there would wouldn't mind a collection of them.
It might be nice, and convenient, to be able to download in any one of a number of file formats (easy enough to have automatic bmp to png conversion, &c): you'd have to settle on some transparency conventions for formats that don't have alpha channels though (I've heard that people will love you forever if you default the transparency colour to the colour of the bottom left pixel...).
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agj
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« Reply #29 on: October 28, 2008, 06:14:48 PM »

What I'm wondering is, what will make this site different from an image gallery, other than the content itself? How will the art be categorised, presented, etc.?
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Powergloved Andy
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« Reply #30 on: October 28, 2008, 07:10:10 PM »

There are tons of sprite archives on the web, but using other people's sprites in your game just seems wrong and RPG maker-ish  Sad
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Xion
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« Reply #31 on: October 28, 2008, 11:44:57 PM »

I like the idea of providing a free graphics database for those developers who haven't the time or resources to focus on graphics but want to get a prototype out, or something like that.

I don't like the idea of those graphics remaining in a finished game.
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Skofo
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« Reply #32 on: October 29, 2008, 03:42:56 AM »

There are tons of sprite archives on the web, but using other people's sprites in your game just seems wrong and RPG maker-ish  Sad
If there is enough of sprites in the database then I don't think that it would be too noticeable or annoying in games. I don't think the fact that a game is using public domain sprites would be any more noticeable than using the music loops in Newgrounds.
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Powergloved Andy
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« Reply #33 on: October 29, 2008, 08:03:17 AM »

I like the idea of providing a free graphics database for those developers who haven't the time or resources to focus on graphics but want to get a prototype out, or something like that.

I don't like the idea of those graphics remaining in a finished game.

That's how I feel too.

There are tons of sprite archives on the web, but using other people's sprites in your game just seems wrong and RPG maker-ish  Sad
If there is enough of sprites in the database then I don't think that it would be too noticeable or annoying in games. I don't think the fact that a game is using public domain sprites would be any more noticeable than using the music loops in Newgrounds.

But it's not really the point. Aren't developers supposed to develop their own ideas? It feels cheap, specially when you make a game and then somebody else makes another game with the same sprite. Not to meantion, it's perfect troll fuel... "hahaha, you got all your sprites off the sprite database..." etc.
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Skofo
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« Reply #34 on: October 29, 2008, 08:41:55 AM »

But it's not really the point. Aren't developers supposed to develop their own ideas? It feels cheap, specially when you make a game and then somebody else makes another game with the same sprite. Not to meantion, it's perfect troll fuel... "hahaha, you got all your sprites off the sprite database..." etc.
What's wrong with borrowing or branching off of somebody else's work? If you're going to bash on somebody who doesn't know how to create their own sprites, in the same sense you should bash on people that use Game Maker because they don't know how to program in low-level code.

Point is: Not everyone is looking to reinvent the wheel for all their creations. I think using somebody else's free work is a splendid thing to do if you're lacking in that area or simply don't want to create some things from scratch.
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moi
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« Reply #35 on: October 29, 2008, 11:18:30 AM »

You guys have already branched off from BSector's original idea, which was not a website "for artists" but a free sprite repository for quick prototypes, etc...
This is not supposed to be a place to pimp one artist's works but more like a place where sprite creators would make gift of these creations they can't use.
That's how I understood it, and that's why free licenses would be required in this case.
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Skofo
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« Reply #36 on: October 29, 2008, 11:43:28 AM »

You guys have already branched off from BSector's original idea, which was not a website "for artists" but a free sprite repository for quick prototypes, etc...
This is not supposed to be a place to pimp one artist's works but more like a place where sprite creators would make gift of these creations they can't use.
That's how I understood it, and that's why free licenses would be required in this case.
I think you misunderstood the argument.

Everyone understands that this is a free sprite repository that developers can use. But not all developers sell their games, and not all artists want their sprites to be sold, so I thought that it'd be nice to let artists that don't want their sprites to be sold submit their sprites for developers that do not sell their games, as well as sprites that artists don't mind to be sold for developers that may or may not sell their games.
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