Custom Sprites: A Metall (a.k.a. Met, Metool) was finally made and added to the Mega Man gallery, because I had to do SOMETHING for Mega Man in May. I had plans to make more, but things got really hectic this month (see below for details).
GFX Generators: the next update to those “extra palette” functions that were being tested by two characters has been upgraded. They allow the “ScrollBoss – bunnysuit ladies” palette options to be expanded even more, and the optional tights colors blend with the skin colors and the “Monster (Illmosis)” Zombie now has a shadow option that darkens specific parts of whichever color options you choose.
Note: There is a bug that I just caught with these extra palettes, though: using the “Character swap selection” option will mess things up. I’ll work on that when I get the chance. Still, please let me know if you run into any other bugs with this.
This site won’t be very active for a while because I’m doing some paid pixel work and that has to come first. It’s for a fan project and I’ll be proud to have some pixels in it. I’m 2 for 18 on it so far, so it’ll be a while before I’m done.
Also, due to some very heavy behind-the-scenes work, this site will temporarily shut down at some point in late June. My current plan is to have a single page be a “mini-ScrollBoss” redirect page when the shutdown starts, then have the working sections return bit-by-bit as they’re redone. I already have the Custom Sprites section rewrite is about 96% ready now, with an error or two that need to get knocked out. If you’re even thinking of downloading something off this site, do it now before late June 2023, because I don’t know exactly when everything will be back.
We’re still in that month of foolery, April, so this update adds more pizzazz to the site’s image generators!
Custom Sprites: River City Ransom/Kunio-kun 8-bit: Kyoko and Misako (Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka uniforms), Spider-Man custom Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3 portraits: Terry Bogard (the portrait I teased in late March’s update) and a scratch-made Ryu Hayabusa (replacing the old edit). Illmosis – ScrollBoss: Two sprites added to what I’m calling the “archetype” series for now. First is a brand-new “Bunny Costume” Lady and the second is an Undead Zombie. Zombie (o’, Zombie) was originally made in 2020 for some merch, but I made a few adjustments and added him to the site and the generator. These two are also helping to test out a new feature I’ve just added to the…
GFX Generator: A new River City Ransom/Kunio-kun ‘scenes’ screenstyle has been added to the Fake Screenshot and River City Ransom generator pages. So, yeah, finally some beat ’em up in-game shots (but no combat… yet). I’m starting it with 16 background/set-up shots from around the map and two “crossover” backgrounds that I’ll let you find for yourself. I also added standing sprites of the lower enemies from River City Ransom, along with Misako, Kyoko, Misuzu, Kumiko & Miyuki from River City Super Sports Challenge for the PC.
Today’s update adds a new feature that I’m currently calling “Extra Palettes” that are sub-palettes beneath the main palettes that only change a part of the palette. So in these special characters, you pick the main palette and then use pull down text menus below those palettes to change hair, skin color, outfit part colors, and so-on. It’s almost like I’ve added a palette editor to the generator.
Two Illmosis section characters in the main generator have these palettes so far: the new Bunnylady and the Undead Zombie (found in the “Monsters (Illmosis)” character). In fact, the Bunnyladies were almost in the March update, but I ran into the problem I had with the River City Ransom/Kunio-kun Variable Color character (more info about this in the full post). The Fake Screenshot (8-bit) section’s River City Ransom Variable Color and the RCR/Nekketsu drone enemies have this ability, too. If this works, I’ll be adding more options to these characters along with adding these functions some other sprite sets where it’d make sense. I feel like there’s a specific 8-bit platforming character who could benefit from extra color options.
BTW: I’m going to be part of this Saturday’s Retro Roundtable on the Dire and Bette YouTube channel! I’m not sure if I can say what the theme is yet, but it’s a game subject that I like A LOT.
Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3 portraits: Andore/Hugo (Final Fight/SF), Captain Commando, Harley Quinn (DC Comics), Spider-Man (Marvel), Black Widow (Marvel Comics)
Four of these were requests that I already wanted to make, but for various reasons (I had a Hugo/Andore sketched years ago, but didn’t like it) didn’t get done until now. Harley Quinn is just one I just had an itch to make.
Seeing my custom portraits in fake screenshots is one thing, but did you ever wonder how they’d look in the game? Using a new rendering technique, I made a short video using some of the older portraits I made from scratch:
What’s that rendering technique? I’ll tell you at the end of this post.
GFX Generator: The engine itself got some minor fixes, including a fix to some reflection effects. Also
– a “ScrollTech pattern background (added by request) added to the main generator
– The new portraits were added to the GFX Generators, mainly the SFA3 generator
I meant to post about this before it happened so you could’ve seen (and heard) it live, but at least there’s a replay to watch. Dire (of the OPCFG and West Mansion) invited me to be a part of a Retro Roundtable stream this weekend and this will probably be the first time you’ll hear my voice:
BTW: I mentioned having something in the works early on in the video, and that’s mainly because I worked on this late last week:
It’ll be a looong time before you see that Sprite Showcase happen, but I had to say something there. I’ve got other video plans that will hit first, but I’m keeping those kinda secret for now. Oddly enough, being in the roundtable stream gave me a good chance to test my mic, which I’ll need for my first long-overdue tutorial video about making custom mini-logos like the ones seen in Capcom’s Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom (and another Capcom game that I’ll mention in the video, but you can figure it out yourself if you browse this site’s sprite galleries).
Stay tuned, I’ll have a small update later this March with a few new sprites added to official game sprite galleries, additions to the image generators, and possibly some new ToyBoss section pics.
The break… hasn’t been going well. Couldn’t let Black History Month go by without highlighting some Black characters somehow, so this time I did it with a video. Video game characters, comic book characters and even some toy/cartoon characters are part of the sprite display and you can check it out on the YouTube Channel or here:
I really want to do a more in-depth with this theme later, but this feels like a good start.
That all-new and improved Vixen sprite will be in a future update to replace the older version of that pose, so stay tuned for that!
edit 2023-02-28
Vixen sprites (including a 70s version, which is what she wore in the panel inspiring the crouching pose) added to the DC Gallery and Image Generators
Happy New Year and Happy Year of the Rabbit! I’ve spent most January 2023 working on a line art commission that you’ll see some time this year (it was teased by the author last year, but I can’t show it yet), so this update is a bit lighter than the usual First Update of the Year, but at least it has variety.
Custom Sprites:
– Street Fighter: new Cammy SSF2 win pose, updated her other win pose sprite to match better with the others.
– Marvel Comics: the Enchantress
– DC Comics: the Rabbit enemy from Taito’s Superman arcade game
– Illmosis Network – ScrollBoss: Vonetta “Vernacula” Paige gets a new sprite, a slightly modified outfit, a satchel and a last name in an all-new sprite!
All of these sprites are tied to things I plan to work on throughout the year, including a rabbit theme to celebrate the year.
Vernacula-X Glossary: Vonetta, mascot of the Info Center area of the site, threatened suggested I also work a bit on that part of the site, so I updated amazon (updated the main pic), Beat ‘Em Up (added info, main pic borrows the main menu “Brawlstreet” banner for now), Versus Mode (added more info and main pic) and minor updates to other entries.
Image Generators: All new custom sprites were added, and the following screen styles were updated…
– Vs 3v3 scene 384×224: 12 more Vs. graphics from different games were added.
My newest game-related action figure is the Marvel Legends Capcom-style War Machine (not that they mention Capcom, but we know the deal). The Iron Man sculpt it’s based on was already proven solid twice in the standard red and gold release and the special flat red and yellow PROTON CANNON edition from last year. The spark effects, also used in that Proton Cannon IM, are still great, but you’ll probably have to heat up the rubbery plastic of the biggest spark to bend it back into shape. What makes this version really sing is the use of metallic paints and plastics to mimic the sprite’s look. I’m not a fan of factory-done painted-on cel shading for action figures, 97 times out of 100 it just works against the sculpt work and only looks good if you have light coming from a specific direction (if it ever looks right). But this figure looks really close to the sprite when it’s hit with enough light, mimicking the car paint finish found in the sprites.
Ever wonder what would happen if Captain N: the Game Master had its own Netflix monkey paw-grasped revival? Friend of the site Channel 905 a take on that (and a few other things) in this video!
Okay… I’m going to try and take a break again. A real one this time. Besides getting rest, I’ve got some new programs to learn, and maybe I’ll even take enough time to play a game again. I’ll be back at some point between late February and early March, but there may be some small updates before that.
It’s time to wrap-up this year of updates in the usual way: content based on toys from the eighties and some unfinished business!
Custom Sprites:
– G.I.JOE: Wild Bill, B.A.T.s
– Thundercats: Mumm-Ra
– Toys and Cartoons:B.P. Vess (C.O.P.S., all-new sprites), Miles Mayhem (M.A.S.K.)
– Double Dragon: the alley cat from arcade version of Mission 1, NES design Billy and Jimmy Lee
– DC Comics: Stargirl (yes, I’m going to miss that show)
Mini-Logos: Venom (from Kenner’s M.A.S.K.) added to Toys and Stargirl added to DC Comics
All new custom sprites and mini-logos have been added to the image generators. The main “Fighter-size” generator now an 80s action figure toy aisle in the Group, Vs. and MvC ending screenstyles. It’s still a work in progress, because I spent more time searching for image and scale reference than I did working on it so far. This version’s toys are mainly centered around 1985, the last year the first wave of Transformers were still being made. I’ll continue to update this in the future, and possibly add more versions and years (like a late-eighties version with a big TMNT section) if enough people want to see that. BTW: some of the most helpful reference pics were from this post on 20th Century Toy Collector, because I was able to see how some boxes from different lines of the era scaled next to each other.
ToyBoss: My custom New X-Men/classic Cyclops Marvel Legends figure is done enough to show, so I finally… FINALLY… have a full Konami X-Men playable character roster in 1:12 scale. I’d have had this roster (and others) finished earlier if I didn’t have to practically restart my Marvel Legends collection in 2020. I also added an updated shot of the Red Skull’s crew in Data East’s Captain America and the Avengers to show I’ve got the Controller in there.
Speaking of toys, a lot of my 2023 figure hype is aimed at Jada Toys’ Street Fighter and Mega Man action figure lines. Three figure in each wave and all at a price point that won’t K.O. your wallet, and they’ll fit in with 6-inch/1:12 scale figures, so they’ll be part of my Marvel vs. Capcom set-ups. All the little details, like the Hadoken having hands molded in like the old sprites and one of the two optional heads being based on the Super Street Fighter II Vs. portraits (still some of the best art of those characters), I’m definitely hype for these. Check out this Fwooshcast episode that drops info on these and the other figure lines Jada is working on right now:
Storm Collectables is still putting out Street Fighters, though their figures seem to be in a slightly larger scale than Marvel Legends and closer to Mattel’s Masterverse and McFarlane Toys. It’s great to have options with these and I hope both companies get into more classic video game lines.
It’s time for me to thank everyone who has visited the site this year, and I’m giving a really big thank you to those who commented here, by e-mail (yes, some people do!), and on social media. There are times when my day job has worn me out and I don’t have a lot of energy to do anything when I get home, but things like your feedback, seeing pics you made in the image generators, being surprised when the pixel minilogos pop up in fan projects, and things like that refill my energy again. Take care and see you in 2023!
Just putting this here in case you didn’t subscribe to the YouTube channel, there WILL be a Wrap-Up update this year:
More toy sprites, some unfinished business (including a Double Dragon character I didn’t have time to sprite for the 2/22/2022 update), a ToyBoss section update, and more! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Unholidays, and I hope you’re able to stay warm!
I’ve been working on some pixel art commissions this month, so there isn’t much new, though I quietly threw a few new things into the image generators through the month. I’ll explain later.
Mini-logos: SNK the King of Fighters ’94 and Garou: Mark of the Wolves
minilogo_index.php?g=snk
GFX Generators:
– characters: Rock Howard, Benimaru Nikaido, Chang Koehan(KoF), Choi Bounge (KoF), Goro Daimon, Hibiki Takane (the Last Blade), all in CvS-series form. Really, they’ve been in there for most of this month, quietly added over time after a frequent commenter pointed out they were missing.
– Boxes, Flyer & Posters 160×192: I added some alternate character layouts, but no thumbnail previews for them because I’m still tweaking them. If people like how these work, I’ll add them where I can (unfortunately certain Group and Vs. screenstyles backgrounds would make it VERY tricky there).
ToyBoss: Added a few more game roster shots, including incomplete rosters of the heroes and villains from Konami’s X-Men and a complete group of boss villains from Sega’s Spider-Man the Video Game arcade beat ’em up.
I’ve got all the Marvel Legends build-a-figure parts for Bone Breaker of the Reavers (seen in Konami’s X-Men as a drone enemy and Capcom’s The Punisher as a boss), so new pics of them are in the update. The newest arrival, just a few days ago, was that new repaint of the early 90’s Iron Man that comes packed with the Proton Cannon made legendary by Capcom’s fighting games. I’ve added pics including them along this shot of that Iron Man with the Funko Mega Man figure:
The Marvel vs. Capcom 2 cab is a Hasbro Fortnite accessory cabinet with labels from Shelf Presents and that 90s carpet is a RepliCade UV Base Pad by New Wave Toys (and it does work under blacklight).
