Katawa Shoujo Forums

Hi.

This is a thread for us dedicated and not-so-dedicated fans to express our collective praise and criticisms for the v3/4 Emi sprites. I think it needs its own thread because it seems like even though everyone has chipped in on what they like and don't like about the sprites, there doesn't appear to be a real consensus as to how drastically they should be changed. That may just be my personal bias though, since I'm in favor of making only minor changes, but we'll see.

Here's a copy+paste of my criticism from the feedback thread:

For Emi's sprites, the sketchiness doesn't bother me now that I've seen her sprites in action. For the most part I like them as they are even alongside the other sprites such as Rin's; I think it makes her stand out in a good way. Some sprites have sketchier eyelashes than others however, like the ones where her eyes are closed. I think those particular sprites should have denser eyelashes to be more consistent.

Also, I really don't like her mouth when it looks like some kinda hot dog or bean or whatever. This includes her intro CG and when Hisao keels over; in the latter she doesn't seem genuinely worried. Someone mentioned she looks "sarcastic" and I'd agree; I think in these sprites and in the CG she should be frowning or at least have a more obviously shocked expression. Overall however I love the changes to her sprites; the improvements have allowed me to appreciate her character more.

I'm not sure how I would react if the sketchiness were done away with completely like so many people seem to be implying, since I love the art style despite its flaws. It feels like the sketchiness is part of her character, and part of what makes her unique. Sure, hugging her might produce a few paper cuts, but it'd be like hugging a cute little porcupine and totally worth it~

I think it is safe to say the majority of people would like Emi's sprites get some work done on them. I like to imagine the ones we have now in version 3/4 are "filler" for the final version, but even if I'm delusional in my hopes and they stay exactly as they are now I'd be satisfied enough with what we have. I prefer the de-Loli-fication even with the "sketchiness" issues. Also, if I had to choose between more time for the full release or re-worked sprites I would feel bad about choosing a delay for everyone else to enjoy KS. While I'd personally be willing to wait; I'd feel a bit guilty asking so many others to wait along with me.
It's decisions like these that the Dev's earn the big money finalizing... errr, wait... they are working for free. [insert some witty, snarky comment here; I'm too damn tired to think up anything worthwhile.]

If the devs do deign to touch up Emi's sprites, it wouldn't take much to bring them to a place where she doesn't stand out unnecessarily. If they want to keep the sketchy style - which I think works fine - there are really just a few stray lines that would need to be erased or cleaned up for it to look more like a finished product, and even then mostly just around her eyes, since that's usually the focal point of the viewer's gaze.

Of course, if the devs don't deign, well, tough noogies. The new sprites still beat the hell out of old loli-Emi.

Bara wrote:Also, if I had to choose between more time for the full release or re-worked sprites I would feel bad about choosing a delay for everyone else to enjoy KS. While I'd personally be willing to wait; I'd feel a bit guilty asking so many others to wait along with me.

I'd feel guilty about pressuring the devs to release something neither they nor their fanbase aren't completely satisfied with.

Of course, we all know that the devs do their best to ignore all pressure to "hurry up," so I wouldn't worry about asking them to take more time to produce something of a higher quality at the expense of testing the patience of kids with shorter attention spans.

Since I never voiced my opinion before, let me just say that I liked the new sprites so damn much that I actually considered doing a full Emi fic for my OC solely because of them.

I think the new sprites really fit her better, not so much that I still can't refer to her as the token loli, but enough to make an impact.

Now Yuuko, on the other hand...

Emi's sprite redesign was for the better. But there is more the devs can do to bring her in line with the rest of the characters. The sketchyness really stands out when she is next to Rin. The problem is in her eyes mostly. That being said, I'm sure the devs have enough of an ear to the ground that they know about this issue. What surprises me is that, to my knowledge, they haven't addressed it directly.

I have to agree about the eyes issue but I must also admit that it is noticeable in the other characters at times. Emi is just on the far side of this spectrum and I have no doubts it will be smoothed out before the final release.
Her new body style is to my liking as it is more mature and befitting of the whole set of characters, even though it is taking partial from my traditional loli character; oh heck even Primula had a nice bust so i'm fine.
Overall, I approve of the new design though the devs probably don't care about my approval anyways.

G3n0c1de wrote:I'm sure the devs have enough of an ear to the ground that they know about this issue. What surprises me is that, to my knowledge, they haven't addressed it directly.

My guess is that there's so much left for the art team yet to do that ironing the wrinkles out of a completed element is probably pretty low on the priority totem pole. There may also be the possibility that none of the devs themselves have a problem with Emi's new sprites, since, after all, their opinions are the only ones that really matter here. Changing something just because a vocal segment of fans want them to is a slippery slope that I'm sure they're staying far away from. That said, I have a feeling that somebody somewhere on the dev team is probably dissatisfied with the sprites too, it's just a matter of getting more important (and interesting) things finished first.

That hookchin of hers has to go, it looks really off...

G3n0c1de wrote:Emi's sprite redesign was for the better. But there is more the devs can do to bring her in line with the rest of the characters. The sketchyness really stands out when she is next to Rin. The problem is in her eyes mostly. That being said, I'm sure the devs have enough of an ear to the ground that they know about this issue. What surprises me is that, to my knowledge, they haven't addressed it directly.

These are pretty close to my thoughts as well. Emi (and Yuuko) has a nice re-design that I think fits the character fine. However, the actual sprites are not consistent with the art style of the previous versions or with the other characters. There's a sketchiness to the lineart itself that's prevalent in Emi, and in both characters, the coloring style differs noticeably from the rest of the cast. The older sprites have a very smooth, almost vector look, with sharp color transitions in the shading, much like "cel-shading." The sprites of redesigned characters have softer, closer to realistic transitions between colors. They seem closer to a digital painting.

Also, the lineart stands out considerably more in the redesigned sprites. In my opinion, the lineart is much softer and blends in with the coloring in the original sprites, adding to that vector feel I mentioned.

I'm sure the differences were unintentional, and I know that artists' tendencies can change over time. However, it would be nice to see all the characters with a consistent art style again.

I have to agree with the people saying that Emi 'Pops-out' compared to the rest of the cast. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. At first, yes it's noticeable but personally I got used to it. As for how she looks, she looks fine. Especially dem puppy eyes <3

Looks like there's some agreement abroad about the discomfort. Video very related.

(MOD EDIT: post got its own place in Oekaki for commenting on the video, please keep this thread strictly for feedback. Thank you.)

Keikaku Dorky wrote:Looks like there's some agreement abroad about the discomfort. Video very related.

OMG amazing. The VCR joke was hilarious.

Horribly sketchy. The old sprites were definitely better then these new rough sketches. If the artists were able to make something that looked so nice in the first place, why did they replace it with these sprites that look like colored rough drafts?

There may be those who like the new sprites, but to those who are looking for something that is apparently supposed to be very good, these sketchy sprites are going to stick out like a sore thumb.