8-bit Vector line graphics
March 13, 2021 | Blog
(above image from Alien – 1979) According to the elders of the internet, there was a period of time when games mostly consisted of vector lines drawn by electron beams to cathode ray tubes (in something called XY mode, instead of scan-lines). This was a completely normal thing until the early 80s, when advances in […]
CRT screensafe
August 18, 2020 | Blog
With retro game development, one thing has been lost since we transitioned to LCD screens; screen-safe! Screen-safe isn’t just for games, but was an industry standard used by the movie industry, broadcasters and DVD content creators so their content fit on the myriad of crappy CRT screens out there. In regards to the NES specifically, […]
What are 8-bit graphics anyway?
July 28, 2018 | Blog
While trying to make a retro game with an 8-bit feel, I’ve often found myself straying far from the track and clawing my way back. Being without relative restriction on making the assets and game on a modern computer, it begs the question, what is “8-bit” anyway? To be exact, 8-bit is simply a way […]
The 4 frame walk cycle
June 22, 2018 | Blog
We take a look why NES games used a 4 frame walk cycle and muse on how to carry those techniques through to modern games
3D to 2D process
June 8, 2018 | Blog
Not everything has to be 2D to be, 2D. In the Pixel Pirate workflow, we tend to use several tools, finding that one tool will never cover it all. Occasionally, instead of drawing out pixels by hand, you can render them in 3D then feed them back into the workflow as if nothing happened. Here’s […]