We Need a New Banner!

[Melf]

That logo atop the forums has served us well for lo these many years, but a new forum means it's time for a new banner! Anyone with Photoshop skills willing to contribute?

[sheath]

I work best with criteria, dimensions, preferred colors, etc. Those and other kinds of things you like will help me get brainstorming. I'm not phenomenal or anything, but I also just like to give it a swing and don't complain if I don't hit a homer.

I would clean it up a lot, but I've always been partial to gameplay sprite based collages myself. Here is one I did in about an hour when I knew a lot less about Photoshop than I do now.

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/Oldschool.JPG

[Crackdown]

Needs some SOR on it . . . .

[The Coop]

Just an idea...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SonicAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni.gif


What about mascot banners that change with each time the page loads? You have a similar base image with a new character each time, letting you give more of the Genesis library of characters some love.

[Cornholio857]

Just an idea...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SonicAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni.gif


What about mascot banners that change with each time the page loads? You have a similar base image with a new character each time, letting you give more of the Genesis library of characters some love.

I like this idea.

[GameX]

Yes, great idea!!

But we still need something at the right of the caracther... ;)

[djshok]

Just an idea...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SonicAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni.gif


What about mascot banners that change with each time the page loads? You have a similar base image with a new character each time, letting you give more of the Genesis library of characters some love.

That's a cool idea, I like those banners too, it would be cool to have a rotation of those plus a few other Sega characters, maybe Vecotorman, Blaze, Sketch Turner, etc...

[sheath]

That is nice. Uh oh, but this emphasizes the underground war between favorites of SoJ and SoA.

[The Coop]

Two others...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_MusashiAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_BlazeAni.gif


The height would be 80 pixels (three of them were 70, but Blaze doesn't fit in 70), with the width bring 350. That would allow a good number of Genesis characters to fit, without getting too big.

[sheath]

The Revenge of Shinobi one wins, hands down. Anybody who says otherwise is a fanboy. ;)

[Guntz]

I'd like to see Garfield featured on one of those mascot banners. That game was made by Sega so it definitely counts. :D

[Phantar]

As cool as I think the suggestions are, I'm against an animated banner - or at least against too much animation in the banner. Maybe it's just me, but I find it annoying to have something that twitches around constantly being visible in the corner of my eye.

The Sonic and Shinobi ones are pretty cool, but Earl is too distracting IMO.

[kokujin]

I like the animated banner idea.They could have a whole bunch of different characters.

[Crackdown]

I love the animated banner, would be even cooler if Blaze did the fireball or a spin kick

[Zebbe]

I recommend these characters in one, or several, Sega-16 banner(s):

Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe
Sonic
Vectorman
Ecco
Gunstar Red and/or Blue
Epsilon Eagle from Alien Soldier (the big close up pic in the intro)
Chaz from Phantasy Star IV
Michael Jackson
The Thunder Force ship
A single banner with Prince Steven from Beggar Prince, Wukong, Hoston from Pier Solar and the lead characters from the upcoming Star Odyssey and Affinity:Sorrow
Joe Musashi
Pulseman
Axel and Blaze from Streets of Rage

[Melf]

Those rock, Coop! The Shinobi one in awesome. I hope we can make them switch, but if we can't make them change, that's the one I'd like to use.

[The Coop]

Those rock, Coop! The Shinobi one in awesome. I hope we can make them switch, but if we can't make them change, that's the one I'd like to use.

It shouldn't be too hard. It's mostly making sure that every image is the exact same in dimensions and background design so that they're interchangeable, while keeping them all in one folder that's called to in the coding. I've seen people doing it with their sigs on other sites I visit, so it can't be too hard. In fact, OverClocked Remix does something like it in the upper right corner, and they too use vBulletin (an older version).

If you decide to go with this idea, I'll make as many as I can, and keep them below 25KB so that they load quickly (Blaze's is the biggest one, and it's only 16.57KB, so that should be easy). And of course, I'll do this with whatever banner background you decide to use.

[sheath]

I'm not sure how much of a blank slate we have but here are some ideas that occurred to me, sprites can be added or not.

Genesis 1 Font

Forum Header:
2850

Main page Header:
2851

Sega Font:

Forum Header:
2852

Main page Header:
2853

I can make the - between Sega and 16 look like a dash instead of an equals sign too, I assume we wanted the logo as is though.

Forum header with stripes:
2854

Five picture limit, doh.

[sheath]

Last one until somebody tells me not to quit my day job.

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_sprites.png

By the way, I consider this something that would work fine with what Coop was suggesting.

[Cornholio857]

Last one until somebody tells me not to quit my day job.

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_sprites.png

By the way, I consider this something that would work fine with what Coop was suggesting.

Great job Sheath! Just one thing, where's Sonic? :p

[InternalPrimate]

Wow, there's some talented guys here. I've always loved the community mentality here at Sega 16.

[sheath]

Heh, that's the first time I've been called talented in a while. Liberal Arts + IT skills is hard to sell these days.

The sprites were really just for example to show how the background would look with sprites on it. I would prefer The Coop's animation in at least some of the sprites. But how is this?

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_sprites2.png

[Cornholio857]

Looks great! Like what you did with Sonic.

[fatboy]

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_sprites2.png

I'm liking this one the best so far.

[Melf]

That one is awesome too. Since I can't stand how the old banner looks, I'm going to put sheath's until we decide what to do about implementing Coop's changeable banners.

[The Coop]

One other I started last night, but didn't finish...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SketchAni.gif

[Melf]

!!!!

That's amazing!

[InternalPrimate]

The Sheath banner looks great, but runs a bit into the "welcome" message. Maybe try the_coops?

[djshok]

One other I started last night, but didn't finish...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SketchAni.gif

FUCK YEAH! This one kicks so much ass I just fell out of my seat. Love what you did with Roadkill!

[sheath]

I just moved the grid background a bit to the left so it wouldn't interfere with the Menu. It's the same link as the last one I posted, but it will have to be re-uploaded to the server here.

If you all like the overall look of it I'm sure Coop and I can coordinate getting at least one animated sprite in there for now. Having a random image for each click up there may be dependent on whether the forum software lets you put scripts in that block.

[Christuserloeser]

Just an idea...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SonicAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni.gif


What about mascot banners that change with each time the page loads?

I like this idea of yours... !

[Melf]

Uploaded the new version of the banner.

[synbiosfan]

It looks great!

[puddingdragon]

Dang Coop you're making some ridiculously good looking banners.

[sheath]

Uploaded the new version of the banner.

I was hoping that would help. It looks like the colors don't match the background color for the menu box for some reason. There is a slight line to the top right of the banner that shouldn't be there. Is there a slight gradient to a darker color in the background there? Firebug isn't showing me the full style sheet.

[djshok]

Damn this is too many nice banners. I'm overstimulated.

[Deo]

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni.gif




Sega Font:

Forum Header:
2852

I can make the - between Sega and 16 look like a dash instead of an equals sign too, I assume we wanted the logo as is though.

Forum header with stripes:
2854

Perhaps for the the banner can alternate between a few. Whenever the striped one shows it has an animated striped box era sprite and a bunch of other striped era sprites in it, same goes for the grid era.
Or it can cycle through characters from 1989 - 1995 with the appropriate background. Just make sure to give some Sega CD games screen time.

Kinda like this for the striped era but made with you guy's pro skills.
http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu171/Lord_Deo/stripeses.png

[The Coop]

I just moved the grid background a bit to the left so it wouldn't interfere with the Menu. It's the same link as the last one I posted, but it will have to be re-uploaded to the server here.

If you all like the overall look of it I'm sure Coop and I can coordinate getting at least one animated sprite in there for now. Having a random image for each click up there may be dependent on whether the forum software lets you put scripts in that block.

It does. Other sites using vBulletin do it, so it's more of a thing with how easily it's implemented, as opposed to it being able to be done.

And thanks for the compliments, guys. If Melf can figure it out and get it working, I have several more ideas in mind with Vectorman, Ristar, Alex Kidd, Opa Opa, and a few others that were requested.

[sheath]

If it allows scripts I have a free one that is very light on the resources that will cycle with each new page load. I used to use it before I switched to a dynamic database driven web site design.

It has been a while, but it should only require the following to be placed within the header block or in the admin section appropriately:

<TABLE align="top-left">
<TR>
<TD align="top-left"> <SCRIPT language="Javascript"><!--
function image() { };
image = new image();
number = 0;
// imageArray
image[number++] = "<img src='correct image link here' border='0' width='773' height='67'>"
image[number++] = "<img src='correct image link here' border='0' width='773' height='67'>"
image[number++] = "add more images until you die"
increment = Math.floor(Math.random() * number); document.write(image[increment]);
//-->
</SCRIPT> <P align="top-left"> </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

[Zebbe]

New banner looks great. Maybe it ends a bit abruptly though. Could be even longer or have it's background fade into the other one.

[Guntz]

Coop, I request a sprite of Garfield (from Garfield: Caught in the Act) looking around or something. Maybe doing that dance thing he does too.

Also, Sheath's multi-character banner looks epic up on top! Very awesome indeed, though perhaps it's a little... Umm, cluttered, for lack of a better word. Maybe my resolution is a bit too big, but it's a bit hard to see some of the characters.

[Baloo]

I love the new banner! Who made it?

[Txai]

It looks like the colors don't match the background color for the menu box for some reason. There is a slight line to the top right of the banner that shouldn't be there.

Fixed, I guess:

http://i.imgur.com/C4OaQ.png

Here's an example of how it might look like if re-uploaded:

http://i.imgur.com/9DLym.png

[FlackoWeasel]

This gave me idea. what if every time you load SEGA-16, you get different banner?

[Guntz]

Hate to break it to you, but The Coop already suggested that early on in this thread. It is still an excellent idea though. Thanks for keeping it alive Flacko. :D

Praise Raul and the Flacko Knights for Great Justice. http://www.neo-geo.com/ubb/graemlins/buttrock.gif

[The Coop]

A few more ideas...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_AlexKiddAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_AlteredBeastAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_VectormanAni.gif

[Guntz]

Those are way too awesome Coop! Raul smiles upon your work!

I'm seriously torn between Coop's multi-banner idea and Sheath's all-in-one. Can there be found room for both styles of banner Melf?

[Joe Redifer]

Melf, I could probably implement sheath's code (slightly modified) to allow random loading of banners. I'd like to try it. If you could upload Coop's banner's and give me the URL of each of them, I will give it a try and we'll see how it works. If it doesn't, I put everything back the way it was except for the critical systems I break in the process. :shock:

[The Coop]

:lol:

If you do that, keep in mind that the first few I did are 70 pixels high, while the rest are 80 (all from Blaze, on). That can be easily fixed though if it all works.

[Joe Redifer]

UPDATE:

IT WORKS! I tried it just now linking to Coop's site. I put the other banner back for now as obviously we want the images on Sega-16's server. Sometimes it will randomly choose the one that is already being shown so it doesn't appear to change, but most of the time it does. You can't just copy and paste the whole thing into the code, though, it requires editing to work (I removed the tables and the image sizes). Here is what it looks like integrated with the forum:

http://www.joeredifer.com/crap/newbanner.png

So get some more banners ready, upload them to the Sega-16 server and let me know where they are. Then I'll re-implement the code.

[sheath]

Coops banner is showing that five or six pixel line on the top right as well. Is there a gradient in the header image, it must get slightly darker at the top. Also, if we want to combine Coops with mine I'll post one with the empty space necessary next to the 16.

-edit-

The header background color is #283a4a at the top and #2f4456 at the bottom. If it isn't going to be changed to one color all of the header images will have to have a vertical gradient as well. In my experience this gets very difficult to match with web code, there will always be a small section that shows where the picture ends because the web code will always start the gradient at a different place than the picture will.

Here is just the background.
http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_stripes_grid2.png

with some sprites and room for Coops'
http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_sprites3.png

The header box is exactly 67 pixels tall FYI.

Also, I was only using a background color for illustration. If we use any part of this header graphic it should simply use the actual header's background gradient, below is a link to the appropriate png file.

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/Sega16forumheader_Sega1_transparent_sprites%20copy .png

It should work with any dark colored background like the one in our present header.

[shinobimusashi]

I liked the old banner, but that new one is very sweet! Great job Sheath.

[acdc]

alex the kidd
ristar
ghostbusters

[Cornelius Spunkwater]

New banner looks awesome!

[profholt82]

It looks awesome, and I love how Sonic is just chilling on the hyphen. Great work Sheath, you've got skills.

[The Coop]

OK. I'm not sure what happened, as the first one (Sonic) had the gradient, then the rest didn't. But, that's fixed now. I also made some adjustments to them all (some tweaks to a few, added a small gradient at the bottom of them all, etc.). These should be good to go. The dimensions are 76x353 for them all...


http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_AlexKiddAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_AlteredBeastAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_BlazeAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_MusashiAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SketchAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SonicAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_VectormanAni2.gif

[InternalPrimate]

Such great work Coop. I like how it's relatively short, it'll make things look cleaner.

[djshok]

Whoa dude those are great. I like the JP Rampage Edition raptor a page back. Coop any chance you could make a animated one with the dino?

[The Coop]

Whoa dude those are great. I like the JP Rampage Edition raptor a page back. Coop any chance you could make a animated one with the dino?

I could, as long as it'll fit in the image (some character's will just be too large to work).



Anyway, I just wanted to point out that I made a small change to the eight I've done thus far. I saw in Joe's test run that the left side looked a bit abrupt with how the "S" was right at the edge. So I added a three pixel border between it and the end of the image. So the dimensions are now 76x353. So Joe or Melf, if you're collecting these at the moment, refresh your cache for this page and get the final versions of those eight.

[Joe Redifer]

Here's another idea with a gradient on the Sega logo (could be less extreme):

http://www.joeredifer.com/crap/sega.png

My Sega font sucks. It can't even do numbers.

[sheath]

I cheated at the wellspring of Sega fonts (http://www.clavis.ne.jp/%7Esonic/segasonic/english.htm).

[profholt82]

I was thinking that maybe it should be a little longer. Right now it ends between my profile and settings, and that seems like kind of an arbitrary place. It looks awesome, but I think it should go across the entire top of the page.

[sheath]

I just noticed that mine only works at 1280 a wide resolution, I designed it as an example. I didn't realize that the menus scaled down so much, and I think Coops' animated ones are what we are going to be using as a result.

[Joe Redifer]

Yeah, not everyone has their browser at the same width. I don't even allow mine to take up the entire screen (I always like seeing the desktop so I can drag images from the web to folders and whatnot (right clicking and "Saving as" is for pussies). But still, sheath's banner ends waaaay before it says Welcome, Joe Redifer

[Christuserloeser]

http://www.joeredifer.com/crap/newbanner.png

Having one [animated] sprite for each banner is more than enough. I don't think we need more than that on a single banner. Looks so much cleaner this way.

[InternalPrimate]

Yeah, not everyone has their browser at the same width. I don't even allow mine to take up the entire screen (I always like seeing the desktop so I can drag images from the web to folders and whatnot (right clicking and "Saving as" is for pussies). But still, sheath's banner ends waaaay before it says Welcome, Joe Redifer

Everything must be blown up on my computer(s) then. On both my work PC and my Macbook the banner runs into the "Welcome Internalprimate" part, which is why I'd like to see how Coops banners work.

[sheath]

Coop's banners are awesome. Really the only unique thing about mine is the grid/stripe combo background. If Coop will put his Sega 16 logo on a transparent background (requires .png) as Joe suggested, they will work for everybody who isn't still viewing on a Planet Web browser, or Internet Explorer 6. ;)

[Joe Redifer]

LOL! I wonder if Planet Web could even process the random script.

Internal Primate, Coop's banner will look like the picture posted above your post. That's how wide it should be. Maybe you accidentally increased the font size on your browser.

[The Coop]

The problem with putting the logo as a PNG, is that then the gifs would need to be aligned over them just right (like for the Sketch and Roadkill one). The gifs would also need to be filled with transparency, and that would noticeably increase their file size (solid backgrounds generally eat up less KB than transparent ones... not always, but generally). As an example, the Sketch and Roadkill one would jump up roughly 6KB. Not a lot, I know, but it's currently 21KB, and 6KB is a healthy percentage of that. So why add more file size, especially since the gradient issue's been solved? Plus, we couldn't do things like the Altered Beast one, and this...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_JurassicParkAni.gif


... and I kind of like the idea of being able to play with the logo at times.

[Melf]

Damn Coop, you really outdid yourself with that raptor logo!

As soon as you guys have this worked out in terms of the final versions of the animated logs and how to implement them, post them, and I'll upload them so Joe can get 'em going.

[Joe Redifer]

The more the merrier, I say.

[The Coop]

Melf, Joe- Are you guys happy with the "SEGA" logo and the background? I can post what's needed to make these if you are, that way other people can join in. If not, what needs changing?

I'll hold off on posting the info and such until I get the thumbs up regarding the background and logo designs. Just keep in mind, that these are gifs, and they can use 256 colors... no more. And if we go gradient happy, the image quality will take a nosedive and banding will start showing up in the gradients.

[djshok]

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_JurassicParkAni.gif

... and I kind of like the idea of being able to play with the logo at times.

OMG that raptor kicks ass :D

[InternalPrimate]

LOL! I wonder if Planet Web could even process the random script.

Internal Primate, Coop's banner will look like the picture posted above your post. That's how wide it should be. Maybe you accidentally increased the font size on your browser.

I think you misunderstood me, I think Coops banners would be the perfect size while Sheaths show too big.

[Joe Redifer]

Melf, Joe- Are you guys happy with the "SEGA" logo and the background? I can post what's needed to make these if you are, that way other people can join in. If not, what needs changing?

I'll hold off on posting the info and such until I get the thumbs up regarding the background and logo designs. Just keep in mind, that these are gifs, and they can use 256 colors... no more. And if we go gradient happy, the image quality will take a nosedive and banding will start showing up in the gradients.

I like the idea of a gradient but it's fine without one as well. If there were to be a gradient, I'd like it to be more minimal than the example I posted. If you are keeping the BG gradient intact, then I wouldn't also apply one to the SEGA-16 logo. If you made the blue-gray part transparent, then I'd add a gradient to the SEGA-16 logo. I wouldn't worry too much about file size, just keep it each logo under 128kb or so. Even that really isn't that big.

[oldskool]

I actually kind of prefer the original banner to these new ones. Not saying these are not cool, they are - but I like the old one better. Maybe I just got used to it, I dunno.

[jerbar120]

i wish i can help

[The Coop]

Another new one...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GhostBustersAni.gif




I'd also like you guys' opinion. I came up with a new background, and wanted to know what you think, especially Joe and Melf. I think it matches the board set up better, and it would be easy to put it in with the previous logo animations...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_JurassicParkAni3.gif

[Joe Redifer]

It would still have the sudden change of color at the bottom OH WAIT I SEE. :) I'm cool with it. I like it better than the gradient. I like the Sega logo better as well.

[sheath]

Provided we want to use mine in the lineup (I think it would be weird blended with Coop's animated ones) there are several ways to deal with the problem of some people's screens being too small. Is it possible to make the menu background solid instead of transparent? That would solve the problem for most folks. Alternately, if I move the objects and backgrounds to the bottom of the image it should be just tall enough that nothing goes under the Welcome menu. If we can move the image as is to be flush with the bottom of the header it will also not overlap with the banner.

[The Coop]

And with Joe's (and heopfully Melf's) blessing, I call these first ten done...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_AlexKiddAni3.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_AlteredBeastAni3.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_BlazeAni3.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EarlAni3.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GhostBustersAni3.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_JurassicParkAni3.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_MusashiAni3.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SketchAni3.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SonicAni3.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_VectormanAni3.gif


I'll post the template I made for them later tonight.



Edit: Oops. Had to reupload a couple of them. NOW they're done.

[Crackdown]

They are fricking superb!!!!!!!!!!

[Joe Redifer]

Those look awesome! Upload them and let me know where they are, Melf!

[Melf]

Done and done!

[InternalPrimate]

Sweet, I can't wait to see these badboys in action.

EDIT: Better :)

[shinobimusashi]

Well done fellas!

[The Coop]

Two more for the pile...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_RistarAni.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ToeJamAni.gif




And now, the template. These are all saved at the logo's 76x370, so all you need to do is copy/paste them together, and everything should be lined up (it helps if you do a "Copy Merged" instead of just "Copy", and use "Paste in Place" instead of just "Paste"... if you're using Image Ready that is...).

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Background.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Lines+Trangle_Cover.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Sega.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Dash.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_16.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Sega-16.png


... and here's what it should look like if you have everything lined up correctly...


http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Done.png



For those who want to give making one a try, be sure to take your time. There's no need to hurry, so don't rush through it. It's easy to miss something if you try and get it out the door too fast (a layer left on by mistake, a spot where the sprite shifts a pixel accidentally for one frame, etc.), and then you'd have to do fixes, reuploads and all that. So let's make Joe and Melf's lives easier by only needing them to upload these things once.

For some things to keep in mind...

- 256KB is the maximum file size allowed.
- Always keep the bright top line of pixels and the darker bottom line of pixels on top of what you're doing. It looks a lot nicer, and it keeps everything contained.
- If you have characters running around and interacting with the "SEGA-16" logo, keep their feet on the same line with the bottom of the logo. It looks nicer than having them walking below it or above it (which looks sloppy).
- Don't have anything cut off by the right side, only the left side. If something keeps going to the right, have it vanish behind the darker green triangle.
- Gifs can only have 256 colors. Until you get good at doing some manual color optimization, try and keep your efforts simpler with fewer characters and such in the banner (the main areas where color loss will show up is in the gradients for the "SEGA-16" logo and the dark green triangle).
- The bigger the object you move, the faster the file size will climb. So having moving backgrounds, or making the logo move can really add up fast in terms of KB.
- Most animations I've come across for things like walking tend to work well when you keep the feet placed like you would with a real person walking (aka no glide walking like a lot of older games do). Some don't (like the walking for MJ in the Moonwalker banner) and you have to adjust them or go with the glide walk. But most of the time, a "real" walk will work fine.
- When something goes up or comes down, how far it moves will change. Going up, unless it's screaming by at high speed, it'll being to move fewer pixels until it reaches a peak, then it'll begin to descend. When something falls, it picks up speed, and so moves via greater amounts of space (pixels) with each frame. How much of course will depend on how fast you want it to look like it's going up or down. As an experiment, take something and toss it up in the air, or drop it. See how it behaves. That'll help give a visual to what I'm talking about.
- Objects tend to bounce when they hit something, whether the object is a person or an inanimate one. So if something falls, unless it splatters, it's going to come back up into the air at least once (and then the rise and fall bit from the previous paragraph comes into play).
- You can have a background to use, as long as the "SEGA-16" is still in place.
- There are plenty of places for sprite sheets, like Spriter's Resource, SDB (Sprite Database), The Shyguy Kingdom, and others, so be sure to look around before you rip them yourself from an EMU (like I had to with the raptor).

This last bit is very important. Make sure the letters and the triangle are in the exact spots where they are in the finished logos that've been done. It's a common visual thread that helps bond all the banners. It's one thing if characters interact with it and cause some of it to move briefly, but don't put it somewhere else just because you feel like it. Working with where the letters are is way to go about it.

And of course, if you're having problems, I'll try and help if I can... and I still have dibs on Opa-Opa ;)



And finally, Joe? Melf? Many, many thanks for giving this a try, and letting me participate :)

[Melf]

Dude, thank YOU for the awesome banners. That Ristar one is aces.

I keep refreshing the page to see them, lol.

[djshok]

They look great! It would be cool if we got a Spider-Man one or maybe even X-Men.

[QuickSciFi]

Awesome banners.

[The Coop]

Thanks for the compliments, guys :)

Got a new one done...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_FantasyZoneAni.gif

[Guntz]

I vote for Monster World IV, Mega Man: Wily Wars and Garfield to get banners. :D

Simply JAWUSUM work Coop. Raul smiles upon thee.

Praise Raul.

[The Coop]

Garfield's going to be a tough one, since there doesn't appear to be a full sprite sheet anywhere for the Genesis game. Found full(?) ones for the GBA games, and a small partial one for the Genesis one, but...

[Cornholio857]

Love the Banners! I'd give Coop Rep but I need to spread more around first.

[Phosis]

The new banner is amazing!!!

[profholt82]

Freaking awesome!

[djshok]

I think I'm gonna give one of these a shot.

[Alexrd]

Love the animated banners. Specially this one:

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/images/misc/Sega16Logo_JurassicParkAni3.gif

[Guntz]

Garfield's going to be a tough one, since there doesn't appear to be a full sprite sheet anywhere for the Genesis game. Found full(?) ones for the GBA games, and a small partial one for the Genesis one, but...

What do you mean by "partial"? You don't have animations for some of his actions? Or is the sprite sheet missing frames from something as simple as looking around?

[djshok]

Here's one from me. Nice and simple one to start. Also, where's a good place to host animated gifs? Imageshack seems to deanimated them for some reason ...

2879

[The Coop]

The only frames it has are some from the very opening short stage... nothing else. Even the look around wasn't complete. So, I'm grabbing the sprites myself.

[djshok]

Hey Coop, what program do you use to animate your gifs, the one I used seems to have put in some weird line of pixels near the top. It's not there in the individual frames but shows up in the animated gif. Any chance you could help me out?

[Baloo]

Great animated banners guys, keep up the good work! :)

[synbiosfan]

I'd give Coop Rep but I need to spread more around first.

As do I, great banners Coop!

[The Coop]

Thanks guys :)



Hey Coop, what program do you use to animate your gifs, the one I used seems to have put in some weird line of pixels near the top. It's not there in the individual frames but shows up in the animated gif. Any chance you could help me out?

I use Image Ready by Adobe. It's discounted now, as the last version came with Photoshop CS2, but it's far easier and more intuitive than the likes of GIMP, Fireworks and some others I've tried.

As for your gif, I noticed some problems. The main one is that it's using a lot less than 256 colors. The end result is some nasty pixelation in the gradients for the background, and even Knuckles had some color shifting going on due to the lack of colors. The idea was fine, but you need to make sure your program exports the gifs at 256 colors, or else the backgrounds (and even the characters) will suffer from the compression.

A couple more minor things. Did you rip the sprites yourself? I ask because I saw some extra pixels in spots around Knuckles. There was also an extra frame in yours, which was giving the gif a pause at the end since it was two of the same frame in a row. Those are the kinds of things you need to watch out for, as they can sneak by you unexpectedly. Always watch it through a few times to help catch mistakes you missed while working. It also helps if you take a break for a bit and then come back if you've been working for a while. Giving your eyes and brain a little pause in the action will help find errors too.

As an example, I redid your banner idea using a Knuckles Chaotix sprite sheet, so you can see what I'm talking about (zoom in on them if you need to)...

Yours- http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Knuckles%20S-16original.gif

The version I redid- http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_KnucklesChaotixAni.gif



Keep in mind, I'm not bashing or picking on you. I like the idea, it just had some technical bits that needed addressing. That's all :)

[Nunzio]

I thought this sounded like a horrible idea, but now that they're up there these banners look great! Excellent work Coop. There will be something extra in your stocking on Raul Day.

[djshok]

Thanks guys :)




I use Image Ready by Adobe. It's discounted now, as the last version came with Photoshop CS2, but it's far easier and more intuitive than the likes of GIMP, Fireworks and some others I've tried.

As for your gif, I noticed some problems. The main one is that it's using a lot less than 256 colors. The end result is some nasty pixelation in the gradients for the background, and even Knuckles had some color shifting going on due to the lack of colors. The idea was fine, but you need to make sure your program exports the gifs at 256 colors, or else the backgrounds (and even the characters) will suffer from the compression.

A couple more minor things. Did you rip the sprites yourself? I ask because I saw some extra pixels in spots around Knuckles. There was also an extra frame in yours, which was giving the gif a pause at the end since it was two of the same frame in a row. Those are the kinds of things you need to watch out for, as they can sneak by you unexpectedly. Always watch it through a few times to help catch mistakes you missed while working. It also helps if you take a break for a bit and then come back if you've been working for a while. Giving your eyes and brain a little pause in the action will help find errors too.

As an example, I redid your banner idea using a Knuckles Chaotix sprite sheet, so you can see what I'm talking about (zoom in on them if you need to)...

Yours- http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Knuckles%20S-16original.gif

The version I redid- http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_KnucklesChaotixAni.gif



Keep in mind, I'm not bashing or picking on you. I like the idea, it just had some technical bits that needed addressing. That's all :)

Awesome man! Thank you for the help. To answer: I actually used the sprites from Chaotix from this site: http://sdb.drshnaps.com/system.php?sys=3 I see what you mean about the extra frame, but I thought that was supposed to be there, it was included in the series in that sprite sheet so I figured it belonged. About the 256 colours, yeah I saved all the frames as such in photoshop CS, but then I used a crappy program for animating the gif so it got lowered that way I guess. I didn't know ImageReady could animate gifs though, I've never really thought of using it for that. I actually use CS, so I do have the software, I should look into it. Thanks again. Once I try this out in ImageReady I might do a few more as I have some ideas.

[The Coop]

Awesome man! Thank you for the help. To answer: I actually used the sprites from Chaotix from this site: http://sdb.drshnaps.com/system.php?sys=3 I see what you mean about the extra frame, but I thought that was supposed to be there, it was included in the series in that sprite sheet so I figured it belonged. About the 256 colours, yeah I saved all the frames as such in photoshop CS, but then I used a crappy program for animating the gif so it got lowered that way I guess. I didn't know ImageReady could animate gifs though, I've never really thought of using it for that. I actually use CS, so I do have the software, I should look into it. Thanks again. Once I try this out in ImageReady I might do a few more as I have some ideas.

Glad to help. And yeah, Image Ready pretty much is an animated gif making program. So check it out. If you're familiar with Photoshop, you'll feel at home with how a good amount of IR runs.

As for the sheet, here's the one I used http://www.sonicworld.net/site/media/sprites/knuckles/sheets/KnucklesChaotixsheet1.gif. Some sprite sheet makers post animation loops from the first frame, back around to the first frame again. Some don't. Just keep in mind that a pause like that in what's supposed to be a steady loop shouldn't be there. It also looks like the sheet you used is missing a frame (that, or the one I got added a frame to smooth it out) in that loop, which happens sometimes. That's why it's a good idea to compare sheets to see if someone missed, or even added, something. It's kind of like shopping for a car or house... don't go with the first thing you find :lol:

[Guntz]

Come to think of it, Sparkster needs to be featured too. Everybody here loves RKA right? I'd try doing one, but I don't think I saw a template for your Sega-16 banner anywhere Coop.

[The Coop]

Page 6, bottom half.

[The Coop]

Sorry for the double post, but here's a new one that was requested. Would've gotten it done sooner, but I had to rip the sprites myself...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GarfieldAni.gif

[Zebbe]

Can you do Phantasy Star IV? Chaz doing some attack would be cool. Or maybe Alien Soldier, the zero teleport attack all over the logo :). Best wishes to you!

[Joe Redifer]

Imageready is built in to Photoshop now. You have to enable the "animation" mode, but the GUI and functionality is all still there.

[Guntz]

Sorry for the double post, but here's a new one that was requested. Would've gotten it done sooner, but I had to rip the sprites myself...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GarfieldAni.gif

Simply amazing. Thanks a ton Coop! It looks awesome! I love all the little pauses Garfield makes.

It's a shame I can't rep you right now (haven't been able to since this thread was started), Melf needs to remove the rep limit. It's an injustice to those who deserve rep.

[AD2101]

These are awesome! The Ghostbusters one made me feel all warm and cozy, thats normal right?

[The Coop]

I don't know, but why fight it? :lol:

OK, last one for the night, as per request...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_PhantasyStarIVAni.gif

[sheath]

I'm wishing more of the sprite sheets were saved with transparent backgrounds. Using the magic wand tool to pull the sprites off doesn't work with some sprites/frames.

[Melf]

The Phantasy Star IV one has blown my mind.

[Phantar]

I don't know, but why fight it? :lol:

OK, last one for the night, as per request...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_PhantasyStarIVAni.gif

"Banhammer" *lol*

Alright, I have to admit, this is awesome! :thumbup:

[Zebbe]

I don't know, but why fight it? :lol:

OK, last one for the night, as per request...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_PhantasyStarIVAni.gif

You sir, have made me, as a Swede, invent the Nobel Culture Prize. The winner is you! You also have my thanks and appreciation!

[Christuserloeser]

I demand something equally awesome for Thunder Force IV! :o

Other obvious choices I am forced to mention would be Castle of Illusion, Quackshot and World of Illusion.

And Wonderboy! Shining Force! Ghouls 'n Ghosts! Golden Axe! And let's not forget about *insert looong list of awesome MD games* !

[Alexrd]

Pink Goes to Hollywood and Sonic 1. Those would be nice.

[djshok]

Ok I have another one done, but I don't have anywhere to upload it to that doesn't ruin the gif. Imageshack and similar places either lower the colors or make the animation not work. Anyone know where I can upload this thing? It's Metal Sonic btw.

Here's the download for it, I just can't link it here. http://www.box.net/shared/ostb05b7qo

[Guntz]

PhotoBucket still lets a free account upload GIFs.

Also, your Metal Sonic banner is awesome! Very cool indeed. :cool:

[Joe Redifer]

Coop just keeps amazing me with his GIF skillz.

DJ Shock's Metal Sonic isn't bad, either!

[shinobimusashi]

Wow Coop you really outdid yourself on that Phantasy Star Banner! Very nice. Its about time you made yourself usefull around here, you secretly famous person using a psuedonymn. (just kidding)

[Sega Genesis]

So far I like the Phantasy Star one followed by Ristar.

[Christuserloeser]

Not counting Phantasy Star:

1. Big Earl
2. Fantasy Zone
3. Alex Kidd
4. Shinobi
5. Garfield

+Runner Up: Ghostbusters

[djshok]

Here's my Metal Sonic one, hopefully Photobucket didn't do anything to screw it up. The original file is available in the link I posted above.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n573/djshok1/MetalSonic.gif

[The Coop]

Nice work on the Metal Sonic one, djshok.

Here's another one by request...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GhoulsNGhostsAni.gif

[Guntz]

That GnG one is just too fun! So much creativity in these.

Maybe if I rep others, I can rep you finally Coop...

[The Coop]

Not the most complicated idea, but it popped into my head...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GoldenAxeAni.gif

[Christuserloeser]

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! :love:

[Crackdown]

That Golden Axe one is truly amazing!!!!

[Cornholio857]

Not the most complicated idea, but it popped into my head...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GoldenAxeAni.gif

Excellent!!! Golden Axe Tennis anyone? ;)

[Christuserloeser]

I remember seeing something similar to this in the game's credits. :)

[vintagegamecrazy]

We need one of those for Ecco and Chakan, those would be amazing. Great job on the PSIV one Coop!

[Phantar]

We need one of those for Ecco and Chakan, those would be amazing. Great job on the PSIV one Coop!

seconded!

[Txai]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1409948/pics/Sega16Logo_EccoAni.gif

[Crackdown]

Another really great banner!!!

[Guntz]

WOW... Just, wow... That might possibly be the most impressive banner so far!

[The Coop]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1409948/pics/Sega16Logo_EccoAni.gif

Very nice, Txai. Very nice. But there are two things that stick out.

The first is that you use .06 for about a third of the frame timing. There are a lot of browsers that won't play it that fast, and so will slow it down to .1, making that third play noticeably slower. It's safer to go no lower than .1 for a frame delay, as every browser that I've seen plays that speed (and slower) just fine. The second thing is that I think Ecco's animating backward.

I tinkered with your gif and came up with this...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EccoAni2.gif

I know it's slower (I believe you were going for the same speed from in-game), but every browser will play this at the same speed. You could speed it all up and just have everything play at .13 or what have you, and live with the slower sonar wave, but I know that .1 looks too fast for the water, so...

I know, I know... "mind you own business" and all that. But I'm just trying to help so that it doesn't look weird when people using IE and such come by see that one pop up. Regardless, great idea.

[Christuserloeser]

Excellent work, Txai & Coop. :)

[The Coop]

New one done...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ThunderForceIVAni.gif

[Christuserloeser]

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to The Coop again."

- I am beginning to think that these banners will have a negative effect on forum traffic as more and more people turn away from their PCs to play the games instead of browsing the forum. To counter this alarming development I say we add music and interactivity to each banner.

[Melf]

My head asplode!

[GameX]

These banners are more than awesomes!

Does theses appear randomly? I have a feeling some are appearing way more frequently than others. Like Sonic, Ristar or Raptor.

I've only seen Garfield once.

[Guntz]

I've seen Garfield 3 times or so. I need to use it to advertise Sega-16 on other forums. :D

[Joe Redifer]

I demand the following:

Space Harrier 2
Super Thunder Blade (the only game to ever get a perfect rating)
Out Run
Mystic Defender
Castle of Illusion.

[The Coop]

These banners are more than awesomes!

Does theses appear randomly? I have a feeling some are appearing way more frequently than others. Like Sonic, Ristar or Raptor.

I've only seen Garfield once.

They're random. The thing to remember is that right now, there's only 20, so repeats are going to happen.

[GameX]

They're random. The thing to remember is that right now, there's only 20, so repeats are going to happen.

Ok, thanks.
Maybe that was because not all of them were uploded.
Now I see the awesome Golden Axe banner. :)

Great job!! ;D

[SpaceFlea]

I don't know how difficult the isometric games would be for this, but Light Crusader and/or Landstalker would be pretty sweet. I also highly second Chakan and Sparkster.

And I would personally love to see Mutant League Football and Lethal Enforcers.

But there are so many to do - Moonwalker, Splatterhouse, Ranger-X, Strider, Kid Chameleon, Bomberman, General Chaos, Pulsman, Alien Soldier, New Zealand Story, Rent-A-Hero and we must show some love with Dragon's Fury/Revenge. There's just too many...

[Guntz]

Is there a template for the current banner style? Or just the bare banner?

[The Coop]

This is how NOT to make a banner that's under 128KB...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SubterraniaAni3.gif

It's WAY too big, even trimmed down (the original version was well over 500KB and featured more graphics from the game). So yes folks, there's our first banner failure :lol:



Guntz- Page 6, a little over half way down.

[The Coop]

Simply because of the work I put into it, here's the final version before I tried to cut it down in file size with less graphics and fewer colors. Too big to use (nearly a half a MB), but I still liked the idea...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SubterraniaAni3a.gif



And here's the gif I posted before, but realized I screwed up. It's fixed now, so here you go, Joe...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_OutRunAni.gif


Edit: Version without the pixel "fade"...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_OutRunAni-A.gif



Edit 2: Goddamn... I must be tired. I had to reupload both OutRun banners because I uploaded the same broken one I took down earlier. Anyway, the proper one's are up now (5:08 A.M.), and I'm going the hell to bed.

[Joe Redifer]

That's bad ass!

[GameX]

Wooowww! :O

'Freakin' Coolll! :D

[youloute]

Very good work here!

[Melf]

Those are incredible!

I'd like to see:

- Moonwalker
- Shining Force (don't know if it's possible)
- Splatterhouse
- Aladdin
- Quackshot

[MrMatthews]

Awesome, Coop! Even before reading this thread, I figured you were behind our new banner. ;)

[Mista_Ed]

woah....some of these banner animations are sweeeeet coop!!

TFIV & GOLDEN AXE KICKS ASS!!!....outrun too....

good shit homes!!

[Mr Smith]

Wow! Just wow! Fantastic work going on there, having not read this thread it is truly a delight to enjoy each image as they randomly appear.

[sheath]

First try at this one, something seems off in Photoshop, but this is much slower than it was there. I'll keep working on it. Suggestions are welcome.

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/ShadowDancer001.gif

[The Coop]

Thanks for the compliments, and thanks to Txai and djshok for joining in the gif-making festivities :)

Melf/Joe- OK. Um, last night, I wasn't feeling too well (pretty sure it was a bit of food poisoning). Long story short (too late), I fucked a few things up yesterday, and I'm here to correct them by reposting a few of the banners. The file names are the same, so do the ol' Ctrl+F5 to refresh your cache (I did this so you guys could just overwrite the old ones)...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ThunderForceIVAni.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_OutRunAni-A.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EccoAni2.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_PhantasyStarIVAni.gif


Some of the fixes were pretty minor, but I thought that for all the ones that go all the way to the top of bottom of the banner's interior, the highlight and shadow bar along the very top and bottom of the banner itself should be visible on top of the scene/animation, keeping everything going on between those two bars (sort making the inside where all the gradient is like a self-contained move screen of sorts). Again, a minor thing, but I just thought it looked better that way instead of having things simply cut off those bars at the top of bottom (I did the same thing to my enormous Sub-Terrania banner too, but I won't repost it here since it can't be used). Again, sorry for the fuck up.


Now, for some variants. The Ecco one I thought looked nicer, and the two for TF4 were ideas that got scrapped because, like the Sub-Terrania banner, they were simply too big and had to be rethought/siimplified, but I figured I'd post them so you guys could see them since they were finished...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_EccoAni2A.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ThunderForceIVAni2b.gif

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ThunderForceIVAni2a.gif- Damn near half a MB again thanks to the three parallax layers in the back :lol:



And finally, I'll be doing up a Space Harrier II banner this evening. Now that I'm feeling considerably better, I shouldn't screw anything up on it... I hope.

[The Coop]

First try at this one, something seems off in Photoshop, but this is much slower than it was there. I'll keep working on it. Suggestions are welcome.

http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/sites/default/files/Miscmovies/ShadowDancer001.gif

I think part of it is that some bits shift around a bit, or come in/pause at odd times. Another issue is that the boss sprite is just too tall, and its feet don't stay on the same plane for the whole gif.

If you don't have an issue with the idea, I could try tinkering with the gif.

[sheath]

I'm happy to share the original file if you want. I'd like to see what other options there are to be sure. I could try moving the boss's feet up to where she is when she's kneeling, but then more of her head would be cut off. Timing between frames and getting the animation right is definitely the problem with this one. I just uploaded a slightly modified version. Let me know what you need to work with and I'll PM it to you.

[The Coop]

I downloaded the gif, and I saw a much bigger problem. It looks like you had the anti-aliasing turned on when you were cutting out the sprites. They all have a fuzzy edge to them. This also added a lot more colors for your program to have to optimize (which likely resulted in dropped colors from the banner gradients). I have both sprite sheets and the banner template, so I'll use them with your gif to get it all together. I appreciate the offer though :)

[goldenband]

Assuming you don't run into color limit or character size issues, how about a 32X banner? Cosmic Carnage comes to mind -- maybe something with Cylic.

(It'd also amuse me greatly to have a Sword of Sodan banner -- maybe something that involves the annoying insect-like creatures that swarm you at various points in the game, and/or drinking a potion to kill one. But I may be alone in that, and the characters are likely too large.)

BTW that Golden Axe one is fantastic. Tried to rep you for it, but no dice.

[FlackoWeasel]

Two more for the pile...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_RistarAni.gif http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ToeJamAni.gif




And now, the template. These are all saved at the logo's 76x370, so all you need to do is copy/paste them together, and everything should be lined up (it helps if you do a "Copy Merged" instead of just "Copy", and use "Paste in Place" instead of just "Paste"... if you're using Image Ready that is...).

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Background.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Sega.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Dash.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_16.png

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Sega-16.png


... and here's what it should look like if you have everything lined up correctly...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_Template_Done.png


Hello, is it OK to do 1 for TmEE? As he's the modding master, I wanna do something for him as a respect :3.

[Melf]

I've re-uploaded the ones you fixed, Coop.

Coop djshok, and Txai, these are awesome. I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say that you guys have done a bang up job with these banners.

[FlackoWeasel]

lol am drunk and got this silly idea...

http://flacko.mikk36.eu/TmEE.gif

any good settings for the better GIF quality? I can also export the PNgs as I dont have any gif maker....

[Christuserloeser]

We should do this on Tiido's birthday :) but yeah, needs some fixing first. There's a very good program for opitimizing GIFs. I'll look it up.

EDIT - JASC Animation Shop 3 is what I use.

[sheath]

I downloaded the gif, and I saw a much bigger problem. It looks like you had the anti-aliasing turned on when you were cutting out the sprites. They all have a fuzzy edge to them. This also added a lot more colors for your program to have to optimize (which likely resulted in dropped colors from the banner gradients). I have both sprite sheets and the banner template, so I'll use them with your gif to get it all together. I appreciate the offer though :)

I just used the magic wand tool to snag the sprites off the sheet, and yeah, it wasn't perfect. Is there a better way to do this? I wasn't able to include the dog because the tool chopped out entire portions of its body.

Also, I was mostly fooling around with being able to make animated gifs with sprite sheets. If you're going to take over this one, go all out. This was just what I worked up today.

[Melf]

Ha!

[havok666]

These are impressive. I see these as being a nice tribute to the Genesis SEGA splash screens. Keep up the good work.

As for a suggestion, I think a Ghostbusters one would work well with one of the characters trapping a ghost.

[The Coop]

If you're using Photoshop/Image Ready, there's a small box along the top that says "Anti Aliasing" when you have the magic wand and other tools selected. Uncheck that box, and it'll work better for cutting out sprites. Anti Aliasing makes the pixels along the edge of whatever you're cutting out. This works great for photos to help things blend together, but it's not good for pixel work like this.

Here's my take on your gif, sheath...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_ShadowDancerAni.gif

Is that what you were after?

[sheath]

I was trying to make it look like Hayate dropped the 16 on her head, making her drop the saw and hit her. This works fine for me, it was just what was easy to animate without too much forethought.

-edit-

Also, I still don't know what you mean by my having left on anti-aliasing, but I did leave dither at 100%. Also, if there is a better (and still fast) way to pull the sprites off these sheets than the Magic Wand Tool I'd like to know it. I would have had the dog in there attacking the boss and turning into a puppy if Magic Wand didn't screw up the sprite so badly.

[shinobimusashi]

Who's responsible for the Outrun banner? I vote that we fix that one for a while! Awesome!!!

[The Coop]

I was trying to make it look like Hayate dropped the 16 on her head, making her drop the saw and hit her. This works fine for me, it was just what was easy to animate without too much forethought.

-edit-

Also, I still don't know what you mean by my having left on anti-aliasing, but I did leave dither at 100%. Also, if there is a better (and still fast) way to pull the sprites off these sheets than the Magic Wand Tool I'd like to know it. I would have had the dog in there attacking the boss and turning into a puppy if Magic Wand didn't screw up the sprite so badly.

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/AA.jpg

The little box with "Anti-aliased" is what you do not want checked. Leave it blank. That's there for Photoshop as well, and just about every other graphics program has a way to disable it so you can cut things out without the fuzzied edges.

As for cutting out sprites, try the lasso tool (it's part of the same group as the magic wand). You can just draw right around the sprite you want and then do a copy/paste into what you're working on. Again, make sure there's no anti-aliasing, and also (for the lasso tool and a few others) be sure "feathering" is at zero and "tolerance" is at zero.

Here's an example...


http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/NoAA.png http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/YesAA.png

With AA and all that off/at zero, you get the one of the left. With it all on/above zero, you get the one on the right with partially transparent pixels. Hope that helps.





Got Space Harrier II done...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SpaceHarrierIIAni.gif

[sheath]

Thanks Coop. I use the rectangular marquee to pull the sprites out and the magic want tool to select and delete the background color. I suck with drawing lines around things in Photoshop, especially with the laptop touch pad! Turning off anti-aliasing on the Wand worked! Now the Dog sprites are easy to pull out too.

If you don't mind I'd like to play with this a bit more unless you already had a Shadow Dancer one in mind.

Awesome Space Harrier II banner too!

[Deo]

Love the Ecco, Space Harrier II, and Outrun ones.

[Joe Redifer]

The Space Harrier 2 one looks great, but it seems to pause/stutter. But then again my computer is rendering some intense video right now so maybe that is interfering.

EDIT: Yup, the others are doing the same thing. I need more than 4 cores. Don't tell anyone my computer only has 4 cores, I don't want to get beaten up!

[The Coop]

Thanks Coop. I use the rectangular marquee to pull the sprites out and the magic want tool to select and delete the background color. I suck with drawing lines around things in Photoshop, especially with the laptop touch pad! Turning off anti-aliasing on the Wand worked! Now the Dog sprites are easy to pull out too.

If you don't mind I'd like to play with this a bit more unless you already had a Shadow Dancer one in mind.

Awesome Space Harrier II banner too!

Thanks, and by all means, play away. It was your idea, so feel free to keep working on it. I have no intentions of stepping on any toes, I'm just trying to help on technical issues.

But if you have any questions, feel free to ask here or via PM.





The Space Harrier 2 one looks great, but it seems to pause/stutter. But then again my computer is rendering some intense video right now so maybe that is interfering.

EDIT: Yup, the others are doing the same thing. I need more than 4 cores. Don't tell anyone my computer only has 4 cores, I don't want to get beaten up!

Yeah, my PC makes everything stutter when it's working away on something as well. And don't feel bad, I've only got 1 core (P4 hyper threading 3.00E GHz). So if you'd get beaten up, I'd get shot :lol:

[Guntz]

The Space Harrier 2 one looks great, but it seems to pause/stutter. But then again my computer is rendering some intense video right now so maybe that is interfering.

EDIT: Yup, the others are doing the same thing. I need more than 4 cores. Don't tell anyone my computer only has 4 cores, I don't want to get beaten up!

So what does it mean if I have only 2 cores?

[sheath]

You get pantsed in public once in a while.

[QuickSciFi]

Woa! Cudos on these newer banners, dude. They keep getting better and better. Makes me proud to be a sega-16 member.

[The Coop]

Another one for Joe. This time, it's the perfectly scored...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SuperThunderBladeAni.gif

[Joe Redifer]

Damn, that looks better than the game. It hides a lot of the "pop-up".

[Baloo]

Hey Coop, do you think you could maybe make one of Xavier from Eternal Champions turning the Sega-16 logo to gold? That'd be awesome!

[Guntz]

I vote for Super Hang-On next! Make it look like the gif in my signature, where the bike is turning to the right (or left). I think that would beat out all the other super scaler banners. :D

[The Coop]

Hey Coop, do you think you could maybe make one of Xavier from Eternal Champions turning the Sega-16 logo to gold? That'd be awesome!

It would be, except that the sprites from that game are considerably bigger than the banner. They'd be lopped off at the knees unfortunately.



Guntz- I'll do Super Hang-On next.





Someone requested a Rambo III banner (at least, I could swear someone did). It's pretty simple, but it works...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_RamboIIIAni.gif

[InternalPrimate]

I can't believe how great these all look! Seriously, I'm refreshing just to see more and more. See? Some good came from the hack :)

[Alexrd]

Ah. Indeed.

[FlackoWeasel]

We should do this on Tiido's birthday :) but yeah, needs some fixing first. There's a very good program for opitimizing GIFs. I'll look it up.

EDIT - JASC Animation Shop 3 is what I use.

ta. Ill do when i get back home. im at 3day party and got inspiration flow and as i love my Tiido so much, I wanted to do something nice for him.

[The Coop]

One Super Hang-On...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_SuperHang-OnAni.gif



Up next, Galaxy Force II... I hope.

[Crackdown]

These just get better!!!!

[Guntz]

Try as I might, I still can't rep you even after giving rep to a few other people. Gotta keep trying more. As a way to make up though, I'm gonna use that SHO banner to advertise Sega-16 on other forums. THAT is how much I love that banner. You RULE Coop. :D :ok:

[Loggo]

Fantastic job.

Hope we see some Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV love too.

[Guntz]

What the hell is wrong with this forum? I must have repped like 6 people already and I STILL can't rep Coop. Somebody must fix this immediately! If Mr. Smith was a mod, he'd probably have removed the rep limit by now.

[ItellYaHuat]

I'm seeing more and more new ones each time I visit the forum. Great job. The Space Harrier one just came up for me. :)

[oldskool]

These are really cool. I like it. A lot.

[The Coop]

Thanks guys. I'm glad you're liking them thus far :)

Next on the deck...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_GalaxyForceIIAni.gif

[Joe Redifer]

Sweet. Latest ones are up.

[Zebbe]

Keep up the great job!

I'd like to see these:

Beggar Prince
Legend of Wukong
and... uh... Pier Solar :idea:

One with Star Odyssey would be perfect when it comes out.

[Joe Redifer]

Do those games even have sprite sheets?

[The Coop]

CMA's games do have versions in other languages, so they could have sprites ripped. But good luck getting the Watermelon team to hand over sprite sheets, or an up to date ROM for ripping :lol:

[Zebbe]

You can use the demo, which has the same character sprites as the final game :).

[Phantar]

Hm, am I a spoilsport if I say I prefer the ones with the plain backgrounds (Shinobi, Ristar, etc.) over the ones with a more colorful or even animated background (Rambo, Super Hang-On, or the most recent one)? I think the former blend in way better with the site's design, and the latter are too distracting.

[Jorge Nuno]

I think the knuckles chaotix logo should have sega-32X instead of the usual sega-16 :V

[Guntz]

You can use the demo, which has the same character sprites as the final game :).

Unless he already has it, somebody will have to send him a copy. I haven't seen the PS Demo available ANYWHERE online.

[Crackdown]

I really think that now we have all the other banners the Sonic one looks rubbish and we need a new one

[SpaceFlea]

I think all of the earlier ones are a bit boring compared to the newer ones. They just seem out of place with respect to each other. But I do agree that they look better with the plain background than the newer ones do with their very active backgrounds.

[Baloo]

Man, these just keep getting better and better. What an excellent idea, you do great work Coop! Infinite rep to you!

[Zebbe]

Unless he already has it, somebody will have to send him a copy. I haven't seen the PS Demo available ANYWHERE online.

A quick Google search generated this successful result:

http://xboxisozone.com/downloads/2717/pier-solar-%28beta-rom%29-2010-sega-genesis-megadrive.html

[sheath]

I think the knuckles chaotix logo should have sega-32X instead of the usual sega-16 :V

That would make some of the board members and admins lose their minds. ;0

I wouldn't mind seeing Shadow Squadron, Metal Head, Kolibri, and Virtua Racing Deluxe banners though. I would think I could do those just by giffing some gameplay footage into a loop. Hmmm.

[Loggo]

That would make some of the board members and admins lose their minds. ;0

I wouldn't mind seeing Shadow Squadron, Metal Head, Kolibri, and Virtua Racing Deluxe banners though. I would think I could do those just by giffing some gameplay footage into a loop. Hmmm.
Signed

[Guntz]

A quick Google search generated this successful result:

http://xboxisozone.com/downloads/2717/pier-solar-%28beta-rom%29-2010-sega-genesis-megadrive.html

Hmm, I've never actually tried out the beta before. Very interesting. The old character art does indeed suck. Though I was really surprised to see all of Edessot's art is the same, along with the full screen art for Alina and Edessot.

[The Coop]

I think all of the earlier ones are a bit boring compared to the newer ones. They just seem out of place with respect to each other. But I do agree that they look better with the plain background than the newer ones do with their very active backgrounds.

Not everything has to be an overblown production. The earlier ones are simple, but there's nothing wrong with simple. The only reason I added backgrounds to the 3D ones, was because they looked really weird up against just the banner background (plus, the choppy scaling doesn't give much of a sense of motion). With TF4 and Ecco, they'd look just as weird without something for them to be in or moving past (shmups need a background since it's pretty much just a ship sitting there otherwise). In fact, simplicity will be making a return, as if I can do what I'm thinking of for Monster World IV, it'll be quite simple and just be the banner with the characters.

So yeah, the ones with backgrounds are the exceptions to the norm, not the new norm :)



I really think that now we have all the other banners the Sonic one looks rubbish and we need a new one

I hate to sound snarky here, but please... let's not not start with the "make a better one because that one sucks now" stuff. It's not like these things are done in five minutes, and there's nothing wrong with Sonic's banner.



I think the knuckles chaotix logo should have sega-32X instead of the usual sega-16 :V

But... but it's Sega-16.com. Putting that would end the universe as we know it.

[Joe Redifer]

I think it's great to have a wide variety of banners. Some with backgrounds, some without. Of course we'll all have our favorites and least favorites. My least favorite, for example, is the Alex Kidd one, but that doesn't mean it's poor. Just due to the fact alone that Alex Kidd is represented makes it awesome, I just like other banners more. I don't actually dislike any.

[Loggo]

I’m in love with the Super Thunder Blade banner, it’s so surreal.

[JDB]

just waiting for a cease and dessist letter from sega now, for using their intellectual property better than sega could use it themselves.

Just sayin'

(bastards)

P.S. Anyone with SORR V5 please PM me

[Guntz]

Here's my top 10:

Super Hang-On
Garfield
Phantasy Star IV
Sub-Terrania (the full one)
Thunder Force IV (with parallax scrolling)
Ristar
Ghouls N Ghosts
Ghostbusters
Jurassic Park
Ecco

Honorable mentions include some others I'm forgetting. Suffice to say, pretty much all of them are great. The only ones I don't are the early and overly simplistic ones, like Sonic, Alex Kidd and SOR.

[The Coop]

Just so you guys know, I'm currently working on SoR 1 and Monster World IV banners. I don't know if they'll be done tonight, but they'll likely be done by tomorrow night. Just wanted to give a heads up.

Also, how's your banner coming, sheath?

[sheath]

I have given up on the Shadow Dancer banner. The one that has been uploaded is better than I can manage. Plus, it carries a bit from the Revenge of Shinobi banner.

I enjoy all of the ones that have been uploaded so far, especially the scaler ones. Let me know if I can help with any gameplay captures for more of those, they are by far my favorites.

[The Coop]

I have given up on the Shadow Dancer banner. The one that has been uploaded is better than I can manage. Plus, it carries a bit from the Revenge of Shinobi banner.

I enjoy all of the ones that have been uploaded so far, especially the scaler ones. Let me know if I can help with any gameplay captures for more of those, they are by far my favorites.

Sorry to hear that.

And the Shadow Dancer one was uploaded? I didn't know that. But now that I do, I'll go back and work on it some more once I'm done with SoR and MWIV. I didn't consider what I posted as being done after you told me about what your original idea was (the "16" hitting her in the head, etc.).

Edit: Oh, and regarding the scaler ones, those aren't gameplay images. Those are sprites and ground put together from rips. I got screenshots of the ground all by itself from EMUs, took individual sprites of the buildings/fire/trees, etc. scaling the same way, and then added the vehicles after those were put together (I did all that by disabling layers in the EMU). Taking images of straight-up gameplay is much harder to loop smoothly.

[Barone]

The new banners are freakin' awesome. What a great job, congratulations!

[The Coop]

Well, neither got done like I was hoping.

The SoR one is so close to being done (one sprite edit away), but I'm tired and calling it a night. The other (MWIV) is half done, but I have to redo the second half because my idea wound up creating a gif that was 1.06MB in size. I'll still post it since it's done, but not until I'm finished redoing the second half so it can actually be used (I don't want to lose another one to file size like with Sub-Terrania).

[sheath]

That Sub-Terrania one was friggin awesome. I think we should require every board member increase their Internet speed just so we can add it to the rotation. ;)

[The Coop]

Finally got SoR done...

http://user.xthost.info/thecoop/Sega16Logo_StreetsOfRageAni.gif

[Zebbe]

Awesome! One of the best so far... It's so original :).

[Guntz]

Hee hee hee, it's so awesomely funny. Gotta love getting hit by cars. :D

[QuickSciFi]

Coop, dude. Awesome work, once again.

My only request is: Could you post all of them at the same time? I've been refreshing the site just to check them out, but now there's just so many. :)

[Joe Redifer]

That might overload the page.

[SpaceFlea]

Perhaps we can add a "Banners" tab to the main page or something - where one could venture to view all of the banners currently in cycle as well as versions that didn't make the cut. Just show X number per page, and maybe note which game from which game they come for those who are curious but may not know. I think that would be pretty sweet.

[QuickSciFi]

^ yes! That would work.

^^Joe, where the heck is your admin/mod red bar thingy over your avatar? It's so freaky.

[Joe Redifer]

That's a damn good question. Melf, restore admin powers, please!

[Guntz]

Just curious; why was Joe given admin powers anyways? He doesn't seem that special to me...

And yes, we absolutely need a section of the site dedicated to the banners for all to see.

[Joe Redifer]

Because I added a lot of changes to the forum and I need admin powers to do that stuff. The Youtube code didn't plant itself on the forums (along with a lot of other stuff). But the current operator of the servers is being a tyrant and complaining that this place should have no admins for whatever reason.

[sheath]

That is usual. Admins can crash the entire site, but you've been one long enough that it would be weird to take those rights away (its mostly read write permissions anyway). You need a "Moderator" class for user management and nothing else, Admins can upload files anywhere on the server, or delete everything on accident, they should be limited in number.

[Guntz]

So Melf made you an admin only because you know web programming (is that even the right word in this context?). Or did you have some former connections to Melf (like a friend or something). Are you also an admin at PCEngineFX? You talk about that place as if you were a co-founder or something. What the hell?

[Joe Redifer]

Hey Guntz, what the hell is your problem with me? Did I piss in your Cheerios? Do you have some beef with me that I don't know about? Because your attitude surely seems to be showing it. I have never spoken that way about PCEFX. Quite to the contrary. Ask Sheath, he's still awaiting approval of his membership registration. I don't have nice things to say about how stuff like that occurs over there.


Admins can upload files anywhere on the server, or delete everything on accident, they should be limited in number.
Not true. I have no FTP access. Admin is exactly what you said it was in your previous sentence... read and write permissions for the forum. In order to upload or delete something, I'd need access to the FTP. I could turn off the forum, but a maintenance message would appear. I can't delete any part of the forums except for the special custom BB codes I created. I might be able to remove a style template as well, if there were any. Obviously, I could remove users and promote users. But every move an Admin or Mod does is logged. I was thinking of adding ScrewAttack and GameTrailers video embed options but I guess that won't be happening now.

I have been a forum admin at www.the-magicbox.com for several years, so it's not like Melf just said "Oh, this random guy can add a Youtube code!" and changed my status.

BOTTOM LIME: Forum admin ≠ site admin

[sheath]

Good points, and I have not fooled around much with forum software so that is why I made that mistake. It seems like forum software like what is being used here creates an additional layer of "admins" for that software only. That sounds like a necessary layer to me.

It is possible that the site admin also hasn't administered forum software past the initial setup process for clients. I am only saying that because I would also not grant people I didn't know administrative access to a server I was responsible for. I'd either give the entire responsibility to another, or have the usual fight of explaining permissions to clients who don't care.

[Guntz]

Hey Guntz, what the hell is your problem with me? Did I piss in your Cheerios? Do you have some beef with me that I don't know about? Because your attitude surely seems to be showing it. I have never spoken that way about PCEFX. Quite to the contrary. Ask Sheath, he's still awaiting approval of his membership registration. I don't have nice things to say about how stuff like that occurs over there.

Well for one thing you sometimes come across as a dick, but mostly I wanted to know why you were an admin. I couldn't figure it out. What made you so special? Melf is of course, the creator of Sega-16, so that doesn't need much of an explanation. The one or two mods you guys have, which I never see these days anyway, I don't know either. You seemed sort of the odd-man-out.

[Joe Redifer]

Well, like I said, I know the forum software very, very well.

[Guntz]

Okay, thanks. All I wanted to know. It was never specified anywhere and said by anyone. To me it seemed like you'd always just... Been here, for whatever reason...

I do have one idea for a forum banner that I'm sure nobody has thought of yet. I should get some sprite sheets and give it a go.

[Guntz]

Hate to double post, but before I get too far into this banner, can sprites go past that triangle on the right? Or do you guys want them to stay within the light gray background?

[Aarzak]

Why make a banner out of a horrible game such as "Super Thunder Blade"? :D

[InternalPrimate]

Well for one thing you sometimes come across as a dick

Again, some people just don't get Joe's sense of humor/attitude. Why can't we all just get along?

[The Coop]

Hate to double post, but before I get too far into this banner, can sprites go past that triangle on the right? Or do you guys want them to stay within the light gray background?

That depends.

If everything stays visible all the time, then having a character stand in front of the greenish area of the banner is fine. But if someone/something goes "out" of the banner on that side, it'll look really, really stupid for it to just vanish abruptly off the right side of the banner. That's why I and others make such objects disappear at the greenish area, as if it were on top of everything. It simply looks nicer.

So if the sprites stay on all the time like with the Ghouls 'N' Ghosts one, then you can have a character standing in front of where the grayish and greenish dividing line is. If they go off of the right side, have it disappear behind the greenish area like the SoR and 3D scaler ones.

[Guntz]

Okay, thanks for clearing that up Coop. The character in my banner won't be leaving picture, so I guess he can be in front of the dark gray piece. I fixed about 30 frames so he won't be over the light gray/dark gray line for very long.

I'll try and finish it up tomorrow. Once I have all the key frames in place, I'll pad it out with extra frames so there's adequate pausing here and there. The only thing I'm having difficulty with is animating motion with the logo (specifically the hyphen). I'm kinda bad with making something appear springy, or if it falls and bounces a bit. Making sprite frames animated isn't a problem though.