A Question with regard to the 8-Bit Style

[baghead_jackson]

So i'm trying to create an rpg with an 8-bit retro feel. I'm no pixel artist, or even artist for that matter but i can competently create art with enough time and direction.

Moving on then, i would like to ask you guys what the rules are for recreating the 8-bit style (im thinking Nes/Master System)

is there a color limit?, or specific kind of pallette selection you must adhere to?

Honestly im not sure what questions to ask? i essentially want to create a game with graphics resembling a more colorful Metal Gear for the Nes (Screenshot here) so essentially my question is what are the guidelines for capturing that authentic NES feel?

 

[Ellie]

Depends on the system. The NES had a pallette of 48 colours and 6 greys.

In theory though on an 8 bit system you could have any number of colours, depending on how it's stored. Depends on the system. For example you could have a memory block for red, blue, green, and have 0 to 255 in each.

In short, look up a specific system on Wikipedia. There's no one 8-bit pallette.

 

[coyotecraft]

You don't have to stick to a palette but you want to keep the color count low. I think Shovel Knight on kickstarter did this. Or maybe it used a different the screen resolution.
NES games used 16x16 tiles or 8x8, with a screen resolution of 256X240.

Dragon Fantasy 3

You could probably use a wider format if you wanted to. But once you start increasing the color count and screen resolution I think you'll lose the retro aesthetic. There are a lot of pixel games out there that I wouldn't call retro. They use a small resolution, low color count, and chiptunes to match. But they have more frames of animation and everything scrolls smoothly at a high frame rate and uses particles engines for effects.
http://www.pixeljam.com/dinorun/index2.html

 

[baghead_jackson]

Thanks guys ive located the wikipedia of palletes for the different systems and thats helping.

a final question, im aware that generally nes sprites specifically in RPGs were 16x16 but i have also read that there is a limitation of the hardware that prevents them from being any bigger. At the same time i recall many nes games with larger sprites than this.

is this true at all? if so do you know a similar place on the web (like the pallette wiki) that i could find the information?

 

[coyotecraft]

The tiles were 16x16 but the character sprites could have been different sizes. It's just like rpg maker's materials, the tiles were 32x32 but the sprites can be any size.
http://www.spriters-resource.com/
^has graphic rips of games from different systems that you can study.