Book suggestions for 2D art (platform/sidescroll style game)

Unity Engine
1

So here’s the deal, all my life I’ve been extremely interested in making games. I’m 36 years old, and I think it’s about time I start. I’m extremely interested in beginning my journey of creating a 2D “Mario Brothers” style game with Unity.

I’m not artistically inclined, but I want to be.

Does anyone here have suggestions for books that teaches methods for creating tilesets? As well, is Photoshop the best tool for this job? I mean, I know Photoshop can do this, but is it like using a sledgehammer for a tack? Are there cheaper alternatives? Can Photoshop Elements perform all the necessities for creating this style art?

Thanks for any guidance you can provide!

-Pete

2

No books that I’m aware of. There’s some online tutorials and Youtube videos that are decent.

Photoshop can do pixel art, but it isn’t optimal. I use Pro Motion 6.5, costs about $90. It’s the best pixel art tool available.

GraphicsGale is free and does a good job. It will do everything you need it to do.

Both programs have tools for creating tilesets. Not just painting, but showing seams so you can paint them out.

Once you have made tilesets, you can use a tilemap tool to create your tilemap. I use Tiled. There are others.

You can export a .tmx map from Tiled and import it into Unity using X-Unitmx. It can also import your collision objects from Tiled.

3

Thanks for your reply.

Question about Tiled, I was under the impression that after I’ve created a tileset, Unity can create the tilemap. Was I wrong on that? As well, if Unity ‘can’ create the tilemap, what is the advantage of using Tiled to do this instead?

Thanks, and I appreciate the answers to the noob questions.

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You absolutely can do it entirely in Unity. The advantage of Tiled is it’s dedicated to making tilemaps, so it’s fast and let’s you see results quickly. You don’t have to snap to vert or anything like that. It’s similar to using GraphicsGale instead of Photoshop, it is dedicated to the task and can be more efficient.

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Designign Computer Arcade 2D Graphics by Ari Feldman. It’s freeware.

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Hi Pete,

Not sure if you’re still looking for books, but here is a recent Photoshop title that looks decent (I haven’t read it yet myself though). Plus, if you punch it into Amazon you get all the related titles for reference. http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Games-Creating-Console-Mobile/dp/032199020X
Another useful resource is by a guy called Michael Cummings. It’s short but very concise, and it gets you running with sprite sheet animation very quickly: Creating 2D animated sprites using Unity 4.3 by Michael H.C. Cummings. It’s for Unity 4.3 but it translates to 5 easily.
Plus - check out the Unity created Roguelike tutorial, it is an excellent learning resource.
Cheers!
Andrew.

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I just wanted to chime in for team Photoshop for pixel art. Sometimes tacks are stubborn and it’s nice having a sledgehammer around. Photoshop can do a lot if you already have a copy of it laying around. It might not be built for pixel art but you might find yourself limited in programs that are built for it. I recently was made aware of a program called Aseprite that actually looks pretty good for pixel art creation as well. I think it’s $10. Might be worth digging through your couch cushions to try it out.

Also, as someone who isn’t artistically inclined, as you said, you might want to look into Inkscape and vector art. I know you’re shooting for pixel art, but it’s a steep climb to tackle for people who don’t have that artistic eye. Vector art can be much more forgiving and less meticulous as you can move your pen tool points around to create the perfect shape. In pixel art you’ll find yourself erasing your entire image a lot in the beginning. I always recommend this site for anyone interested in vector art.