New Pixel Art for Harbour Level - GG Shinobi Remake for Sega Mega Drive & Genesis - Dev Diary 4

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Since I edited this video last weekend I've managed to do new graphics for the map screen and opening animation too. I'm trying to get a first draft of the new graphics for the first 4 sections done ASAP so that I can then get back to working on the game engine. I think the content of the entire GG game (background tiles, enemies, areas etc) is only equivalent to around 1 or 2 levels of SotN, so I hope to be able to make some good progress.

[@VeritasKonig]

What a wonderful project!!! I wish you all the energy, enthusiasm and patience to see it through to a finished Megadrive/Genesis ROM that retro game fans can play and truly savour the Shinobi universe!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks! Given the relatively small scale of GG when compared to SotN, I think the former will probably be completed first (not sure when that will be though)

[@GreyMatterShades]

Those re-done art assets are looking like a huge upgrade. Glad to see you're making some good progress on GG Shinobi. Can't wait for the return of the tutorial series!

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks! Regarding the tutorials, I was planning on starting next week, but SGDK 2.0 just dropped and I want to take a little time to play about with it first.

[@GreyMatterShades]

​@@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials Oh nice! That totally makes sense. Any major changes? The 1.7 to 1.8 transition seemed pretty easy. Hopefully this will be similar 🤞

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

It's mostly sound driver stuff. I'll explain more in the tutorials@@GreyMatterShades

[@Mr.SuperEggMan]

Looks really promising! Can't wait to see where it leads with that art direction

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks! I really should have just started doing the GG Shinobi pixel art over a year ago at the same time as programming SotN, but kept I procrastinating as drawing new "16 bit" art seemed a little overwhelming. As with anything though, taking the first few steps is always the most difficult and things become much easier once you make a solid start. I'm going to keep doing a little each day (even if just 15 minutes here and there) and am now confident of being able to produce a decent result.

[@greyfox1127]

Loving the progress in this. I’ve said before I always wanted Megadrive versions of the two GG Shinobi games and this looks better and better every time you show it. Great stuff and love some of the choices you’ve made with this remake/remaster. Looking forward to it!

[@f.k.b.16]

Looking forward to it as well! Amazing work here and I like you are keeping little things in mind like keeping the background in the background but color use and adding your own enhancements based off things you disliked as a kid! Great work!

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks! I'm ok playing 8 bit games, but I think a lot of people are put off by the presentation. Hopefully, this new 16 bit version will convince more people to give GG a chance

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks! I think the original artwork is good, so I don't want to change it too much. I think it just needs a major upgrade in colour and detail. @@f.k.b.16

[@greyfox1127]

@@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials Likewise- I never mind the 8-bit look - in fact it has a charm all of it's own - however I did always want a Megadrive version of these games just because they are so good & obviously Revenge of Shinobi/Super Shinobi & Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master/Super Shinobi 2 are both gorgeous looking games on the 16 bit machine. Just great to see this long held dream becoming reality bit by bit (no pun intended!) Also really enjoy the way you explain your development process & thought process in your videos. Really fantastic work. Enjoy the rest of your day & I look forward to the next videos.

[@zabustifu]

The loss of vertical field of vision kinda makes using the PAL 320x240 resolution compelling. Maybe the game could support both 320x224 and 320x240 (like the Streets of Rage games do), but of course, it's more work.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

I have thought about PAL optimisation, but am not sure if it would be worth the extra effort (I already have so much to do with GG and SotN!)

[@NoSpamForYou]

@@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials Thanks for the update video! There are a lot of irrelevant lines of pixels below where you walk, losing 16 lines at the bottom wouldn't be that bad. It would be great to see impressive backgrounds / cityscapes like Street Racer, Outrun 2019 and the Akira prototype's racing section, or Mad Stalker. It would be great to see palette switching near the top of the screen above where the character can reach, like for the high clouds etc to get more colors on screen. I would just use the best looking materials from the Mega Drive and arcade Shinobi games (maybe other SEGA games for background cityscapes, like E-Swat for building inspiration) as much as possible to save time for the more unique sprites and backgrounds from GG Shinobi and add detail to them all as necessary.

[@rustymixer2886]

Very cool

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

🙏

[@denraimei32]

I could already imagine the rain effects in the harbor windows at full effect. By the time the ninjas get inside, the rain storm gets worse and worse to the point of erratic thunderstorms, utilizing the highlight effect.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

I'm looking forward to doing the 2nd section of the harbour (with the rain and thunder). The Game Gear did a decent job, but the MD can do much more!

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

Love this game.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Me too!

[@guillaumenunes9319]

I must confess, i didn't believe in this shinobi GG for megadrive, but when I'm seeing your work now... Whaow, I can't wait. Well done again dear Pigsy !

[@gc3k]

Looks like a huge undertaking but looks great so far. Good luck, GGS is an awesome game to remake

[@RolandoMarreroPR]

After playing the GG2SMS conversion I'm impressed with this remake & now can't wait!! Thank you so much!

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

I recently tried to play the GG2SMS version, but found that there was just too much glitching due to the resolution difference

[@douggy3222]

Looking beautiful.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks!

[@yfung9370]

Fantastic work! I'm actually playing through GG Shinobi at the moment, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how this project develops.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Great game, I hope you enjoy it

[@mysega]

Great work. Looking so good😊

[@Tsigarinho]

YES YES YES!!!!!! MY FAVOURITE GAME SERIES FOR GAME GEAR!!! I LOVE BOTH 2 SHINOBIS FOR GAME GEAR SO MUCH! CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS REMAKE!!!!

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Haha, I remember what a fan you are of the series from a previous video. Given the small size of the game, I imagine that it'll be finished before SotN. Not sure about 2 though

[@jameswalt1]

These videos are fascinating. Thank you!

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lancelnce]

Nice work

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Cheers

[@panzerdragonlegend6664]

Pigsy's So Beautiful Your Pixel Art ❤

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

🙏

[@108Stars]

I must say you're pretty good with your pixel art! Learn to do music and you could be a 1-man-studio! Personally I like the Revenge of Shinobi sprite better than that of Shinobi III which looks more cartoonish. Curious to see how your own Joe Musashi turns out. I really like the improvements on the level graphics. With the extra VRAM you can also do things like improve those very plain looking green ship walls with dirt, bolts and rust details, shadows and stuff like that... So instead of replacing one GG tile with one on MD you can have a nice variety on MD to make it feel more organic/real. The things you did already make a big, big difference. I love Shinobi and I'm more excited about this than about SotN personally (although that's also a great project!).

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Haha, I think the music will have to wait a few years, I need to master pixel art first. I want to gradually start adding more detail to make the graphics more realistic (with dirt, rust etc as you said), as much as the VRAM allows anyway

[@tylersmith8045]

This is great! Thanks never player GG Shinobi 1 but i did have 2: The Silent Fury. It was my favorite, better than the Genesis games i think. Hopefully you go after this one too!

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

I love 2 as well, but am not sure if I'll have the time to do that one or not. for now I'll focus on 1

[@ROBINHUOOD]

Love your process updates man. Please continue

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks, more to come later this year

[@Genesis814]

Thank you, master.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

🙏

[@philipcohen7192]

I am so pumped for a new genesis shinobi game

[@raycastello2532]

Good

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks. I remember you sent me a reworked sprite of the main character a while back. Did you end up creating more, or was it just that one sketch?

[@raycastello2532]

@@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials Well remembered, my friend. Yes, I was redesigning it to fit what I imagined would be more suitable for the Mega Drive. I only made a sketch, one or two frames, it was more to see if you needed help with the project's artwork, if so, I would continue... I haven't had much free time, but I can try to help when I can, either by drawing or reviewing some artwork if needed...

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

@@raycastello2532 That's ok, I've started to get into a good rhythm producing the graphics now, so should be able to complete them on my own. If however you have time in the future, maybe you (or perhaps a group of friends) could do the graphics for GG Shinobi 2? The gameplay in 1 and 2 are pretty much the same, so once 1 is complete I could re-use the code and would simply need to swap out the graphics (and write some new enemy AI routines). If I can find people willing to do the graphics for 2 then I would consider doing that one too. Just something to think about for the future.

[@raycastello2532]

You're doing great and you're on the right track. If you feel you need any review, just let me know.@@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials

[@actionsaint]

Shinobi is the best game ever!!!!

[@DanteBlack]

I'm excited to see how this turns out. GG Shinobi games have great gameplay, but what pushes them down is graphics quality and 8 bits tracks. If you manage to make it look (and sound) like it's 16 bits, it would be amazing.

[@DanteBlack]

A second thing, could be making an optional set of sprites so the ninjas look like they are actually red/blue/yellow... like in the cover, instead of simply being a "Joe Musashi" copy with the red parts of the outfit painted. Basically "upscale" the originals as 1st option, then recolor as 2nd.

[@DanteBlack]

One last thing: do you think it is possible to do these sprites in an even higher resolution? Like 4x the original So if sprite replacement become a thing in emulation, you already have high res saved from your "previous" work

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Doing 4x res would meant the sprites would pretty much take up the whole screen, so not really possible (Saturn could do it though)@@DanteBlack

[@DanteBlack]

Well, if we're thinking about replacing the actual sprites in the rom, I believe you're right. But I mean more like "sprite replacement through emulation", like Mesen can do with NES games. You add a sprite with High Res, then the emulator downscale and things look sharper and more defined. It's more of a hope than a reality, since as of now, I don't know any Mega Drive emulator that can do it. But if it happens in the future, you would already have the work done. After all, I think you have to create "big images" then downscale so sprites can have maximum quality after all. @@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials

[@Zoyous]

Looks great so far! Do you have to be mindful of not designing too many background details due to memory limitations, or is that not really much of a concern?

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

You always have to be mindful of VRAM limitations when dealing with old hardware!

[@Ev3rm00n]

Crazy how Shinobi got no bad games or ports The worst would be Cyber Shinobi on SMS but even that game was not that bad

[@DarkbluesEXE25]

Shinobi Rangers

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

It's morphing time!

[@dacueba-games]

The FOV differences aren't a big deal. Just do whatever you think looks prettier and adjust the level design to compensate. They don't need to be 1:1

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

So long as there are no platforms out of view or enemies hitting you that you can't see then I think it'll be fine. I can make adjustments

[@popixel]

So you are still working on GG Shinobi? I though maybe you had just decided to forgo it. Nice.

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Of course, I still plan to finish both SotN and GGS

[@popixel]

@@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials ❤️💙💜

[@SmeddyTooBestChannel]

hey, i'm interested in doing song covers for this game (i can confirm myself that you can easily import tracks from Furnace into SGDK projects). i've been using Furnace for a while and have a decent amount of tracks using the various sound chips. would you be interested in collaborating?

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Thanks for the offer, but Alianger has already done all the music for the game (the playlist is linked at the end of the video)

[@Poprock6108]

Qué programa usas para el sonido en sgdk?

[@KA0T]

Shinovania

[@aibada6594]

Maybe AI can speed up the process by enhancing graphics

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

I'm having fun doing the graphics, so I think I'll leave AI out of it for now

[@AtariBorn]

Shinobi Gaiden GG! Get it right.

[@legbender1584]

gg wp

[@PigsysRetroGameDevTutorials]

Game title TBC!