Okay, I was just wondering what everyone thought about this. Let me explain first. I’ve seen lots of good and bad MS paint images. Some are “sprites” and others are really freking huge “sprites”. So my question is Do you think that that there is a size limit on sprites? I know Mason calls his large sprites dolls. What about everyone else?
It really depends on the game, and what the sprite is… ‘Dolls’ are differant, because they are… well, they’re more like pixel art than a sprite.
So to answer your question of when is a sprite not a sprite… A sprite is something that is generally meant to be used in a video game,sprite comic, or an icon, and dolls are just for looks or site decoration.
There isn’t a size limit on sprites, otherwise giant mechanical boss things would be… not giant.
Dolls really aren’t much different. I don’t suppose anything really makes it a doll, but all dolls are people, and they usually have a nude base to begin with, to which someone simply adds clothes, hair, etc. There’s no difference between how you make a doll and how you make a sprite. I suppose some people might think that this is arguable, but I make both dolls and sprites, so I’d probably know better. 
A sprite is any non-static object. The black HUD bar (and ONLY the black HUD bar–not the things drawn on top of it) on Super Metroid, for example, is not a sprite simply because it doesn’t change. I suppose inanimate tiles aren’t really sprites, either, given that definition. (I found that definition somewhere on some forum a while back. There are quite a few others, though.)
i dissagree with the idea that non animated pictures arent sprites. i think a sprite is an animated or non animated pixel form from a video game or show or comic etc.
like the picture of samus from prime in 2D. the one up in the very top of the forum here. i think thats a sprite.
A sprite is merely a 2D representation of a frame of an object’s animation.
that sounds about right. how do you make an animated sprite? i always wanted to know how.
well the best tools are.
-paint(to make the frame or sprite or wtf ever)
-irfanview to convert the image to gif without losing colour information
-and GIF animator to animate your sprite.
yes these all came from McCoy.
Or you can just use GameMaker. It comes with an animator. However, it dosen’t accept sprite sheets (at least not with the gui spriter) so you are going to have to make each frame on a different file. Then, upload them in, and save it. I believe you can also make a Sprite Sheet with GM… or can you only make a sprite sheet with GM? Ah well try it.
I usually make frames on seperate files anyway.
Why this went from “What are Sprites” to “How Sprites are Animated” I’ll never understand.
I agree with Timaster. Sprites are just images of whole animations for objects used in “2D” games. I put an emphasis on “2D” because there is a thin line between isometric and 3D environments. Plus, 2D based games can still use 3D models (SSB)
mario kart 64.
Yes, that’s what I meant by a thin line. I guess a sprite should really be a flat image while a model can be fully rotated. In this case, both can be used in the same type of game.
sorry to get off topic and all, but gold, thats a badass pic, where you get it? (or what’s it from?)
Is’nt anything but backgrounds, floors and ceilings a sprite?
Um… that’s a really bad definition. Sprites are non-static objects. Enemies are usually sprites, the characters, stuff like that.
Smartdude: It’s a Wraith starfighter from StarCraft.
Now, on topic: This “a frame of an animation” bullshit is…er…bullshit. What about sprites without animations? Plenty of games have such a thing >_>
That’s what I wrote. 
cut & pasted from some webpage.
“Sprite
A graphic image that can move within a larger graphic. Animation software that supports sprites enables the designer to develop independent animated images that can then be combined in a larger animation. Typically, each sprite has a set of rules that define how it moves and how it behaves if it bumps into another sprite or a static object.”
You defined it really badly. With your definition, you’d have to also define backgrounds and such.
[quote=“Butch @ Jun 16 2006, 12:37 PM”]
WTF? I lost it after A graphic image that can move within a larger graphic. Ok reading on… you know this can possibly be the MOST CONFUSING WAY TO DEFINE A SPRITE. My def:
SN][P3R’s definition of a sprite:
A sprite is an image which represents something in the game.
Ok. This time I’m sober and all awake. It’s hard to keep four languages apart when you’re drunk.
A sprite is an object that you can interact with in some way. A chair, a rock or another character. Backgrounds are images and I think you can call floors and ceilings background objects.