This article is a repost from the Japanese creator support site “Ci-en.” For the complete version, please refer to the Ci-en article.

Production Progress Report

　The creation of enemy walking character sprites, which has continued for a long time, has finally reached a certain level of completion—despite the “comp’ “ stated in the title, it is more accurately described as “a certain level of completion.” I will elaborate further below.

Progress of Enemy Walking Character Sprites

　As shown above, the walking graphics for enemy characters 10 through 18 are complete.
　As mentioned in previous articles, work on character 19 has been postponed due to its highly unique nature. This is one reason why it cannot be considered fully complete.

Output Samples

　Below are the created images.
　The far left shows the original battle graphic, followed by the graphics for the front, side, and back views.

E15

E16

E17

E18

　Looking at these images, I cannot help but be impressed by my own work.
　On the other hand, some of you may have noticed a peculiar point.

　This is especially apparent in the second E17 image. The colors of the faces in the original battle graphic (far left) and the other views are different. Similarly, the colors of the face and neck skin also differ.
　For certain enemy characters, the skin color changes between facial variations. This necessitates separate adjustments to the body’s skin color. Since there are five patterns of images per direction for the walking sprites, making these adjustments is quite a tedious task.
　This is the second reason why it cannot be considered fully complete.

Making of Side Profiles Video

　Previously, I frequently posted pseudo-making-of GIF images composed of snapshots taken during production.
　While these were interesting and easy to create, they did not reveal how the images were actually drawn stroke by stroke.
　Therefore, I decided to provide a comprehensive view of the process this time and created the following video.
　The work involved is the same as in the above GIF image—converting a front-facing image into a side profile.

　This involves transforming the second to the third image in the above series.
　Please take a look.

　It may be difficult to see, but at one point an ear suddenly appears. This is because I copied the front-facing ear, stretched it, and modified it into a side-facing version.

　Naturally, facial parts appear differently from the front and the side. Ears, in particular, require careful adjustments; while some mechanical processing suffices, most of the work requires redrawing.
　For these relatively low-resolution walking sprites, this level of effort is sufficient. Higher-resolution images, however, demand even more meticulous drawing.

　According to the video, creating a side profile takes approximately 40 minutes. While your opinions may vary, I personally feel this is quite a short time. Completing a unified task within an hour feels almost “effortless.”
　In the past, such efficiency was unimaginable. After creating so many side profiles, I have grown accustomed to the process. Additionally, I take pride in the fact that the quality is not necessarily poor. This is indeed a testament to perseverance.

▲ Side profiles created in the past. The top left is the oldest, progressing to the right and then to the bottom row. The earlier works clearly reveal a lack of familiarity. Particularly the initial attempts appear rather crude.

　Here is a little side story: minor adjustments like the following frequently occur during production.

　The image was adjusted from the left to the right version. Can you spot the difference?

　The answer is here: the eyes were moved “one pixel” inward.
　This subtle adjustment might be barely noticeable, but being able to make such refinements marks my progress. Ideally, I hope to produce flawless images on the first attempt.

Future Production Plans

Creation of “Event Character” Walking Sprites

　In addition to addressing the aforementioned unfinished tasks, I plan to begin creating walking sprites for “event characters.”
　For differences between the previously created “enemy characters” and the upcoming “event characters,” please refer to this past article.

Pending Issues

　Another major challenge is deciding how to handle walking sprites for enemy character 19. As previously mentioned, this is a “highly unique character,” and its specific role in the game remains undetermined.
　Those familiar with QUEEN of MASSACRE may have noticed that it follows a “graphics-first” production approach?which sounds impressive but essentially means creating graphics without thorough planning. While the broad framework is pre-determined, many details are improvised.
　As a result, characters whose behavior is unclear inevitably emerge. In truth, most characters fall into this category.
　I apologize if this causes concern among supporters, but I can assure you of one thing──once the final product is released, it will offer a truly astonishing, unparalleled, and marvelous experience. The reason for my deep deliberation over enemy character 19… you will find out in the final version.
　Please look forward to future developments.