Official Sprite Competition: Decade of the Zombie

[Cheetah]

Decade of the Zombie:

Halloween is approaching, and one of my favorite parts of the holiday (now that I'm not allowed to go tricker-treating) is the annual FFH Halloween Spriting Competition. The theme of this particular competition is Zombies, and this is for a number of reasons. First, because Halloween is the zombie time of year. Second, because FFT currently lacks an actual generic zombie sprite (no Zalbagg doesn't count). Third and most importantly, because zombies have completely taken over the US. There are tv shows, shirts, blow up dolls, underwear, freaking everything. I feel like this all started about 8 or 9 years ago and things have turned into zombie feeding frenzy of marketing. I'm guessing that in about 1 year though the market will be so saturated that there will be a major backlash and zombies will stumble and moan back into obscurity. So while I'm sure we are all pretty sick of zombies, I say we finish out the Decade of the Zombie with a bang.

For a low tier entry in this competition I would recommend taking your favorite character or class, and zombiefying them. Zombie Zalbagg would be the most piss poor example of this, and I expect better from our community. Rotting flesh, exposed bone, and all kinds of other decay are encouraged. More intrepid spriters may attempt a full on zombie, completely unrecognizable from it's base class. Plus, don't forget that humans aren't the only living things that can be zombiefied. Similarly undead demons such as vampires, skeletons, and the such would also work. The theme may seem limiting, but as always creativity and stretching the bounds of the theme are encouraged.

This is once again a beginner's level spriting competition and even if you have no spriting experience this is a great chance to give it a try. Feel free to post multiple versions of the same entry to get feedback and improve upon it, just insure that the final version meets all Submission Requirements.

Submissions are due by midnight of the 27th of October. On the 28th all entries will be organized and a public voting poll will be opened for every community member to cast a vote. The poll will have a clearly indicated end time of the 31st to celebrate Halloween. The poll will be blinded and all users are allowed one vote, please respect the voting process.

Exact awards for the top three entrants are still in development. Expect at minimum some kind of permanent recognition for your accomplishments. Do not expect a particularly tangible award, such as something you would receive by mail.

Submission Requirements:
1) A minimum of 1 front diagonal frame.
2) A name for your monster.
3) Cite all sources used including the name of the source sprite and the original artist. Reference "SQUARE" for all original FFT sprites.
4) 100% Zoom in either BMP or PNG format.
5) Post your submission in this thread and it will be officially entered.
6) Loosely follow the general FFT style such as dimensions and palette choice. However, submissions are NOT limited to 16 colors.
7) Submissions need to loosely follow the general competition topic.
8) Follow general forum rules, such as no nudity.
9) There is NO limit on the number of entries per member as long as they are significantly distinct.
10) If there are multiple valid versions of the same submission posted in the thread, the latest version will be considered the competition version.

Judging Criteria:
1) Creativity: This covers both the monster idea and the physical design of the sprite. Find original, intelligent, and witty ways to follow the general theme of the contest.
2) Artistic Ability: The more original elements incorporated into the sprite the better. However, make sure to balance this with the visual quality of the sprite. General pixel art ability, design, and palette choice are important here.
3) Valid Submission: There are clear expectations for submission, please try your best to follow them.

Important Dates:
Opening of Competition: 10/3
Submissions Due: Midnight 10/28
Voting Begins: 10/29
Winners Announced: 10/31 Halloween

Contestants:


1) Zombie Behemot
by Wolfran


2) Vampire
by Kagebunji


3) Michael Jackson Thriller
by Celdia


4) Pale Rider
by Kagebunji


5) Death Pumpkin
by Jon

[Kagebunji]

I guess it is time to start doing some concept. Personally I want to do two, a vampire and a zombie.

[Cheetah]

Both would be excellent additions to FFT.

[Vanya]

It warms my heart to see this tradition continue despite absence from the community. Who knows? I may take a little time out to enter this year. 

[Cheetah]

"You might"? On no, I know you can't resist Halloween zombies haha.

[Wolfran]

Could I do some Jesus sprite??? He is technically a zombie XD. Seriously, I'll try with a Zombie Behemot or maybe a mummy will be more interesting.

[RandMuadDib]

"Jesus Christ was not a zombie," - Special Agent Seely Booth, FBI

On a side note, i prefer to think of him as a vampire, with the 3-day waiting period. Zombies usually rise within minutes, or at least the first nightfall. Many vampire mythologies specify a third-night rising.

[Vanya]

"You might"? On no, I know you can't resist Halloween zombies haha.

LOL, you're right. ^___^

[Celdia]

I approve of Zombie Jesus. ^_^

[Vanya]

I do too.

[Taichii]

hohohoho a vampire! i always wanted to do one
a classic elmdor would be okay but a modern day fighting vampire would be fine too >

[Mando]

Modern day vampire? Don't forget to add the glitter, eye liner, and blush.

[GeneralStrife]

Modern day vampire? Don't forget to add the glitter, eye liner, and blush.

[Vanya]

Ides of October is fast approaching and no entries yet? Hmmm... slackers!! Or hopefully some really cool stuff being made. ^___^

[Kagebunji]

I would assume the slackers part, unfortunatly :/. I am kinda busy myself, but I will try to come up with some vampire and zombie concept, just to add in the entries.

[Mando]

Ides of October is fast approaching and no entries yet? Hmmm... slackers!! Or hopefully some really cool stuff being made. ^___^

I'm not doing this contest so~ no entry from me.

[Wolfran]

Why the rush, Vanya?? We still have 2 weeks to post our concepts. In my case I'll post it two or three days before the deadline.

[Vanya]

Just getting excited is all. Also, I'm very passionate about Halloween. Even got married on Halloween once upon a time.

[Wolfran]

Well, I didn't want to show this too soon but nobody else post a thing, so here it is the feral Zombie Behemot.
Credit to: Square (Behemot)

[Kagebunji]

Haha, that's nice. After closer insepction I think that you should make the bones more grey(currently you have some light blue), perhaps skeleton could help. This would make it seem more like bones, but it is up to you.

I will work on my Vampire some more now and post it.

Edit: Well here it is. Let's call it a noble vampire.