Gauntlet's Guide to The Usage of Sprite Sheets

A few days ago, on forums I go to, an interesting argument broke out on the usage of sprites. This argument has been around for God knows how many years, so I figured I might as well write a guide on it.

For those of you who don't know, this is a sprite - And this is a sprite sheet - . See the difference? Sprites take all of 5 minutes to make, really. Sprite sheets on the other hand are much more involved. Used to be sheets consisted of a sampling from various games, but no longer. Now the average sheet is a full-motion inventory of every sprite in an animation. Lord knows I know how tough it can be, having created those Rockman X3 genesis pirate sheets.

For greater understanding, I'll give you a short synopsis on the history of taking sprites in the MM community (don't worry, I'll be brief). Way back before the SNES was emuable ALL sprites were considered the fan's property because of the rarity of finding them. People had to ask permission to take even single sprites. As time went on, and everybody started to rip their own sprites, the policy of asking to use only one sprite became pointless. Thus evolved the new etiquette for sprites.

1. Individual sprites are the property of Capcom and one does not need permission to use them.

2. Entire sprite sheets are the property of whoever made them. It takes long hours to make a good sprite sheet and your spitting in the face of the person who made them by using them without permission on a public project (like a game or posting them on your site).

That is the main code of conduct regarding sprites, and disputing it usually results in fights. Even I, Gauntlet, have lost my temper a bit when people try to challenge this. To illustrate what could happen, here is an excerpt of the conversation from the above mentioned forum. At least before it degenerated into a mindless flame post.

Dude Take em all who cares?

MateriaMage - Well, for one, the person who ripped them would. I rip sprites myself, and I make it so that whoever wants to use them tells me first and links to my site/gives me credit. That way, my labor wouldn't go to waste, I get linked to/credit, and the person gets what he/she wants. Everyone's happy =)

Dude- And I am sayin that there isn't anything you can do, if he wants them he can take them. Even on a flash site you can take what you want, print screen makes a copy of your page and then you piece together what you need. It sucks but that's the way the cookie crumbles in this world. Suck that the web-master have no security for their work eh NMZ?

Dude- Well I have had a site before, and I don't wanna brag about it so I wont. You don't have to get testy guys but its true. If you didn't know that well you do now, I have had things stolen from my sites and there is just nothing you can do about it. Are you angry at me or the situation? The truth is out there and only the best of us can deal with it, if you really want people not to take your stuff why don't you put a big ass logo on the front? I personally wouldn't because they aren't yours, you didn't draw the sprites. I never did anything like that, I let people come to my site because they liked what I could offer, and if others wanted to steal I didn't care, nothin I could do.
Right click script? hahaha! Funniest @#%$ ever! Also doesn't work...
1) right click (brings up message)
2)hold down the right click (nothin yet)
3) press enter and release right click and you got your right click back.
Its as simple as that. Nothing is not up fro grabs on the internet
I know I am gunna get flamed for this and I don't know why. You guys are getting all pissy because you think your sites are the biggest @#%$ in the world and I gotta tell you something, it doesn't really matter. You should do this for love of the game series, do it because you want to do it. The sprite sheets will be taken. Nothing can prevent that. And what do you consider stealing? Taking and putting on your own site or just taking them? Either way I wouldn't get rallied up, do it if someone steals a layout but I don't think anyone would steal yours

Gauntlet - Dude, the individual sprites may belong to Capcom, but the entire sheet belongs to the person who compiled him because it's hard work to do so. Sure, we can't do anything (legally) to thieves who steal and then post the entire sheet and claim credit, but it does make the thief a jackass. Reality is, you don't have to pay for batteries. Or chocolate bars. An average store doesn't have the necessary security to prevent theft. Hell, someone I know stole a magazine from Chapters by freakin' accident! There are people who could steal you'r wallet without you ever finding them. Does that make thievery right?
Moral of the story? Don't be a dick.

Perhaps my post could've been more diplomatic and overall "better" if I didn't add the last crack. Ah, well. Everyone gets emotional sometimes. Still, it does illustrate the point in the end. In order to get along, one shouldn't swipe entire sheets.

On the flip side, One shouldn't blow his stack because someone stole his hard work either. In that way, Dude has a point. It irritates me sometimes when I hear people moping because someone stole their sheet and claimed credit. Yeah, sometimes people go a bit too far because someone stole their sheet.

But can you blame them??

After you've spent hours on a sheet for your site it's really irksome when someone comes along and takes it from right under your nose. Lotsa things happen that one really has no control over, but does that mean one has to lay down and accept it?

Generally, people get mad.

Just because sprite stealage is impossible to eliminate doesn't make it right.

So people get mad.

Can't really blame them.

What Dude there failed to realize was that the Megaman community gets positively anal about sprite usage. I dunno how that is in other web places, but in the MMC, it's pretty ingrained. God help him if he had said that in a spriting board! He woulda had rabid spriters at his throat in no time. Dude has a point that sprites aren't the end all and be all of the game. But I think he truly failed to realize that pointing a logistical fault that all people on the net really have to deal with - namely that people can steal stuff at will - and it's really not a good idea to point that fault out and say "don't be mad". Basically, it really pisses people off. Maybe some take it too far, but I challenge you to find someone who wouldn't get pissy when their work was taken.

I am Gauntlet, and this has been Gauntlet's Guides.