Just a tiny one-line bugfix since the color help instructions prevented the drawing of project sprites until the instructions were shown. Otherwise, I'm in the middle of improving the Pinball project, which will be coming in the next content update. Cheers! Retro
TL;DR:
- Color help form to request error detection on your sprite.
- Option to have cross-stitch symbols instead of dots to indicate colors.
Today's quality-of-life update brings a feature requested as early as the demo by people with color vision deficiency but proved necessary in general since some of the sprites contain very similar colors. You can choose to either get one-time help that shows all the incorrect and missing pixels when you can't find a mistake yourself, or enable constant display of incorrect colors as you go along.
If able, I recommend trying to color-match palette colors with the reference yourself (to train color observation), but if that's too hard, the game is now more accessible with the possibility of changing the small color dots into cross-stitch symbols.
Here's the devlog about it as well: [previewyoutube=eUaxRNI1tXM;full][/previewyoutube] Next up will be another content update as I quite like this alternating between QoL improvements and new/improved things to do in the game. Best, Retro
TL;DR:
- 2 new Pixel art diagonals lessons.
- 3 new Pixel art curves lessons.
- UI indicators where to click in various tutorials.
To have a better learning curve on the curves tutorial, I put 3 extra lessons before Line art cleanup so that you get introduced to each of the Smooth curves criteria individually before having to apply them yourself.
Finally, the pixel art evaluation tutorials use a new feature where I can (subtly) point to different parts of the interface to make it easier to progress. Apologies to everyone who got stuck figuring out where to click and hover on the evaluation paper!
And if you want to see behind the scenes of this development sprint, check out the devlog: [previewyoutube=mw0E2c44_O8;full][/previewyoutube] Thank you for your support and see you in the next one! Retro
Earlier today I released 0.24.0 with some improvements to a couple of lessons. Accidentally I also broke the Jaggies 2 lesson. I fixed it now in 0.24.1. If you don't see 0.24.1 in the bottom-right corner when you launch the game, please restart Steam to get it. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for quickly reporting this bug, I really appreciate it!
Game-breaking bugs should mostly be solved (no more errors on loading, hopefully), so unless new critical things pop up, I will now be implementing quality-of-life improvements and your feature requests. Version 0.23 (restart Steam to get the update) brings:
- Better tablet support.
- Right-click erases pixels.
- Brush size shortcuts are now +/- (like Aseprite).
- Change brush size with ctrl + mouse scroll.
- Loading percentage indicator (if loading takes more than a few seconds).
A big thank you to everyone who decided to take a chance on my little educational game when it released into Early Access last week! The response has been incredible and I'm grateful I will now be able to work full-time on Pixel Art Academy thanks to you.
I'm also very happy to be part of the Wholesome Games Steam Celebration, which started right now! My aim is to make learning a relaxing, encouraging experience, so I'm happy to have found my home in this community. I've extended my release discount to the start of this sale so you can still get it at 10% off for a few more days.
Bug fixes
The game-breaking bugs related to the pinball project have been fixed in the latest build (0.21.6). I now started working on an optimization that will eliminate lag when drawing bigger sprites. Until I release the fix, what helps in the fan art challenge is to only turn on pixel art evaluation criteria at the end to complete the challenge. Disable the criteria while drawing to prevent most of the lag. Sorry about that, will be fixed next! I'm also writing down all the feature requests you've been sending and will spend a month or two realizing as many quality-of-life improvements as possible. Keep them coming! Thanks again for the wonderful launch! Retro
Hello everyone! As is customary before I do a release, I want to give everyone a few reasons why NOT to buy the game:
- Not all fields of art are covered. Just line art is included with the first Early Access release (about 24 hours of content for a speedy playthrough). The other 6 elements of art (shape, form, space, value, color, and texture) will be added throughout Early Access. So if you're expecting to learn color theory or perspective right away, better wait for full release.
- A lot of quality-of-life and accessibility features are missing for now. Tablet support is not there (except for Apple Pencil). There is no color-blind mode yet. You can't rebind the keys I suggest you try the demo to see what state the game is in from a UI perspective at this point.
- There is no Steam integration yet. Achievements and cloud saves will come sometime down the road, but if these are essential features for you, better wait.
- You want to learn as soon as possible. I like to do frequent updates (every 23 weeks), so when I'll have a new tutorial ready, It'll be immediately released in an update.
- Get the lowest price. The game will never be cheaper than it is right now. The price will slowly get higher as more content is in the game. There will not be any discounts that go cheaper than the price right now out of respect for my Kickstarter backers where the basic game tier was $10. So if you know you will buy it at one point, now is the best price/value.
- Support educational games and full-time development. If you like the idea of learning with video games, buying the game helps support that. Sales of Learn Mode will enable me to work on the game full-time so I can spend the most time developing new features and lessons for everyone to enjoy.
- Try the demo. If you're not sure if the game is for you, the demo covers the first 30 minutes of gameplay. If you like it, the Early Access release will continue straight from there (save files are transferred).
- Learn from my free Study Guide. The topics covered by the game are all in my Low-Resolution Raster Art book. I always put all educational resources I make for the game also out for free to make learning as accessible as possible. If you like my teaching style there, you will probably like the game even more.
I'm very open about my development process so you are very welcome to ask any questions and follow behind-the-scenes content in my devlogs on YouTube to know more about me. I want this game to be a win-win experience, so I hope this helps to know if now is the right time to buy for you. With that said, I hope you will enjoy what is in the Early Access version so far! Cheers! Retro
Hello, friends!
Only 2 weeks left until the game releases into Early Access. I'm excited, nervous, happy, and all the other emotions that the human brain can produce after working on a game for 9 years. Even though I've been releasing updates to Adventure Mode since 2017, the arrival of Learn Mode to Steam will be a special milestone.
Here's a new trailer showing what you will be able to do in the initial Early Access version:
[previewyoutube=jsuzi_UXCMo;full][/previewyoutube]
I'm also overjoyed to announce the release on August 5 will be the big conclusion of the PixElated Festival, a week-long celebration of pixel art games here on Steam, starting next Monday (July 29August 5)!
PixElated will include an art contest where the top artwork will get exhibited on the event page for millions to see. But even if you don't win, the top 10 artists will receive a copy of Pixel Art Academy: Learn Mode! I'm happy I was able to contribute the game as a reward for the event.
Check out the official line-up and more information about the event here: https://pixelatedfest.com
I hope you're as excited as I am!
See you at the festival,
Retro
I'm happy to say that Pixel Art Academy: Learn Mode is now in such a state that it could enter Early Access. The current tentative release date is still in August, so that I have time to do polishing and fixing any critical bugs that might arise through play-tests. Speaking of playing the game, if you're a streamer and would like to play the current version live, message me on Discord and I can get you pre-release access. Content-wise, since the last update at the February Steam Next Fest, I've added:
- tutorials for curves and line width,
- a Pinball project for you to apply your line drawing skills to, and
- a Music app with 6 hours of songs so you don't get bored during long drawing sessions.
Thank you for following the game's progress and I hope to get it in your hands soon!
Steam Next Fest is in full motion and if you've missed my Monday stream, come by on Wednesday for another AMA session (10 PM CET, 4 PM EST, 1 PM PST). This time I'll be drawing the key artwork for the game like I usually do on my Wednesday streams, but as always, I'll be there to answer any questions or even jump into the game.
Hello friends! Steam Next Fest is starting on February 5 and I'll be taking part in it with the game's updated demo! I'll host a live stream at 10 PM CET (4 PM EST, 1 PM PST) where you can see me play the game and ask any questions. I run a 100% transparent studio so even my finances are completely public. If you want to know anything about the game or how I run Retronator, this is a great time to drop by! (p.s. You can opt-in to be reminded when the event starts and Steam will send a push notification/email to you.)
Happy 2024! Over the holidays I started working on a feature I sadly had to cut from the initial September demo, but now the gods of development were merciful to me and, after a couple of weeks, dynamic in-game music is fully implemented! [previewyoutube=qpZq-tAyrls;full][/previewyoutube] Better yet, I also updated the demo with it, alongside a bunch of things you mentioned on the discussion forums (thank you all for your feedback!):
- Improved Lines lesson in the Helpers tutorial consisting of multiple steps.
- Stylus support (you can now play with the mouse, pen, or touch).
- A sound effect when completing a lesson.
- Scroll to zoom.
- Various bug fixes and tweaks.
Hello! First news update here, hopefully all goes well! In case you followed the Pixel Art Academy page before the demo got released, I should first mention that indeed, the demo has been launched here on Steam. If you want to get a feel for how the game will play, give it a go! It's available for all 3 platforms. I also wanted to mention my YouTube devlog where I document my development sprints. The latest video talks about the first of the elements of art, the line! You can see behind the scenes of my process here: [previewyoutube=Cyo4pyDjmEQ;full][/previewyoutube] Meanwhile, I'm off to a new sprint, taking the general line tutorial to pixel art fundamentals and addressing the topic of jaggies (which you can already read about in my Low-Resolution Raster Art book in the bigger Pixel Art Academy universe). The interactive Learn Mode version should be an even bigger treat! That's it for this time, wishing you all the best! Retro
Pixel Art Academy: Learn Mode
Matej 'Retro' Jan
Retronator
2024
Action Indie Strategy Casual RPG Adventure Simulation F2P Sports MMO Racing Singleplayer Multiplayer Coop EA
Game News Posts 13
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
🎮 Full Controller Support
Very Positive
(209 reviews)
https://pixelart.academy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2330360
[0 B]
Learn by doing
Pixel Art Academy's interactive tutorials are designed for learning by doing. While there will be plenty of nerdy reading, all lessons are immediately followed by drawing what you've learned.
Test your knowledge
Before you move on, you want to make sure you understand what you've been learning. Pixel Art Academy uses formative assessment to identify gaps in knowledge so that you can apply further study and practice to build strong fundamentals.
Become a game artist
You can't be an artist by just copying other people's work. It's time to create your own art! In Pixel Art Academy, you will be working on various projects, most of them creating art for classic games such as snake, invaders, block breaker, and pinball creator.
Play your creations
Immediate feedback is very important. Start up the game and see how your sprites look in context. Then jump back to the canvas and immediately see your changes.
Future development
I've been working on Pixel Art Academy for almost a decade, building the game's engine, writing the story, and narrowing down the learning design. While the bigger adventure game that I have in mind is still far from complete, the game's educational core is ready to be shared with a wider audience. That's why I created Learn Mode, a standalone single-player version that includes just the polished learning content.
During the Early Access period, I will create tutorials, challenges, and projects that cover the major pixel art fundamentals (jaggies, dithering, and aliasing), applied to different areas (characters, environments, items). After this first course gets a full release, the development will continue to other areas (drawing from observation, perspective, shading …) as well as integration of the new content into the game's full Adventure Mode.
- OS: 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04
[ 5951 ]
[ 3154 ]
Time left:
2 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
25 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
7 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
38 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
44 days, 8 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
5 days, 2 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
5 days, 2 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
14 days, 2 hours, 9 minutes
Time left:
21 days, 2 hours, 9 minutes
