I have currently two different sprite styles, and I'd need to pick only one or the other. The sprite styles are as follows:
Old sprite style:
New sprite style:
To me, both sets have pros and cons. Old set looks a bit more "crude" and 3Dish, which may be better in sync with the rendered background images in the game. It would also be possible to create simple animations for them, like blinking eyes and mouth movement when speaking. On the other hand the newer set is "prettier", it offers a much larger set of facial expressions and body positions, and the more anime & hand-drawn style is maybe more in sync with the kind of art style people generally expect to see in a visual novel.
It's really hard to decide, so it would be of great help if you could give an opinion on which style you 'd like better in a visual novel?
Some of my visual novels are at http://www.the-new-lagoon.com. They are NSFW
Poorly done hand-drawn art is still poorly done art. Be a Poser (or better yet, use DAZ Studio 3D) - dare to be different.
The new style seems to be an improvement in pretty much every way. The hair looks better, the proportions look better, the clothes look better, the characters look less stiff... as you said the new style also has more room for facial expressions and poses, too. It just seems like you have a better grasp on sprite-making now and have brought that to your new style! I appreciate that the older sprites may be easier to use at the moment and may mesh better with the backgrounds you have at the moment, but by your own admission they look more crude while the new ones look prettier. I understand it being tempting to use the old sprites but I feel like it would be a shame to go back to them when you have the newer ones. However, if you're super close to releasing a project using the old graphics then I understand doing so instead of remaking all of the graphics before releasing anything, you know what I mean~? Have a nice day~
I appreciate that the older sprites may be easier to use at the moment and may mesh better with the backgrounds you have at the moment, but by your own admission they look more crude while the new ones look prettier. I understand it being tempting to use the old sprites but I feel like it would be a shame to go back to them when you have the newer ones. However, if you're super close to releasing a project using the old graphics then I understand doing so instead of remaking all of the graphics before releasing anything, you know what I mean~?