art-gen

name	art-gen
description	Generate pixel art assets via Aseprite Lua scripts following the project's art pipeline (palette, sizes, export)

Art Generation Pipeline

Generate pixel art by writing Aseprite Lua scripts. Never create PNGs directly — always go through the Lua script pipeline.

Workflow

1. Check the shared palette. Read art/scripts/palette.lua (or equivalent) for the master color palette. All art must use only these colors.

2. Write the Lua script in art/scripts/. The script must:

   • Import the shared palette
   • Create a sprite with correct dimensions (see sizes below)
   • Draw pixel art programmatically
   • Save the .aseprite file to the appropriate art/ subdirectory

3. Run the script:

   ~/aseprite/build/bin/aseprite.app/Contents/MacOS/aseprite -b --script art/scripts/<your_script>.lua
   

4. Export to game assets via Makefile:

   make art        # Export all
   make sprites    # Characters/NPCs only
   make backgrounds # Backgrounds only
   make ui         # UI elements only
   

5. Verify the output — check that exported files exist in game/assets/ with correct dimensions.

Asset Size Reference

Asset	Size	Location
Room backgrounds	320x176	game/assets/backgrounds/
Player sprites	24x32	game/assets/sprites/
NPC sprites	24x32 or 32x32	game/assets/sprites/
Verb/cursor icons	16x16	game/assets/ui/
Inventory icons	16x16	game/assets/ui/

Rules

• Never hand-edit files in game/assets/ — they are generated output
• Use only the shared master palette (~16-32 VGA-era colors)
• Player walk cycles: 8 directions, 3 frames each + idle
• NPC animations: idle + talk minimum
• All art should match the VGA-era aesthetic (limited palette, visible pixels, no anti-aliasing)