Melee HD
A Guide
Do you want to:
That's okay!
The Melee HD project will take years to complete.
Because of this, you can help whenever you like!
This is a volunteer project and we're all volunteers.
There's no pressure and there are no deadlines.
Jump in whenever it's convenient for you to do so.
For now, click here to plan ahead.
Plan ahead
Go open it up. The slides can wait.
When you have it open, find the date and time you want to help.
Mark down on that date and time something like "Melee HD."
You may also want to save the link to the project and to this guide.
After doing this, come back to the project when you're ready.
We'll be glad to have you!
To return to the beginning, click here.
Plan ahead
You may be able to set up a digital one.
The most popular online is probably Google Calendar.
This you can access from most digital devices.
If you're on Windows, a robust choice for offline use is VueMinder.
It is considered by many to be the best.
Once you have set up a calendar, click here.
Observe the project
So you want to keep tabs on what's developed.
The best way to do so is by checking the Melee HD web forum.
Most development, news, and updates will happen there.
Some of these updates will later be integrated into the GitHub repo.
Below are example screens from Melee HD.
To return to the beginning, click here.
Play Melee HD
Melee HD is still in very early stages of development.
There are only about 300 new textures right now.
These include title screens, some fonts, and some UI elements.
It may be best to wait to play until Melee HD is more developed.
Dolphin
To play Melee HD you'll first need the Dolphin emulator.
The textures were made for Dolphin version 4.0-5811.
They probably work on later versions, but have not been tested.
They may break pre-4.0-5234, which uses an older texture format.
You can get the right version at this page or from a link below.
When you have the Dolphin emulator, click here to continue.
Game version
The texture names come from a specific version of SSBM:
Game ID GALE01, maker ID 0x01, revision 2.
The textures may work on other versions, but are untested.
To find out what version you have, follow the steps below.
- Launch the Dolphin emulator and click on the File button.
- Click on Browse for ISOs and navigate to the Melee directory.
- Press Select Folder to index its games as items in the list view.
- Find SSBM in this list, right-click on it, and click on Properties.
- Click on the Info tab and check to see if the fields match.
Do they? If no, dump the right version. If yes, go to the next slide.
Get + unzip the textures
You should now have the correct version of both Dolphin and SSBM.
If not, it's okay. The pack may work. If not, you know how to fix it.
You can download the textures from this link.
You'll first have to unzip these textures before you can use them.
Windows, from 7 forward, has for this a built-in "extract" button.
You can also do this with a third-party program.
Some third-party programs include WinZip, WinRAR, and 7zip.
Once you've unzipped the textures, advance to the next slide.
Move the textures
The downloaded textures now need to be moved to the right place.
Enter the unzipped MeleeHD-master folder.
In this folder, you should see another folder named GALE01.
Right click GALE01 and select Cut from the menu.
Navigate to the folder in which your Dolphin emulator is located.
Enter into the Load folder, then the Textures folder.
When inside the textures folder, right-click the blank space.
Click Paste so the GALE01 folder moves inside Load\Textures.
The Melee HD textures should now be located in the right place.
Once you've moved the textures, advance to the next slide.
Load the textures
The moved textures now need to be loaded into Dolphin.
Launch the Dolphin emulator and click on Options.
Click then on Graphics Settings, then on the Enhancements tab.
Change the Internal Resolution to Auto (Window Size).
Click from here on the Advanced tab.
Under the Utility group, check the Load Custom Textures box.
Click the Close button.
Set other settings like controls and enhancements as you wish.
After you've done all this, your textures should be ready to load.
Click here to advance to the next slide.
Take advantage of HD
Double-click on Melee to run the game.
To increase the resolution of the window, drag out the corners.
To view the game in full screen, hold down Alt and press Enter.
Proceed through any in-game message boxes.
If it works, an indicator on the HAL logo screen should read HD.
You're done. Enjoy playing Smash Melee in HD!
To return to the beginning, click here.
With what will you help?
Different people have different strengths. With what will you help?
Advertising
Advertising for this project is perhaps the most influential of tasks.
It's better to attract two great artists than to contribute as just one.
If you want to help advertise Melee HD, you're helping out a lot!
There are many networks and venues for spreading awareness.
Some include Facebook, Twitter, deviantART, Reddit, Voat, Twitch, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Smashboards, game forums, emulation forums, and subforums. You can also spread awareness through email, IM, SMS, and at tournaments.
For a sales pitch, you may wish to link to this section of the guide.
Click here to advance to the next slide.
Audience
There are different groups of people to whom to advertise.
You can advertise to your friends, to your followers, and to people with followers. Advertise to influential Smashers and influential artists. Advertise to skilled artists who may be able to help with the project. Advertise to communities, to subreddits, and to subverses. Advertise to blogs, pages, forums, and groups. Advertise some one day and more another. Do what you can how you can when you can.
Someone to whom you advertise might hop on the project. Someone could forward it to someone else who might hop on. When you advertise, you make a difference and you matter.
If you want to help more in other ways, return to the slide here.
Criticism
Criticism is the fire that tempers the blade. It can help, but also hurt.
If you give others texture pointers, make sure to be constructive.
The role of the critic should be to build up the skills of the artist.
The role of the critic should not be to break down the artist.
Pointers should alert him or her to problems that he or she can fix.
Ideal pointers go further and suggest solutions to these problems.
A good critic holds an artist to a standard and helps him or her grow.
A bad critic ridicules and shames the artist in a way that wounds.
Criticism that holds others to these specifications is encouraged.
Click here to advance to the next slide.
Constructive criticism
These are examples of criticisms that help matters. Do make these.
- "You can make cleaner lines using fewer nodes in your paths."
- "One of the assets you use is unfaithful to the original texture."
- "X program isn't suited well to that task. Give it a try in Y instead."
- "The original texture has transparency in places yours does not."
- "The retexture has fewer pixels than it should by the standard."
- "The image host you used improperly resized the image upload."
- "The image host you used converted the picture to a lossy JPG."
- "The thickness of your line art is too variable and nonuniform."
- "The color you chose for part X is too different from the original."
Click here to advance to the next slide.
Destructive criticism
These are examples of criticisms that hurt matters. Don't do these.
- "This is ugly / bad / terrible / horrible / horrendous / awful."
- "Wow, you should feel ashamed of yourself."
- "Dude, your art sucks and what you made takes no skill."
- "A career as an artist is not in your future."
- "Why are you even trying? Just stop and just quit."
- "Oh god, my eyes! My poor, poor eyes! I must bleach my eyes!"
- "Bob Ross spun so fast in his grave he could power a small city."
- "LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
If you want to help more in other ways, return here.
Art
By contributing any art to this project you consent to the following:
- You relinquish all rights and privileges to the art you post / link, which thereafter becomes a part of the public domain. You can of course claim credit for making it, but it belongs to everyone
- Other people can do whatever they will with the art you post / link, which includes making and posting changes and revisions
- You may receive constructive criticism after having posted your art. This is meant as QA for the project and you will handle it well
- You will read and follow as best you can the provided guidelines and specifications and philosophies to which art should conform
If you agree and consent to these criteria, click here.
Spec 1
The pace of the project may be slow, and that's okay.
In a famous interview with The Guardian, Nintendo superstar Shigeru Miyamoto was quoted as having said the following:
A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.
This too applies to Melee HD. It may take years, and that's okay.
Work hard, but work focused. It's better for the quality of our textures for you to spend five hours on one than five hours on five. As a guiding philosophy, aim for quality over quantity. It's better to achieve perfection on few than to achieve mediocrity with many.
Click here to proceed to spec 2.
Spec 2
Do not retexture outside your aptitudes or beyond your skill.
As we continue to reach out to qualified Nintendo artists, this project should grow ever bigger. As it grows, different people will have different aptitudes for different parts of the project.
A 3D designer might contribute what's best made with a 3D render. An illustrator might help with what involves complex illustration. Photobashers might collaborate to reproduce the photorealistic.
If you're out of your depth and can't remake certain textures to a professional quality, leave those to the professionals who can.
Click here to proceed to spec 2 (b).
Spec 2 (b)
Do not retexture outside your aptitudes or beyond your skill.
There are many simple textures in Melee that are just geometrical shapes and Bezier curves and nothing more. These can be vectored with a vector program like Inkscape or Illustrator.
To use Inkscape as an example, you can learn most of what you need to know to contribute to the project from an hour or two on YouTube looking at tutorials on the Bezier curve and Node tools. If you aren't strong with vectors you can catch up pretty fast this way. If you know the pen tool in Photoshop, Inkscape should be intuitive.
Click here to proceed to spec 3.
Spec 3
Each remade texture should be saved as an optimized PNG.
PNG is a lossless file format that preserves every detail of the original artwork. This makes it an ideal format for the master copy.
Where possible, these should be optimized with FileOptimizer (FO). FO combines in an eclectic way the best of the PNG optimization algorithms and processes the image through all of them to produce an output more optimal than it would be from any algorithm alone.
Click here to proceed to spec 3 (b).
Spec 3 (b)
Each remade texture should be saved as an optimized PNG.
There may be reasons for which you can't use FO. You might be using a non-Windows operating system. Your texture might be too big for your processor to handle. If for some reason you can't use FO, please make note of this when you post your texture.
You should also make sure your optimized texture loads right in the game. Small textures with simple geometries may sometimes run into problems. If it doesn't, make note of this and don't optimize it.
Click here to proceed to spec 4.
Spec 4
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
Example:
Suppose you're working on a texture with the following name:
tex1_176x120_ebefebfaa3bc9b18_2.png
Red represents the # of pixels on the x axis and green on the y axis.
For this particular texture, these measure at 176 and 120.
The retexture you should make should resolve to 16 times each of these. Here, it'd be 176 * 16 by 120 * 16, evaluating to 2816 by 1920.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (b).
Spec 4 (b)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
Since retextures should be saved under the same names as the originals as per spec 5, their names should reflect their original dimensions and not their new dimensions. If you want to check the dimensions of a texture to make sure they are right, you can right click the file, press Properties, and click on the Details tab. The true dimensions of the texture file should appear in the fields.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (c).
Spec 4 (c)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
You may be asking yourself, "Why this many pixels?"
It is a good question with a few answers that will span several slides.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (d).
Spec 4 (d)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
The first reason for this many pixels is that it is a goal for Melee HD to render well at all resolutions both now and in the future.
Progressive advancements in consumer electronics are gradually improving the maximum resolution of monitor technology. Many years ago, the top-end monitor resolution commercially affordable was 1920 * 1080, or about 2 million pixels. Today, it's 5120 * 2880, or almost 15 million pixels. As of 2015, higher resolutions, such as 8K, are already en route to the consumer market.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (e).
Spec 4 (e)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
The screen resolution of the Nintendo GameCube on a CRT TV is 640 * 480, or 307,200 px. Standard 8K is 7680 * 4320, or 33,177,600 px. This represents a numerical difference of 108 times the pixel count. In other words, 8K resolves to > 100 times the clarity of Melee. By the time Melee HD is finished, resolutions > 8K may be available. People should be able to have an 8K experience on an 8K screen. When technology advances, instead of looking back on Melee HD with scorn, people can look forward to it with excitement.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (f).
Spec 4 (f)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
The second reason for this many pixels is that, by the time Melee HD is finished, the infrastructure on which it depends will be improved.
Common resolutions will be higher. Graphics cards will work better. Processors will run faster. Dolphin will be further optimized. There are revolutions coming to consumer technology and our project will benefit from them. For something that takes as long to finish as will this, we'll work not only for the present but also for the future.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (g).
Spec 4 (g)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
The third reason for this many pixels is that larger textures degrade less on zoom. When the camera for the game gets close to a texture it can occupy more pixels on the screen than it does in its file.
For example, suppose we zoom into a 16 * 32 texture such where it occupies 160 * 320 pixels. It would thus render in 10x lower quality than 480p, and only render at 480p if drawn at 10 times the size.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (h).
Spec 4 (h)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
Zoom is not just a matter of manually moving the camera. Automatic movement of the camera can degrade textures much the same, and even in the default position of the camera some textures will stretch out across the screen. This is true even in some menus.
Textures 256x larger than the originals can remain HD even in many situations of zoom, and the broader experience becomes beautiful.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (i).
Spec 4 (i)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
The fourth reason for this many pixels is the higher the resolution of the redrawn image, the better the lines blend in the downsample.
When you render an image in HDs like 8K you can downscale it to 1080p with anti-aliasing methods that supersample more pixels. This makes edges look better than if they were originally drawn at 1080p, even though the resolution is 1080p. You don't get more pixels this way, but you get a better arrangement of those that are there, and so you get a nicer overall image in the final outcome.
Click here to proceed to spec 4 (j).
Spec 4 (j)
Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
The fifth and most important reason for this many pixels is that the submitted retextures are a part of a master copy. The master copy is not necessarily what everyone will play. Through a batch downscale, the pack can be made available at 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, and 2 times the size of the original textures. This downscaling process would not involve you and it would take place late into the project life cycle, so you need not make a mipmap set. Downscaled packs will reduce or eliminate for some people speed disadvantages of larger textures.
Click here to proceed to spec 5.
Spec 5
Retextures should be saved with the same names as originals.
The reason for this is that without those names Dolphin does not recognize them and so cannot retexture the game.
For example, if a texture from the game has this name:
tex1_176x120_ebefebfaa3bc9b18_2.png
The retexture you upload should have the same name:
tex1_176x120_ebefebfaa3bc9b18_2.png
Click here to proceed to spec 6.
Spec 6
Originals should be saved with an "sd_" prefix and uploaded alongside retextures.
Since we save our retextures under the names of the originals, we should rename the originals to distinguish them from retextures.
For example, if an original texture from the game has this name:
tex1_176x120_ebefebfaa3bc9b18_2.png
When you upload this original texture it should be named like so:
sd_tex1_176x120_ebefebfaa3bc9b18_2.png
Click here to proceed to spec 6 (b).
Spec 6 (b)
Originals should be saved with an "sd_" prefix and uploaded alongside retextures.
The reason we should upload these alongside retextures is so that people can compare the two and use that comparison as a launch point for constructive criticism and improvement suggestions. This quality assurance helps benefit the overall look of the final product.
Click here to proceed to spec 7.
Spec 7
Upload all textures to image hosts that don't resize, compress, convert, or cause loss to the quality of the image.
deviantART (dA) is a good choice with which to meet this goal. Not only does the "Download" button link to an unchanged version of the original image that can be linked from or embedded in a forum post, but dA is a social network, so by uploading to dA both you and the Melee HD project benefit from mutualistic exposure.
Click here to proceed to spec 8.
Spec 8
Retextures should maintain any transparency of the originals.
It may not be immediately obvious to you whether or not an original texture is transparent in places. If you have a Photoshop from CS2 to CS6, and perhaps other versions, you can check this by loading in the texture, bringing up the Info Panel, and setting the Second Color Readout to the mode Opacity. This will show alpha information for each pixel located under the mouse cursor. You can use this info to approximate transparencies. If you do not have Photoshop you will need to find and follow another method.
Click here to proceed to spec 9.
Spec 9
Source files should be uploaded alongside your retextures.
This spec is not hard and fast but helps others collaborate with you the improvements from which will not only increase your chances of getting your texture included in the pack but increase the quality of Melee HD as a whole. Source files for 2D art should best be SVGs or PSDs, and many formats are permitted for 3D projects.
Click here to proceed to spec 10.
Spec 10
Fidelity to the original designs is paramount.
This is a very important specification among the broader standards.
Assets should not be changed beyond increasing their definition. Elements that should stay the same include model poses, model lighting, color schemes, line edges, line thickness, curve geometry, gradient stops, gradient meshes, blur radii, border radii, and pretty much everything ever. You should not be able to tell the difference between the original and the retexture if the process is done right.
Click here to proceed to spec 10 (b).
Spec 10 (b)
Fidelity to the original designs is paramount.
When people take artistic liberties that diverge from original designs it raises the question of where the line is drawn. How much liberty is too much liberty, and which liberties are better than others? There's a million arguments to be made for a billion cases of this. None of these arguments are objective, and all of them can divide the project and fracture the users. One man's trash is another man's treasure, and any unnecessary artistic liberties are outside the scope of Melee HD. The sole aim of Melee HD is to remake Melee in HD.
Click here to proceed to spec 11.
Spec 11
Before working on typography, discuss it in the forum.
Do not start reproducing a font unless you know its typeface. One that is sufficiently indistinguishable (about 99% similar) may do. If you do not know the typeface, put the subject to discussion in the forum. If discussion bears no fruit, reproduce each character in a vector program. If you upload a SVG in which a font is present, first convert that font to a path so that it will show up for other people.
Click here to proceed to spec 11 (b).
Spec 11 (b)
Before working on typography, discuss it in the forum.
This project should move at a slow and relaxed pace, and a public discussion on character typography helps to assure the quality of the reproduced vectors. If you don't know a font, don't just throw in Verdana and call it a day. Ask the forum. The public discussion that is produced from this not only acts as a quality assurance process but helps others retexture their own vectors and provides to Google a repository of information and wealth of knowledge on Melee type.
Click here to proceed to spec 12.
Spec 12
Use a vector program when working on line or shape geometry.
Two popular vector tools are Illustrator (pay) and Inkscape (free). If you do not know how to use Inkscape, the Bezier curve and Node tools can be learned from YouTube tutorials in less than two hours. Boolean operations may also prove useful. You can export an image as SVG by clicking on File, then Export PNG Image, then Page and making sure the width and height are 16 times those of the original.
Some reasons for vectoring this geometry will be provided in 12 (b).
Click here to proceed to spec 12 (b).
Spec 12 (b)
Use a vector program when working on line or shape geometry.
The tools with which you work in Inkscape are similar to the pen tool in Photoshop (PS), so those who come from PS will learn quick. PS makes raster strokes along vector paths and so does not make true vector lines. The algorithm that makes these strokes is also prone to unevenness and nonuniformity in the lines that it generates. What is more, by using Inkscape or Illustrator there's a cleaner anti-alias that is more standard in form across textures made by different people. SVG files also make for easier edits at a later time either in response to criticism, on sight of a mistake, or as a result of collaboration.
Click here to proceed to spec 12 (c).
Spec 12 (c)
Use a vector program when working on line or shape geometry.
When making lines in a vector program, try to minimize the number of nodes in your shapes while preserving the geometry. Many nodes make for uneven shapes, where few nodes and skillful manipulation of node handles makes for even shapes. Try to keep the sharp edges sharp and the round edges round, and try with most nodes to make their handles smooth. This should help you avoid introducing a pointiness to the curves you create. You should save all files as SVG unless the SVG format does not support a necessary effect you use.
Click here to proceed to spec 13.
Spec 13
Any 3D model that is rendered at 256x scale should first have its textures retextured at 256x scale.
This applies to textures like the character icons, character portraits, and stage select screen. If an artist of the caliber of those involved with the Smashified project wishes to redraw character icons and portraits at 256 times the size, that is permitted, but if someone is to do such textures by making renders of the characters, these should be left alone until these characters are retextured at 256x scale. The stage select screen should be left alone until stages are retextured.
Click here to proceed to spec 14.
Spec 14
Before submitting a texture, you should pass it through a toggle cycle of checking and unchecking "Load HD Textures."
To do this, first follow the guide here to load the remade textures into SSBM. Go to the in-game location in which your textures should appear, then click on Options, then Graphics Settings, then on the Advanced tab. Under the Utility group, repeatedly toggle the Load HD Textures box to preview the difference between the original and your retexture. If the game goes by too fast you may need more preview time. Obtain this by going to Options then to Configure and lowering the framelimit. Save states may also help.
Click here to proceed to spec 14 (b).
Spec 14 (b)
Before submitting a texture, you should pass it through a toggle cycle of checking and unchecking "Load HD Textures."
To do this when the game is rendered at a high resolution is the best way to gauge how accurate your texture is as a higher quality edition of the original version. It is superior in its accuracy and precision to a trace of a texture that sits on a lower layer, which is still a good way to approximate the texture features prior to the toggle cycle. Going through this cycle will give you visual feedback on what to improve. When you no longer see differences other than definition between your texture and the original, your texture has met specification 14.
Click here to advance to a summary of these specifications.
Spec Summary
- The pace of the project may be slow, and that's okay.
- Do not retexture outside your aptitudes or beyond your skill.
- Each remade texture should be saved as an optimized PNG.
- Retextures should be 16x longer on each axis and 256x the pixels of the original texture file.
- Retextures should be saved with the same names as originals.
- Originals should be saved with an "sd_" prefix and uploaded alongside retextures.
- Upload all textures to image hosts that don't resize, compress, convert, or cause loss to the quality of the image.
- Retextures should maintain any transparency of the originals.
Click here to proceed to Spec Summary (b).
Spec Summary (b)
- Source files should be uploaded alongside your retextures.
- Fidelity to the original designs is paramount.
- Before working on typography, discuss it in the forum.
- Use a vector program when working on line or shape geometry.
- Any 3D model that is rendered at 256x scale should first have its textures retextured at 256x scale.
- Before submitting a texture, you should pass it through a toggle cycle of checking and unchecking "Load HD Textures."
Click here to return to the Specifications page.
32-bit contributors
So you want to contribute, but you run a 32-bit version of Windows.
Fear not. While more laborious than the alternative, this is possible.
Dolphin developers discontinued 32-bit support since May 19, 2014.
Here they posted an obituary along with their thorough reasoning.
You'll first want to get the last 32-bit Dolphin build, version 4.0-1609.
You can get the right version either here or from this direct link.
When you have the 32-bit Dolphin emulator, click here to continue.
32-bit contributors (b)
Versions of Dolphin prior to 4.0-5234 use an older texture format.
This therefore applies to your downloaded 32-bit version, 4.0-1609.
You can use version 4.0-1609 to make but not to update textures.
To update them you should cooperate with someone on a 64-bit OS.
If you have a willing friend, then first ask them to help you out.
If not, then post the texture here to the texture conversion forum.
Include a description of where in the game the texture is found.
Someone who posts to that forum can help convert it for you.
Click here to learn how to convert the textures to the new format.
Format conversion
Artists who run a 32-bit OS can't submit their textures to the project without first having them converted to a 64-bit format. If you are on a 64-bit OS then we encourage you to volunteer to help these artists.
To learn to help, Bighead of the Dolphin forums has a guide here. Read and follow this guide to understand how to convert textures.
You can find textures to convert at the texture conversion forum.
You can put textures you convert in the texture submission forum.
Click here to return to the Help page.
64-bit
Read this then post here any textures that meet the specifications.
You may also post there queries on how to make a specific texture.
The people at these forums may post comments on your textures.
Every texture posted here is considered to be WIP and not final.
When given constructive criticism, use it to improve your texture.
When you've improved your texture, update the original post.
This process helps us assure the quality of the submitted work.
Click here to return to the Art page.
Find your bits
Windows users can find out their system type with these steps:
- Hold down the key shaped like a Windows flag and press R.
- In the Run prompt, type control system.
- In the System window, look at the field for System type.
This field tells you whether you are on a 32-bit or 64-bit system.
Click here to return to the Art page.
Encouragement
Encouragers help motivate artists and create a cohesive community.
Register here and post to texture threads about what you like most.
You can even just press the like button in the top right of the post.
Perhaps welcome people to the forum on the Introductions board.
Those who feel appreciated are more likely to help out in the future.
Those who help out more in the future make Melee HD finish faster.
You don't need to be an artist to help. Every encouragement counts.
If you want to help more in other ways, return here.
Why help?
You may be asking yourself, "Why should I help?"
That is a valid question with some compelling answers.
Let's look at some reasons to help going forward.
Click here to proceed to reason 1.
Reason 1
Melee HD is a relaxed project without deadlines or due dates.
Melee HD is made up of volunteers who help on their own time.
The project will likely take years, and we aren't in a rush to finish.
As a volunteer, you can help with what you can when you can.
There's no pressure to complete retextures by a specific time.
Click here to proceed to reason 2.
Reason 2
You can help without being an artist.
If unwilling or unable to help retexture, you can still fill other roles.
You can help advertise the project to other people.
You can help convert textures from the old format to the new one.
You can hold artists to quality standards with constructive criticism.
You can help encourage artists by making positive comments.
Would you like more information on how to help in these ways?
If so, check out this section of this guide.
Click here to proceed to reason 3.
Reason 3
Smash is in demand.
Super Smash Bros. is a popular series spanning five games.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, alone, sold over 12 million copies.
Smash features at EVO, the largest FGC tournament in the world.
At EVO 2015, the Smash games had a combined 3795 competitors.
The Melee tournament had over 200,000 live viewers at once.
Players have eSports sponsors like Cloud9, TSM, and Team Liquid.
These sponsors are in turn sponsored by well-known companies.
(Alienware, Geico, HTC, Logitech, Namecheap, Nissan, NVIDIA, Razer)
Click here to proceed to reason 4.
Reason 4
Smash art is in demand.
There have arisen on the Internet some communities for Smash art.
An example of such a community is Smashified.
Those are videos showing characters being drawn in Smash style.
Some have over 100,000 views. Together, they have over a million.
There's a clear demand on the Web for Smash art. Let's make some.
Click here to proceed to reason 5.
Reason 5
Smash modifications are in demand.
For example, there is a modification of Brawl called Project M.
The initial goal of Project M was to make the game more like Melee.
This modification was played in at least 16 national tournaments.
These had a collective payout of tens of thousands of dollars.
The Project M subreddit alone has over 20,000 subscribers.
Smash modifications can be very popular. Come be a part of one.
Click here to proceed to reason 6.
Reason 6
Melee HD is in demand.
Smash has a large community of passionate fans.
The Smash subreddit alone has over 180,000 subscribers.
The Melee HD project was posted to this and to a smaller subreddit.
Between these, the announcement topics alone got lots of attention.
In hours, they were both upvoted to the top of their subreddits.
Combined, they got > 700 upvotes and tens of thousands of views.
Exact matches on Google for "Melee HD" are > 20,000 strong.
There are > 7,000 results for the term just on Reddit. People want it.
Click here to proceed to reason 7.
Reason 7
Artists will get exposure, which can lead to positive outcomes.
You will be fully credited and advertised for your work on this.
Texture submissions make for a fast flow of updates to deviantART.
These can attract to your page more people and new audiences.
More exposure may mean more money from more commissions.
It may also mean more people reach out to involve you in projects.
Participate in Melee HD and get your name more out there.
Click here to proceed to reason 8.
Reason 8
Artists can network with, help out, and learn from other artists.
As Melee HD is advertised and as it grows, it will attract more artists.
To help with Melee HD you must participate in discussion forums.
There you will converse and collaborate with artists and designers.
You can both give and receive direction and constructive criticism.
This way, you can grow as an artist, and help others grow as well.
Those with a united goal can come together in a united community.
Through collaboration you can build friendships and open doors.
Click here to proceed to reason 9.
Reason 9
The project has career value as part of a resume or CV.
You can parlay into other opportunities your work on Melee HD.
This project is a project of artistic collaboration and game design.
You could use your work on it as a qualifier to do other game design.
You can request a reference to pass along to people for whom you want to work or with whom you wish to negotiate commissions.
The project will move at a leisurely pace to assure quality control.
The quality of the project makes it worthwhile to which to belong.
Click here to proceed to reason 10.
Reason 10
People are passionate about Smash and about Melee HD.
The Smash scene has grown itself through grassroots efforts.
Because of this, it is among the most passionate game communities.
There is a lot of hype for an HD remake of Smash Melee. There's even a petition to Nintendo on change.org with > 2500 signatures.
A slide says less than a picture and a picture less still than a video.
Open this clip from 2015. Smash commentator Scar plays a prank.
Melee HD was not actually coming, but the reaction speaks volumes.
People are passionate about Melee HD. Let's make it happen.
Click here to advance to a summary of these reasons.
Reason Summary
- Melee HD is a relaxed project without deadlines or due dates.
- You can help without being an artist.
- Smash is in demand.
- Smash art is in demand.
- Smash modifications are in demand.
- Melee HD is in demand.
- Artists will get exposure, which can lead to positive outcomes.
- Artists can network with, help out, and learn from other artists.
- The project has career value as part of a resume or CV.
- People are passionate about Smash and about Melee HD.
Click here to advance to the next slide.
Setup
To work on retextures you first need to follow some steps.
These steps will depend on whether you're on a 32-bit or 64-bit OS.
If you don't know, you should click here to learn how to find out.
You can find the setup steps you want to follow in the Play section.
If your OS is 32-bit, click here to understand how your setup differs.
Once you have everything set up, click here to proceed.
Dump the textures
The textures you dump you will intercept from your RAM (random access memory) to move to your drive (hard disk, solid state, etc.).
To intercept and dump these, you want to load up the game and go to before where they are loaded. You can make a save state here if you plan to dump them more than once. After this, click on Options, then Graphics Settings, then Advanced. Under the Utility group, click Dump Textures. You can find the dump at the path Dolphin Emulator\Dump\Textures\GALE01. You may delete what textures you don't want then advance in the game to load the ones you want. Make sure to uncheck this box when you are done with the dump. If you want to read a more comprehensive guide on this, click here.
Click here to proceed.
Retexture and post
Retexture a texture of your choice then post it to the relevant forum.
You may also post there queries on how to make a specific texture.
Before you post, make sure you have read the specs and read this.
The people at these forums may post comments on your textures.
Every texture posted here is considered to be WIP and not final.
When given constructive criticism, use it to improve your texture.
When you've improved your texture, update the original post.
This process helps us assure the quality of the submitted work.
Click here to return to the Art page.
Melee HD
By meleehd
Melee HD
Melee HD
- 11,765