~

002.COVe ru p/Eboy

PIXBL BY PIXBL
ror this issue's cover, the lour ntloVs~ who constitute [tloy Graphics (see our main leature on Internet qames) wor~ell as Ihey usualiV do - whicnls to
say, all chippinq In toqether (a bit Ii~, a pop mu~lc group!) One 01 them m~ke~ ~ st~rt. then semIs the picture to another member 01 the "group" ... and $0 on. J
"rorwarding work can be repeated aqaln ana aqa,n: explained Kai Vermehr, speaking on behall 01 the Quartet (Peter Stemmler. Svend Sm;tal and Stel'
lell Sauertelq complele the line'up). nTnat way, pictures be<ome enriChed level by level With our dillerent. very perSOnal way 01 plac,nq oi,els,"
"As lor the deslQn process,there's not so much to talk about: Kai (On\lnued modestly. nAil of the picture haS been created within PholoshOp. Usually we
work direclly in Photoshop, we don't make sketches, but direclly madelthe pi.els.
"We starttd by (leatll'\Q tl\(' Qrten monster. After we were hapoy Wllh lhis. we added existing eCity buildmQ'S [lrom the virtual city lhe sludlo 's building
on the Intt'fnell and new gadgets to the backglouOO on ditrerenllayers. and modified lht!m 10 Q(l alonq w,th lhe manslt'f.
"This all lak~ a lot of lime bec.lUSf I'll' olttn p/ilce pixel by lli.el so thal.lll lhe I,nes are CriSP and requ!<lr," The result. I'll.' think YOU'11 aQrel', is QUlle
rem.lrkable - and well worth aU that efforl, rJ

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6' f~N OOr'TViO

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!http://ww.... eboy.com/
eboy
Eb(ly Iwwweboy,com),sagroupolfour-boys'who creal@ @~eryttllng Irom
graphics, Jonl~ and games to bUlldong their own e,clty Th,s IS a sel 01 ~"tuill bUild·
ing blocks thnl users can download. The set has a nlll"her 01 bUildings.
automobiles, e~en road blocks and airplanes, If lhey wanled to build the biggest e'
my In the world, play@rscouldsubmlllhelrcrea\lOnsbackloeboyto 'plug·,"- 10
Ih@reSlolqb@fspaC@, Beller slill. IhE')' could start an onhne liilm@lhalallows
userslo bUIld thl!ocr Cllles Onhllt

1" IdH OO/fWO

 PEECO~Q.,?mc. ,1 library. and a sci 01 blillding blocks. It '5 about a baSIC Idea:
fe-combme dlft ent pariS of piclures agam and agam so thaI you get lots of new
pOSSlbillt'es

For 11<; gam..s, Eboy uscs pnmarlty D,rcctor and Shock......l VC. It5 t<lrget Jud,cnce '5
themselves - CUlling-edge. tremly. deSIgn-crazy Its c\lents share the S<lme VISIOn: Wm~d
rnagazlnlJ com,,,,sslonlJd Eboy 10 deSign graphICS for the publlcallon. SO tI'd the New York"r
and InI"rvlCw magazines
The bas,c Idea slarled '" n the learn d,scovercd that areas of an 'mage. espe'
clally In web graph,cs {wh'ch ~ auld be small and lean m sIze). are olten repetillve
Single parts could be re-used a ~Herent places In the PIClurl) n was l,me for a
screen that could lake Ihese -bulldl brocks- 01 p<Clures They dec,ded lhatlhese
screen un,ts should be 36 x 36 p'xels ,(eanmg Ihal every bnck WOuld be exaclly
peol'le like th's s,"e ""-
I'Ilthe beglnnmg, Ihe learn Ju';l wanled to Shar~~COl DUcks I"s,de Eboy. Bul
soon 1t became dc"r that other authors could cont,,~e IV,th their o..... n PEECOl
bnck-pack and pump up the PEECOl bbra,y w'lh their O'Wn Ideas

First, Ihey lalk about the idea of the game and search lor anything that cOllld make II more
•strange- and funny AmuSl:>menl '5 d big obleclJve lor their games IIlhe programming
IS too complex, they usually look for a progrilmn1('r Thl'Y are nol 50 much ,ntcr-
ested In I'rogralT1rnln9 - the" focus IS good gral'hl( des'gn. comong 1,11' w,lh
Ih" look and the an,mat'on.
llo~'Nor-king I'roccss mvolves spl,nU1g IhlJ work f"st and ~ve'yone slarts ..... dh
part 01 lhe game 1h~n lhe team members exchange Ihe parts .1t an early slage
",nh each other In order 10 merge the", personal slyles The work '5 highly
coliallOratlVe any p,1rt of the ga'nl' Will contam componerll$ of artwork by
e.e'yon" In the tearn
S~le9S
Justlhmk of bu'ldlng <l PEECOl oblect WIth a head from des,gned by
Mr X and ""methmg on ItS head made byS.end PEECOl locuses m~!lY on I'gures
- but everylhmg '5 pos';lble_ Make pallerns, create complr,at!!d maih nes. VISU-
"ltle stories that ta" be r("-comb,ned m a dlfferen! eont!!,t Howabou a Slar
WJrs PEECOl pack1 Or a PEECDl carpet-pack1
€boy we(comes users to modofy. re-use. cr!!ale and expand P€ECOluMS! head.
body, or legs. at 36 by 36 pIXelsl

Then. Ihe te,llll "'oil "'el't and look ,1t Ihe 'lam(" together II m'ght need a fLttle t..... eakmg, more
cralmes<;. rnore an,matlon. and mJYoc ,I new fonl To complete the game, they add sou"ds
tMI they des"Jn. and test the piece on dlffl"ent compulers. browsers and platlorms

Usually. ,n the evening when all the work is done, H,e guys w,1l play Quake In the" olhce
against e"cl, OtllH aut the,r msp" "tlO" comes frum popular thl"9" ".llch .1S comICS.
sup,'rrna,k~t'i, ~.treet 1\'1IOgraphy, eh.lnnet lapp''''.!, Coe.1 Cola. Bca,;t,!' Boy<,

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• IdH OO!TWO' 19