Coming soon, with the introduction of Turf avatars + chat we are unlocking an exciting new way for projects large and small to soul-meld with the Turf Ultraverse! We want to create a place where all projects can come hang out and loiter. More importantly we want NFTs to transcend simply being pretty images that are collected and sold for top dollar. We want people to wear their favorite projects like they’re about to stomp the stairs at the Met Gala. Let’s get stomp’in!!!
… but first…
Turf Chat?
Every single plot on the Turf Explorer Map is a unique chat location that is run by the plot holder. Not only can folks type out their steamy messages they can also stand about looking extra cool…
We could just supply our Geographers with generic looking avatars and call it a day but then we wouldn’t get that shiny feeling inside… so we created the avatar gear system.
Avatar Customization?
All geographers can customize their default avatar… but wait… theres more! What if you don’t want to walk around like some sort of Turf exhibitionist? Look no further than the “gear system”.
All NFTs have the potential to be paired as a unique piece of Turf gear (where assets are provided). For example if you hold the Turf Founders Pass then you may equip the Turf Founders Jumper!
Imagine the possibilities! Bored ape shirts for holding a bored ape or special gamer helmets for holding a BKK GamerBros…
There’s more! If a project wants to convert their entire collection to swap-in avatars then we support that as well. In the Turf Ultraverse you can choose to be your favorite EightbitMe, Forgotten Rune Wizard, or Nyan Cat! There’s room for all!
How Do I Contribute?
We welcome anyone and everyone to submit their own custom art. A formalized submission process will be provided (eventually). In the meantime heres some requirements info.
In an attempt to be as interoperable as possible with World Wide Webbland we have adopted a similar sprite sheet format. This also means that just about anything that you have formatted for webbland should work within Turf and vice versa!
- Draw using 1x1 pixel brushes
- Three rows required: loitering, walk right, walk left
- Each row must have four frame timing (4, 8, 12 - max 12)
- We recommend not exceeding 33w x 52h pixels per frame
- If you are submitting gear, only submit the accessories layer minus the default avatar and any background color
- Provide contract/tokenID that you wish the asset to be connected to
Illustration Tips and Tricks
While we leave it to the artist to be as creative or uncreative as they please we would like to share some suggestions to make the most of achieving the Turf “look”. None of these suggestions are hard fast rules. They are the things that I personally do to achieve our desired look. Mess around and discover your own style.
Our pixel art is comprised of 4 basic layers:
- Base layer (100% opacity) - the foundation of the piece with all of the color
- Trims layer (30% opacity black and white) - all of the meaty lighting details that describe the thing’s shape. From a tiny fold in the pants to the cylindrical shape of the arm
- Shadows layer (20% opacity black) - injects more depth into the piece making some planes recede.
- Highs layer (70% opacity) - highlights of bright light that calls subtle attention to specific spots on the piece. This should be used very sparingly
You will find that over time you will develop a feel for what looks good and what looks bad. It helps constantly tweak and when in doubt erase erase erase! We hope that this brief guide was a helpful primer. We have a channel on our discord dedicated to discussing the art of Turf. Don’t hesitate to jump in and ask questions - our community is full of extremely talented people and they’re always willing to help!
Resources
The sprite sheets (we can also provide sheets upon request on our discord)
Web based animation tester
Note: sprite sheets may be subject to changes as we tune our avatar system!