🥊 Episode 3 · Improver · Art

Colour Your Fighter
Episode 3: Sprites and Palette

Now the art. MUGEN sprites are indexed pictures: every pixel points at a colour in a palette. Change the palette and the whole fighter changes colour, with no redrawing.

👶 Ages 10+ ⏱️ ~50 mins 🥊 MUGEN ✓ Free workshop
🎨 Indexed colour 👥 Group & image 🖌️ Palettes .act 🌈 Recolour
🎨 Start Step 1 ← All Episodes
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Build it in our MUGEN Studio too: set up a fighter, add sprites and poses, place hitboxes and export a real fighter folder in the browser, with no install. Open the MUGEN Mod Studio →
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Ember says: the palette trick is why one fighter can come in ten colours. Learn it and you can make your fighter yours without drawing a single new picture.
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How Indexed Colour Works
Colour by number
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Goal for this step

Understand that each pixel is a palette number, not a colour.

  • 1A classic MUGEN sprite uses a 256 colour palette.
  • 2Each pixel stores a number from 0 to 255, not a colour.
  • 3The palette file decides what colour each number actually is.
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Fill in the Blanks
+15 XP
In an indexed sprite, each pixel stores a colour .
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
Why can you recolour a fighter without redrawing it?
ASprites store palette numbers, so swapping the palette swaps the colours
BMUGEN has a paint tool
CThe sprites are vectors
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Group and Image
Finding the right sprite
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Goal for this step

Understand the (group, image) address.

  • 1Every sprite has a group and an image number.
  • 2An animation points at sprites like 0,1 meaning group 0, image 1.
  • 3Group the sprites so related pictures sit together (all walk frames in one group).
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Fill in the Blanks
+15 XP
A sprite is found by its group and numbers.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
What points an animation at a sprite?
AThe group and image numbers
BThe file name
CThe sound number
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🖌️
The Palette File (.act)
One file, all the colour
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Goal for this step

Know that .act holds the palette.

  • 1.act is a palette file: 256 colours in order.
  • 2The def lists palettes as pal1, pal2 and so on, giving a colour choice on the select screen.
  • 3Editing an .act is the easiest way to make a character your own.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
What is an .act file?
AA palette of 256 colours
BAn animation
CA sound
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Make a New Colour
Swap the palette
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Goal for this step

Give your fighter a second palette.

  • 1Open a palette editor and load the fighter palette.
  • 2Change a few colours (the clothing, the trim) and save as a new .act.
  • 3List it in the def as pal2 and pick it on the select screen.
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Fill in the Blanks
+15 XP
Extra palettes are listed in the def as pal2, and so on.
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Knowledge Check
+15 XP
Where do you list extra palettes?
AIn the def file
BIn the .sff
CIn the sound file
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Your Fighter, Your Colours!
You understand indexed colour and you can recolour any fighter. Next: make them move.
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Next: Episode 4: Animations →