You are drawing pixel art ships for a mobile vertical shooter. Every ship lives inside a 64×64 pixel cell. The final PNG is exported at 1× and displayed at 2× (nearest-neighbor — no blur, no anti-aliasing). This means every pixel is visible and intentional.
Non-negotiable rules:
#000000 outline on every visible edgeEach ship has one spritesheet file. Standard layout:
Total canvas: 256 × 128 px
Grid: 4 columns × 2 rows
Each cell: 64 × 64 px
Column 0 = M0 (base, no upgrades)
Column 1 = M1 (first upgrade)
Column 2 = M2 (second upgrade)
Column 3 = M3 (fully upgraded)
Row 0 = Idle state (normal flying)
Row 1 = Damaged state (same ship, cracked hull)Exceptions: C-2 Resonator and C-3 Singularity use 320×128 px (5 columns, extra M3 frame).
Hull fills:
#e8eaf0 Hull Light — upper highlight areas (top 30% of hull)
#8b8fa8 Hull Mid — main hull body
#555972 Hull Shadow — lower/rear sections (bottom 20%)
#000000 Outline — all edges, 1px
Engine trails:
#42A5F5 Blue — M0 and M1 trail
#1565C0 Blue dark — M0/M1 trail edge glow
#FFD600 Yellow — M2 trail
#FF8F00 Yellow dark — M2 trail edge
#FF5722 Red — M3 trail core
#c8f542 Lime — M3 trail halo (1px each side of red)
V-Series accent:
#2dd4bf Veiled Teal — appears at M1 on all V-Series ships
H-Series insignia:
#42A5F5 Coalition cross mark — 3×3 px on upper hull at M2+
C-Series:
#606472 Darker hull fill than H/V Series
Both lime AND teal accents from M2+Lime #c8f542 on player ships: ONLY appears at M3. Never on M0, M1, or M2.
H-Series ships are Coalition human designs — functional, no-nonsense, symmetrical. They look like things built in factories by engineers who cared more about reliability than elegance. Hull color is the mid blue-gray #8b8fa8.
ss_ship_vanguard.png)Character: The most common Coalition warship. Every pilot starts here. Reliable, honest, nothing fancy. Symmetrical kite/arrowhead shape.
Base polygon (M0, in 64×64 cell, coordinates from top-left) — LOCKED:
Nose: (32, 6)
Right wing: (48, 52)
Engine: (32, 44)
Left wing: (16, 52)These coordinates are validated through the design system renderer. Do not adjust. Hull body fills the area between those points. The engine notch at (32,44) creates a slight inward V at the bottom before the wing tips flare out.
Engine trail: 2px wide, 3–4px tall, centered at bottom of hull (x=31–32), starting just below pixel y=52.
M0 — Base form:
#8b8fa8 fill, #e8eaf0 highlight on top third, #555972 shadow on bottom fifth#000000 on all edges#42A5F5 (2px wide, 3px tall)M1 — First upgrade:
#42A5F5 but 4px tallM2 — Second upgrade:
#42A5F5 at upper center hull (x=30–34, y=12–16)M3 — Fully upgraded:
#c8f542: 1px wide, runs down the center spine from y=10 to y=42#FF5722 core (2px), #c8f542 halo (1px each side) = 4px total trail, 5px tallDamaged state (Row 1):
#000000 lines cutting through the hull mid-section#8b8fa8 pixels with #6a6e80)ss_ship_interceptor.png)Character: Speed over armor. Built to break through enemy lines fast. Narrow silhouette — almost uncomfortably thin. Aggressive forward lean. Makes the Vanguard look fat.
Base polygon (M0):
Nose: (32, 4) ← sharper than Vanguard, 2px higher
Right edge: (44, 56) ← narrower than Vanguard
Engine: (32, 46)
Left edge: (20, 56)The Interceptor is 8px narrower at the base than the Vanguard. It reads as aggressive and lean.
Additional detail:
M0: Same color rules as Vanguard. Trail: #42A5F5, 2px wide, 3px tall.
M1: Wing geometry subtly swept back — the bottom edge pixels shift 1px outward per row for the last 8 rows, creating a swept wing effect.
M2: Add Coalition insignia (same as Vanguard M2). Wing sweep more pronounced.
M3:
#c8f542 squares at the two bottom corner pixels of each wing tip#FF5722 + lime #c8f542 halo, 5px tallss_ship_bulwark.png)Character: The tank. Slow, wide, heavily armored. Slightly asymmetric — the left panel is visually heavier than the right, like extra armor was bolted on in a hurry.
Base polygon (M0):
Nose: (32, 8) ← higher nose than Vanguard (more blunt)
Right wing: (52, 54) ← wider than Vanguard by 4px per side
Engine: (32, 48)
Left wing: (12, 54)Left side details at M0: an extra 2×4 px rectangular armor plate attached to the left wing at (10–11, 38–41). This is what makes it asymmetric. Right side is clean.
Panel lines: Visible at M0+. Two 1px #555972 horizontal lines across the mid-hull at y=22 and y=34 — armor plate joins.
M1:
#90CAF9 square on upper-left hull (x=18, y=14)M2:
#90CAF9 indicator pixel pair added (now showing 2 shield pips)M3:
#c8f542 horizontal line at y=50, running from x=20 to x=44V-Series ships are Veiled designs, human-built. They are more exotic than H-Series, with sleeker geometries and teal Veiled accents. Hull base color is slightly cooler: #7a8090. No Coalition insignia — instead a small 3×1 px #2dd4bf teal dash near the cockpit area.
ss_ship_marksman.png)Character: Long-range precision specialist. The ship looks like a rifle. Narrow body with a prominent forward prow extension — a scope protrusion pointing at the target.
Base polygon (M0):
Prow tip: (32, 0) ← the scope protrusion at very top of cell
Prow base: (30, 8) to (34, 8) ← 4px wide prow joins main body
Body top: (28, 10) to (36, 10)
Body bottom: (24, 54) to (40, 54) ← narrower base than H-Series
Engine: (32, 46)The prow is the defining feature: a 2px wide protrusion sticking up 6px above the main body. It should look like a barrel or scope.
M0:
#7a8090 fill (slightly cooler than #8b8fa8)#2dd4bf at (30–32, 20) — cockpit position indicator#e8eaf0 highlight on the very tip (top 3 pixels)#42A5F5, 2px wide, 3px tallM1:
#2dd4bf running down the left edge of the prow from y=0 to y=8M2:
#2dd4bf symbol at (28–31, 16–18)M3:
#2dd4bf at (31–32, 0–1)ss_ship_phantom.png)Character: Phase-shift specialist. The ship looks like it's not entirely here. Its visual identity is deliberate translucency — a ghost of a ship. Same basic kite shape as the Vanguard but rendered as if partially phased out.
Base polygon (M0): Same as Vanguard: (32,6) (48,52) (32,44) (16,52) — but the rendering technique is different.
Transparency technique (pixel art method):
#7a8090 and transparent#7a8090Phantom offset (M1+):
#7a8090 at 30% opacity (simulate by using lighter pixels: replace every other pixel with transparent in a regular dither pattern)M0: Basic checkerboard edge dither, no offset copy yet M1: Add the 2px-right offset ghost copy M2: Offset copy becomes more pronounced (less dithered, clearer) M3:
#e8eaf0 and transparent pixels running around the entire hull outliness_ship_striker.png)Character: Sustained fire specialist. Multiple weapon vents visible along the hull sides — it looks like a ship that was designed around its weapons, with the hull built to accommodate them. Forward-leaning aggressive stance.
Base polygon (M0):
Nose: (32, 5)
Right edge: (46, 54)
Engine: (32, 46)
Left edge: (18, 54)Slightly wider than the Marksman, slightly narrower than the Vanguard. Forward lean achieved by making the nose pixel at y=5 rather than y=6.
Weapon vents (the defining detail):
#2a2d36 (very dark, near-black but distinct from outline)#555972 "lip" above it (the vent housing)M0: Vents dark/empty. Teal dash at cockpit position. M1: Vents still dark. Hull gets minor detail lines. M2: Vents get 4 per side (add one at y=44). Veiled teal mark at upper hull. M3:
#42A5F5 (firing glow)C-Series ships are Coalition-Veiled joint designs — the best of both, hand-assembled, premium. Darker hull: #606472. Both lime AND teal accents at M2+. These are end-game ships and should look visually more refined and complex than H or V Series.
ss_ship_apex.png)Character: The balanced end-game ship. Wider, more refined than H-Series. Pentagon silhouette — five sides, symmetric, but with more visual mass than the simpler kite shapes.
Base polygon (M0):
Nose: (32, 4)
Right shoulder: (46, 22)
Right base: (42, 54)
Left base: (22, 54)
Left shoulder: (18, 22)This pentagon shape gives it a distinct silhouette from every H and V ship.
M0: Clean, dark hull #606472, highlight #8b8fa8 on upper sections, shadow #3e4050 on lower.
M1: Minor panel detail lines added at shoulder joints.
M2:
#2dd4bf marks at both shoulder joints (46,22) and (18,22)M3:
#c8f542 line from y=8 to y=44 along x=32#c8f542 ring (3×3 px circle outline at the engine mouth)ss_ship_resonator.png)Canvas: 320×128 px (5 columns: M0 / M1 / M2 / M3-A / M3-B) M3-A and M3-B are two alternating animation frames for the engine pulse effect.
Character: Sustained damage amplifier. The ship looks like a musical instrument as much as a weapon. A visible resonance ring encircles its mid-hull — a 1px partial arc suggesting the resonance field it generates.
Base polygon (M0): Same as Apex pentagon but slightly more slender at the base.
Resonance ring (M1+):
#2dd4bf at M1, #c8f542 at M3M3-A / M3-B engine pulse animation:
#555972 detail pixels for #8b8fa8)ss_ship_singularity.png)Canvas: 320×128 px (5 columns: M0 / M1 / M2 / M3-A / M3-B) M3-B represents the "Event Horizon" fully stacked state.
Character: Slow devastator. The heaviest ship. Thick shoulder geometry dominated by weapon mounts. Hexagonal-ish silhouette.
Base polygon (M0):
Nose: (32, 5)
Right shoulder: (50, 20)
Right side: (52, 50)
Bottom right: (32, 56) ← flat bottom
Bottom left: (32, 56)
Left side: (12, 50)
Left shoulder: (14, 20)The flat bottom and wide hexagonal cross-section distinguish it immediately. It's the widest ship in the game.
Weapon mount details (M0+):
#3e4050M3-A: Standard M3 appearance M3-B (Event Horizon stacked):
#e8eaf0 and #c8f542 pixels running around the outline (just inside the black border)All trails are drawn just below the ship hull. Center them on the engine nozzle position.
M0 trail: 2px wide, 3px tall
Core: #42A5F5 (blue)
M1 trail: 2px wide, 4px tall
Core: #42A5F5 (bright blue)
M2 trail: 2px wide, 4px tall
Core: #FFD600 (yellow)
Edge: 1px #FF8F00 each side = 4px total width
M3 trail: 2px wide core + 1px halo each side = 4px total, 5px tall
Core: #FF5722 (red-orange)
Halo: #c8f542 (lime, 1px each side of core)Apply to every ship, every mark tier:
#000000 lines cutting through the hull#8b8fa8 pixels in the mid-section with #6a6e7a (slightly washed out version)For each ship, verify before export:
#c8f542 does NOT appear on M0, M1, or M2| Series | Feel | Hull color | Distinctive detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| H-Series | Military, functional | #8b8fa8 blue-gray |
Simple kite/arrowhead shapes |
| V-Series | Exotic, Veiled influence | #7a8090 cool gray |
Teal #2dd4bf accents from M1 |
| C-Series | Premium, joint-built | #606472 dark gray |
Both lime + teal, most refined silhouette |
The progression from H → V → C should feel like: practical tool → specialized instrument → masterwork.