Palette swap
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The palette swap is a practice often used in video games, whereby a graphic that is already used for one element is given a different palette so that it can be reused for other elements. The different palette gives the new graphic a unique set of colors, which make it recognizably distinct from the original. It is commonly used to distinguish between first and second players, for creating visual hierarchies, and for making visually distinct areas for the levels in the game. For example, in the first Super Mario Bros., Luigi (the second player character) was a palette swap of Mario (the first player character); Koopa Troopa enemies were palette swaps of each other; the underground levels contained palette swaps of all enemies, power ups, coins, and bricks.
One reason for palette swaps is to save memory. In earlier computer gaming, when cartridges were the main storage medium and memory capacity was both scarce and expensive, the same sprites could be used over again by only changing their palette.
Because of palette swaps, an object needs not to be redesigned from scratch but rather can be implemented by using an old object. This saves both production costs and development time.
Sometimes palette swaps are used to signify a character's status. For example, in the Mega Man games, Mega Man has different palettes depending on which weapon he is using. Another example from Super Mario Bros. is that when Mario or Luigi gets a fire flower, he will get a palette swap to show that he has the fireball power.
This is a very common technique used in many RPGs, such as the Final Fantasy series and the Phantasy Star series, to increase the number of monsters to fight. Typically, a palette-swapped enemy contains a strength or ability which is greater or different from that of the preceding differently colored creature. As games have moved to 3D, this is often enhanced by changes in textures, patterns, or the addition of extra features. In Tales of Symphonia, for example, humanoid enemies are usually given entirely different sets of clothing.
In many fighting games such as Mortal Kombat, multiple characters have been created from a single set of sprites by applying a different palette. Some examples from the Mortal Kombat series are listed below:
- Male Ninja - Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Smoke, Rain, Ermac, Noob Saibot, and Chameleon.
- Female Ninja - Kitana, Mileena, Jade, and Khameleon.
- Cyborg or Robot - Cyrax, Sektor, and Smoke.
A similar technique, called the head swap, was used in games such as the early Street Fighter series and even relatively recent titles, such as Unreal Tournament 2004. Characters such as Ryu, Ken, Akuma, and Dan all have similar or identical styles, and their sprites typically differ only in the color of their gi and small differences such as their heads, hands, or sleeves. Almost all fighting games, however, allow different costumes of playable characters, partially to differentiate between two players using the same character.
A more general term for the technique is "recolor." Within the sprite comic and pixel art communities, recolors are looked down upon as amateur work, requiring little or no effort.
