Generate2dsprite

Generate2dsprite

Use this skill for self-contained 2D sprite or animation assets.

When a larger game or playable prototype needs sprites, use this skill for the visible sprite assets and keep runtime/game assembly separate. Do not replace requested sprite assets with code-drawn placeholders.

Parameters

Infer these from the user request:

• asset_type: player | npc | creature | character | spell | projectile | impact | prop | summon | fx
• action: single | idle | cast | attack | shoot | jump | hurt | combat | walk | run | hover | charge | projectile | impact | explode | death
• view: topdown | side | 3/4
• sheet: auto | 2x2 | 2x3 | 2x4 | 3x3 | 3x4 | 4x4 | 5x5 | custom_grid | strip_1x3 | strip_1x4
• frames: auto or explicit count
• bundle: single_asset | unit_bundle | spell_bundle | combat_bundle | line_bundle | hero_action_bundle | engine_atlas
• effect_policy: all | largest
• anchor: center | bottom | feet
• margin: tight | normal | safe
• art_style: pixel_art | clean_hd | pixel_inspired | retro_pixel | map_style | project-native
• reference: none | attached_image | generated_image | local_file
• layout_guide: none | optional | recommended
• prompt: the user's theme or visual direction
• role: only when the asset is clearly an NPC role
• name: optional output slug

Read references/modes.md when the request is ambiguous.

Agent Rules

• Decide the asset plan yourself. Do not force the user to spell out sheet size, frame count, or bundle structure when the request already implies them.
• Do not pack unrelated actions into one raw generated sheet just to satisfy a 4x4, 5x5, or custom engine atlas. A raw generated sheet should represent one action family, one continuous sequence, one canonical directional locomotion sheet, or one prop/asset pack.
• For controllable heroes, main characters, and high-value player assets with multiple actions, generate separate per-action grid sheets first, QC each action, then deterministically assemble the engine-required atlas only after the grids pass visual review.
• For controllable heroes, main characters, and high-value player body actions, default attack/shoot/cast body sheets to body-only. Do not include large slash arcs, muzzle flashes, projectiles, impact bursts, detached dust, long trails, or wide detached FX in the body sheet. Generate those as separate fx, projectile, or impact sheets and layer them in the game.
• Only include wide attack FX in the same raw body sheet when the target runtime explicitly supports wider per-action cells plus per-action origin/anchor metadata. Otherwise, a wide FX bbox will force the body to shrink inside the fixed cell.
• Write the art prompt yourself. Do not default to the prompt-builder script.
• Use built-in image_gen for every raw image.
• Do not create raw sprite art with Three.js, Canvas, SVG, HTML/CSS drawing, PIL shape drawing, procedural geometry, placeholder primitives, or code-rendered screenshots. Runtime code may display finished generated assets, and scripts may make layout guides or postprocess generated images, but requested sprite art must originate from built-in image_gen.
• When the user provides or implies a visual reference, use built-in image edit/reference semantics only after the reference image is visible in the conversation context. If the reference is a local file, call view_image first; do not rely on a filesystem path in the prompt as the visual reference.
• Do not force pixel art when the asset is a map prop for $generate2dmap or when the user/project requests a different style. Match the map or reference style first.
• Use the script only as a deterministic processor: magenta cleanup, frame splitting, component filtering, scaling, alignment, QC metadata, transparent sheet export, and GIF export.
• Do not use scripts to generate the creative image prompt. If a legacy prompt-builder command exists, treat it as historical compatibility only, not the normal skill workflow.
• Layout guides are allowed only as deterministic geometry references for image generation. They may show slot count, spacing, centering, and safe padding, but must never define the creative art direction.
• Treat script flags as execution primitives chosen by the agent, not user-facing hardcoded workflow.
• If a generated sheet touches cell edges, drifts in scale, or breaks a projectile / impact loop, either reprocess with better primitive settings or regenerate the raw sheet.
• Do not use raw single-row sheets such as 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, or 1xN for characters, players, controllable heroes, creatures, NPCs, enemies, summons, animated props, or any asset where a body/subject must stay centered. Single-row raw generation is too likely to drift horizontally and crop inconsistently.
• For animated body assets, use a multi-row grid by default: 4 frames -> 2x2, 6 frames -> 2x3, 8 frames -> 2x4, 9 frames -> 3x3, 12 frames -> 3x4 or 4x3, 16 frames -> 4x4.
• If a game engine needs a final single-row strip or mixed atlas, first generate and QC the action as a multi-row grid, then assemble the delivery strip/atlas deterministically.
• In every animated body grid prompt, require the subject body to stay centered in each cell, full body inside the central 60% to 70% safe area, consistent scale across cells, stable feet/bottom anchor line when applicable, and no limbs, weapons, hair, capes, dust, muzzle flashes, or detached FX crossing cell edges.
• For hero attack body prompts, explicitly require body height and body scale to match the accepted idle/run sheets, stable feet/bottom anchor, weapon kept close enough to avoid widening the body bbox, and no detached slash arc or screen-space attack effect.
• For map prop packs, classify props before choosing a grid. Square 2x2, 3x3, and 4x4 packs are only for compact props. Do not put platforms, floors, bridges, walls, ladders, gates, doors, long hazards, wide/tall props, collision-bearing objects, or tileset/strip pieces into square prop packs; use one-by-one, 1x3/1x4 strips, custom wide cells, or a tileset-like atlas instead.
• Keep the solid #FF00FF background rule unless the user explicitly wants a different processing workflow.

Workflow

1. Infer the asset plan

Pick the smallest useful output.

Examples:

• controllable hero with four directions -> player + player_sheet
• side-view controllable hero with idle/run/shoot/jump -> player + hero_action_bundle
  • idle grid sheet, usually 2x2 for 4 frames
  • run grid sheet, usually 2x2 or 2x3 depending on needed frame count
  • shoot grid sheet with body/weapon only, usually 2x2
  • jump grid sheet, usually 2x2
  • projectile / muzzle flash as separate assets when needed
  • optional assembled engine atlas after per-action QC
• side-view controllable hero with melee attack -> player + hero_action_bundle
  • attack body grid sheet, usually 2x2 or 2x3, body-only
  • slash arc / weapon trail as a separate fx sheet when the attack needs a wide visual effect
  • impact spark as a separate impact sheet when hits need feedback
• healer overworld NPC -> npc + single_asset or unit_bundle
• large boss idle loop -> creature + idle + 3x3
• wizard throwing a magic orb -> spell_bundle
  • caster cast sheet
  • projectile loop
  • impact burst
• monster line request -> line_bundle
  • plan 1-3 forms
  • per form, make the sheets the request actually needs

2. Write the prompt manually

Use references/prompt-rules.md.

Choose art_style before writing the prompt:

• Use pixel_art or retro_pixel for classic sprites, 16-bit RPG actors, and requests that explicitly ask for pixel art.
• Use clean_hd for map props or assets intended to match clean hand-painted HD maps.
• Use pixel_inspired only when the user wants a pixel-adjacent look without retro chunkiness.
• Use map_style or project-native when an existing map, game, or reference should define the style.

If a reference is involved:

• Make the reference visible first. For local paths, use view_image; for freshly generated references, rely on the image already shown in context.
• State the reference role explicitly: preserve identity/style, create an animation sheet for the same subject, create an evolution/variant, or derive a matching prop/FX.
• Preserve the stable identity markers from the reference: silhouette, palette, face/eye features, costume marks, major accessories, and material language.
• Let only the requested action or evolution change. Do not redesign the subject unless the user asks.
• Still require exact sheet shape, solid magenta background, frame containment, and same scale across frames.

Keep the strict parts:

• solid #FF00FF background
• exact sheet shape
• same character or asset identity across frames
• same bounding box and pixel scale across frames
• explicit containment: nothing may cross cell edges

Mixed-action atlas guardrail:

• Do not ask image_gen to generate unrelated action rows in one raw sheet, such as row 1 idle, row 2 run, row 3 shoot, row 4 jump, for a controllable hero or main character.
• Do not ask image_gen to generate raw single-row action strips such as 1x4 idle, 1x4 run, 1x4 shoot, or 1x4 jump for a controllable hero, character, creature, NPC, enemy, summon, or animated prop.
• If an engine needs a combined 4x4, 5x5, custom atlas, or row-strip delivery format, generate the action grids separately, process and QC them separately, then assemble the delivery atlas deterministically.
• Exceptions are canonical directional locomotion sheets, one continuous long action sequence, prop packs, tileset-like atlases, and low-stakes compact enemy combat sheets. These still need one coherent prompt and visual QC.
• Keep projectile, muzz

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