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Contributing Sprites

Overview

This repository provides helper scripts and documentation to manually maintain the default sprite collection located in sprites/pokemon/. Our goal is to provide a complete set of "Gen 5 style" (Black & White) sprites for the entire National Dex.

This initial version of the maintenance workflow focuses specifically on:

  1. Auditing the sprites/pokemon/ folder for missing assets.
  2. Synchronizing with Smogon community spreadsheets for Pokémon with IDs 650+ (National Dex entries beyond the official Gen 5 games).

Missing Sprites Tracking and Smogon Synchronization

1. Identifying Missing Sprites

Script: scripts/check_missing_sprites.py

This script identifies which Pokémon or forms are missing from the sprites/pokemon/ directory.

  • Data Sources: It references pokemon.csv and pokemon_forms.csv from the PokéAPI database.
  • Logic: It checks for the existence of four primary assets for every entry:
    • Front (Default & Shiny)
    • Back (Default & Shiny)
  • Output: Missing entries are logged in missing_sprites.csv to track our progress toward a 100% complete National Dex.

2. Synchronizing with Smogon

Script: scripts/smogon_download.py

Since official Gen 5 sprites do not exist for newer Pokémon, we source community-made assets from Smogon. This script automates the download and renaming process.

Filename Mapping

Smogon uses a shorthand naming system. The script (utilizing logic from renameSmogon.sh) translates these into the PokéAPI structure:

Suffix Sprite Type Example
(None) Front Default 100.png
s Front Shiny 100s.png
b Back Default 100b.png
sb Back Shiny 100sb.png
g Gigantamax 100g.png
_1 Variant/Form 100_1.png

3. Mandatory Manual Verification

The Smogon source data is community-maintained and contains known inconsistencies. The scripts do not handle these automatically. Contributors must manually review and correct the following:

Known Data Quirks

  • Orientation Swaps: Some filenames are reversed in the source.

    • Example: For Blastoise, 009_2.png is often the Back sprite despite being labeled as a front variant.
    • Action: Verify the image visually and ensure it is placed in the correct directory.

  • Duplicate Variant IDs: Different forms may share the same numerical suffix in Smogon spreadsheets.

    • Example: Both Hoenn Cap and Partner Cap Pikachu may use _8.
    • Action: Cross-reference with the spreadsheet context and manually rename files to match their unique PokéAPI form IDs.

  • Form Mapping: Ensure variants (e.g., _1, _2) are correctly mapped using forms.json. If a new form is added, you must update forms.json manually.

How to Use

  1. Check for gaps: python scripts/check_missing_sprites.py
  2. Sync Smogon assets: python scripts/smogon_download.py
  3. Manual Fixes: Review the downloaded files against the "Known Issues" above and correct names/folders manually before submitting a PR.