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.