Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Titan on March 08, 2008, 07:54:37 pm

Title: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 08, 2008, 07:54:37 pm
made this animation for the game, dont know though, anything wrong with it?

(http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/2302/trebusheanimatedxe8.gif)
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: ndchristie on March 08, 2008, 08:17:27 pm
i think your arm is going a bit too far, here is a good illustration: http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/astro/courses/egr111/trebuchet.jpg .  If it actually moved in as complete and arc yours does, it would most likely break.  This is not a fantastic diagram though, as it forget the release mechanism.  i'll sketch.

also, i dont know what you want to do about this, but a trebuchet doesn't automatically reset, it needs to be drawn back into position by guideropes and secured.
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 08, 2008, 08:31:30 pm
i think your arm is going a bit too far, here is a good illustration: http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/astro/courses/egr111/trebuchet.jpg .  If it actually moved in as complete and arc yours does, it would most likely break.  This is not a fantastic diagram though, as it forget the release mechanism.  i'll sketch.

also, i dont know what you want to do about this, but a trebuchet doesn't automatically reset, it needs to be drawn back into position by guideropes and secured.

aha your right, it should stop in the vertical position...

and i think im still gonna have an automatic reset because in the game all trebuchet will do is keep shooting rocks, until someone brakes it.
thanks man
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: basara on March 09, 2008, 12:05:52 am
Lovely animation :)

A little detail: The counterweight is being drawn behind the planks of wood in the base :0

(http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/5908/nitpicknd5.png)
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: sharprm on March 09, 2008, 07:17:58 am
Some more inconsistencies: the stick's length changes ie when it begins it has a bit sticking to the right of the pivot point, but at the end it doesn't have that same bit. Also, the width of the stick should not change. ie. in that frame basara posted, its one pixel high, but in the first frame it is two pixels high.

About the design of the trebuchet, having that counterweight (a wooden box filled with rocks) suspended by a rope seems unlikely. I'm no engineer, but I a doco I saw on trebuchets they had the counterweight attached to the arm using wood. I wonder if its on youtube (I saw it on tv). The rocking forward that you have shown was reduced by having the trebuchet on wheels. That doco would be great to see the timing of the rocking. I believe your timing would be wrong. The mass of the rock they are flinging will be very small compared with the mass of the counterweight, so I don't think its release would be the cause. Instead of rocking it forward when releasing the rock it should rock forward as the counterwieght goes back (centre of mass should be conserved). Last frame projectile's velocity is inconsistent.
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 09, 2008, 07:01:42 pm
Thanks for all the critiques mates, heres the newer version, i fear its turning more as a catapult than a trebuchet -

Static -
(http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2347/trebushestandingao7.gif)
Moving -
(http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/1268/trebushemovingud6.gif)
Fire -
(http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6458/trebusheanimated2vq0.gif)
Reload -
(http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7614/trebushereloadingxc6.gif)

Feel free to critique again : D
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Atnas on March 09, 2008, 07:13:29 pm
Man that is loads better. Moving animation... Doesn't look like it's moving, though. Maybe have some way to indicate the wheels are moving?
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 09, 2008, 07:24:38 pm
Man that is loads better. Moving animation... Doesn't look like it's moving, though. Maybe have some way to indicate the wheels are moving?

ahh but ofcourse i forgot about the wheels lol

thanks mate
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: basara on March 09, 2008, 09:45:21 pm
Perhaps you could make the wheels have a little bigger radius, that would let you show more detail in them while moving. Plus if its going to be moving in a medieval era geography it would probably have to go through some bumpy terrain.

Maybe :0
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 09, 2008, 10:44:47 pm
Perhaps you could make the wheels have a little bigger radius, that would let you show more detail in them while moving. Plus if its going to be moving in a medieval era geography it would probably have to go through some bumpy terrain.

Maybe :0

true...

but look at this image

(http://www.civfanatics.com/images/civ4/warlords/trebuchet_ca.gif)

isnt the size of the wheels small?

but yeah ill see if the big wheels look better
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Atnas on March 09, 2008, 11:08:05 pm
There's a thought. Just put a 2 pixel line on the surface of each wheel that rotates when it moves.  :crazy:
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Larwick on March 09, 2008, 11:11:20 pm
I believe the wheels are too small in comparison to the reference, especially since some exaggeration will be needed to show the details you want.
Great lil animations so far, good luck!
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: ndchristie on March 09, 2008, 11:32:34 pm
the animation now is nonsensical but very fun.  the wheels could be half a pixel larger i think and brighter as a compromise:

(http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08111/treb294.gif)
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: ludamad on March 10, 2008, 12:26:09 am
Very nice, but how is the string even holding the rock?
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Atnas on March 10, 2008, 12:28:07 am
Velcro. And is pure black a good color choice for the rope?
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 10, 2008, 06:48:05 am
the animation now is nonsensical but very fun.  the wheels could be half a pixel larger i think and brighter as a compromise:

(http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08111/treb294.gif)
ah very nicely done Adarias, im gonna use your wheels if you dont mind : D

many thanks

Velcro. And is pure black a good color choice for the rope?

yeah man kinda think about it... it should be kinda brown a little, i will probably look a lot better

thanks
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Crow on March 10, 2008, 04:06:27 pm
ah very nicely done Adarias, im gonna use your wheels if you dont mind : D

Please dont do it this way. Use the basic idea (outline), but dont just copy & paste.
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: .TakaM on March 10, 2008, 04:36:52 pm
I don't think it's such a big deal, we've all probably placed those exact pixels before

especially considering it's such a minor and beneficial edit, it would be a shame for him not to be allowed to make the wheels like that because it was in an edit
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Titan on March 10, 2008, 04:41:56 pm
ah very nicely done Adarias, im gonna use your wheels if you dont mind : D

Please dont do it this way. Use the basic idea (outline), but dont just copy & paste.

its just a few pixels... which will probably look the same if i try to edit it
Title: Re: TREBUCHET - animation
Post by: Atnas on March 10, 2008, 07:12:26 pm
Shouldn't the bars going | vertically | on the rectangular base have some thickness on the ends? I think I can see where you tried to do it, but I can't really tell because there's not enough contrast. Maybe the more desaturated value you used on the diagonal bars would work, I'm not sure. It just doesn't feel very 3D there.