Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: xbogx on August 26, 2008, 09:19:06 pm

Title: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: xbogx on August 26, 2008, 09:19:06 pm: (http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk1.gif)

i'm having trouble with this. do the hands look weird? the feet? should the head move? should i use more frames?
also my attempt at shading looks bad i think

all your crits are welcome. thanks
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: missingno on August 27, 2008, 01:55:42 am: I definitely think that the head should move in some way. it seems very static and the way it's so immobile looks incredibly boring right now.

it's hard to do a walk cycle from this angle because the form isn't instantly recognizable as human. because of that i hink that you might want to exaggerate things, especially in the legs and the feet.

i think that more frames would help as well. it would give you an oppurtunity for a smoother and more subtle animaton.

don't know what else to say right now. i'm know there's definitely more but i'm having a hard time putting it into words. other people around here are a lot better than i am. good luck.
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: xbogx on August 31, 2008, 10:15:30 pm: new version: (http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk12.gif)

i've added two more frames(it's 6 now) and changed the arms and legs a bit. do you think they look all right now?

i don't really know what to do about the head. i tried moving it back and forth one pixel but it looked really weird. i could try turning the head sideways but that seems unnatural since he's supposed to move in the direction pointed by the player. maybe just the hair should move somehow?
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: nw15062 on August 31, 2008, 10:41:45 pm: You should do a slight shift in the head every so many frames by maybe a shift of one pixel width over, so it looks like his head is not a static image.

otherwise it looks good.
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: samw3 on September 01, 2008, 01:03:44 am: the shoulders typically shift a little bit left and right as well, and the head should nod a bit left and right too, not just move.

Here is a youtube animation of a front angle walk cycle (i couldn't find a top one). It's very exaggerated, but maybe you can see what I'm talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXmpirInEBk&feature=related
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: xbogx on September 01, 2008, 10:00:02 am: ok i've tried some shifting:

(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk13.gif) shifted the head 1 pixel
(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk14.gif) shifted the whole body except the legs 1 pixel
(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk15.gif) shifted the whole body except the legs by one and the head by two

the second one looks best to me, what do you think?
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: xbogx on September 02, 2008, 10:21:30 pm: i chose the second one

(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk16.gif) hands bigger
(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk17.gif) hands bigger and shorter

do these look any better to you?
Title: Re: need help with top-down walk cycle
Post by: d13f00l on September 06, 2008, 10:23:00 pm: Quote from: xbogx on September 02, 2008, 10:21:30 pm
i chose the second one

(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk16.gif) hands bigger
(http://fwt.txdnl.com/6-10/b/o/bog/pixelart/topwalk17.gif) hands bigger and shorter

do these look any better to you?

I like that a lot, and I think it will look really fluid sped up just a tad. Is it missing a frame where the feet are all the way extended? They seem to snap back. Can't you dupe the frame before that?