Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: mozzy on November 28, 2008, 06:12:21 pm

Title: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 28, 2008, 06:12:21 pm
Ok this is probably the worst I've ever done.
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/crap.png)
It's supposed to be a jumping animation, but I can't for the life of me get the frames right.
Of course this isn't the actual sprite, this is just a skeleton type of thing, I want to get this right before I do the actual sprite.
Edit:
Heres how it looks animated (I left out the bending down frame because that wouldn't work to well in a platforming game)
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/UglyJump.gif)
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: NaCl on November 29, 2008, 01:16:00 am
Hey guy it's not too bad. I'd keep the nearer leg from kicking back like that, it looks like he is scissor kicking. Right now, get up and jump off something, and see what your legs do. On your falling frame, the guy does not look lke he is getting ready to impact the ground, he looks like he is joyfully floating.  If he was moving forward and going to land, hed probably keep his feet forward, and maybe together.

If that doesn't look right, then maybe just extend the leg that he didn't jump off of. So basically, he pushes off with his nearer leg, and his other leg bends up towards his chest to shift his weight off the ground. Then he comes down extends the other leg (the one he didn't use to push off the ground) to catch himself. I really want to make an edit and help figure this out, but I'm on a laptop in Mendocino, the little touch pad is no good for pixeling.

Good luck.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: TrevoriuS on November 29, 2008, 05:48:51 pm
What you lack mostly, is anticipation. He now jumps out of thin air, as if his toe-tips are strong enough to launch him up like that. What hee needs to do is duck down, bend the back, the knees, everything. Lower the center of gravity and then boost it up. It's the very basic principle of a bouncing ball. It ducks in, then stretches out and reaches for the sky, and when it lands it flattens again.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: NaCl on November 29, 2008, 06:04:40 pm
hey Trevor I think that'd look like a really good jump, but it's kind of difficult to execute in a platformer, because right when the player hits the jump, they want to be airborne. If there is a delay as the initial jump animation plays, it may irritate the player when the game feels unresponsive. If you just play it anyway, then it will look weird as they are crouching and such in the air.

Maybe you can get it to work, but I never have been able to.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: TrevoriuS on November 29, 2008, 06:30:43 pm
You can kind of cheat here to keep the delay a minimum. When standing still, delay is absolutely no problem. When running, you can make him duck in 1 or 2 frames, and the releasing/stretching happens less intense, as you let the character go up already, so the stretch is exegaratted by the movement, and should therefore be less intense in the sprite to keep balance. Really, after 4 or 5 jumps the player will be used to the delay if it is small enough. He won't notice ;)
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: Raytheon on November 30, 2008, 12:14:12 am
His leg seems to kick back oddly, and he needs to bend his back and arms when he bends down and then straighten them when he jumps.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 30, 2008, 01:13:24 am
Yeah, Nacl is right. While bending down would be better, it simply would be too annoying and laggy. I'm trying to make the controls as tight as possible.
Thanks for the good crits so far, it really helps. Do you guys know of any good refrences (other than myself jumping, which would look rather silly in a game)
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: Mike on November 30, 2008, 01:39:01 am
The duck down technique is used to good effect in Super Smash Bros Brawl.  When characters are about to jump they anticipate for at least 2 or 3 frames(which is pretty fast at 60fps)  The jumps happen pretty quickly with unnoticeable delay.  When you want to jump you jump.  Also for falling they have a ducking frame again, which can be canceled immediately if you move, attack, or jump again.

I fell without the anticipation you lose that springy feeling that jumps should have, plus animations can go a long way to immersing a player more.  Even for something small like a crouch before the jump.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 30, 2008, 02:12:04 am
Alright then.
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Jumpbendover.gif)
Ofcourse it will be a lot faster when the jump is added, but am I on the right track?
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: I Am Uh on November 30, 2008, 02:20:10 am
Wow, that's much better. just add another leg and make him jump!
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 30, 2008, 03:48:59 am
(:
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Jumpcomplete.gif)
How's it coming along so far?
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: TrevoriuS on November 30, 2008, 11:37:23 am
It'd be cool if you make him pull in his legs at the top of the jump, and let him fall a bit faster after that. The jump feels slightly weightless, so he fights against gravity, at the peak his legs fly on a bit and you also get this squashed effect but in the opposite direction, and then suddenly gravity pulls back down, at greater speed than he initially went up. That's generally how a realistic jump works, and if you're going this far in the motion and jump height, you may want to go overboard in expressing these events and create a bit of a cartoony style.

PS: (replying to deleted message /jad) balls01 -> if you really have nothing to add more than penisses, just stick to watching the images ¬¬
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 30, 2008, 01:39:02 pm
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Jumpcomplete-1.gif)
Added the legs pulling in and exaggerated the landing a bit.
I didn't want to the falling frames faster because they are already the perfect speed, any faster then the player won't have as much control over the jump. This is a platforming game after all, so its kind of important.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: TrevoriuS on November 30, 2008, 03:08:33 pm
It already feels more natural and with more weight, so if you wish to stick to the current motion I think you're good to go.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: NaCl on November 30, 2008, 05:13:45 pm
This new jump looks excellent, I feel. Good work.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: Quake on November 30, 2008, 06:35:44 pm
Is the gun his hand? it seems to be, like it doesn't move and just stays in the same position. Maybe add a bit of a tilt when he jumps or something.

Really awesome, btw.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 30, 2008, 06:39:19 pm
Thanks (:

About the hand, I want to keep it pointed forward because he can still shoot when he jumps.
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: Mike on November 30, 2008, 08:48:25 pm
You can animate exactly how it is going to move in the engine?  Or are you shooting for something like that?
Title: Re: Jumpy (Animated)
Post by: mozzy on November 30, 2008, 09:16:56 pm
I'm not sure at the moment, but it will probably be pretty what you see here (well this is just the skeleton so not really but eh..)