Pixelation
Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: mozzy on June 29, 2009, 11:06:35 pm
-
You know that when I come here, I'm absolutely desperate for help c:
Tossing his gun in the air (colors got screwed here)
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Menagunsling.gif)
Shooting
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Menashoot.gif)
(Piet's edit)
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/2713/menashootpietedit.gif)
On a Rooptile (Kangaroo-reptile cross)
(http://www.iaza.com/work/090629C/menaandJun1890215055-iaza.gif)
And the one I'm have trouble with, running.
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Menacanrun.gif)
Oh, and would any of you guys happen to have a reference of a Kangaroo hopping in GIF/frame by frame form? Can't find any.
-
I don't have any GIF references, but most animations I've seen have them bounce just like giant rabbits. I did find this though, as the tail factors in - http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/kangaroo-hopping1.htm (http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/kangaroo-hopping1.htm)
To stabilize that motion, the kangaroo's sizable tail acts as a counterbalance to its hind feet. If you watch a kangaroo hop in slow motion, you'll see the tail moves down to meet the feet almost in midair. As the marsupial lands, the tail raises. By transitioning from that horizontal position, when the feet are on the ground, to being quasi-vertical, the tail's downward thrust helps propel the kangaroo up. This counterbalance effect is similar to what happens when you ride a see-saw.
-
(http://www.baudoin-lebon.com/upload/oeuvre/BL22537HL.JPG)
Sorry for the size. It's the best I could do.
The image is from Animals In Motion by Eadweard Muybridge. Pick up your copy today!
-
Oh thanks so much guys, that really helps.
Hows this? Not going for ultra realism, just the basic concept of how the Roo can jump.
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Juncanjump.gif)
Also, any help on the running anim? Can't seem to get it right.
-
I think you can make it a little bit better by making his arms wobble a bit, to make them less static.
-
I think his tail should be off set a bit more. Add another frame for the lowest point maybe. It feels like his tails is being moved consciously as opposed to by gravity.
-
I like the characters a lot and the
kangaroo Rooptile mount is an epic idea. Mounts are great for giving a character new characteristics.
Can you only fire the gun while standing still or will you add a run cycle where with a gun and if so, how do you plan to handle the recoil and the light effect?
I had this problem myself and "solved it" by making all hand guns energy based without recoil. The other way would be to draw a bunch of additional frames which looks really cool but is a bitch to work with.
A nit pick, but you made the character hold the gun in two different hands but if you're going to use mirrored sprites for left and right movement I guess you still will be right half of the time so it's no biggie at all.
-
Thanks, I agree, I love games that allow you to ride animals/mechs/etc., adds to the experience so much.
I think I'm gonna make it so that he can only shoot while standing still, but to compensate for that, its going to be very fast and powerful (His gun will be changed to something a bit more fancy)
He's right handed, but for the mount, I thought having the gun visible is more important than consistency d: Its not a big detail but oh well. I can't be bothered to make two directional sprites for everything.
-
Come and watch the kangaroos near where I live, I see about 20 on the way home from work at night standing at the curb and hopping around :yell:
-
I'm not certain what problems you have with the current run animation, looks pretty ok for a standard cartoon-ish run cycle. But if you want it too be more realistic you shouldn't really lift the legs up so high, more than just being unrealistic it also means the difference between frames is too much and leads to a choppier animation.
take a look at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Muybridge_runner.jpg
-
I'm not certain what problems you have with the current run animation, looks pretty ok for a standard cartoon-ish run cycle. But if you want it too be more realistic you shouldn't really lift the legs up so high, more than just being unrealistic it also means the difference between frames is too much and leads to a choppier animation.
take a look at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6b/Muybridge_runner.jpg
Rototyping looks bad alot of the times because the camera won't select proper contact frames.
-
hello.
i have a problem with the tail on the roopter (hope i got spelling right). me, im a jurassic park fan, i watched the raptor. thier tail's, static. not ad dangling. sice its for balance, and as an australian. i see a kangaroo almost every day, and they use thier tail for the exact same purpose.
so yeah the crit: its unbalanced
-
Agreed. Seems like the tail should be springy, not floppy.
-
Come and watch the kangaroos near where I live, I see about 20 on the way home from work at night standing at the curb and hopping around :yell:
I would like to watch the kangeroos.
(http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/3531/roojumpy.gif)
Compiled raw's animation sheet, blew it up 2x and of course colored it hypnotically. Too bad it's frames are incomplete.
-
Nice, Mathias - that looks almost complete. It's only the tail movement which throws off the animation stitching at the very beginning imho.
The tail on the current animation definitely seems floppy and in there for being pretty, rather than being vital to movement. Might be better slowing the animation slightly?
-
Thanks guys!
Yeah, this isn't the most realistic thing ever (but then again, a rooptile isn't real either d: )But it gets the job done I suppose.
Much thanks to Kinnas' edit.
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s268/mozzymuradyasin/Juncanjump-1.gif)
-
Rototyping looks bad alot of the times because the camera won't select proper contact frames.
I assume you mean rotoscoping, I wasn't suggesting that he copied that run, just a visual representation of what I meant by lifting the legs too high.
Slightly off topic as your a bit far into animating to change it. I just think that for any movement animations in games you should turn the character to a straight side view, I always find it harder to animate on an angle, and it just doesn't look quite right in motion. I think it ads a lot of awkwardness to your animations, its kinda like you have to choose between anatomical correctness and proper direction in the movement, I mean yours look great as are, and would look fine in movement, they just wouldn't be right, like keeping your torso at an angle to the direction your moving is just gonna throw you off balance, and it affects the animation in that it makes it look like he's running slightly towards us. Obviously there's a lot of other problems that come with putting him full side view in a game environment, as in its somewhat inconsistent, but you could just keep the head facing us.
But its not like its game or animation breaking, just something that you may want to think about if you keep having trouble with the run animation.
-
Well, actually, I did it at this angle because all my other sprites are side view and I got bored with them. Really, I just wanted to challenge myself. I'm not even sure this is really gonna be a game.
-
Side view doess seem to be easier to get anatomically correct for movement, animation and can look less awkward, but I keep seeing in RPGs and the like it seems characters are done from a slight angle regardless. I don't know why - is it so you can give them a little more character, because side-views are boring?
-
Angling sprites for platformers has it's benefits.
Changing direction from left to right is a much lesser shift than a pure side view sprite, is much smoother and usually doesn't require turning frames.
Much easier to avoid the repeating silhouette effect that plagues a lot of side view sprites.
The view can accommodate more character.
I'm really liking your sprites, only thing I think you need to be careful with is your rooptile's "run anim".
It can be pretty tricky when dealing with a run anim that is essentially a series of small jumps, I assume he'll still control as if running, just with the appearance of hopping?
I'd suggest making his legs a little out of sync and alternating (left- right, then right- left) so he shifts his weight to his side accordingly (edit- skipping basically :P), or maybe go for a raptor like run cycle.