AuthorTopic: [WIP]Sprites for a game  (Read 24658 times)

Offline jbeave

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #40 on: April 03, 2010, 03:29:27 pm
I've already seen that, it helped me get what little I do have. But I still want to keep my run around 6 frames, if GBA games can pull it off I'm sure I can eventually.

@Mathias: How would you fix it if it were your sprite?

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Offline ndchristie

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #41 on: April 03, 2010, 03:39:10 pm
Suprised no one has posted this yet  :o It's a commonly used animation reference around pixelation  ;D

I like to think it's because people have recognized that the top example is static, sloshy and weightless (with a few "catches" too, when the elbows go back mostly) and the bottom run is some jerky monty-python-meets-adam-sandler skit where the guy walks funny while punching himself in the face.  Not a total failure for an animation but absolutely not the sort of thing we should study as an exemple.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2010, 03:40:54 pm by ndchristie »
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Offline Mathias

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #42 on: April 03, 2010, 04:07:38 pm
Perhaps you can post a better running anim example, nd. I for one would love to see what you come up with.

jbeave, I think it's your frame timing. Your char's movements are fluid enough, but the limbs all go the same distance in each frame - look at the 12 Frame Run Cycle posted above, look at the arm closest to us, the light blue one. It swings downward on frames 3, 4, 5 & 9, 10, 11. The rest of the time it's up - the arm doesn't cover the same amount of distance in each frame. There's "easing" occurring.


This ball bounce frame sheet is the same way:  (not mine)




Do you see?

Offline Mush

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #43 on: April 03, 2010, 08:06:56 pm
Quote
@Mush: At first glance I thought that would solve all my running problems but that did not help me AT ALL. It's a nice example but I didn't learn anything from it, besides arm and leg movement. Plus it's like 10 frames long, and I'm trying to keep mine around 6.

I'm glad I'm here to help. :y:

Mush, you need torso rotation in that anim.

There is torso rotation, if you look closely. I guess I need to make it more readable.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2010, 08:12:08 pm by Mush »

Offline Lizzrd

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #44 on: April 03, 2010, 11:04:32 pm
On paper it is, but if you look colosely, you can see  that the arms are static at the shoulder.
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Offline Mike

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #45 on: April 03, 2010, 11:29:59 pm
Here is a little something I whipped up.

In retrospect I shouldn't have made the text change every frame  :-\ but hindsight is 20/20 and all that

I expect all of those who need this to save it and look at it frame by frame I guess  :lol:

Anyway here it is



1. I always start on the in air pose when I work on a run cycle because I feel it's a the best place to define the style and flair.

2. When you have a 6 cycle run you really only have 3 frames in order to get the run readable.  Because of that you need to combine frames.  For example normally after the in air pose the sprite hits the ground and that's the contact pose and then it goes into the taking the weight pose.  The contact poses grounded foot stays at an angle so you can feel the weight better when you get to the taking weight pose.  The taking weight poses downed foot is as flat as can be which shows the weight better.  Anyway frame 2 is the contact + taking the weight pose combined  Oh and this pose is really important because it's used to show the pendulum type movement of the arms.

3. And frame 3 acts as the High point and the passing.  This is where the arms pretty much stay the same even when on frame 4.

One last piece of advice it's probably not a good idea to move the head forward at all during the run cycle I accidentally did it here and was too lazy to fix it sorry  :(

I'll probably make something better than this later on.

One more very important thing

I think the lower amount of frames you have for a run the lower amount of space you can get away with between shapes.  (I did not follow this rule as you can see HAHA...oh dear)
« Last Edit: April 03, 2010, 11:34:16 pm by Mike »

Offline jbeave

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #46 on: April 04, 2010, 02:58:12 am
@Mathias: I'm a little confused. Should I give it more "bounce" then? Or do I just need to slow a few frames down in the animation to give off a bounce effect?

@Mike: I honestly don't see a difference between mine and what you posted. But I appreciate that little bit of info you gave me, very helpful.

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Offline Mike

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #47 on: April 04, 2010, 05:34:05 am
I don't even know how to respond to that...if you can't see it then then...I don't know man.  I suppose I'll just point out the exact differences.

here goes!

1. And this is big!!  You say this is a run yeah?  Well normally in a run in order to differentiate from a walk both legs need to be off the ground for at least one frame.  In yours only one leg is off the ground so it's more like a fast jog.  Or actually it's more like unrefined http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racewalking

2. He never spends a frame with his foot planted firmly on the ground.  Without this it looks very uncomfortable and you never really get that feel that he planted his foot.    This will make it look bad when running across a moving background.

3. The feet don't really run in any sort of smooth arc.  It's very jump especially from frame 6 to 1 and frame 3 to 4.  The jump you make there is too great and it doesn't read well.

4. Frames 1,2 and 3 have different head heights from their counter parts 4,5 and 6.  Fixing that will be immensely noticeable.

5. The feet that slide on the ground should be evenly spaced each frame otherwise it's going to look off on a moving background.

6. The arms kinda move without real sense.  I don't understand why his arm goes straight in frames 1 and 3.  It looks very unnatural.

7. The timing of the arms is very very jerky and inconsistent between the front and the back.  The front one has some arc issues and forced movement.  It never really has time to be read.  You can achieve that by slowing out of the arm movement.  Living things rarely move lightning fast like that without some sort of build up.  This is most noticeable on frames 2 to 3 and frames  5 and 6.  Actually 5 to 6 to 7 makes no real sense with the front arm movement.

Here's a leg edit

  Hope that helps more than my previous attempt

Offline jbeave

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #48 on: April 05, 2010, 02:51:53 am
Mike, that's a lot more helpful. I can totally see what you meant now, I can't believe it was something so simple. :P I'll work on the arms now, instead of them being straight I should make them bend inward a little more, right?

I felt like adding more of a personality to his hair today, I think doing this will help me give off that "power" effect I was wanting in the attack animations.



C+C on the hair?

Edit: And what's the deal with Firefox making animations faster than normal? I can't tell if it's a mistake on my part or Firefox.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2010, 02:53:37 am by jbeave »

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Offline BwdYeti

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Re: [WIP]Sprites for a game

Reply #49 on: April 05, 2010, 04:54:18 am
It's not a mistake, Firefox plays gifs closer to correct speed (frames faster than 2cs are slowed). IE and some other browsers won't play frames faster than 8 or 10 or so cs, and previews in animation programs are usually a little slow since they have to render the frames.
It seems you did notice the idle is currently a little fast; it's not a major problem but you could try slowing it down or adding another frame or two and seeing which you like best.

That idle animation is currently 41 colors, is this a problem with creating the animation or with the original sprites?