32x52 RPG character help

[CharlesGabriel]

Hi everyone,

I'm recently designing an RPG character template, I want to have your take on the walking animation... so far only one pose has been done, which is the 3-framed down position animation.



The finished template and the characters will then be available as a Creative Commons license, so anyone can use it for in any RPG project. We're talking about me making a huge amount of characters. Please, give me your take, as this is one of my most important work that will ultimately benefit people in the sense of having more free graphics for them to use. The shades will be 3 colors and then 1 for the outline of each part, so it will be easily editable.

Also, I can't increase the # of frames for the characters, it's only 3 so it will be compatible with programs like Rpgmaker XP and VX, and then anyone else can use it in their own engine.

Thanks in advance.

[Corinthian Baby]

Is this a girl or boy? Can't tell if those are over-sized pecks or static breasts. Anyways, in terms of the animation there is a lack of depth issue. It looks like the feet get smaller and bigger instead of receding into the z axis and then jutting out again. The same thing is going on with the arms, in that they kind of sway side by side but don't recede and come in.

The best way to fix this, is to use darker colors when it's in back and brighter colors when it's more towards the front, and change the size instead of shift around as it is now. Also right now the character's steps are about 2 pixels only, given the size of the character, they would have to take bigger steps.

[CharlesGabriel]

Is this a girl or boy?

No... it's a pokemon!   

Jokes aside, it's a boy. Funny enough, you might have a point actually... I will fix that hair to avoid any confusion.

Can't tell if those are over-sized pecks or static breasts. Anyways, in terms of the animation there is a lack of depth issue. It looks like the feet get smaller and bigger instead of receding into the z axis and then jutting out again. The same thing is going on with the arms, in that they kind of sway side by side but don't recede and come in.

The best way to fix this, is to use darker colors when it's in back and brighter colors when it's more towards the front, and change the size instead of shift around as it is now. Also right now the character's steps are about 2 pixels only, given the size of the character, they would have to take bigger steps.

I agree with you on some of your points, but the chest... I like it the way it is as of now. This one character won't be wearing anything on the top, but most of the characters will be wearing armors and other types of clothing.

[HughSpectrum]

My edit:



This isn't a fully comprehensive edit, mostly just an animation one.  Entire arms move instead of just the forearms flailing in ways they can't bend.

Since you likely aren't willing to animate the torso turning slightly when you walk, I just pushed the arms a couple of pixels past the body to give the impression without actually animating the torso.  Of course, I actually do animate the upper arm and shoulders based on rotation, but you can easily just plaster shoulder pieces of clothes or armor onto them.

I shaped the hands to be more like hands.

The legs, while I didn't do the best job at this, are animated more like an actual walk instead of the feet just shuffling like he's trying to build up static electricity on a carpet.

Other comments: I cut a pixel of thickness off of his thighs.  They were giving the impression of wide hips that were contributing to making him look like a woman.  Still change the hair and possibly the eyes too and save the current head design for a different character that is self-conscious about his/her appearance.

Ideally you'd have the wrapping on his arm on both arms, so that you save a bit of time when making the side animations.

[Froli]

Please try removing the over emphasis of the chest lines! because right now it, it looks like breasts. 

[CharlesGabriel]

KittenMaster= Thanks a lot for the edit.

Froli= Yeah, you're right... I agree with Corinthian Baby after realizing that they do really look like breasts haha.

I'm still messing up with the animations, so I will update the images later today (taking a nap even though my account is on). However, here's a small fix on that character, and also a basic 1 frame image of the template.

[Reo]

Pecs are still way too pronounced IMO

[CharlesGabriel]

Reo= Thanks. Check this out...



Fixed the chest a little... I didn't eliminate much, what do you think though...?

And to everyone= How am I doing so far on the animation?

[Hawk]

I thinks you are doing great progress!

One thing though, I can see that you fixed the animation on his legs, so when his feet is behind, it gets darker and smaller, you just have to do the same when his feet is at the front xD Make it a brighter because of light exposure with brigther colors, and ajust a little the lineart to make it bigger, so the feet seems closer to the viewer.

KittenMaster's edit shows what I mean pretty well (and, of course, what he meant xD)!

Besides that, the arm's getting better. You could just move it all more, not just from the elbow down.

Keep up the good work!

[HughSpectrum]

The main thing to note about my edit is really the foreshortening, more than color changes.

The animation has improved a bit, but you're still not moving the biceps of the arm for some reason.  It's making it look like an action figure whose biceps and shoulders got stuck and the most fun you can have is turning the forearms.

As for the leg movement, when a leg is moved back, the other leg does not move closer, meaning that the character is literally sliding on one foot during certain frames.