Jumping Pumpkin C+C

[cheatsguy]

I made this pumpkin as a low-level mook for my RPG game. he has 4 animation cycles.
Sprite Sheet:



animations:






all intented to be viewed at 2x zoom. C+C welcome!
Also, what should I call him? (puns on jack-o-lantern or pumpkin are preffered)

[Grundy]

If i do cartoon like animations i always compare body parts with bouncing balls.
If a bouncing ball hits the ground and the kinetic energy cannot press it down any further (because of opposing force) then that energy flows on to the side. This makes the ball not only smaller in height but also broader in width.



Your pumpkin is only smaller in height when it hits its low point.Try making it broader at that moment too.
If you think that a pumpkin does not have the same physical values of a rubber ball; WB,Pixar,Disney etc animate their rocks, bowling balls and people with the same methods.
Success guaranteed.

[cheatsguy]

The only problem with expanding him is set enemy sizes. He's already 16 wide at the beginning of the animation, giving him nowhere to go. Should I make him less wide or should I let limitation trump realism?

[Grundy]

For me it's not about realism. It's a jumping pumpkin!
The mimicking of the rubber ball adds dynamic more than realism.
Whatever we call it. I think that indeed, it should not be trumped by an easily overcome limitation.

I always give my base sprites some margin within the sprite dimension. So if i have a 64x64 sheet. My character would be 60.
This way i can have some some for extra animations.

So yeah. make it smaller, Or make the box larger.
Succes!

[cheatsguy]

quick update, I sped him up and made him flatten on landing. new size 18x16:

i'll do the other 3 animations later.

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

For a pumpkin with that much motion it would need to jump much higher. If you want it to stay at that same height then make it jump faster.

[yrizoud]

Here's an edit:

I tried to apply some of the "principles of animation" as I remember reading them in some guides.
A bouncing ball is a classic animation exercise.
See how the deformation follows movement with a slight lag. It's not realistic for a solid pumpkin, but 'feels right'
I gave a more parabolic move by letting all three images "at top" have the same height (well, almost).
I also remember that the last falling frame before getting contact with the ground is visually very important, don't hesitate to exagerate the deformation as if the pumpkin was anxious to bump into the ground.
My edit still has a problem of noise/instability in the right and left edges (as if the borders vibrated), it would require further fixes.