Need help to animate character

[kriss]

Hello

I worked recently on my hero sprite and i'd like to have some critics about arm movment
there are 3 positions for head and hammer (1 hammer position need to be polished)

I try to make the shoulder move to front and after  back
I suppose i should move some pixel from the steambag to simulate the light in a piece of steel in movment.

The point bother me is about the light and shadow for the cap : i don't really have clue to start and if the cap should "jump" in the head
I don't know if i should make the face move right and left so we'll see a 3/4 face sometime



Ps: you should see boots from 1st frame are differents : i just start to make boots less complex with same colors as the hero

This run cycle will be use as normal move for the hero : he can run or stop (no walking cycle in game)

Many thanks by advance

UPDATE :

[Perihelion]

I can't see the images. Maybe try rehosting them?

[kriss]

i used to post link from dropbox, so i added a link from photobucket

[hsn2555]

nice character, but I guess it is going to take you a lot of time to animate since the guy is holding a lot of stuff.

question : is he holding the hammer vertically or horizontally ?

[kriss]

Thanks hsn2555 ^^
It's not a problem to take time for this game ^^

He's suppose to take hammer verticaly to move and use it like war hammer to hit/smash the foes in current position
- you can reverse the weapon to fire like a gatling or beam cannon

[PixelPiledriver]

This is pretty rough:


I'm have other stuff to do at the moment so no time for extensive text or diagrams.
Here's some thoughts:

- Cut the arm/hammer bounce occurrence in half.
With some tweaking it can be made to look like a sway instead of a bounce.
It makes it appear as he is running with the objects weight the same way he'd be using his arms if he were to be holding nothing.

- Don't be afraid to hack him up and make a mess.
Focus on space and motion and do cleanup on later passes.
If you are using layers it will help you do this more cleanly instead of chopping it up like I did.

- The spacing was very even for most parts.
Weight the spacing to the ends, or another choice, to create more visual interest.

I didn't change a lot of stuff like the steam, machine, hair, hat, etc.
But they could use some work as well.
I can type some more stuff later if you remind me.

[kriss]

Thanks a lot for the edit !

so you added 2 frames 10 -> 12 frames : is it something vital for the animation? it's true i'll have lot of animations with 4 frames (shoot, jump), but i thought it won't be a problem.

the movement is more like little jump now : i can't say if it's better but the running cycle seams more dynamic this way, like a soldat running with his package ^^

[PixelPiledriver]

the movement is more like little jump now : i can't say if it's better but the running cycle seams more dynamic this way

Both walks and runs have up and down movement.

When walking both feet will contact the ground before the back foot lifts to move forward.
At least 1 foot is always on the ground.
Dude walking - 1:12

When running there is a moment when both feet are off the ground.
This is where the little jump comes in.
Unlike a walk this is the highest point of the cycle.
Dude running - 5:30



When running really fast the up and down motion is reduced.
Dude running crazy fast.

Youtube time links have been acting weird lately so if the links don't skip ahead then you'll have to go to the time manually.

so you added 2 frames 10 -> 12 frames : is it something vital for the animation?

I added 1 frame each step when he leaves the ground to give him more time in the air and to weight the space of his feet.

Yours:


Mine:


The extra frame lets him move up one more time.
And the feet move only slightly from frame 2 to 3.
This slows down the foot and lets it move more quickly as it crosses over to the front, adding more variation to the motion.

[kriss]

Helm i don't know how many time you take for your rought but i pasted lot of time just to copy your style 

so this is the new run cycle : it seams pretty similar as yours
i need to polish some colours and the hammer


Thanks a lot Helm 

[Helm]

(PixelPiledriver is not I, though I often times would wish that wasn't the case)

[kriss]

OMG    i don't know why his avatar remind me you ...

My apologies and all my thanks to PixelPiledriver 

[Parkerbaby]

Around here Helm is like a God and it is natural to want to (unconsciously) attribute some fortuitous events to him. Like saying "Praise be to Jesus"
Thankyou Helm, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
 

About the run cycle: while I'm generally not in favor of head-turns and those are often used to fix the 'static-head disease,' I think some things could be done with it. In the few frames of the reference it seems at some stages of the run cycle his head has a tendency to incline toward the ground. Whether that's just because he's looking at something, idk, but in any case some head bobbing/ angle changing might help the run cycle.
If it's too difficult or makes it look worse, don't worry about it.

Also, there's some banding on his arm.

[kriss]

Now i'm working on all others stances : this is the mode change between hammer mode and shot mode


Maybe a bit quick, I learnt a lot with the Sword swing motion blur post 

[PypeBros]

shouldn't arms be crossed after such a move ?

[kriss]

i edited too late ..

i added some hammer poses but i don't think it's help the animation...


about the arm crossing, you're right.. i need to change some frames..

[kriss]

edit : the hammer is "fixed" to the steambag so the hero can keep balance



the 180° weapon move, bother me a little because there is a "flash" between face and weapon
his left arm have some anatomic problem 

[kriss]

Here some updates with litle adjustment

I tried to add some head movement, maybe it's not enough !
I'm thinking of finish the design: maybe add white/grey gloves ? he's a mechanician so it should be and important part of his design
In "fire mode", the weapon is attached to the steambag to keep balance and less the weight, so when he run, this weapon follow the steambag movement.
It may be too rigid but i don't know if it can be improve

[kriss]

I'd like to have some advice about the max colors i use :

the original sprite have too many colors, so i tried to reduce to 27 colors ! (maybe too many again ?!)

I added grey gloves and let him show his arms.
in the third picture i show some problems i have : hair color is not same as the global ramp color so it's 1 color added for few pixels
the right leg is very bright because i try to not add color !



Thanks by advance for c & c

PS : something strange i picked only 24 colors but it seams they are 27 when i want to transform into indexed file !

[kriss]

it's been a while, i managed to change a little the design because the previous character didn't really match with an humoristic game (the face was too angry and not enough "fun")

so i changed some elements (shading / details and other)
I removed some dithering and try to make a plain steel/metal  weapon




if someone has some clues about a good smoke ...

thanks by advance

[Pix3M]

How I personally do smoke is similar to what I do for fires or anything else that isn't quite solid matter. Normally, objects should keep keep a consistent volume during an animation. I suggest flipping that rule on its head for smoke.

[Mitharu]

Here's a quick example I whipped up:



It's only 3 frames but I hope it gets the idea across. First time trying out smoke effects so hopefully it's a decent example of another way you can go about it.

[kriss]

I  think I can use a little smoke instead of big one : i don't want player's eyes focused on this smoke and not on the game itself

I started the animation but it feels weird....


more tests later, many thanks for all your help

i tried an other face, maybe more fun, and in same time more mature (i don't want a child as hero  )

[Pix3M]

I  think I can use a little smoke instead of big one : i don't want player's eyes focused on this smoke and not on the game itself

I started the animation but it feels weird....


more tests later, many thanks for all your help

i tried an other face, maybe more fun, and in same time more mature (i don't want a child as hero  )

Take a close look at the paths of motions for some of the clumps. It feels like I'm looking at powder that's getting pulled down by gravity. Steam/smoke does not work this way. Due to it being hotter than the surrounding air, they will move upwards.

I also suggest bunching these particles closer together since smoke is not powdery.

[VinceBetteridge]

I wanted to try my hand at some smoke and went for a slower puff / chamber fire.



I hope this gives you some ideas.

[kriss]

@Pix3M: you're right, i'll take this animation for lava ground
@VinceBetteridge : very usefull try! thanks



i took exemple on smoker : http://spritedatabase.net/display.php?object=4060

I hope this smoke is good enough ^^

[Shrike]

It's much better, but now I'm getting the impression of soap bubbles. I'd suggest a bit less rotund qualities to it, and maybe make the smoke shoot out farther from the character.
you also may want to take another look at his arms, they're freakishly long compared to his legs. Looks like they'd go down to his knees if they were lowered.
Overall, looking very nice! Very unique, and I like the style. Great use of colors and shading.

[kriss]

Thanks a lot Shrike 

i made some weapon change to use it properly as hammer:
I changed the freakly arm too 

this is a pretty rough animation, based on the sword motion blur post !
I try to keep 12 frames (there are 13 frames here because i added 1 as initial pose)
Maybe it will be hard to keep only 12 frames if i want a smouth animation ... (when the attack finished i need at least another frame to move hands...)

[Southend_boi]

[Shrike]

@Southend_boi:
I like your edit. It adds some nice impact.

It's usually helpful to include some information with an edit, explaining what you changed and why that's a good thing, etc.
Just saying. It's courteous to explain your work a bit.
Looking good, kriss! I'd try to make the motion a bit more specific. Either hold the sword up longer for a bigger slam down, or make it more of a sweeping blow. Every motion should have some character, and you need to decide the weight of this tool your character has. Just make sure it's the way it is for a reason, not just because that's how you happened to do it.
Great work!

[kriss]

Southend_boi nice edit !

@Shrike: the hammer should be heavy. I understand the need to hold the hammer in air to prepare a big shot but i'm fear the action could be too low when you try to smash enemy : if you can't hit when the mob come to you it's useless.
To be clear it's an action  shooting  platform with also chain combo 

Many thanks for all your help !
news soon !

[kriss]

Here new version of hammer attack :

i tried to lower the hammer's speed at the highest point !