AuthorTopic: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running  (Read 13352 times)

Offline [Friends] Ro$$

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[C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

on: June 22, 2016, 02:04:18 pm
I recently started doing pixel art again! I've been working on this little guy's sword slash. Any critique would be great! The colours and detail are still a bit rough, I'm trying to get the animation working first.

I have also been working a little bit on the running animation and thought I'd look for some critique.



In game:


Previous Slash versions:
V1:
V2:
V3:
V4:
V5:
V6:
V7:
V8:

Previous Running versions:
V1:
V2:
V3:

Thanks for the comments  ;D
« Last Edit: August 23, 2016, 08:21:06 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline Double7

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Re: slashing sword

Reply #1 on: June 22, 2016, 02:20:32 pm
I really like this animation and would really have to knit pick and just stir up suggestions to really give any critique. I wish I could slow down the animation to make sure, but I think that the left leg (for the player) is missing the white that the right leg has throughout the animation. It makes it look like it is slightly a different style on each leg. Also on the last frame the pants lack any of the colors used for the belt/pockets.

Other than that there isn't much about the animation that I can find, very well done OP.

Offline [Friends] Ro$$

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Re: slashing sword

Reply #2 on: June 22, 2016, 04:57:46 pm


Double7:Thanks :D I should have specified that the actual detailing is fairly rough for now - I'm trying to make sure the animation is good before I detail everything. Good catch though!

I've done a slight update - widened the tail of the slash and made it last a bit longer.

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Re: [C+C] Slashing Animation

Reply #3 on: June 28, 2016, 04:31:43 pm
Added a second hit to the slash and changed the tail of the first slightly

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C] Slashing Animation

Reply #4 on: June 28, 2016, 05:59:39 pm
I think the second slash is still a bit confusing, it looks like he's spinning the weapon all the way around his body because it doesn't follow the same arc as the first hit.
Motion trail makes the swing sequence look like a circular motion.
I'd have it do sort of an uppercut or a mid-level poke to fix that, the former leads into a launcher attack for air combos while the poke would be a good variation from swinging and could also serve as a knockback attack.
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Offline [Friends] Ro$$

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Re: [C+C] Slashing Animation

Reply #5 on: June 29, 2016, 02:14:01 am
MysteryMeat: Thanks for the critique! Do you mean that it looks like rather than coming back around on the same side as the first swing, it's actually gone around his body again?
Shouldn't the swing be in a circular motion, as the blade traces a half moon approximately from his left shoulder to his right foot?
I'll get working!

edit: Tried to address the swing and added a few more frames at the end to make it loop
« Last Edit: June 29, 2016, 12:04:23 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing Animation

Reply #6 on: June 29, 2016, 05:32:14 am
its a bit hard to describe, at a glance it looks it, if viewed from above, would be the zelda spin slice.
to fix it, i' m saying have the sword move upwards along the path the downswing took or make the second part a stab motion.
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing Animation

Reply #7 on: June 29, 2016, 04:02:14 pm
Hm I see what you're saying! It feels less natural to slash up the same arc though. (I've spent lots of time in my kitchen using a spatula as a sword trying to figure this out) I wonder if there's a way to change that without altering the path of the swing too much.

Also here's a couple of gifs of how the slashes look in game. I have also included the running animation, as it looks like it may need some work!

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #8 on: June 29, 2016, 07:20:10 pm
Here, I managed to find a few good examples of what I'm thinking
https://youtu.be/gIIlNtdoSAQ?t=148
if you skip to about 2:30 you should see the upwards slash, though looking at gameplay videos of soulcalibur and the Berzerk game(s?) might be helpful too for that big chunky anime-sword type deal you seem to be going for here!

As for the running animation, it feels like a sped-up jog, there's not enough follow through on his steps to really make him move that fast.

Right click video, 'copy video url at current time'. Updated your link - Atnas
« Last Edit: June 30, 2016, 01:23:47 pm by Atnas »
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Offline hapiel

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #9 on: June 29, 2016, 10:35:11 pm
6 frame run cycles are hard! But not impossible.
I recommend you use this image as a guide, only look at the odd numbered frames


The important moments are:
The first connection with the ground, this one is kinda present in yours but not very extreme
The release, the last connection with the ground. This one is not to be found in your animation
The jump position. The odd numbers from this guide would suggest that it is also possible to leave it out, and go with a mid contact position instead, but I'm not sure how well that would work with 6 frames.


I tried to do a quick fix on your run, but there is little I could do quickly without redrawing the whole thing from scratch

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #10 on: July 11, 2016, 02:44:47 pm
Thanks a bunch both of you! That's very helpful. I've been trying to get the running animation to work, but I haven't had much success (also really busy with grad school for the past couple of weeks). I was also messing around with the slash animation, trying to add some weight to the hit because I feel like it doesn't have very much. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to do this?
« Last Edit: July 17, 2016, 03:39:19 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline [Friends] Ro$$

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #11 on: July 16, 2016, 09:52:53 pm
I finally got some time to work on this! I tried to take your advice, and came up with this new running cycle. I'm not opposed to using more than 6 frames either. It's still very rough, and I mostly focused on the legs and the relative position of the arms. How does it look?
« Last Edit: July 16, 2016, 11:55:57 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #12 on: July 16, 2016, 10:36:54 pm
Very jittery, I'm not quite sure what you were trying for with how the head moves but it's distracting from the overall animation.
There's definitely more of a sense of urgency to it though with how the legs are moving, I think if you were to staple the new legs onto the old animation it'd give him kind of a stumbling run which might look good for a kid character like this.
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Offline [Friends] Ro$$

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #13 on: July 16, 2016, 11:47:32 pm
That's not a bad idea mysterymeat! Yeah the head is very rough, I worked mainly on the legs
Edit: Whoops just realized I uploaded the wrong version of it. Here's a better one with more frames. The head is still a mess and the arms look a bit off
« Last Edit: July 16, 2016, 11:57:44 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #14 on: July 17, 2016, 01:03:27 am
looking better for sure, maybe a tick faster to really sell it.
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #15 on: July 17, 2016, 03:44:45 pm
damn it, you got me to google what q-tipping your cat is! Thanks! Here's a sped up version

I moved the step in the attack one frame forward, I think it may have solved the weight issue I was having. What do you think?
old: new:

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #16 on: July 17, 2016, 10:34:42 pm
Still a bit jibbly, but it's getting closer RE: the run animation! Try to stabilize the various bits just a bit more.
As for the swing, my original complaint that it looks like it's circling his body still stands. Might help to widen the trail to cover his face more on the second swing to compensate.

Also, I'm glad people are paying attention to my terrible terrible userflair haha
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #17 on: July 20, 2016, 01:10:53 pm
The swing around the body issue will be the next thing I tackle! I've been procrastinating since it will probably take a good bit of reworking/rethinking to get right.
I tried to remove the jigglies from the running animation. How do you think it turned out?

Offline Clockfeet

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #18 on: August 07, 2016, 03:00:18 pm
The animation feels so satisfying  :). The things I would note as a problem are as follows
A:The transition between sword swings and running. I think that from a gameplay perspective there should be a dash attack as well as an idle attack because losing so much momentum after running sucks from a gameplay perspective. I'd reccomend an overhead swing onto the enemy
B:How fast the Character is going on the stage and how it transitions from the walking animation (Seems good so far but I haven't seen a bigger screen perspective)
C:The expression of the Character as they swing their sword. The characters body language seems angry and savage while the character seems so innocent and calm. Perhaps an angry expression would make it better?
D:The swing makes very little physical sense The motion swing goes to the left of the Characters body but leaves the motion trail in front of the head. Also, The character doesn't swing around and yet does a full body swing? Normally the fight hand would get caught. That's why I think it'd be better for the sword to be swung alternately. If one sword animation happens the other one happens next. That way you can keep the animation realistic and fluid.

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Jumping

Reply #19 on: August 08, 2016, 05:02:16 am
The animation feels so satisfying  :). The things I would note as a problem are as follows
A:The transition between sword swings and running. I think that from a gameplay perspective there should be a dash attack as well as an idle attack because losing so much momentum after running sucks from a gameplay perspective. I'd reccomend an overhead swing onto the enemy
B:How fast the Character is going on the stage and how it transitions from the walking animation (Seems good so far but I haven't seen a bigger screen perspective)
C:The expression of the Character as they swing their sword. The characters body language seems angry and savage while the character seems so innocent and calm. Perhaps an angry expression would make it better?
D:The swing makes very little physical sense The motion swing goes to the left of the Characters body but leaves the motion trail in front of the head. Also, The character doesn't swing around and yet does a full body swing? Normally the fight hand would get caught. That's why I think it'd be better for the sword to be swung alternately. If one sword animation happens the other one happens next. That way you can keep the animation realistic and fluid.
Thanks! :)
A: That's a really good point! I will try to play around with something like that. I will attach a gif of what it looks like in game currently.
B: Yeah I was doing this pretty blindly. I've edited the running animation a little bit to make match the current running speed in the game.
C: This is a good idea as well. I was trying to make him look like there's a real weight to the weapon and that he had to throw around his body weight in order to be able to use it because he's just a small kid.
D: If I understand you correctly, what I was trying to emulate with the swing was first a swing from the left of his body to the right, then him swinging back from the left to the right, so the blade should pass approximately across his face. Similar to the 'light  slash' in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPZ1O4erecU&t=4s

Although if this is not the way people are seeing it then I definitely need to work on this!
I tried using a darker colour for the sword to indicate when it's on the left side of his body versus when it's on the right. Did it help fix the problem?

Thanks a bunch for the feedback!

I've also updated the running animation a bit
« Last Edit: August 08, 2016, 05:20:13 am by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #20 on: August 08, 2016, 07:04:17 am
No, not really. Try to tweak the motion trail, it's still following the same path as the previous one and it's confusing to the eye.
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #21 on: August 08, 2016, 12:43:28 pm
No, not really. Try to tweak the motion trail, it's still following the same path as the previous one and it's confusing to the eye.
I think I finally see it! I was trying for a long time to actually figure out what the problem was because I could not see it at all. The issue is that the arc of the second slash continues the arc of the first and makes it look like the Link sword spin, I gettcha! I tried to change it a bit in a couple of ways, do any of them help?

1.

I thought that maybe an intermediate frame in the second slash was causing it so I took it out

2.

3.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2016, 01:43:03 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #22 on: August 08, 2016, 09:53:47 pm
No, not really. Try to tweak the motion trail, it's still following the same path as the previous one and it's confusing to the eye.
I think I finally see it! I was trying for a long time to actually figure out what the problem was because I could not see it at all. The issue is that the arc of the second slash continues the arc of the first and makes it look like the Link sword spin, I gettcha! I tried to change it a bit in a couple of ways, do any of them help?

1.

I thought that maybe an intermediate frame in the second slash was causing it so I took it out

2.

3.

EXCELLENT work! #2 & 3 fix the problem, though there's a slight judder between the frames you removed now I think it adds to it, makes swing 2 feel faster and more forceful! 10/10
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #23 on: August 09, 2016, 02:21:27 am
EXCELLENT work! #2 & 3 fix the problem, though there's a slight judder between the frames you removed now I think it adds to it, makes swing 2 feel faster and more forceful! 10/10
Thanks  ;D! I thought a lot about what was causing the issue and I think it's that the slashes happen at the same speed so they look continuous. I think #2 is what I'm going to go with. I'm glad! They were quick mockups so I'll polish #2 when I get some time

Offline HarveyDentMustDie

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #24 on: August 10, 2016, 07:04:31 pm
I think that you have two unnecessary frames at the beginning of first swing which make animation slower and take away the force of the swing.

Simple edit:

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #25 on: August 13, 2016, 04:40:10 am
I think that you have two unnecessary frames at the beginning of first swing which make animation slower and take away the force of the swing.

That's a really good point! I tried to keep the animation a bit smoother by keeping in the frames and shortening their duration. Do you think it works, or should I remove them entirely?
« Last Edit: August 13, 2016, 04:53:02 am by [Friends] Ro$$ »

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #26 on: August 13, 2016, 04:22:49 pm
Keep it! It's much better this way.  :)

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #27 on: August 13, 2016, 06:14:22 pm
Now you've made second step slower which also slowed down the action. It's all up to you and what you aim to get but I think that to suggest force, actions needs to be strong and short, recovery from action can and usually should be slower but action itself not. But don't get me wrong more frames make everything smooth and appealing so you need to find balance between number of frames and how fast actions should appear.

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #28 on: August 14, 2016, 04:33:42 am
Keep it! It's much better this way.  :)
Thanks ;D
Now you've made second step slower which also slowed down the action. It's all up to you and what you aim to get but I think that to suggest force, actions needs to be strong and short, recovery from action can and usually should be slower but action itself not. But don't get me wrong more frames make everything smooth and appealing so you need to find balance between number of frames and how fast actions should appear.

That's a good point. I've done edited it a little to make his foot hit the ground faster. Does this fix it?
Yeah that tradeoff makes sense. I definitely see how I could end up just adding more and more frames because everything looks smoother without actually capturing the force of the actions I'm trying to portray.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2016, 04:35:34 am by [Friends] Ro$$ »

Offline Tuna Unleashed

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #29 on: August 14, 2016, 05:06:09 am

some simple adjustments to the timing can add a lot of tension and weight
« Last Edit: August 14, 2016, 05:38:10 pm by Tuna Unleashed »

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Re: [C+C][WIP] Slashing and Running

Reply #30 on: August 19, 2016, 01:16:37 pm

some simple adjustments to the timing can add a lot of tension and weight
Oh wow! Tweaking the frame lengths make this look way better. Thank you!
The frame lengths are a bit weird because I'm constrained to whatever the person programs the game thinks would be the most fun. I'm going to see if we can find a nice middle ground.

Here's a gif of what the animations look like currently in the game.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2016, 08:20:23 pm by [Friends] Ro$$ »