AuthorTopic: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects  (Read 7401 times)

Offline heyguy

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[C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

on: January 25, 2017, 03:50:06 am
Hello all! I'm creating a Metroidvania game on Android and PC with NES color limitations. Currently I'm creating the main characters run cycle and a bunch of other sprites (enemies, explosions, effects). Imagine the game taking place in a Star Wars/ Cowboy Bebop/ Metroid type universe. I'm aiming for a "realistic" NES art style, similar to Shatterhand, Batman, Ninja Gaiden and NES games. I've created a tumblr blog recording my game development process.

higherai.tumblr.com

Would appreciate any feedback and input. So the main character is a robot/android with a weapon for a hand, Metroid-style. 6 frames. I have a sketch of the character but this is my first attempt at recreating it in pixel form. It will have a face and the sprite will be red or purple. The player has to be able to shoot forward while moving. I might have drawn and animated him a bit too large/big boned. The orange animation flows more natural to me but the torso is too forward leaning I think. What does everyone think?




I've created one enemy so far. It's a non lethal vacuum cleaner robot. It just sucks up air and the character and moves around. I've created an idle/move animation (bouncing antenna), the mouth opening animation, open mouth and sucking animation and an "air sucking effect" animation but it that one is not done yet. I've also created a large explosion for repeat explosions on massive robot enemies.





All critique would be very helpful! Thanks everyone!

edit: slight update for the run


« Last Edit: January 25, 2017, 06:09:08 am by heyguy »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #1 on: January 25, 2017, 06:41:57 am
I'd say original-blue with the arm on the gun-arm for stability looks nicer, orange certainly has a better gait to it and I'd try to tweak the leg movements especially.
For the vacuum machine, I'm not sure how cartoonish you want to get but some distortion along the mouth of the vacuum could add some clearer suctiony looks to it. Would look silly though.
Explosion is too uniform and stable, try having it dissipate into puffs of smoke or something, study explosions from other games for ideas!
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Offline heyguy

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #2 on: January 25, 2017, 09:50:32 am
Thanks as always MysteryMeat! So I decided to use to lower weapon stance since the game won't have a crouch. The problem with the lower weapon stance I think is that you can't really see the other arm stabilizing the weapon. Seems pointless to animate. Will experiment with it though.



I've made lots of changes to the legs . I've made the back arm a little more expressive too. I think the arm is swinging correctly in terms of the leg gate, right? I've tried to make all 6 poses as unique as possible. I'm feel I'm getting closer to the correct proportions.  I've created art for an idle stance now too. It's just an early WIP but it flows well with the run cycle animation in Construct 2. Is the overall animation too fast?
« Last Edit: January 25, 2017, 09:56:37 am by heyguy »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #3 on: January 30, 2017, 10:25:17 am
Sorry for the late response, school is crayballs! I'd say that second one looks excellent, work from that one for the default and have him grip the cannon like he was in the first for charge shots!

EDIT: Here, a reference!
« Last Edit: January 30, 2017, 10:29:10 am by MysteryMeat »
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
MAJOR BORK TALLY: |

Offline heyguy

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #4 on: February 05, 2017, 05:28:46 pm
Glad you like the run cycle! Some sort of exaggerated pose is definitely on the agenda. Small updates to run cycle. Haven't been working on this that much but I've been trying to slowly detail the character. I made the character a few pixels shorter to better fit the tilemap and environment. The difficult thing is getting the proportions of my character right and consistent throughout the animation. I'm also going to outline the character black and I'm not sure whether to outline the outside of the character or the inside.



I'm also working on another enemy sprite animations. This is a flying security drone with a multipurpose weapon. The design is done and I have 3 animations: grenade blast with a small knock back, machine gun fire loop and turning. Turning animation is a heavy WIP and the grenade blast could use some more frames I think but I like the auto fire loop. I want to have some eye-catching and exaggerated with the grenade blast animation but I'm not sure I can do it with just 6 frames. Will experiment some more though.



Would appreciate any feedback on the work.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2017, 05:30:39 pm by heyguy »

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #5 on: February 05, 2017, 11:53:56 pm
Try going for a nice grenade launcher animation. Gun angled up slightly, a nice phoont noise, and a smoketrail arc. And of course, the recoil frame.
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Offline heyguy

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #6 on: February 15, 2017, 12:22:57 am
This has been reallllly difficult. I feel the character still looks a little stumpy, proportion wise. But I really don't want to work on the run cycle that much longer. The run cycle is almost close to being final. What does everyone think? The red/orange gives the character a Samus Aran feel which was not intended. I can't decide on a good color palette.




Also, not sure about the face/head area. Maybe I've gone with an uninteresting design. I wonder if I can't just slap on a big ole goofy head to add some more personality to character. Or maybe I shouldn't have gone for a "realistic" style using NES restrictions.

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #7 on: February 15, 2017, 10:14:34 am
I'm not spying any stumpyness, I'd say that's just your imagination.
HOWEVER, I am noticing a pretty big error on the run sprite where the arm seems to shrink into the gun. Remember to keep the whole thing a solid form, and for clarity I'd reccomend keeping the gun bit more stable.
If you must move it, remember to  factor that movement into the upper arm as well!
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
MAJOR BORK TALLY: |

Offline heyguy

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #8 on: February 18, 2017, 11:47:46 am
Got some feedback on how to make the character look less flat so I made changes to the outline. I think this might require more time but I like the look. What does everyone think about messing around the outline? Lots of NES games (Megaman, Shatterhand, Batman) have the character outlined entirely in black. I broke up the outline a bit, sellout outline I think it's called.



I fixed the arm shrinking into the gun...I think. Originally I was trying to make it seem like the gun arm was slightly moving back and forth naturally due to the run. It did look weird though. How does it look now? Still looks off to me actually. It looks like the forearm/gun is extending/growing out from the elbow instead of naturally moving how it might in real life. I also moved the character up 1 pixel on the 3rd and 6th frame so the character is off the ground for an instant. Back arm and shading is still a WIP.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2017, 11:54:56 am by heyguy »

Offline rocifier

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Re: [C+C][WIP]NES Style Character Animations and Effects

Reply #9 on: February 19, 2017, 12:03:53 am
I think the outline looked fine, but the gun is still shrinking into the arm. There should always be a fixed distance from the elbow to the gun casing at the wrist.