AuthorTopic: Doom Mod death animation  (Read 14695 times)

Offline xanthier

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 61
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • I need a lightsaber!
    • View Profile

Doom Mod death animation

on: October 05, 2005, 04:24:39 pm
Hi I did this for a Doom mod, but it looks like something out of monty python, all jerky and stuff. any suggestions for making it smoother or whatever it's lacking? I know it bounces up and down, I can fix that.

I will try to post the original doom cacodemon death for comparison. Thanks, for CC.



you can kind of see it here but not animated :(

http://panelmonkey.org/sprite.php?id=464&theme=3
« Last Edit: October 05, 2005, 07:01:43 pm by xanthier »
For this, a long time have I waited.

Offline FatalFetus

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 25
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Free thinkers are dangerous..
    • View Profile

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #1 on: October 05, 2005, 08:00:10 pm
If that animation is going to run smooth it'll need a couple more frames.. Its nice but choppy. Is the first screen a nondamaged version? If not, probably want to add one and delay a little more than the other frames. Looks pretty cool overall though, what exactly is it? Looks like a wierd beholder or something to me o.o

Fetus

Offline Rawsushi

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 185
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile
    • Terrormisu - The Art of B Rosaschi

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #2 on: October 05, 2005, 08:21:36 pm
When modifying Doom sprites, you can't insert extra frames of animation. The frame rate is what it is, and you have to live with it. I used to make Doom mods all of the time, so I know how hard it is to create decent-looking death animations. The trick is to make sure there is that constant flow. Almost everything should  continue animating and nothing should remain too stagnant.  Keep an eye out for things that don't move. For example: Those spikes on our left should stay animating during their drop, but there is a frame where they just kind of stop, then continue animating. Also, the brain becomes exposed at the top of the head, but just disappears in a single frame. I understand that it's dropping out, but even adding the slightest quiver to show some stress would help a lot.

Offline FatalFetus

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 25
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Free thinkers are dangerous..
    • View Profile

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #3 on: October 05, 2005, 08:27:27 pm
Ah didn't know about the framerate. Was never a real big doom fan.. Sorry then.

Offline Pegucha

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 22
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #4 on: October 05, 2005, 09:01:29 pm
I think it looks pretty good!
Though, I'm not sure why its shifting down then to the right and back up again? I think if you center align the body of the monster in every frame it will be much easier to work with and it won't seem so eradic. It'll also be easier to spot problems in the flow of your animation as monsoon2d said.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2005, 09:04:55 pm by Pegucha »

Offline xanthier

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 61
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • I need a lightsaber!
    • View Profile

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #5 on: October 06, 2005, 01:41:33 am


here is a longer version, but needs frames removed I think.
also what is doom's default framerate, anyone know?
For this, a long time have I waited.

Offline Andy Tran

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 553
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • The City of Andy Tran

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #6 on: October 06, 2005, 07:26:52 am
 I make custom doom sprites all the time. Looking at your animation that you made, it's really terrific. I can never do animation that better than what I saw from yours.

Offline xanthier

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 61
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • I need a lightsaber!
    • View Profile

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #7 on: October 06, 2005, 04:50:05 pm
yeah maybe I'm being too picky, I just need to cut down on the empty space, make the debris fall more smoothly and keep the blood flowing as it stops in like frame 3, also their needs to be a few more transition frames at the very beginning, like someone pointed out. Anything else?
For this, a long time have I waited.

Offline Darion

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 234
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • Portfolio bitch

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #8 on: October 06, 2005, 05:26:03 pm
When he died, wouldn't he be placed lower than he actually is?
@darionmccoy

Offline Conzeit

  • 0100
  • ***
  • Posts: 1448
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • Camus
    • conzeit
    • View Profile
    • CONZEIT

Re: Doom Mod death animation

Reply #9 on: October 06, 2005, 07:59:39 pm
Fatal, dude um....sorry to sorta pick on you, but saying things like "add more frames" is about as useless a comment as "make it bigger" or "add more shades", it is true that by doing all these things you would add a bit of complexity to whatever you do, but in the end the comment itself could be done by anyone, and all this extra room of expression might be wasted if it's done just for the hell of it. Dont say something like this unless you are absolutley sure it's the only way to solve a specific problem.

I tell you this because it's a good way to think in general, before you go adding more stuff to your pieces, always (ideally, this is not a good idea if you have a deadline :p) turn back on them and see if what already IS there is necesary, and is doing it's job, otherwise you'll just have a collection of mediocre things that dont quite fit together, and  even though they may have some nice stuff, the overall pic will end up being awkward. Hope I dont sound harsh, dont mean to, just trying to help you since you're so interested *thumbs up*

Xanthier. the most important thing to consider, if you want a good anim and narrow framerate, is planning.

to make something smooth with few frames, is always the biggest challenge, because everything will have to serve a very precise purpose, nothing can leave an incomplete message, it has to be very concise and self-contained. Look at Hayabusa's run from NES ninja gaiden, the freaking thing has 3 frames. 3 frames, that is a most horrible amount of frames for an animation that is symetrical such as a run anim, but it's cleverly done because they focused on making the foreground leg fluid, and they did it very wel.

you'll have to be similarily clever if you want this to work.


first of all, how exactly do you want him to die? given the amount of frames you have, I think something like dis-integrating would be best, because if you have anything move from point A to point B it'll probably take a few frames, whereas something just morphing might be best for a short amount of frames.

I think it's best u tell us exactly how much frames you have first,though. no need to get ahead of ourselves