AuthorTopic: Untitled Project dump (formerly "Four Races" thread) (Read 15846 times)

Ben2theEdge · **on:** July 29, 2007, 04:36:11 am

This here's a sampling of the four different intelligent life forms in a game project I've been working on.

From left to right: Humans, who have sacred religious significance, although they are very rare; Morrolites, philosophers who live in floating cities; The Ghron, peaceful giants who live in harmony with the environment; Chimbies, a technologically advanced, industrial society built on capitalism.

Have at it... I'm not really happy with the design of the Chimbies... too Cave Story-like, and they don't really match the other species, so I think I'm gonna have to go back to the drawing board on that. Any ideas, feel free!

Update:

Update on main character: (UPDATE: now animated!)

<-- WIP

tocky · **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2007, 04:52:46 am

I think it's the human who looks out of place - out of style, perhaps out of scale compared to the others. His armor looks too clunky, especially about the legs, and the hair and face are kind of generic, stereotypical.

Did you shave a few pixels off the bottom somewhere? All the feet have gone missing.

progFX · **Reply #2 on:** July 29, 2007, 05:03:31 am

Hmm to make the Human fit the style, you should really give him tiny legs, big big arms, and then make the head generic, with a nose. It looks too much like a normal RPG character where the others all have a wonderful style to them.

Andy Tran · **Reply #3 on:** July 29, 2007, 08:55:50 am

Great style man. Here's my advice to shading Cel shaded sprites. Notice you can put another shade as an AA. I did an edit to give an example. That's how I would shade cel shaded sprites. I know this sounds wierd, look at the example. Hope this helps.

Lawrence · **Reply #4 on:** July 29, 2007, 12:48:54 pm

Quote from: Andy Tran on July 29, 2007, 08:55:50 am

Great style man. Here's my advice to shading Cel shaded sprites ... ...

Antialiasing the shading like that is hardly noticeable at 100% and if you introduce all those new colours you might as well use them in a more versatile way.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2007, 01:00:25 am

Thanks for your responses, guys.

The feet are there, but it's subtle... my style on paper usually has very small feet. Maybe I need to make them a little bigger for this scale.

Obsidantion · **Reply #6 on:** July 30, 2007, 03:52:48 am

I don't have any crits but I really like the ideas, keep up the creativity

Feron · **Reply #7 on:** July 30, 2007, 07:51:32 am

lose the GIANT anime eyes on the ginger guy and he will fit a lot better with the others.

zeid · **Reply #8 on:** July 30, 2007, 08:41:00 am

I think the eyes are really nasty looking also making the main character (I assume from your previous work) human look the most incorrect of all of them.

I made some design edits and some more minor technical edits. Firstly I changed the characters eye, I also messed around with the hair colour and added another skin highlight whilst not adding any colour to the colour count. I personally find the pony tail a little ugly with the scruffy hair design. In your old design however with the more flat hair I didn't mind it as much. I really didn't get the far left characters teeth, I just changed it because I felt like it. I added another highlight to the girl and purple left guys hair to match the main character. I really like the Morrolites design, your edit really changes the character a lot I must say. Prior it gave a very nice Asian elder feel now it gives a very Greek elder feel, either is good (I like a lot

) but both will have drastic ramification's on the environments that they should be placed in. I changed his lil' hairs, I did this because out of all the characters he is the only one with a light colour outside his lines, A dark extension on his outline is more acceptable and may allow him to better suit his environments. I didn't touch the Ghron. The Chimbies I really unnecessarily used his white as an extra highlight as I felt it looked a little wasted. I hope some of my minor changes and ranting helps a little, though my content seems a little limited in regards to useful information sorry.

Conzeit · **Reply #9 on:** July 31, 2007, 03:41:27 pm

GREAT to see stuff from you again, Ben

I love the way you are doing this anime-ish style, it is a LOT cleaner than your earlier stuff, and it shows you have learnt a lot about color theory, I hope you keep showing us stuff like this

. Personally, I dont see what looks bat at all about the anime eyes, you are obviously going for an anime style and the eyes work great within that, also helps separate the "holy" humans from the rest.(Love the creepy smile on Skull guy)

I think the whole problem with the feet is mostly how everything is outlined, but the feet's sole isnt. You could try playing with the shading to see if that defines em a little better.

I have to say I dont see why you didnt like the first Chimbie version(tho I havent played trough CaveStory), I find him very creepy in a cute sort of way. I went and parodied him emphasizing what I like about it to see if maybe that gives you some ideas. I wanted to make him a little disgusting and selfish looking :p

I also went and played with the shading on the Morrolite's robe a little....
PS:GOD photobucket is AAASLOOOOW today ¬_¬

Xion · **Reply #10 on:** July 31, 2007, 07:12:10 pm

Quote from: Conceit on July 31, 2007, 03:41:27 pm

I dont see what looks bat at all about the anime eyes, you are obviously going for an anime style and the eyes work great within that, also helps separate the "holy" humans from the rest.(Love the creepy smile on Skull guy)

Actually, his eyes only fit with one other character, the female, whose huge eyes are okay because, well, they add to her femininity. But I don't really have a problem with the size...it's the fact that...his eyes are just crossed. I thought Zeid's edit was good.

Quote from: Conceit on July 31, 2007, 03:41:27 pm

I think the whole problem with the feet is mostly how everything is outlined, but the feet's sole isnt. You could try playing with the shading to see if that defines em a little better.

I thought this was a common practice in games. If the sole of the foot were outlined, the feet'd look too big, and it would also double up against whatever outline the ground may have, looking incredibly weird.

So far I don't like any of the Chimbies' iterations. I'd assume a capitalist society would be all about flamboyant outward display of possession. So the people would be as pimped out as possible. The void between wealthy and impoverished would be great, so they'd be either teched out working force or aristocratic teched out businessmen. When you say "industrial society" it makes me think of steampunk machinery.

The Ghron have to be my favorites, but there's something wrong with the hands. Maybe fewer fingers would be more suiting.

Conceit's edit of the Morrolite robe is spot on.

Doppleganger · **Reply #11 on:** July 31, 2007, 07:51:11 pm

These guys are really fun.

Conceit did a neat job of turning the Chimbie into something else. It most definitely gives the impression that he was going for. Which is the impression you were going for. Too bad there aren't more races. They're all so lively and full of character.

ndchristie · **Reply #12 on:** July 31, 2007, 09:57:54 pm

I agree with dopple

The newer robes actually are what stick out to me. Tried a slight edit :

Still, each of the four races looks like it was done for a different game.

Your latest chimbi is the best so far for style and design, i'd stick with it.

Sherman Gill · **Reply #13 on:** August 01, 2007, 02:11:12 am

Adarias, the Chimbi in your edit wasn't done by the OP...

ndchristie · **Reply #14 on:** August 01, 2007, 02:30:03 am

what's your point?

. I know that one wasn't his, I only edited the bird and didn't bother to crop. That's why I also made a point of saying he should stick to his latest Chimbie, not the one conceit made.

Sherman Gill · **Reply #15 on:** August 01, 2007, 06:41:58 am

I interpreted the combination of "Most recent" and the fact that your edit contained Conceit's version as you getting posters confused.

Carry on.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #16 on:** August 01, 2007, 01:21:08 pm

Thank you everyone for your feedback!

I'll post some updates soon;
I think I might try a more Victorian approach to the Chimbies and see how that looks.
I'm surprised at the controversy over the main character's eyes! Maybe I'll play with his face a little more.
I like Adarius' edit on the Morrowlites' robes - easier to read and easier to animate!

Conceit - thanks man! I've been doing commercial work full-time since the start of the year, so I've neglected my personal work for a little too long. Tryin' to get back in the groove now.

ndchristie · **Reply #17 on:** August 01, 2007, 02:20:32 pm

Shrem - reread and without intonation, i sounded like a bit of an ass, opps ^^

Ben - i like the main character's eyes, it's the others' that im not so much a fan of. Also, having mild dyslexia, I read your signature and didn't get the joke

. Took me about a minute to realise the orderwas changed ^^.

Conzeit · **Reply #18 on:** August 01, 2007, 05:30:15 pm

Never meant to suggest that he did exactly what I did, only playing around with things so he could see them in diferent ways.

You know how when you work on something too long it starts looking always the same? I was trying to see if maybe if I could help him break from that. I myself said my Chimbie was a parody :p.

Personally Ben, I think Adrias' toga is a little dangerous, although the shading is pretty organized and effective, those BIG BLACK spots are pretty much style-breakers..and honestly they break up the toga too much, make it look like something else. So just be wary to implement the good parts whitout going crazy about how to implement those dark spots, just leave em behind.

Something just struck me about the toga...that little string over his shoulder. it breaks the illusion, makes it look like a cheap costume toga that isnt even built like a toga

http://www.paxaugusta.net/zPhotos/200607TournageArteaugst.htm
http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Toga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunic

<-this one rules hahaha...sorry, just had to put SF3. it's just so simple, so effective, so straight to the point and cool looking.

Souly · **Reply #19 on:** August 01, 2007, 09:37:24 pm

I'm just not liking the eyes.
They are much too close.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #20 on:** August 02, 2007, 04:50:49 am

Quote from: Souly on August 01, 2007, 09:37:24 pm

I'm just not liking the eyes.
They are much too close.

Quite right, sir. You deserve a firm handshake.

I also lost the ponytail, at least for now.

zeid · **Reply #21 on:** August 02, 2007, 06:40:39 am

how did that work so well. Good pick there Souly the cross eyed look was freaking me out for so long but that seems to fix it beautifully. The ditching of the ponytail looks good if you want to bring it back (It has always looked good in your running animations) I would say you should try some different hair designs. Top work so far. My input for the Chimbies is make them look more like gnomes from WOW, that was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned their society. A pair of goggles would be nice, either resting on the head or over the eyes. I think the clothes look pretty good, tuffs of messy hair would also help as there is little time for vanity whilst working. I made an edit trying to give him a cute look with a slight techno edge. A few stray hairs on the head would have sold this a lot better.

***
Oh some big leather gloves would look good also, protect the hands from some mishaps during time in the Nike factory

ndchristie · **Reply #22 on:** August 02, 2007, 11:38:34 am

Quote from: Conceit on August 01, 2007, 05:30:15 pm

http://www.paxaugusta.net/zPhotos/200607TournageArteaugst.htm
http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Toga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toga
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunic

Haha, I love those wikipedia articles; they act as though the Romans invented everything

All of those are refering to the later toga though, which was long, worn over a tunic, and was more decoration than garment.

the toga as clothing (with just a loincloth beneath) consists of less than half of that amount of fabric an ends just above the knee and looked very different from what those articles are refering to. Then of course there are a wide variety of toga styles, as the word has bcome associated with any mediterranean garment composed of a single uncut cloth.

The current robes can be accepted as some sort of non-toga robe (since at the very least it clearly needs to pieces of fabric, a skirt and the shoulder-wrap) and the bit over the arm only makes me think of butlers

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #23 on:** August 04, 2007, 04:31:44 am

Felt like doing some animation...

Vertigo-zero · **Reply #24 on:** August 05, 2007, 03:30:51 pm

I like all of the characters, but maybe to make the last two alien characters,
the big guy and the rabbit (sorry for not reading this whole thread and therefor not
knowing their names) stand out more, give the big guy a greenish tint over his face.
Else you might think its the mutant version of the rabbit XD

Conzeit · **Reply #25 on:** August 05, 2007, 04:47:55 pm

I had some time and thought it would be fun to mess with the Morrolite's tunic some more

Adrias'es Tunic reshade and two one-cloth-tunic versions I made...with long and short buttler thing :p

hahaha, I know what you mean about the butler thing adrias, current tunic thing IS kinda funny. I'm kind of disappointed to find out that even that specialized roman wiki would have the wrong "Toga" definition.

I posted the wiki stuff mostly as refference, specially on the way the tunic hangs over his shoulder, it just strikes me as amazingly fake looking the way the tunic will thin out so much like a bra's elastic on the current version.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #26 on:** August 06, 2007, 01:33:01 pm

Did some more animating:

(The last frame of the skid isn't a good transition, I know... I did this late at night and just copied another frame out of laziness. Will fix soon. The sword hasn't been cleaned up because I don't know if I'm keeping the design yet)

Thanks Conceit! Yeah the tunic was done in a bit of a rush... I quickly glanced at a few references and then hammered it out. I see what you're saying about the shoulder.

I'll do some more updates on the Morrowlite and the Chimbie soon... Lately I've been inspired to animate and besides, I'm still working out the Chimbies.

Helm · **Reply #27 on:** August 06, 2007, 02:23:50 pm

Hmm I think the skid should go directly to the stress frame (leg fully extended), and then the latter part of the animation where the leg retreats towards the body.

I'd have to see it in action in a mockup, but I'm pretty certain that would look best.

Conzeit · **Reply #28 on:** August 06, 2007, 06:38:29 pm

hm...that run looks pretty..hm contrasting with the walk.

after looking at many games, I have come to a conclusion, the games that tend to look best animated simply have the actions transition from and into eachother either smoothly or in a flashy way according to how often they are triggered.

your run is pretty different from the stance, is this run executed often? it looks like it should be something that you dont go to from the stance very often, doesnt transition very smoothly from it (it looks like a fightgame run, where you have to push -> -> to run so it's ok to make a big deal out of it)

do you run often in the game?

Helm · **Reply #29 on:** August 06, 2007, 08:07:17 pm

I actually think it translates from idle to run pretty great, all things considered. What, there's a few pixels of displacement for the arms, but not too much. Everything else stays pretty much where it belongs. Of course INSTANT RUN SURGE is a bit silly in terms of acceleration, but that's a gameplay concern, and something players of platform games tend to disregard.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #30 on:** August 06, 2007, 08:38:01 pm

There will be some momentum to pick up/lose but because of the frantic nature of the combat, the controls have to be pretty fast and responsive. Right now there's only one transition frame between standing still and full-out sprinting - I might add more transition frames, but it also depends on how fast the character accelerates in the game, which is still subject to change.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #31 on:** August 07, 2007, 02:38:55 am

I figured while I'm animating, I'd do some WIPs, if less experienced pixel artists want a peek at the process, and more experienced animators can better critique my technique. (Mods if this is an inappropriate place for this I'll move it)

The program I use is Graphics Gale, and a Wacom tablet, almost exclusively. I like Graphics Gale because it has both layers and onion skinning, which are essential.

Step One: Key Frames: I approach pixel art animation pretty much the same way I would approach traditional animation. First step is making key frames - the extremities of each movement. It's rough, but it helps hammer out the movements and get the rhythm of the animation down.

Step Two: In-Betweens: After I'm happy with the key frames I go in and add frames inbetween the keyframes until the animation is smooth enough for my liking. This is where onion skinning is pretty much a godsend.

Step Three: Colors: Once I'm happy with the rough animation I create a new layer and start creating the actual graphics. The face is copied and pasted because it won't be changing much (except the hair). The rest I start with the shapes, and I'l add outlines and shading later.

Step Four: Outlines: After I've got the colored shapes in, I don't need the sketch anymore so I hide that layer. Next is outlines and details. I do the outlines first, and then will add the shading. The sword is also in there, now. This could've been sketched earlier in the process but I was stupid.

Ben2theEdge · **Reply #32 on:** August 08, 2007, 01:02:08 am

Step Five: Shading/Details: Final phase - I add shading and then details. And voila!

Helm · **Reply #33 on:** August 08, 2007, 01:20:18 am

the rotated sword in the last stage has a lot of broken outlines and jaggies in it still, a final pass is needed I think.

Any person interested in pixel art animation will benefit from your above process as posted, thank you.

Saxamaphone · **Reply #34 on:** August 09, 2007, 06:13:20 am

Great work on the jump animation, and even though I'm no expert, don't you think he could use a change in facial expression?

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AuthorTopic: Untitled Project dump (formerly "Four Races" thread) (Read 15846 times)