Overwarm - Run Clyde, Run! Meet Gribbs! [new] PortaProblem?

[Sokota]

Ok, so here's an updated run cycle. I was sick the last three days and didn't want to be on the compy much. I just made these frames, and I need to work on a passing, then two more inbetweens, to get my full run cycle. But I feel something is wrong already, and want to fix anything before moving on. Hopefully I can get some quick replies, as this animation is crucial to the game. Also, I need to be smooth, and almost perfect. Here it is, I made two more 'extremes', right? Heh, I don't even know for sure what category those frames fall in too. Here it is:



Enjoy! I don't even walk to think about a girl's walk cycle for Mel. So yeah. Also, I might start working on a few more characters.

Sokota

Edit: Now that I look at it, its the arm closest to us that is throwing it off. I think I did the legs pretty good, but what did I do wrong on the arms, exactly? Also, when/if you edit, please post it in gif and strip form. Thanks for all the help!

Double Edit: Also, this is the first walk cycle I have done seriously. So I'm sure there are alot of flaws, but that's what this forum is for, right?

[Draco9898]

The entire thing, well, it just looks weird.

 It looks as if he's stuttering in place, not even making contact with the ground

watch a person walk and compare it to your animation

Are you throwing your frames into the animation as you work or are you trying to do it all at once?


If you need less frames, take out recoil.

[Sokota]

Hey thanks for the illustration. That's gonna help. Anyways, I said it did look weird. It does need help. Haha. Anyways, I had done two key frames, *Scroll up to see that post* and then threw in two 'idle' frames for inbetweens. But this time, when I made the inbetweens, the idle made it look weirder, so took it out. Like I said, I'll probably have to do the whole thing over again. No that's not too many frames, but isn't 9 a weird number for a walk cycle? Also, please remember this is the first walk I've done in a long time, and my first real walk. I'll try to get a new version up today, and possibly post another character WIP. Thanks for the help, Draco. (You sounded so much more cheery )

Sokota

[TrevoriuS]

You need 4 frames as a minimum. If you want less, use 2 rather than 3, though it will look like he's either skating/gliding or swapping legs unnaturally fast (go for the skating/gliding, taking contact positions from image posted above) however, if you have these 2 frames, take the passing frames from the image above to create your basic animation. Besides, this is a platform game isn't it?

[Sokota]

Well still working on this, and still as frustrated as ever. That's a normal thing with walk/run cycles, right? Well, I think I have better idea of what it should look like, thanks to Draco's post. But, my walk is still very bad. I actually think I have the legs going well, its the arms that throw it off. Also, made 2 different cycles; one with/without the idle pose thrown in, (Which throws the cycle off, I think), and then made just the legs of each as well.


With Idle Pose

Without Idle Pose

So yeah, as you can see, I think the second set is better, with the legs by themselves being the best. So apparently I need help on the arms. I also probably need to make two more frames, but not sure what to do with that either. Crits? Help? Edits ? I'm sorry if I seem like I'm not improving. I really am trying to make this good, so yeah...I feel like a noob, but oh well. All help is appreciated. Oh, and that line isn't a shadow. It's the line for the 'ground'.

Sokota

@TrevoriuS: Yeah, this game is a platformer. I might try to do a falling animation or jump pose later today. Kinda sick of working on Clyde, to be honest.

Edit: Oh yeah, also I noticed that his forefront foot didn't hit the ground when I made the ground, so I'll have to work on that, but an edit or two might be helpful. Thanks!

[Draco9898]

The first frame, why do you have it so his hand is showing thru the back? it would be obscured by his front side ( at his current angle-ledge)

You need to look at every frame and ask if it's helping it look like a run cycle or not. If a frame looks weird you need to adjust it and keep pasting it back into your animation until it looks right.

Here's another example, it looks perfect for you, because:
1. It's a kid
2. It's "cartoony"
3. It looks correct


Here is a trick- Try mirroring your animation so your guy is running left like the animation above...Does it look weird? then something has gone wrong

[NaCl]

Hey Sokota,

I think your run is close to looking good. Here is what I would do (though I know little so take it with a grain of salt...):

1. Your run (without idle), is 6 frames. The chart that Draco posted uses 8, which seems like a good amount. The two frames you are missing are the "recoil" ones, which are pretty important as they make it look like the character is impacting the ground. In your animation now, that frame is skipped and the leg is drawn back without even touching the ground. This makes it look like he is kind of gliding. So, add in those recoil (or "landing") frames and I suspect it will look a lot better.

2. Don't recycle the same frames over and over. Right now your frame 6 is just a copy of frame 3, and that makes it look weird. It looks like the nearer leg is is extending twice, and the far leg never gets extended out. We can tell the legs apart because of the highlight in the nearer one, and the line along the back of his shorts.

3. The arms should move like a pendulum in opposite directions of the legs. Once you make a new frame for the back leg extending out, then the arms should be in the opposite position as them. Right now, because you are recycling frames, his right arm only goes to his side and back, and his left only to his side and front.

4. Don't straighten the arms. In your frame 1, the arm is nearly straight, and it pointing forward with the leg. Keep the going in mostly opposite directions so the character looks balanced.

Also, don't use the idle frame in the walk, because think about it. Are both your feet ever together on the ground while you're running? No. The only time the legs are together is when one is "passing" the other, and it is bent at that time.

Hope this helped, good luck.

[Sokota]

Draco, I understand. I was following your other image. I'm working on it, so yeah. Nacl, thank you, thank you. Great advice there, I'll be sure to try to implement it! I got sick of the run for today/tonight, so I decided to take a break and make another character, Gribbs. He will be a 'weapons' seller per se, and I needed to look welderish. I like what I have so far, but I know there's a few things wrong with it. As you can see, I'm keeping the style, so all critique will need to be geared towards that, for now. I need help with the apron below his belly, his left arm, and maybe some other general tips. He'll be behind a counter, so I'll doubt you ever see below his groin area, but dunno. Anyways, here he is:


Clyde meet Gribbs 

All critique is welcome! For the run and now for Gribbs!

Sokota

[NaCl]

Hey Sokota, I made some images to show how I personally would animate a character, in this case Mel. Maybe other people use superior techniques, and if so I'd like for them to share. This is just the system I pieced together from reading and looking at critique on this forum. There has been some good critique, especially from Sherman, about the style and such. I'd listen to all he said, if not retroactively for these characters, for any future characters you make. I actually learned, and need to apply a lot of what he said as well.

Anyway, here are they are:

I draw some stick figures, and then animate them so I can see what it looks like.


I throw some shapes on top of the figures, and sometimes animate again, to make sure it looks right. Then I just edit these shapes around until they look right.


Finally I draw the actual detail on top. I didn't spend a great deal of time on this, so they are too smalll, but I think you understand. I do this in graphics gale, with a different layer for every step so that I can start over plenty, without losing all the work I've done.

Also, I kind of like that character design. Mel's outfit is pretty 80's retro, it's cool. If you improve your execution I think you'll make some neat stuff.

[Sokota]

Wow thanks. That's like a tutorial in itself! Thanks for breaking it down for me. I was trying to just do the detail, so I think I lost action/lines/flow somewhere in there. I'm currently using MSPaint, and GameMaker to animated my images, then throw them into Easy Gif Animator to add alpha and infinite looping. I'll prolly end up switching to GraphicsGale after this project, as I am comfortable working as I am, just need to improve my speed. So yes, thank you. I will try you method, and post run WIPs as I go along. I need to get this done ASAP, so yeah. What do you think of the new guy? 

Sokota