rpg guy in 4 directions

[xbogx]

I've been trying out different perspectives for an rpg project and i think this is the one i'm sticking with:





The character will move in 8 directions, but the diagonals will use the sideways animations

My inspirations were http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/33399.htm and http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=8495.msg95452

I'm going to use this thread to post future mockups, animations and equipment paperdolls, but at this point i'd like your advice on:

-his face. looks a little like a cyclops now, but if i add another pixel to his width so his eyes are apart, it looks a little to manga for my taste. Plus i'd like to keep this as small and simple as i can because there's a time limit and i'm also doing programming. The graphics are actually secondary.

-the sideways stance. does it seem consistent with the others?

-shading..i never seem to get this right. Especially on the legs it looks bad i think. Have i chosen the right parts to light for a top light source?

-any pixelling technique that might help me

I'm going to add details to the clothes later(most likely just the shirt). The smallest resolution will probably be 640*480 so keep that in mind.

Thanks.


UPDATE: started the front walk cycle:



i'm still working on it i guess, but i'd love to hear what's wrong with it at this stage. I'd like to stick with 4 frames and not add more. I'll also be doing a run animation so this has to be more subtle i think

UPDATE: improved it a bit i hope:

[Chis]

The walk looks good except he doesn't look like he's swinging his arm forward when he should; it just looks like you're adding pixels to his elbow.

[Mike]

Yeah to me the walk looks "right" but you could add more in-betweens for the walk unless you have a frame limit you are trying to stick by.

Oh and the face...I'm not sure what you are trying to show there.  I tried to edit it but I sucked so you are on your own there

[Mathias]

The shadow is awfully distracting, since it's animated. Just keep it elliptical.

[twodayslate]

The shadow is awfully distracting, now it animated. Just keep it elliptical.

to fix this I would make the shadow lighter. Perhaps 10% opacity or something like that.

[xbogx]

Chis - i tried fixing the arm, hope it's better now

Mike - i don't really want to add more frames because i don't have a lot of time and i want to do different characters in different types of clothing. I'd like to stick with 4 frames if it can look good, and i think it's already pretty decent.

Mathias - you sure it's better to keep the shadown the same? It seems too static

twodayslate - done



(changed the arms and legs a bit and made the shadow lighter)

Thanks for the help everyone

[Mathias]

Yes. It is somewhat of a stylistic choice, but I prefer your new, more basic shadow. Now - I can see it, I know it's a shadow, it does it's job.

[blumunkee]

Yes, a simple elliptical shadow is surely the gentleman's choice.

In the real view, the guy looks like a hunchback; as if his shoulders were as high as his ears.

Other than that, the sprite is looking good so far, nice and clean. I want to see how he looks on a background.

[Lazycow]

I like the new shadow. But he is very dark, I only see the dark grey for all of his body parts. (even after pushing my monitor-backlight to max)

[xbogx]

okay, i'm keeping the eliptical shadow

In the real view, the guy looks like a hunchback; as if his shoulders were as high as his ears.

Yeah i know, i kept it like this because i don't want him to look too much from the front. I'd like to keep my perspectives consistent and i think having a higher angle will help. I hope this makes sense, english is not my first language.

I tried a few variations on it, the first one is the original. I still think it looks best



What do you think?

I like the new shadow. But he is very dark, I only see the dark grey for all of his body parts. (even after pushing my monitor-backlight to max)

Well the game is supposed to be dark, but i will surely tweak the colors as soon as i make some tiles