MEGAEDIT: Cleaned up the first post as it contained obsolete material / Check the latest posts!
I'll start by saying that little one is better than the big one. On the big one there is not much to give it more value and it looks like the little sprite was upscaled and then added some details. Most of the details could be added to the little one also, like the pocket on trousers and puch on the belt. Also little one has a round helmet and big one has a helmet with angles. You have shading on the little guy but not on the big guy.
On the little guy you could try adding more shading using the same abovehead lightsource you've been kinda using and maybe make shadows slightly darker to add contrast. Maybe you could also lower the saturation on colors a bit.
Note that you can post images in double size using this code on original image. Just replace width and height with appropriate numbers.
[img width=48 height=48]http://somesite/image.gif[/img]
Dude. Leave resolution alone, you can draw a cool character at any resolution and size, as long as you remember that devil's in the details.
I like the character concept, so I wasted an half-hour on it.
Take a look and notes what's important:
1) Drawing the whole thing - outlines.
This decides everything. Your character had weird long feet and very stiff pose, somewhat nerd-like, like he's afraid. I tried something wilder (probably too wild for a game), but the better it shows contrast.
If you spend enough time on outlines, you will see the cool character even before it's colored.
Since I figured he's a warrior of some kind, rambo-ish pose always adds something :D
I tend to use line tool for outlines.
2) Coloring the thing
This is where palette choice becomes very important. As a starter, always prefer low-saturation colors. I didn't (just like you in your initial character) - and dude turned out like from a Disney cartoon - not the man fighting viruses and evil bacteria or whatever your guy's supposed to fight. Then again, people who work with extreme dangers, contrasty supervisible colors are a need. So, you can't miss much either way. I used strong orange on gas mask, but should have used it even more.
3) Shading the thing
Shading... Well, I got a bit too excited and used too many colors at two locations (belt things, gun), but three colors per body part (or more, logical part) is usually enough and doesn't require aspirin while animating. So I suggest you the same.
All shading was done by freehand tool only. It's much simpler to do cloth wrinkles and fill little spaces with freehand pencil than line tool.
(http://www.increator.pri.ee/i/critshelp/goo_warrior.png)
2x:
(http://www.increator.pri.ee/i/critshelp/goo_warrior.png)
It only took 24 minutes!
Wow Increator! I'd prefer playing a game with your style anyday.
Well ain't that a nice thing to say.
I wouldn't like a game that radiates violence, but I'd rather play the game with the original sprites if it was better.
Quote from: InCreator on Mon 07/05/2007 23:22:20
(http://www.increator.pri.ee/i/critshelp/goo_warrior.png)
It only took 24 minutes!
All I got to say is: WOW!!!
But the again, in my game, nah!
As you said yourself, your character is bit too much of a actionfigure than the hero of my game: a spaceship mechanic in a biohazard suit, who just happens to be shit out of luck, and perhaps a little bit scared too.
I will not be changin my characters posture for the more violent one that you made, but your version does give me some ideas for other characters in the same game, characters that are actually soldiers.
But then again... WOOOoooOOOW!!!
Quote from: Tuomas on Tue 08/05/2007 08:34:42
I wouldn't like a game that radiates violence, but I'd rather play the game with the original sprites if it was better.
What a hippy!
Anyway, sprite aggressiveness is not part of my suggestions - I said that it's too wild already, I hope you still picked out important parts- outlining, humanoid figure and shading parts. Your main problems were too long feet, inhuman pose and really flat shading.
I'll try to put some work into it soon, but I just realized that I'm a bit busy with work and all...
I've been trying to compare my character with other pictures and I dont really think the legs are too long. He IS standing straight, so his feet are also straight, making them look a bit long, but not TOO long.
The outlining... I was actually trying to AVOID all outlines... Im odd that way, but I was trying to have the characters have no real outlines, though in the next level versions I might try it out for size...
Shading, I'll have to work on that. No doubt about it, but I also try to keep my shadings as simple as I can to make my job as a crappy animator easier. I'll try to find some time to get another version, or perhaps even a pure redraw of the character.
Mike here has gone through a slight overhaul. Here's a test walkcycle and a front view.
(http://www.whamgames.com/images/Forumsht/righto.gif)(http://www.whamgames.com/images/Forumsht/Front01(STANDING).gif)
Ideas? Comments? Wishes? It's all welcome!
Pretty sweet. ;D
Might look better with a bit of shoulder movement.
The belt should probably also tilt a bit as it looks a little like his legs are on a turn table.
(http://www.whamgames.com/images/Forumsht/rightov2.gif)
I just amazed myself... I've already put over 4 hours into this thing tonigh and it's actually starting to look good to me! Anything else to improve, or shall I start with the left side?
Mh, one of the frames looks odd to me. When his right leg goes forward, the pocket on his pants is getting smaller. That looks kinda strage. And try to move the had and backpack, so he doesn't look so stiff anymore ;).
Quote from: kaioshin on Wed 14/01/2009 20:11:21
Mh, one of the frames looks odd to me. When his right leg goes forward, the pocket on his pants is getting smaller. That looks kinda strage. And try to move the had and backpack, so he doesn't look so stiff anymore ;).
How should I move the head? A one pixel nod forward on each step?
In cartoon animation you usually have the head go down and forward a bit at the frame where the foot touches the ground, and then raising again in the next one. That's pretty exaggerated but should be a good point to start.
Since he's in a stiff hazmat suit having his whole torso move might look more interesting. That'd be a pain to animate though so it's probably best to see how the head animation looks.
Why have you made a 4 frame walkcycle and copied the frames twice? Also you have missed the key "lift off" frame. Here is what a simple 4 frame walkcycle should look like:
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/walk4framecycletut.gif)
Frame 1 (red): is the stretch frame
Frame 2 (blue): is the standing frame
Frame 3 (green): is the jumping frame
Frame 4 (orange): is the lift off frame
I've also added a line to show when the hip/shoulder is risen(yellow/Frame 4) and dipped(red/Frame2).
That's all you need for a very basic walkcycle.
No he isn't. It's in space.... he's doing to moonwalk.
(Sorry about that awful, awful, joke.)
No no, Crazy, that was an awful joke. Not an aweful one. :P
-> Ghost: I just spent ten minutes walking around the room, and I actually noticed that it feels much more natural to NOT move my head when I walk. I prefer to keep my eyes fixed on a target when I walk, so even though it would bring more liveliness to the character, I dont think it will be necessary... I will do a version with a moving head, whough, to see what it looks like, but that will have to wait until friday.
-> IndieBoy: I'll see if I can add some of that bounce to the walk. And yes: I did a half walkcycle and copied it again, and then redetailed it (moving the pocked and the shadows) so that the legs take turns.
-> Crazy: Simply awful... :)
Quote from: Trihan on Wed 14/01/2009 22:11:11
No no, Crazy, that was an awful joke. Not an aweful one. :P
I totally can't spwell.
I quite like the simplistic retro looking naive style.
Anyway, You seem to use same shades of green everywhere. Try to break it off on the shadows and highlights, make the shadows blueish green for example. Shadows are not just colour that has added black in it, shadows are actually whole different color!
New stuff at last!
This is a hangar control room, with surveillance equipment for supervising the hangar bay area functions, fuel pods and their pressures, as well as the air pressures in the hangar, in case of the massive airlocks starting to leak.
Opinions and feedback are, again, welcome! I've tried to keep the number of colours and shades to a minimum, and to keep all shapes as simple as possible.
(http://www.whamgames.com/images/Forumsht/hangar_ctrl_rm.png)
Also I would drop out the frame where the legs are really close toghether (almost like side view of just standing) or swap them with the more obvious lift-off you are going to make :) . One of basic rules of animation is that you shouldnt draw moments like that. like when the ball swings on the line you dont draw the frame when it's in the middle position (the frame itself could represent it just hanging down motionlessly). It suggests that it's static, not dynamic and gives a funny "something isn't right" feel to the animation.
Quote from: WHAM on Sun 06/05/2007 15:57:32
MEGAEDIT: Cleaned up the first post / Check the last post!
Which last post? This last post? My post?!
*Head explodes*
Back for more:
The pic is huge, so I'll just link.
http://www.whamgames.com/images/Forumsht/mess_hall_01.png
Your thoughts? Ideas? Anything?
Is this a scrolling background? If yes, the white lines on the ground may look weird if the character is standing at the right end of the screen.
Quote from: WHAM on Wed 14/01/2009 22:17:40
-> Ghost: I just spent ten minutes walking around the room, and I actually noticed that it feels much more natural to NOT move my head when I walk.
Hello,
Just an answer to this,
A great animator, don't remember his name (probably Richard Williams, but not sure), finds that people who don't move the head look effeminate,
Unlike virile people who move the head and shoulders.
It's a gerneral observation, not an absolute truth, maybe it's caricatural, but it's important to think of it.
Quote from: cat on Mon 04/05/2009 14:58:23
Is this a scrolling background? If yes, the white lines on the ground may look weird if the character is standing at the right end of the screen.
Yes, it is inteded to be a scrolling background. How will it look strange? Is there some other, better, way to do this?
I looked at it in photoshop and I was wrong. I think it works very well the way you did it.