Gothy teen character w/ walk cycle

[six_plus_one]

Okay, this is the player character I've been working on for my very first AGS game.Ã, 

Front View
Side View
Back View

I am generally happy with her so far, but I KNOW she could benefit from some good ol' c&c.

The game is called "Sydnie and the Summer Vacation from Hell," and this here is Sydnie ("Syd" for short): your perpetually disenfranchised, gothy high school girl who gets roped into going on vacation with her folks to an isolated Carribean island resort (á la ClubMed). I realize the sarcastic, moody teen has got to be one of the most insipid and over-used varieties of adventure game characters, (after pirates and anthropomorphic dogs), but Sydnie's kibitzing should be, all said, no more irritating than that of, say, a certain Mr. Threepwood.

Anyways, the main issues I have with the sprite so far are:

1). She is about the right size, but she lacks a great level of detail. Although simplicity is usually a good policy, I think she appers, perhaps, a little plain. Not saying that she is completely generic, but I think there is room for much improvement.

2). Her standing poses may come off as unnatural. I was going for "understimulated ennui" but think I may have instead acheived "recently injured" or "trick elbow." Also, she isn't curvy much, (she really ain't s'posed to be, but she's kind of stick-like as it stands).

3). Her back view is all wrong. Her side view: troubling.

4). As far as her walk cycle goes, well, let us say that I am no NOT cut out to be an animator. I used one of those 8-frame walk cycle reference sheets to improve the animation, (having abandoned my first dismal effort), and I think it's now much better, but still with problems aplenty. Namely:

Walk Cycle

4A). Her legs seems to start too far down her mid-section, and her knees are likewise too close to the feet, thereby causing her to resemble John Malkovich in Hitchhiker's Guide. An issue I intend to remediate before the game is finished.

4B). She has a little wrist-arm trouble, especially in the frames where her arms are stretched back behind her. Her shirts freaks out in a frame or two as well. This has also been scheduled for revision.

4C). She's very stiff. Her hips barely move and her head is completely stationary. I don't think this is a particularly natural look.

4D). Her legs tend to look very jaggy when walking, as they are no longer straight verticals. I don't know if this is generally acceptable or not. Looks a bit sloppish.

Wow. I guess I've got a number of problems with her so far, but I don't think she's by any means doomed. I think the current outlined style, for example, is far superior to the original deeply shaded one:

Old Version

Sorry for the enormous post, by the by.Ã,  Anyway, I'd love to hear your criticisms, vulgarities, etc. Thanks bunches!Ã, 

-six_plus_one

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Your sprite has a very clean style to it and I don't see alot wrong.  What you might do is make the arms longer and give the legs more definition.  Right now they're just sticks without knees or calves.  As for the animation, it's far too extreme for a walk cycle and the arms do not move directly opposite of the legs.  Make the arms sway rather than bend up and the leg motion less excited and you should have a good walk cycle.

[Alun]

The biggest issue I see with the walk cycles is that her arms are swinging way too far.  (Which I guess is probably part of what ProgZmax meant by saying it was "too extreme".)  It looks more like she's running than walking!--or at least "power-walking".  Watch someone walking normally; their arms swing a little, but not nearly to the extent they do in your animation.

[esper]

Yeah, not only is it too extreme, but it's excessively out of character. Go to the mall and scope you a goth chick. Regardless of their Goth-level (just a teenybopper that wears a lot of bracelets and chains up to a full-out trenchcoat mafia suicide girl with a KISS-style makeup job) they all just kinda slump along...

[The Ivy]

I love this!Ã,  It makes me nostalgic for when I was in high school.Ã,  What, not everyone here went through a goth phase at fourteen?Ã,  :

I really love the way you've done her hair, like she dyed it herself with awkward results.Ã,  What I noticed right away about the walkcycle is that her arms are too short.Ã,  I'm a fan of how you included the "attitude" in her walk.Ã,  Keep it up!

[Afflict]

Looks like shes running and not walking.

Subtle movement will be best, but for a running cycle you have it down.

[A�rendyll (formerly Yurina)]

Well, me being a 1/2 Goth (I wear Goth clothes, but not always) and a motivated sprite maker, I'd say:

* She looks okay, but her face looks very long, and a bit weird.
* Like Afflict said, you should make her walk a little more. It looks like she is chased by a bulldog (in slowmotion?) or just marching. When her knees are raised it looks like she speeds up and slows down.
* Does she ever sleep? Sorry for being sarcastic, but it looks like she is exhausted. (Remember: not every Goth stays up forever)
* Try placing the eyes on the middle of her face, that looks more natural.
* The haricolour looks weird in combination with her clothes (purple to pink with darkblue, red and black???). Maybe you can try green or purple instead of red.

Besides that she looks fine.

~Yurina

[fred]

The walking is certainly exaggerated, but strangely - I like it alot. It's more interesting to look at exaggerated movement than an average sloppy teenager shuffling along, and it adds all kinds of weird traits to her personality - is she marching? is she on some program? Did she turn goth to forget her past in the Foreign Legion? or is she just trying to get arrested, walking like that? I can't wait to see this manic person in a game, i wonder how she talks and what she'd say, and what kind of super important "quest" she must be on