Animating A Ghost

[Dervish]

Ok so I am doing a game that involves ghosts and have tried animating them with just some simple up and down movement to imitate floating, but it just doesn't achieve what I was hoping for.  I was hoping maybe someone out there might have some helpful tips on how to achieve a better ghost walkcycle.  Any help would be greatly apprieciated.

[auriond]

It sounds like a reasonable way to animate a ghost. What were you hoping for?

[Stupot]

Does your ghost have feet or legs?
One trick used in Dave Gilbert's Blackwell games was to chop them off like this...
http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/mayoco/project/media/BU_screen4.png

Then you should command the AGS editor that the bottom of the sprite is where his feet would be even though he hasn't got any... this will give it the effect of floating above the ground.

[Spike4072]

Maybe you should post a shot of your ghost. That way we can better visualize its movement.

[Dervish]

I would post a shot but it is so hard to find a place to post it online. well his legs are chopped off and he has etheral strands hanging from them but I guess the problem is it looks so lifeless and before anyone says it yes ghost are already dead but I don't know how to discribe it better, but more of movement gives a more lifelike feeling.


haha ok I guess the free posting is back up so here is a pic remember this is not the critic's lounge and I cry easyily so no insult

[Spike4072]

Have you tried making the ethereal strands do little inchworm type motions as he moves? Sorry just kind of hard to help with out know what it looks like.

[auriond]

Ok, now I see what the problem might be

Maybe you can try making the sprite semi-transparent, and also make less of his legs visible? Rather like the Blackwell example. And then add the up-and-down movement.

[TerranRich]

Yes, fade out his legs, and make the base of the sprite where his feet would be if they were visible/existed. But definitely make the entire sprite semi-transparent (maybe adjust its opacity within AGS) and fade the legs out.

As it is now, he looks like he's made of straw.

[paolo]

Here's an idea... if you make it move up and down (say) one pixel per frame (so its vertical position is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2 pixels off the "ground" in each successive frame), it will look unnatural. Objects that bob up and down slow down gradually as they reach the top and bottom of their cycle. You'll get a more natural effect if you use something like:

1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 6, 4, 2 pixels off the ground

or

1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 11, 10, 8, 4, 2 pixels off the ground

depending on how many frames there are in your animation. (By the way, to get those numbers, I started with 1, added 1, then added 2, then 4, etc, then worked backwards through those increments until I reached the maximum value, then repeated the other numbers in reverse order.)

[Layabout]

Don't just animate the bobbing up and down, which should be gradual and slow down as he reaches the top and bottom of his bobbing. Animate the flails of his ghostly form at the bottom! Make them move as if being collided with a slight breeze!

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

If you really want feedback and/or help with artwork then the CL is the place this belongs.

[TerranRich]

Heh, ProgZmax, you quoted the "Three golden rules" to someone else in another thread, and put in bold, "don't pretend to be [a moderator]". Tsk, tsk.

(I'm just joking around.)