I've had this thing sitting on my PC for awhile now, and I thought I'd get some feedback on it as I don't have the time necessary for larger projects at the moment. (I've been the victim of a slew of bad hardware luck.) This was, more or less, a test to see how well I could animate a character that was stuck in, say, a 64x64 bounding box. Dack, here, is supposed to be an older fellow, and a bit of a monster killer.
(http://penguinx.org/Dack_Idle01.gif)
See anything wrong with it?
(Oh, I almost forgot to add that this would be one of several idle animations and would not be constantly repeated as in the gif posted here.)
Excellent (as I've come to expect from the Penguin!!) as always!
The only thing I would suggest would be to lengthen the pause after he crouches down and looks to the side.
So he would crouch and look to the side, pause for a bit, then go back up, pause for a bit, repeat.
As for a crit ... when he goes back up the hair movement feels (looks) like it's moving the wrong way. When he crouches, it looks right. When he goes back up ... it looks like it's doing the same motion. Wouldn't it be the other way?
Anyway ... it looks great man!
~ d
Wow! Very cool!
Is he supposed to have a hump? His back looks a bit big.
I think it's a backpack ...
Oh, right. Maybe a slightly different color for it then.
Really great work, as always!
I think it's perfect and don't have any critics. Ok, maybe just a little one about hair animation. When the character moves back up, he stops a bit, but the hair stays in "down" position- it would be a good idea to move them back up in original position, as it would make animation a bit more dynamic and realistic.
Other than that- amazing!
Very nice work. That's a cute little style you got there.
i like, combine it with the platforerius engine and you've got a great game!
its great, as allways penguinx
-OSC
Thanks for the comments - You're all right about each of your comments. This was an exercise in layer-based animating, and I think I got carried away with creating movement through taking a whole layer and knocking it down a pixel each frame. And there definitely needs to be a greater pause at the beginning and end frames.
IE: I think there could be more effective (and fluid) ways of making him crouch than to have the shirt and legs 'ratchet' down like they do.
Oh, Igor, your comment made me realize a flaw in all of the returning upward frames. The hair moves up instead of down. It should be getting flatter as his head moves up (instead of just re-using the 'moving downwards' frames in reverse.)
The thing that I am happiest with, and really the stuff I spent the most time on, is his facial animation. I think I got the brow raise right, and that was done in a more traditional way by redrawing the image in the eye areas each frame.
As another exercise, if the free time fairy decides to grant me my wishes, I'd like to do a more dynamic version of this with a lot more movement to it. Take the time to sketch out a definite direction for each frame of animation and go from there.
If you want to be wowed by something, check out this guy's work:
http://www.geocities.com/clamchowder1000/main.html (http://www.geocities.com/clamchowder1000/main.html)
Looks a lot like Sals' stuff on pixelation. If you want some harsher critics, try there. However, I dont there there is a lot to be changed. It looks good.
Well, I have posted to Pixelation in the past. Their board has been broken so that new members can't reach the 15 required posts to start a topic in the main forum (Unless the posts are made in the first thread the new member starts they don't add to your post count and you never reach the required 15.)
I like the community, but I wish they'd fix the board!
'Sides, there are a whole bunch of likeable folk around these parts.
Here's an update of the character. Despite the fact that I have several real projects to work on, this was the only thing I had a copy of to tinker with at work today.
(http://www.penguinx.org/Dack6.gif)
He could use some reduced colors, but I like where he is going.
Also, here is the baddie for this game mock-up:
(http://www.penguinx.org/Mummy.gif)
I gotta say, PenguinX, your chars are da bomb. :) Why don't you post some of 'em at the DQ forum?
Anyway, I agree that the little dude's backpack needs to be maybe a different color, he looks like a hunchback. :p
This is the kind of animation that u take inspiration from. Try and draw one. It is so shocking that u just end up sitting and watiching the original all day..
Talking of animation.. is there anywhere i can et free character animation software cos my animations suck. i try all of the tuturials and they stil suck
Is this crouching guy a continuation of the char in this (http://www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=11007) thread? If so, even more kudos on the good work.
In a sense, yes. The game changed drastically. When it changed, the main character had to change with it. Originally it was going to be a top-down console style RPG. However, I've been using gamemaker a bunch and I want to make a simple platforming shooter to showcase my pixel art (one that I can later let people download at my site as an example of my work).
Hey, Hollister Man, can you check the email address you have listed at the BluSoft board? I've been having some logon problems over there and have a few things to post.
Well, I can't ever leave well enough alone. Below is an entirely new animation. This marks the first time I've ever drawn all the frames out on paper before. The tween frames are still rough sketches, and two of the three keyframes aren't shaded yet, but this represents about an hour and a half of work (and it'd be nice to get some feedback). These are the 5 frames that lead to the middle point of the animation. He'll pause and then, over the course of three more frames, return back to his original position.
(http://www.penguinx.org/Dack3.gif)
Do you like where it is headed?
I think you should raise the middle frames like 2 pixels... It's easy, just a cut and paste thingie, and it would make it smoother...
Dont make him look directly at us. I think that would give him a lot more character. And like Far said, he ducks down too far durring the movement.
I've modified the ending frame to justify the crouching. The idea is that the character spins around a bit hunched down in a ready-to-pounce position.
I made it a bit more dramatic by adding swooping colors and persperation of sorts. I think you'll see what I mean.
(http://www.penguinx.org/Dack4.gif)
This will be one of a bunch of idle animations including: spinning his gun, raking through his backpack, blowing gum, yawning, etc. This character is going to be my practice character. Whenever I have a spare second I want to add to his repetoire of moves.
Haha! Yes! That perfect. What you need to do is give him shifty eyes first, like there is somebody behind him and then make him flip out.
Brilliant! Are you a proffesional animator, penguin? ;)
How long have you been animating?
This is a wonderful animation, but I second evil's suggestionn aswell :).
Evil, great suggestion! That would help with the continuity of the situation a bunch.
GinnyW, thanks for the flattering remarks. No, I am not a professional. I have been drawing pixelart since about 1997, but literaly everything I've ever animated can be found posted on this board and in the critics lounge. It wasn't until I heard about AGS that I ever thought to try and make an animated video game character. As a matter of fact, the little squid dude I use for an avatar is the second or third thing I ever animated.
I have a bit of Flash animation experience, but that's a different type of deal altogether.
I love the character and the animation style!
I'm in the same boat where it wasn't until I found AGS that I started animation of pixel art (although I too had been animating in Flash).
It's a whole new world ...
My only suggestion would be to have him point the gun in the direction he's turning to face. But since, as you commented, he's in a 'bit hunched down in a ready-to-pounce position', that might not look good.
Just a thought. Keep up the excellent work man!
~ d
Here is the final idle animation that took into consideration all of your C&C.
Thanks to everybody!
(http://www.penguinx.org/dack_idle_turn.gif)
Whoa! I love that motion blur!
Great job :D
Most excellent!
Not that I expected less (http://www.twin-design.com/fafmb/graphics/smilies/smilies_grin.gif)
Seriously though, great job!
The motion of the eyes is great, and the motion blur is sweet!
Darth! You still gotz ur block smilies like my ones (Looks at the url of the file and then hax0rz his way into the forums, even though there is already 40 members). :P
Anyways, I like the animation AND the sprite. It seems like a 2D game for a cartoon network program, it's really nice. You used the motion blur well without over using it and it's well animated. Well done. :)
that animation is beautiful. I can't wait to see it used for a game.
And Darth, I wish we could upload your smileys over our forums' smileys.
I was inspired to make my own smilies.
I give this animation 9 thumbs up:
(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)(http://img32.photobucket.com/albums/v96/shbazjinkens/smiley.png)
So far it's my lowest score ever, but as I rank more posts your position will improve. ;)
Haha! He's so quirky but still looks cool, ya know? Cant wait to see some more animations. Get to it! :)
I've got a bunch in the works. I think the next is going to be a gun twirling idle animation.
Zounds. That little guy is pretty neat. And I love how the mummy is ten times his size. I want to see more of this 'un.
I'm getting a book named 'The Animator's Survival Kit.' It's supposed to be a great resource for aspiring animators like us. I'll keep you all posted as to whether or not it's a good value.
you will not be disappointed Penguin, it's an awesome book
I just received Richard William's Animator's Survival Kit. Wow.
If you can spare $30 and want to get better at animating... BUY IT.
I've read about 80 of the 340+ pages... pure gold. Written in a clean, easy style and never condescending. It's the second best thing to taking a class, I'm sure.