caveman sprite for C&C

[ladymeba]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum as a member but have been lurking around for a while whilst  I am learning how to use AGS.

Anyhoo - I finally feel confident enough to tackle making a small game and have done lots of planning... however my artistic ability leaves a lot to be desired...lol

I would appreciate c&c on my first effort at a sprite.



ta.. 

[Babar]

Lot's to be desired???  :o

The only thing odd about it I can see is the outline on the shoulder, and the slight lack of shading on the arm and cloth.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

This is a great first try, really.  What I would suggest is:

Either use shadows or don't at all.  In this case I think the image would look fine without the shadow under his chin or vest.

Make the right hand more like the left hand.  That is, give him some fingers and make it larger.

Give the right foot some visible toes.

Remove the outline at the top of the shoulder.

The facial features are excellent and definitely make him look like a dimwitted type.  Very nice work.

[ladymeba]

Thanks Guys

Babar: you made me feel good about my pic - even though its not perfect, I did work real hard at it... *beams all proudly* and yes I wasn't sure about that outline.. I think you are right it makes it look odd.

ProgZmax: Thanks for the suggestions - taken on board and changes made although I did struggle with the digits (hand and foot) and will probably fiddle with them some more.

How does it look now?



Oh and while I am here I might as well add in the left facing version too...




I would still appreciate any crits you can throw at me in the meantime I am going to try to figure out how to animate him...

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Very nice!  Post the animation in this thread when you are done so we can see

[ladymeba]

simple walk animation



I know it's rough but I am not sure how to do it better (am working with imageready)..

Also I am having trouble with the size of the sprite - I would like to shrink it by 50% but when I do it screws up the clean outline and makes an ugly white border around the image - any help would be appreciated.

[DonB]

Lol he makes me laugh really..

[ScottDoom]

The problem with the animation (other than it being really clunky) is that the foot isn't facing the right direction. For a stand-still pose it looks nice, but when he walks he'll need to face his leg straight forward.

You also need a slight head bob, as well as some turn in the elbow...

I've actually never animated a character (ever) so I can't really help much past that. I can draw the characters (sorta) but when it comes to animating I give up.  :'( And nodoby will help me.  :'(

[DonB]

Im not that good in animating too.. read some tutorials.. at least I see that the head should go up and down while moving too, not only his body, which looks clowny  but good for a laugh tho!!

[AlbinoPanther]

Also I am having trouble with the size of the sprite - I would like to shrink it by 50%

Just make your game in 640x480

[ladymeba]

thanks LJUBI but I would like to shrink the sprite anyway - there must be a way to do it without the funny edge problem....??

[bigrd32]

I think the sprite looks great and the animation isn't bad.  The first thing I noticed is that the swing of his right arm is kind of wierd.  Try to match it with his left leg...it might look a little more natural.  Also some bend in his joints would help (elbow, shoulder, knees and hips).  The way his legs slide just doesn't look right.  Anyway it looks good and I'm curious to see a caveman adventure game!

[Khris]

there must be a way to do it without the funny edge problem....??

Check if the resize function of your gfx prog has a Pixel resize option. At least that's what it's called in PSP.
Another possibility is to resize the sprite, then repaint it in a new (50% transparent) layer.

[big brother]

When you shrink the dimensions, be sure to select "Nearest Neighbor" from the list by the "Resample Image" option (Photoshop).

For the GIMP, I believe you can turn off AA in the scaling options.

If all else fails, just index your sprite first.

[Erenan]

Would it be a bad idea to zoom out in the art program and then do a screen capture?

[ladymeba]

A few good suggestions thanka guys I'll give them a go - am using photoshop if that helps...

Anyway I've been working on another view of the caveman [front] if you would like to have a look - again I am open to any and all crits, suggestions and help... which I I have a feeling I need now since I am not quite as happy with how he turned out.

[bigrd32]

I thing the front view looks great except for the club.  Try to round it out...it kinda looks like a beaver tail.

[ladymeba]

lol - now you mention it.... yeah I see that.....

How's this?

[bigrd32]

lol - now you mention it.... yeah I see that.....

How's this?

That's much better...I wouldn't mind as much getting hit with that one