Animation Troubles - Quest for Glory Combat

[Corby]

Hey everyone, haven't posted in the critics lounge in years!

I'm working on combat sprites for my game Heroine's Quest. I've made about 3 attempts so far to animate the hero taking a swing at a monster with a two-handed battle axe. Each attempt has ended in failure. Sprites are not really my area, but I'm trying my best. So far, I've been using other games for references on animation. If the hero was swinging a sword, I don't think I'd have much trouble, but I can't seem to get a two-handed weapon to work.

So basically, I'm trying to have a swing to the right first. Sort of like a swing with an axe to a tree. Also, I need a slight step towards the monster while swinging. Hopefully someone can help. Even if I had some stick figures (like below) doing this, I could use that as a reference.

Cheers!

[Crimson Wizard]

A small note, just remembering myself using an axe to cut trees:
When you are idle, you can hold the axe like heroine is holding it on that sprite above, with large distance between hands to make its weight balanced. However, when you strike, you have to bring both hands together to create a single pivot, otherwise your strike will be terribly awkward and weak.

O well, forgive my lame drawings, but here's how I see this:



Possibly I should have made guy's hands be even closer to the lower handle end.

[Corby]

Hey that makes total sense to me! Thanks!

I misused my words, and think I meant to say a "left swing". But I do need one for the right too, so I'm half way there now.

Any chance you could whip up a swing from the opposite side too? 

[Crimson Wizard]

I am not sure what you mean by left/right swing, is it a "horizontal" strike?
Well, I draw this "schema" trying to show how man starts a strike by raising axe from the right side more detailed. If you need him/her to make a horizontal or diagonal strike (sorry, no idea how these things called) simply stop axe rising earlier, then swing.

Green parts are right, Blue are left.



This may be rather rude; anyway, basically rising such heavy thing while holding a handle is better performed when you do so along the spiral, not just straight half-circle.

Also! If you want to strike from the side diagonally (not just straight from above) sometimes it is better to rise the axe from opposite side, - in this case you won't need to fight with your own inertion, but use it for you benefit.
In other words - rise axe from left along a spiral to strike from right side, and vice versa.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Normally you'd want to bring the axe up and swing in a chopping motion, but to simulate the effect you wanted (a horizontal rather than vertical swing) I made a quick and dirty edit.



You'll notice that I changed the angle of the axe as it swings to more properly match the angle of her body.  The easiest way to do this is to imagine a flat plane along the area where the characters attack and adjust the shapes for a somewhat isometric view.  I didn't focus much on the axe so it has no details but it should help give you an idea of how to achieve a similar effect.  Also, I removed a few frames I had included that showed her pull back more before the swing because I wanted to focus on the swing itself.  One good way to improve this is to show more momentum by building up the swing slowly and then have the swing use only a few frames so it appears fast to the viewer.  You'll also want to consider the movement of her body as she swings, naturally turning with the motion of the axe.  Hopefully this helps!

[Crimson Wizard]

ProgZMax, sorry, but on your animation her fighting style totally defeats the sense of having a long pole

What I want to say, nobody would fight with heavy battle axe like that.


Something to illustrate my last note in the previous post:

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Normally you'd want to bring the axe up and swing in a chopping motion, but to simulate the effect you wanted (a horizontal rather than vertical swing) I made a quick and dirty edit.

He said he wanted a swing to the side like chopping a tree so I accommodated.  Note that I also said a vertical chopping motion would be better.  Please read.

[Crimson Wizard]

Normally you'd want to bring the axe up and swing in a chopping motion, but to simulate the effect you wanted (a horizontal rather than vertical swing) I made a quick and dirty edit.

He said he wanted a swing to the side like chopping a tree so I accommodated.  Note that I also said a vertical chopping motion would be better.  Please read.

Well, I understood that you wanted to show how his own vision of strike would look like, however, even chopping a tree from a side would involve slightly different technique.
I mean, she has to at least grasp the axe closer to the end of the axe handle, that's all.

[Calin Leafshade]

Normally you'd want to bring the axe up and swing in a chopping motion, but to simulate the effect you wanted (a horizontal rather than vertical swing) I made a quick and dirty edit.

He said he wanted a swing to the side like chopping a tree so I accommodated.  Note that I also said a vertical chopping motion would be better.  Please read.

I agree with CW, in your animation the character keeps their right hand near to the head of the axe and rotates the axe around its centre point which would be a terrible way to swing an axe. Also the shaft of the axe would pass straight through her body the way you have it.. its too long to move like that.

[Scarab]

And also doesn't the way she holds it imply a right-handed swing?
The first thing I pictured was her lifting the head of the axe towards us, and then swinging in a diagonal-forward motion.

[Ryan Timothy B]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcyZf94iIgI

There are plenty of youtube videos for reference.

[Corby]

Crimson Wizard: Yup, that's perfect. That animation with her raising the axe is where I got stumped.


ProgzMax: That swing is just want I wanted for the end of her attack, after she's raised it to get some momentum.


I'll just combine the two and make sure she's holding the pole nearer to the tip and at the one pivot.

So thanks guys, I'll post my result soon! I should've came here months ago!

[Corby]

How's this looking?

[Andail]

Beautiful, Corby, it actually looks like the proper way to swing an axe

[Corby]

I found practicing with a broom helps

[Scarab]

Have you tried adding a motion blur to the final frame? This is a common technique used for animating weapons to make the path of motion more obvious and the frame count look higher.

[Corby]

That sounds like a interesting idea! Would I still have to keep the edges non anti-aliased? I've wondered how AGS handles anti-aliased sprites?

[Andail]

You can't anti-alias a normal sprite, as it will show up with a transparency "halo" when imported to the ags.

Regarding the animation; I think one way to improve it even more would be to stretch her (his?) right arm in the final frame, as it appear to be bent now. Her right elbow wouldn't be visible if the arm was fully extended, for instance.

Also, wouldn't it be more natural to advance with your left foot when you swing from the right? I tried some swings and I feel much better taking a big stride with my left foot than with my right.

[Calin Leafshade]

You can't anti-alias a normal sprite, as it will show up with a transparency "halo" when imported to the ags.

you can if its a 32-bit game since it has an 8 bit alpha channel

[Gilbert]

It wouldn't match the current pixel art style though.