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I mean high resolution character sprites. I will add the lamp and stuff right now. Also, when I am finished I'm gonna add my high resolution character .

I dont understand the need to have high resolution sprites in a low resolution game. Its sort of ironic.

What do you use to make your gif animation? Save the animation template, then import/open the file in the program you used to create your animation.

Still want to make the game, but I want some good high-quality music, which would basically disqualify it, I think.

As far as I understood it, the only thing you HAVE to emulate is a retro style of graphics.

As far as I am aware, #3 says you should adhere to the limitations of the style you are emulating. Audio possibly can be apart of that. Can you confirm ProgZ?

I'm already not having fun. I just can't get this background looking crappy in the right way.

Its easy to make something crappy, but making it look like crap in a good way is absolutely hard.

Now this is interesting.  I've had a cool idea for a game for a while now that I think would fit this--simplistic graphics and all that.  Only problem is, I'm not exactly sure which "system" for it to be an emulation of.

Graphically, pretty much everything in the game is squares and lines.  The squares do have some lines inside them, though--hold on, going to do a quick example and post it...



There.  That right there would probably be the most complicated sprite in the entire game, if I choose to use it.  What system does that emulate?   

EDIT: Just thought of something.  I always envisioned this game as being at 640x480 resolution and having some pretty high-quality ambient-electronic music.  I guess those features would disqualify the project even if I do it all in a month, right?

Someone let me know if I'm wrong.  I don't think I'd want to do this game without those features.

Graphic Calculator, Old Nokia Cell phone...

Okay I see the problem and confusion now. I am correct. The movemen you speak of which you think is a realistic walking way is false. People don't walk like they are marching. I didn't see it before though.

The frame in which Boyd said isn't realistic is actually the opposite of what is realistic. The frame in which both legs are straight but on opposite sides is the most crucial frame there.



By following Boyd's advice will create a character that walks as if he is wearing extremely tight pants. The first from of a walk cycle must be as shown. This frame is crucial mainly because this position is what creates balance in the way we walk. Here is what your animation will look like when we add that frame:

Mine/Yours
     
(Fixed: left one original frame out. Was in a hurry. Oh well.)
By creating two extra frames, the character now looks like his body has wait and that his feet actually touch the ground.

If you are interested in getting a book for $30 at the store if not cheaper on amazon. The scan in which I provide is only a small bit of a huge boo with everything you need to know. Check out 'the Animator's Survival Kit'. It is a book that anyone who is animating anything should use. It helped me plenty when doing cell shading at Disney and for my Flash Series 'Boil Boy'.



Boyd was right. I was wrong. What I said was actually the realistic way and not an industry standard approved/prefered way.


Here is an additional tidbit to help your front and back movement.


(Note: I have been approved by the author of the book to provide these images.)

Maybe Disney never gave a thought about human biology.

No, but maybe you should pick up an industry standard Animation book and see how things really are understood.

oh well thankyou for that mr. animation expert.

Come on, that's a bit childish coming from a man of your age.

Moreover, working with Disney for a year actually makes you quite qualified, at least in a community frequented by non-professional teenagers.
Unless, of course, he worked in the canteen, serving sandwiches.

At my college, Disney presented there internship program. First two months or so, I had to work at Disneyland, specifically the Food Stand (was a horrible experience). After that I moved my way up to intern for the Disney's Animation department in Burbank, CA. That lasted 4 months. After that they were interested in keeping me on, so I chose to intern for the management department.

Not only does exaggerating movement create a better look for animation, it also defines the characters personality. Realism in movement that isn't in 3d or captured from video NEVER looks right in animated.

my main disagreement was the above statement as it is purely down to personal taste, personally i prefer less exaggeration.
also just because exaggeration is used a lot in animation doesn't mean people should just accept it as the norm, nor does it make it the only way to animate.
the first walkcycle would just look more natual if the character walks a short distance, nobody takes giant strides just to travel a few metres.
also, as you seem to be a japophile take a look at some anime, you don't see much exaggeration in walk animations there (they tend to save that for the violence).
and working for disney for ONE year hardly makes you an expert on videogame animation, or anything else for that matter.
however, i will not carry on this BS debate with you here (or anywhere else actually), it's for crits on TDM's animations.

Good think you like to try to pick a fight. Japophile (Learn to word correctly. A japophile is someone who isn't japanese blood or is a whore for japanese culture. I am japanese/american.) , one year means nothing (wow, I swear one year working anywhere is long enough to learn a thing or too, oh wait...you are a troll and should be considered for temporary ban.) I am speaking through what I have learned in the industry. If you find that offensive, then please be quite. If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it at all.

back on topic.

Note: The anime art style is frowned upon in the Non-Asian Animation and Gaming industry.

oh well thankyou for that mr. animation expert.
except it's totally untrue though.

Working for Disney for a year. I guess I can say I am an expert (one year though isn't really enough to consider me an expert). Mind you. Your offense to free knowledge is offensive.

i've found from personal experience and by watching other people (both in real life and in the media) that when walking, people hardly ever make that giant stride, so i think it's much more realistic to not have it.
people also tend to not swing their arms that much, i know i don't.
but it does kinda look as if the guy is in a rush becuase of both the shoe colours being the same colour/very similar colours, which if you're just looking at the legs makes it seem like a 3 frame animation.

edit: eh, kinda looks like he's skipping along now...

There is a lot of exaggeration in animations. The reason for this is to make certain things become more noticeable to your mind.  The fact that its animated, things need to be done differently to make the viewer understand things. It may not be realistic, but its practically must in animation. Else it will look like a typical amateur animated sprite.

Not only does exaggerating movement create a better look for animation, it also defines the characters personality. Realism in movement that isn't in 3d or captured from video NEVER looks right in animated.

Brilliant work. Love the new art style for the backgrounds. Glad you are working with a studio this time around.

I love the fact you are going with full screen background art this time around, also the color palette used is gorgeous.

Come to think of it, it looks like a crawl space.....even if its not suppose to be that. It looks correct if you think of it that way.

Okay, I have to enter this. ProgZ, push me to actually do this one! I MUST GET AT LEAST ONE MAGS done!

All updates will be held in this post.

Platform: PC
Color/Palette: 1981 4bit CGA w/ Dithering
Resolution: 512x320
Genre: Scifi/Adventure
Control Style: Point n' Click & Arrow Keys
Audio Type: Emulated System Sounds

Title:
Description:

Update 01: I changed my story and title to something more serious. Originally I wanted to do something humorous and spoofy, but I changed my mind and wanted to do something more special. Something artistic and portfolio worthy.

Update 02: Change the resolution to fit the actual display abilities. Converted Logos into CGA resolution and palette.

There's nothing inherently wrong with the perspective; then again the viewpoint and the "closeness" of the perspective make it look like you're a very small person in a very small room.
Like a frog in a big locker, instead of a person in a room.

Well it does look like thats the case. Big books, a big lantern, a big chest...

S, what is the story behind this scene?

If life were templates, we would lose the frustration required to make us learn.

I don't think that learning requires frustration. A template like this is just a good thing to start with and to enhance your ability to animate. No one draws a picture without ever have seen one. And if you want to draw a walk cycle, why not take a look at a ready one? You don't have to draw over it, but that's okay too..

I'd disagree. Its the journey that makes the person, not the destination. By making a shortcut, you cut the journey in half, only giving the person partial experience.

Great concept! Well done!

Or use templates like this one from MrColossal and paint them over:

If life were templates, we would lose the frustration required to make us learn.

What Andail said plus checking out how sprites are done in other games would greatly help. All I see is a mess of random pixels and a so called outline. Also, I see a lot of wasteful colors.

get a book on Traditional Animation. I suggest 'the Animator's Survival Kit'. Came in use all the time when I worked at Disney.