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This is just a quick .avi movie my animator threw together to give a basic sense of the diagonal walk for a character.  The final walks will be 12 frames per cycle, and these are just the key frames.

I think my animation team has the basics covered, but the diagonals aren't quite there yet, in my opinion. Suggestions?

http://www.rattlesnakejake.com/jakediag.avi

Here are the side and front walks, by the way, also only showing key frames.

http://www.rattlesnakejake.com/jakeside.avi

http://www.rattlesnakejake.com/jakefrnt.avi

Although, considering how numb my arse had become watching it, I may have missed a few.

I sympathize. Hated the movie, myself. Hated the books, too, though. 

Everybody knows that the Narnia stories are one giant allegory written with a pro-christian agenda, so you could spot the obvious one in the movie. Apart from the Jesus/Aslan angle though, little remained in the movie version.

Oh, I thought the whole parable was pretty wrought with Christian overtones, especially the tempation/white witch/judas nonsense. Maybe I was just sensitive to it because I was predisposed to dislike the film. Then again, boring story plus wooden characters isn't a good formula for any picture.

The religious overtones were also removed from the Narnia movie(s), so this is nothing new.

I think we must have watched different movies! The first Narnia film practically hit us over the head with religious overtones. The whole Aslan-as-Jesus bit was completely heavy-handed.

As for the Golden Compass, I think the trailer looks amazing and cannot wait for the film. And who cares if they used a Lord of the Rings reference in the trailer? The marketing people having NOTHING to do with the film itself. Their job is to sell it. It was a good ploy.

Out of curiousity, will this game have voice acting?

I'd like to include voices, maybe as an add-on after the initial release. The issue is that I want to make sure I do it right. Bad voice acting can kill a game, and it's hard to find an entire cast of good voice actors.

Here's the new Rattlesnake Jake theme music, which will accompany the intro/options screen when the game loads. I was looking for "Indiana Jones, but funnier and more cowboy-ish."

I think the composer, Jesse Hopkins, nailed it!

http://www.rattlesnakejake.com/rattlesnake_jake_theme.mp3 (5 MB download)

Great suggestions. Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

Hi there!

Some of you may know me. I'm the project manager for Rise of the Hidden Sun, an in-production comedy western being made with AGS. As project lead, I've worked closely with various artists and musicians to get the assets we need for the game. Doing this has been fairly straightforward: I draw sketches of scenes and/or characters, other people with more talent than me make them look pretty.

Pretty soon I'm going to start plugging all those assets into AGS and actually building the game, though, and I just assume I'm going to get stumped along the way with some scripting issues. (In fact I already have... even basic programming is a little intimidating to me.)

So, one thing I'm considering is recruiting some AGS scripting wizards to join the team, possibly even in a paid capacity, to help out. (In fact, PM me if you're interested and we'll talk...)

Anyway, now I get to my question! What's the best way to work on that part of the game design while communicating only via the Internet? Do I provide all of the "stuff" needed and a really detailed design doc, and then send the game files to the scripter to work on and then send back to me?

Any suggestions from people who've done it successfully are greatly appreciated.

Also, as a long time lurker of the AA articles, it's nice to see the "second biggest signpost" again.

I had no idea so many people actually read the AA series! That's really awesome. :o

For those who don't know what Ghost is referring to, here's a shot of the same scene at an earlier point in production. I can't believe how much Jake has changed. Also, at least I've learned my lesson about a) properly sizing objects to characters, and b) not using those hideous dark outlines on character sprites...

*snip - removing outdated artwork*

Does this mean Jake's sprite wont look like the one on the screenshots?

He will not look the like character in the current screenshots. He will look a lot more like the original design, only with a few tweaks that I feel are important to help establish the kind of character he is.

And the animations progress for him are back at zero?

Jake's eight-direction walk cycle is basically done, and now we're working on some of the basic in-game animations like picking up an object, shooting his gun, etc. I'm saving the unveiling of the final version of his sprite for the next Adventure Architect column over at Adventure Gamers, though. 

*snip - removing outdated artwork*

Is the team still lacking much people? The "help wanted" part of the web made me think that.

Well, I'm always looking for more help! But currently we have some truly topnotch animators going full-speed on episode one, and everything else is kind of taking care of itself now, too. Things are looking very good. Worry not!

What is the status of this game now 

I believe the phrase "full steam ahead" applies! We're making massive progress daily now. It's a VERY exciting time. 

Now he reminds me of the Irish farmer from Back to the Future III.

As a total aside, this supports my theory that not a day goes by without at least one Back to the Future reference being made somewhere in the world, by somebody.

I now return you to your normally scheduled critique.

p.s. Thanks for all your tips, everyone. The Rattlesnake Jake sprite is currently back in the shop for repairs and will return soon, all shiny and new.

I definitely like the more heroic pose and facial expression of the original/flash version, I just think you need to stay away from antialiasing the edges because it will only cause you trouble in the future.

Pardon my ignorance, but what trouble, exactly?

I think the main clash here isn't the toonshading versus the painting like background, but an unrealistically coloured/treated character versus a realistic looking background.

Excellent critique, loominous. Thanks! I should have mentioned this was a quick animation/character test and not the final sprite, but your suggestions for colors/shading are great on their own.

Now for something completely different: Jake, iteration 19 1/2, looking very similar to an earlier version (only in Flash this time!) 

Thanks for your feedback, everyone. Opinions are duly noted and I'm on to the next, hopefully final, iteration -- which, of course, I'll post here for your abuse... I mean, opinions. 

Cheers,
Josh

Does anyone know where I can find some ripped sprites from Broken Sword 1 or 2?

For those of you who are familiar with my game Rise of the Hidden Sun, what do you think of this potential look for Jake? I'm looking for specific things you like or dislike about how he looks, particularly compared to the current sprites I'm using (see the screenshots at http://www.rattlesnakejake.com). Thanks!

OK, assuming I interpreted the forum rules correctly (specifically this part: "If you can provide a detailed synopsis with screenshots or prelimnary sketches, feel free to start a new thread asking for help") here's my formal call-to-arms for some new blood to help out with Rise of the Hidden Sun: A 'Rattlesnake' Jake Dawson Adventure.

First things first, a brief synopsis:

Arizona, 1869. An ancient Indian legend, a mysterious secret society, and a down-on-his-luck cowboy with a knack for finding trouble are about to cross paths in Rise of the Hidden Sun, a new point 'n' click comedy adventure game in development by Chapter 11 Studios.

With nothing to his name but his wits, his six-shooter, and a tattered old treasure map, 'Rattlesnake' Jake Dawson needs you to help him win the greatest treasure hunt the Wild West has ever seen -- because the very fate of Western Civilization is at stake, and Jake isn't the only one on the hunt...

Who is the deadly outlaw Mary Jane Clayton, and why has she devoted her life to finding a legendary lost city of gold? What is the mythical Hidden Sun, and why will a murderous secret brotherhood stop at nothing to get it? And perhaps most importantly of all, is Jake willing to sacrifice everything to stop them from succeeding?

Aaaaaaand now some screenies:

 

 

Finally, the positions we need to fill:

Animator
The animator will create character animations and in-game action sequences emulating the project's established artistic style. He or she will also have the opportunity to design and animate entirely new characters. We are looking for traditional 2-D animators.

Pencil Artist
The pencil artist will be responsible for creating background artwork based on our existing concept sketches and design notes, and must be able to emulate the project's established artistic style. Access to a scanner and familiarity with Photoshop or a similar program are required.

Colorist
The colorist will be responsible for digitally coloring background artwork. Proficiency with Photoshop or a similar program is a must, as is the ability to emulate the project's established artistic style.

Musician
The musician will help define the sounds of the game: background music, overture, and in-game sound effects.

We already have people working on each of these areas, but the more contributors we have the faster we'll go!

p.s. The area of biggest need is animations, not because we don't love our current animator (we do!!) but because that's the least-far-along part of the project!

Please PM or email me (chapter11studios @ yahoo dot com) if you're interested.