C: Mr. Roboto

Actrox

Hi guys,

So I cheated and used Spriter. Yeah, I'm that guy. Honostly I don't see me using anything else in the future for making any kind of animated sprite. Very cool little program. Also used Gale for the actual pixel art.

Right let me know what you guys think.



In retro spec, i would have made the back leg a different iamge, that is shaded so that it is more clear.

retroFuture

I'd love to use Spriter, better download it... thanks for reminding me.
I would suggest making the legs bend more when they touch the ground and to maybe even lower the body/head significantly, maybe down in-between the legs in order to give the movement more 'weight'. It currently looks like it's tip-toeing.

retroFuture

...and I would suggest making the back leg a silhouette in order to separate it from the foreground.

retroFuture

Vary the speed of the leg at different points in it's movement. Speed up when the leg is moving towards the ground and slow down when lifting up.

dislekcia

I would suggest trying to keep the cockpit more stable, sure it can move up and down, but generally it shouldn't shunt back and forth that violently. That's what the hip joints are there for, those should be moving around under the chassis to keep the cockpit useful for targeting and firing duties.

Add dust poofs when the feet make contact with the ground!

Actrox

Right, think this looks much better than my jive chicken i first posted.

Tried to incorporate all the suggestions, and I didn;t need to change any assists, except create the dirt image.

I found it much easier just starting a new animation in Spriter from scratch, seeing as adding new instances to an existing animation is a pain.

Tuism

The original's head bobbing was GOOD! It was just off timing with the motion, but it made the movement more natural - even robots have to conform to the rules of physics and gravity, and that sway works. As said, just change the timing of the motion. Look at slow motions of, say, Robo cop's ED2000, or other mechwarrior type references. There's a slight lag that "pulls" the rest of the body along with the initial movements.

Looking good though! :)

Actrox

Hi guys. Here is iteration number 3.

Your thoughts please. The .gif speed was a bit slow. So I played around with 3 settings. Which one looks the best in your opinions?

(100ms/frame)
(50ms/frame)
(30ms/frame)

creative630

I think I like the 50ms/frame one the best. With regard to the cycle, It might just be my weird perception but it feels like the mech is running on the tip of his toes. It almost feels like he is floating mid way through the his walk cycle. The only thought I have is to give the leg some kind of impact force back up the leg to show that he has made contact with the ground. I may or may not be concentrating on the front leg too much ... hmmm.

Gazza_N

I concur that the 50ms one is the best-paced one, and the cockpit bob is better in the second iteration. I'd argue that the nose stays down a tad too long on foot impact, but that's because one would think that the cockpit is bouncing slightly due to the shock, and not swaying as a natural part of the motion. Personal preference. :P

I think the "floating" that gets referenced above could be mitigated by pulling the legs up a bit more as they move forward. More clearance would give it a more natural walking look, as opposed to possible "ice-skating".

Actrox

So I gave the walker a jolt each time the front foot impacts, and I made the legs lift more when walking. At 50ms speed this is the result.

Gazza_N

Thaaaat's the stuff. I'd tone down the impact cockpit bounce a tad, but the leg movement looks great, IMHO.

Elyaradine

Hey, looking good! :)

I'm no animator, but what looks strange to me is that occasionally it looks as if the mech doesn't have anything stopping it from falling backwards. The back leg seems to lift a little too soon (instead of only when the mech body has its weight above the front leg). Either that, or the mech body design could look a bit more front-heavy. Being off balance is fine if the weight falls in the direction you're moving, but if you're walking forwards and the weight sometimes falls backwards, problems!

Actrox

K. So i adjusted the back leg, so that its grounded for longer. Moved the cockpit forward for better weight distrobution, and adjusted the impact slightly.

Your thoughts please.

Gazza_N

My inner mech nerd is squeeing in delight. That is all. :3

Elyaradine

Only other thing that stands out to me is the dirt, which could use a couple more frames of being tossed up in the air and being affected by gravity, just so it doesn't look so much like a sprite that just hides and unhides. :)

Nice work otherwise! :D

Fengol

Spriter is AMAZING! And I've got my character done, I can export it to Graphics Gale FREE but I can't save it as .GIF :( How are you using saving your art?

Actrox

Arg man I'm using another free program, but it is at work and I can't for the life of me remember the name. I'll only be able to tell you on Monday.

Pomb

that looks cool! :)
Some things to keep in mind, the faster the mech moves the smaller he'll seem similarly, the slower it moves the bigger he'll feel. I think you've got a cool speed going with the 50ms, reminds me of the avatar mech size.
In terms of the animation, it feels a little off balance because mechs are generally really heavy and the leading foot is too far forward when the back one lifts of. lol @Elyaradine had made this comment too, only read it after typing out my comment.
So you could just move the stride backward, so the stretch is happening more for the back leg than the front, keeping the cockpit relatively centered or near the front. In Richard Williams book, the animation survival kit, he says that walking is the act of falling and catching yourself with your feet.
I also agree with the comments about the dust, they need more frames there to get a sense of whats happening there.
But overall a pretty rad effort man!

Actrox

Spriter is AMAZING! And I've got my character done, I can export it to Graphics Gale FREE but I can't save it as .GIF :( How are you using saving your art?

The program I used is called "Aseprite"

Google should be able to find it.

Actrox

Thanks to all the help on this one guys. There is still much i'd like to fine tune on this animation, however my time is too limited this week so the last post is the final submission for this comp.

Low turnout for this comp though?