Standing and idle animations?

[XJaPaN]

Good work.... yeah actually pretty good work. ^^ I have a suggestion so: As someone mentioned before it would be strange if lots of units would move on the screen so I suggest these animations should only appear if you have choosen a character without doing anything.

[Oreb]

Good work.... yeah actually pretty good work. ^^ I have a suggestion so: As someone mentioned before it would be strange if lots of units would move on the screen so I suggest these animations should only appear if you have choosen a character without doing anything.

That was me, and yes I still go if its on the hex of the units you selected.

Also, we don't want any stoned units doing random animations do we? Or could we have them animated by having a few tiny rocks fall off

[zookeeper]

Also, we don't want any stoned units doing random animations do we?

Good point, that's one special case that definitely must be handled.

I don't bother to comment on the "units moving on the screen all the time" concern, since there's no need to talk about it right now.

[xtifr]

It looks less like "his head falling off", and more like juggling or some *practiced act* because of that.

Actually, I kind of like that element of it. If it's going to be a repeated thing in the game, I think it makes more sense as something they do--and are practiced at--just for the fun of it. But maybe that's just me.

I would like to point out that the bowstring seems to do some awfully funny things while he's playing around with his head. I'd like to see it stay straight and tight throughout the whole animation.

[Redeth]

Ok, took long enough, but these two are completed.

Skel Archer: added two frames, optimized timing, cleaned up shadow.

Dwarf Fighter: added missing knee pads and shoulder pads, retouched head and face, optimized timing. The number of jumps can be randomized when commiting, of course.

[Oreb]

Ok, took long enough, but these two are completed.

Skel Archer: added two frames, optimized timing, cleaned up shadow.

Dwarf Fighter: added missing knee pads and shoulder pads, retouched head and face, optimized timing. The number of jumps can be randomized when commiting, of course.

The skeleton looks much better now, but maybe the skull should wobble when he catches it. It also looks like it just rolls down his arm, and he catches it and flings it up, like people do with their basketballs.

The dwarf is good before, and now looks more completed.

[Zhukov]

Skeleton:
One reason it looks "rehearsed" (in Jetryl's terms) is because he acts to catch the skull as soon as it starts to move, as if he was expecting it. He does not appear to have been taken by surprise. In fact, he starts leaning over before the skull becomes clearly dislodged. It looks rather like he is tipping it off on purpose.
IMHO this could be improved if the skeleton didn't move much until the skull was clearly falling off. Also if the skull were to slightly rock back-and-forth in his hand when he catches it.

As for the Dwarf, I really don't think he should jump quite so high. He is jumping nearly his own height. It would be like a person who was 1.75m tall jumping about 1.5m into the air. However this is very subjective.

This post probably seems overly harsh, especially if you consider them to be complete. Sorry.

[Flametrooper]

One thing about the dwarf is, why? I mean, why does a dwarf just suddenly, abritrarily, jump up into the air like he's on a trampoline? The animation itself is pretty darn good, I'm just curious about the reasoning behind it.

[Zhukov]

Why? Well, the same reason fencers decide to suddenly bow, peasants suddenly tip their hats, skeletons suddenly juggle their heads, swordsmen twirl their weapons...etc etc.

Flametrooper...I mean, really...

[Jetrel]

Both of those look good, now - I'd start work on other things.

Ignore any comments about implementation/etc. from the masses.

[JW]

As for the Dwarf, I really don't think he should jump quite so high. He is jumping nearly his own height. It would be like a person who was 1.75m tall jumping about 1.5m into the air.

Dude, he's crouch-jumping like Luigi.

[XJaPaN]

Here is my nervous Naga Fighter

[turin]

Just like to say that, IMHO, xjapan's idle animation is more what we should aim for. The jumping dwarf and stuff like that are all well and good, but they're less important, and should probably only be displayed when the unit is selected. (The reason is, they draw your attention to the unit, which shouldn't happen unless the unit is selected). The fidgeting naga would be more prevalent. The difference is between idle animations, and animations that play while the unit is selected.
Jetryl, what's your opinion on this? Agree, or disagree?

[Jetrel]

Just like to say that, IMHO, xjapan's idle animation is more what we should aim for. The jumping dwarf and stuff like that are all well and good, but they're less important, and should probably only be displayed when the unit is selected. (The reason is, they draw your attention to the unit, which shouldn't happen unless the unit is selected). The fidgeting naga would be more prevalent. The difference is between idle animations, and animations that play while the unit is selected.
Jetryl, what's your opinion on this? Agree, or disagree?

I disagree and agree:

• We should not play the current set of idle animations when the unit is selected, because many of them are completely inappropriate. In fact, I really think we should not display any animation when a unit is selected. Selections change too fast for some of these animations.

• And also, drawing attention to the unit is the whole point. The whole point is adding life to an otherwise static battlefield.


Some of the more striking animations, like the skeleton popping his head off, or the dwarf jumping, should not happen very often; others, like the swordsman swinging his sword around, should happen quite often. For the first, I had them happen such that only one of them would happen every few minutes, for the second, I have them happen a few times per minute (both of these timing things are *not* per unit).


On the other hand:
Yes, simpler animations like the nervous naga (which is a little messy) should happen more often than the more extravagant animations.

but ... these are not the standing animations!. Standing animations are even more basic; they will need at least one of just the unit standing there, and breathing/being affected by the wind (cloak flapping, leaves rustling, etc.). Other random iterations of a standing animation should have some very minor movement; shifting weight, and such, or looking around.



So, for example, it would be very prudent to port the axe-tossing animation over to the fighter and lord as well, so that the fighter has another, much more common animation to play.

Here is my nervous Naga Fighter

Since there's so little movement otherwise, make the blade take two frames to move all that way.

Also, make the rest of his body do something - especially his tail, for example, but what should *really* happen is that as his shifts his sword, he shifts the weight of his body, slightly.

Looks very promising - all you have to do is this little extra bit.

[Vendanna]

If you are going to make the wind blowing on the units... remember to select the default (wind blows in this direction) for the units, if not you may end with two units that for a coincidence the wind blow on them on different directions.

The bouncing/breathing its good, also if the unit rotates slighty when idle (a pixel and then another pixel and back + inverse)

Wizards could cast "cantrip spells" aka lightning effects, malabarisms... archers could loose/shot the arrow placed on the bow accidentally