Triple Hit Combo - Looking for feedback

BrandonBerryCG

Hi everybody, I'm finally getting this shot to a decent spot. I tried to adopt a more reference based workflow for this one and made the mistake of following the reference too much so it took multiple iterations to give it a game feel.

https://syncsketch.com/sketch/da190f4af54e/#664699/591235

It currently doesn't loop perfectly and I'll fix that in the final version, but I was just posting it up in hopes of getting some feedback to push it a little further. 



Don't hold back and thanks for any sort of critique you can give me. 

Archanex

I think your treatment with the box is working well. The hits feel kinda weak though, like he's swinging it pretty fast and effortlessly without a lot of affect on the rest of his body. The fact that he stands on a spot sort of reminds me of a MOBA style auto attack, is that what you were going for? If so I would show it from that kind of angle. Hope that helps

BrandonBerryCG

Hmmm, I think I see what  you are saying. I'll see if I can push the strain on the body more and I think the second thrust could probably have a little more punch to it. I was going for a more turn-based attack that could be viewed from any camera angle, but now that I think more about that, there is usually more distance between the characters. I really should have thought that part through.

Thanks for the feedback @Archanex, it was very helpful. I'll make the adjustments and post them up here!

tholmes3d

I'm excited to see this finished. Here's a hodgepodge of notes:

The third strike is pretty cool. I really like the big pose change as he goes down with one hand on the ground before jumping back. There's a lot of character in that moment.

The first strike isn't working for me. It's not easy to follow to the sword because the antic pose isn't similar to the action he takes. Or from a different approach, the sword's path is hard to follow. Either way, he starts the antic as if he's going to swipe from right to left (or at least that's the assumption I made), but then he quickly moves the sword to the other side of the body and swipes left to right. The swing lacks weight because of how easy it appears for him to whip the sword around. I like the pose he ends in, and how he flows into the second and third attack, so maybe you can change the antic pose? Maybe the antic is a moving hold as he brings the sword up over his head, transitioning from the right side of his body to the left, so he can then make a swing down to the right and still end in the same position.

Also, the followthrough at the end of the first strike could use a bit more weight as he catches the weight of the sword and then has to send it back in the direction it came from. Currently his body is already turned quite far from the swing, which gives no room for the sword to then pull on the arm as it continues the weight while he works to stop it.

I really like the unfolding action you have on the second strike from f212-220, and I love the ear twitch at f58.

For the idle, maybe try offsetting the knee's from the arms/breathing? I get the feeling that everything is happening on the same key, which isn't really bothering me for the rest of the body given the cartoony style, but it does on the knees for some reason.

Once you get the hits all looking great, you MAY try toning down the swipe as he return to idle. Right now it kind of reads like an attack, instead of a flourish. That said, I'd rather see it too big than too small and have it be lame.

Navigator

I think you have a good sense of anticipation, weight and timing here. Looks really nice. You could put a bit more power in the swings but overall its a great job. 

BrandonBerryCG

 @tholmes3d Hey thanks for taking the time to write out all of that feedback! The antic before the first strike was meant to be more of a feint to make the attack hard to read. But it seems its too effective lol. I'll try to rework it to be more readable and your suggestion gives me an idea on how to go about it!

I'll definitely try to add a bit of weight to it.  I was using a wooden sword when filming my reference so I guess the lightness of the sword transferred over to the animation too much.  

Yeah the idle is a little rough, I just whipped it up in 20 minutes or so because I wanted some rest time before the combo began. I'll have to definitely go in and refine it a little bit.

I absolutely agree with the swipe at the end. I wasn't too happy with it when I posted it, but I thought it was just because I was staring at it too long. Maybe I can give it some continuity by making it similar to the adjustment ill make for the first swing. And thank you for the compliments, its good to know I'm getting some of it right

@Navigator Thank you for the kind words. It definitely seems like I should up the UMPH of the hits. I have a couple ideas I want to try and if they seem close, I may ask everyone help me decide which works best!

The bad news is that my landlord is deciding to sell his house so I'm going to have to find another place to live by the 18th. I'll try to get the adjustments in this weekend, but I may be a little preoccupied for a few weeks. Thank you all again for your feedback!