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Pixelhammer: A Star Soldier Saga

PeaceCraft
polycounter lvl 7
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PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7

Hey guys, i think this is my first post here. I'm a designer from Brasil.

i recently got my paws on Aseprite, a great pixel art animation tool and started fooling around with some gifs to try out some pixel art and unrust my animation techniques. Wow what a surprise, Its a joy to work with! 


So, i decided to play around with it and make some sprites so one of my programmer friends can use it to make a mock up and who knows evolve into a proof of concept for a simple game we were thinking of. 

This first test subject references an existing IP that i will not mention but i'll call "Star marines". If we decide to make it available for download in the future i'll make original characters, but for now lets just use this little blue guy to mock up a game :)
Long story short, on the long run i will just hand these over to a programmer i develop games with, and just make a (non profit) game to use as proof of concept to try to develop into something serious (with different characters) in the future.

for now, enjoy the star marine gifs! 

idle star marine


shooting star marine


(when we implement these, we'll adjust speed according to gameplay)
cheers!

Replies

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    i uploaded a slightly larger version



    idle starmarine




    shooting starmarine




    slashing star marine




    starmarine walkcycle

    now working on jumps and wall jumps

    cheers!




  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    discovered a few frames where the teeth disapeared on the sword, fixed it, moving on to jumps
  • Connecta
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    Connecta polycounter lvl 7
    Hey! They're all looking good:)
    If they're for the player character I'd perhaps tweak some on the shoot animation. Seeing how it is a bit to slow and unresponsive. Take a look at this GDC talk and see if you can implement the LoL-tip for responsive anims. 
    (go to 03:30 / "Trick 2 - Responsive Anims"
    http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023479/Animation-Bootcamp-Tricks-of-the

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    ooo great link, thanks man!
    the programmer will still adjust the shooting/slashing animation to gameplay, currently we just got the sprite on the map to try out gameplay (we were thinking megaman meets metal slug). i think the walkcycle has 20 frames and the shootcycle as well, i'll have to tweak it a bit.

    currently i'm finishing the jumps

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    hellooow. after a long hiatus i decided to start working on a game again

    I'm going to make a  full on game soon, but to test our production pipeline, we've began to make a test fangame using 40k for testing reasons and for fun also. hopefully no IP problems cuz its a fan project without any money involved. We do not intend to make a full multiple hour many level game with all the complexity of a comercial game, we just want to make a beat em up / shoot em up level with reasonable development.

    So, without further blablabla -  learned to actually use aseprite and worked on the animation cycles of our characters.

    these are the original test sheets 





  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    Oh oh, and also, sharing about 90 hours animation of work 

    Idle ork boyz



    Walking boyz




    Running at you  



    Attack 1



    Boyz getting hit



    And a WiP death animation for the boyz (still no clothes)



    for now that's it!
    i'm done with ork boy core animations for now. for testing purposes it's enough.
    i still need some more attack animations, some different death animations, some transitions, some emotes
    although i will later make more animations for the ork, i will start making the core of the marines now so we can put them against each other on the engine

    C&C wlecome!



  • Tvidotto
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    Tvidotto polycounter lvl 9
    so awesome! please keep them coming
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    thanks vids!
    updates!

    ahh, about the marine the bolter is a bit exagerated in size but thats kinda the point - making it caricate.
    everything is gonna be cartoony and over the top like the orks being brutal but silly

    the marine's actions are gonna try to feel "tactical" with  "swat" vibes. the reload animations i'm going to do a john wick flick reload. Hopefully that gets the message across that the marines are special forces.

    tomorrow i'll start run and then move on to the attack sequence

    forgot about the finished dead orks


    cheers!
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    slight update -  running marine

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    shooting

    shoulder charge

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    finished melee attacks
    edit: removed for updated animation below
  • Rmunday
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    Rmunday polycounter lvl 9
    Not only are the actual sprites themselves top notch but the quality of these animations has increased 10 fold since the first post. I am amazed you got such fluidity. 

    It would be awesome if you showed a break down of some point how you approach these animations, I have animated for 7+ years but I am just starting to get into 2D pixel animation, these are blowing my mind right now. 
  • DavidCruz
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    DavidCruz interpolator
    super cool, looking forward to a demo.
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    @Rmunday thanks! i had a lot of work in motion graphics and animation for commercail agencies since - that 1st marine was my 1st attempt at using aseprite and hadn't animated in years at that point- but 4 years later now i got quite a lot more experience thankfully.
    about a breakdown - i thinik i'm doing the basic keyframe  then filling the gaps - but many times i get carried away and over animate some things and the actions end up slow. most of my animations have to have adjustments so it doesn't feel clunky - like the melee sequence has 100 ms frames, 50 ms sequences, then stops in 100 anticipation, then goes back to 150 at key frame, then speeds to 70ms - its all over the place :D dunno if my workflow is a good example for anyone haha

    @davidcruz thanks! we are beginning to implement the sprites into unity now!

     melee attack


    marine getting hit in the face


    celebrating pose! (does anybody recognize the pose?)


    C&C welcome!

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    new stuff!
    repeating shooting for context



    and now tactical reload



    i made the animation very long on purpose cuz the disadvantage of being ranged is having to reset your magazine to give time for enemies to close in. he will have to manage ammo and have space to reload - that's why his melee sequence ends in a kick to knock back enemies so he can reload
  • Denzil_forde
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    Denzil_forde greentooth
    I love this stuff dude! keep it up man! 
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    thanks mate!
    i'm working on the fall and get up animation, and also slowed down because we are starting to implement the animations into the engine

    one slight update: getting pushed

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    getting knocked down


    geting right back up

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    update!
    rolling dodge


    size test for celebrating emote

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    update! dodge rolling in Z axis "up" and "down" (the timing still needs some adjustments to be equal both ways)


  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    After a hyatus with comissions and cyberpunk, i'm baaack

    Some animations are needed to give the characters a breather when they are under a lot of pressure, so i decided to add some emote animations that will basically stop the enemies from continuing to pressure the player instead of surrounding and beating them up - also to avoid just hanging out doing nothing (like always happens in beat em ups while the player is down). 

    So here we are - two small emotes

    Smirking giggle 




    Enthusiastic nod




    Straight out mocking laughter



    At this point we are building up the game logic - and the enemy templates for when we start fine tuning the gameplay. The bullets casing already fly in the right direction with cool physics, hitboxes are in, the animation triggers are looking fine, its starrting to look like a game - some more polishing and then we can start working on gameplay.
    The Programmer is spending some time setting up a user friendly system so i can change the stats without coding (cuz i'm a coding dummy)
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    Hello - updating a second taunt -stick out tongue at enemy


    Well, i decided the thing they are going to be doing most frequently i be getting hit so i added some variety to the hit animations, now we have 3 hit variations:
    original

    2 more


     variations


  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    Working on different attacks with varying wind up times and strengths. always a telegraph so people can dodge them (since melee isn't the only form of danger players have to manage - in regular beat em ups usually enemies have a no telegraph quick snap that you only avoid by not sitting there in range or hitting first)

    QUICK ATTACK
    quick wind up frames (4), low range, low damage



    STRONG ATTACK (remade)
    slow wind up frames (6+pause), longer range (slide forward) high damage




    COMBO ATTACK 
    slow wind up frames (7+pause), longer range (move forward), multi attack.



    Also added a Waaagh emote, cuz orks need to WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!



    C&C welcome


  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    Some diagonal attacks for more attack pattern variations!
     
  • CelestialBear
    Amazing work! Are you still working on this? Do you need any help? 
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    Hello!
    Started working on the Shoota boy for the project. also decided to rename it to pixelhammer because of possible IP infringement although its a fan project. 
    tried to convey the swagger of the dakka toting badass



    Idle shootaboy

    Walking Shootaboy


    C&C welcome
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    some punchy


    whack!
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    all the shooting animations together






  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    going back to the classic choppaboy, i added a missing animation for getting up

    revamped fall..... aaaand right back into the action

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    here we go - space marine finally gets special move. i needed a 360 attack to wave clear around him when getting surrounded. (a common mechanic in beat em ups)
    I didn't want to do a martial artsy street fighter whirlwind kick or whirlwind knife cuz it would feel too kung fu and not soldier enough.
    So i spent a loong time trying to figure out what could be a 360 attack with marine-esque moves... and this is what i came up with - a quick combo thats not particularly fancy - other than the knife twirl in the end iduring the animation recover phase. |Tried to make his speed in execution tempo just be badass superhuman rambo soldier convey the pówer of the move.
    1-Knife slash (hit both sides)
    2-uppercut bolter (hit forward)
    3-Kick (strong knockdown push forward)
    4-Knife backslash (strong knockdown push backward)

    man, i am quite proud of this badboy  =)


    oh - he pushes off the enemy but it would be a pain to program a separate animation in case you dont hit anyone with the kick, so a little suspension of disbelief there :P hehe call it artistic license :D 
    C&C welcome
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    fall down, get up

  • PeaceCraft
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    PeaceCraft polycounter lvl 7
    some emotes

    amused, taunt pew pew, Warcry!


  • apemonke

    Looks dope. Amazing art. Are u still working on it?

  • awhaleyx
    These look amazing! Not sure if your game is still in progress but I’m looking to make my own warhammer themed game. Probably wouldn’t release just wanna learn how to make games, would I be able to use any of these?
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