Updates for July 2022 (Part 3)
Added 2022-07-23 22:21:29 +0000 UTCThe next important feature is from James, who has been hammering away at multiple systems vital to producing our game.
The first and foremost is our animation system, which allows us to display our largely single-frame static sprites and have them perform all kinds of actions, like slashing, jabbing, shooting, getting hit, dying, etc.
The reason we wanted these static 8 directional sprites with no arms and limbs is really simple:
#1 -- We get to focus on what is most important: the gameplay.
#2 -- We save resources to focus on more content!
#3 -- Modders can quickly and easily add more content without worrying about needing to cross-class their skill-sets in animation, rendering, tons of complex art.
The video above really goes to prove what my initial animations were about in pro-production. We can show a huge range of animations despite the simplicity, and we hired the best possible candidate to tackle this problem. It's very clear when they are ready to block an attack, and when they are open. It's really clear when they are walking, jogging, and sprinting. All vital to communicate to players when they should strike, and when they should avoid getting hit.
They can have arrows pincushion them in any direction and the arrow shows on the model. And the attacks look really cool, though we have a lot of room to dial it in.
This is achieved by rendering sprites on a 3d mesh system that allows them to "rotate" dynamically, and sort their layers as if they were 3d, while remaining static in 2d space. It's very complicated, but as you can see, the tools empower us to animate things pretty effortlessly, and will allow us to quickly create a vast library of actions in all kinds of situations.
The goal of this system is to empower us, and future modders, to rapidly produce content for this framework and get it in game from idea to concept to screen in the same day. Compared to traditional animation, hand drawn or 3d renders, single actions may clog the pipeline for weeks and take multiple people.
This system takes just 1 guy to produce animations, and not a huge library of experience from several discrete disciplines.
