Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Walking cycle for protagonist
This is a corner stone of game animation. A general action is a character walking or
running. The perception of game dynamics directly depends on its quality. If you are
not sure of your skills or you do not have enough time for such a sequence, it is bet-
ter to not use animation that is not made properly or looks sloppy, but to improvise
instead. A character can use wheels to move, which are easier to animate, even with
code. For example, a robot can be equipped with caterpillar wheels instead of legs,
and a humanoid may utilize a small car, bike, or something like a Segway PT. Another
option is a graphic: it is obvious that more realistic, detailed, and well-crafted graph-
ics need animation of high quality, so if you have no opportunity but to achieve such
a level, it's better to simplify the graphic look of the game. For example, convert the
graphic to a pixelated 8-bit form, giving it a retro touch. Old games did not feature
complicated animation, usually there were only few basic frames in the walking anim-
ation.
To plan the walking cycle sequence right, you should start with the speed of character
moving on the screen. It is better to determine such value using game mechanics
and not animation. Therefore, a few prototypes can be created to choose the correct
speed of the elements. Make some hard playtests and find out the most effective and
expressive value. After that, you will know how many pixels the character covers in a
specific period of time. This value influences the size of one particular step your char-
acter makes.
To calculate this length, you need to take the speed of movement and multiply it with
the duration of one step. For example, the speed is equal to 20 pixels per second, but
one step lasts for half a second. So, the distance between the extreme positions of
the character's heel and toe should be 10 pixels. If the size of the step is connected
with the speed properly, the character moves naturally and by himself (he is not affec-
ted by an external force). His legs do not slide by the surface, but push off like levers.
Until one leg is lifted, the support leg should stay at the point it was put before without
any small offset. Despite the leg moving backward in the animation sequence, at the
scene, the speed of the character must compensate that motion (speed vectors are
opposite), creating an illusion that the foot makes solid contact with the ground.
It is worth mentioning that you are free to choose the frequency of steps and
everything depends on the character's anatomy and temper. The same distance can
be covered with one big step or five tiny ones. In the first case, the character is most
