TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-13 22:45:58 +0000 UTC]

OMIGOD IS THAT YOU MONKEHHH   
Its real great to see you, you doin' okay kiddo? Damn, that sucks, but I'm real glad to see you back on DA!
The development is goin' great, wanna see? 
scratch.mit.edu/projects/20045…

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-13 22:55:26 +0000 UTC]

I'm doing ok It is a bit annoying that I have to keep coming back. I know why there are age rules and stuff so I can't complain but yeah XD Oh wow it's awesome!! I like the sound effects because they make it so lively!

Is it ok if I critique you a little bit though?

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-13 23:00:37 +0000 UTC]

Hey kiddo, if you're concerned about the rules regarding age then you should check out Scratch. People of all ages can become members, and you can create your own video games!   
Go ahead!

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-14 16:42:26 +0000 UTC]

Well looking over Tapror it is a really awesome design!! But the anatomy is a little bit off. From the name I assume you were going for a raptor dinosaur. I'm not really good with pixel art or dinosaurs so I'll use Yoshi from Yoshi's Island for reference . I think you are going for a cartoon style based on your other drawings on your account but if I'm wrong let me know!!

Also do you mind if I see the frames of the animations? So I can help you out more!!

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-14 16:48:38 +0000 UTC]

You made that for me, kiddo?   
I'm real flattered, reading it right now. Thanks!
If youre on the game, just click the blue See Inside button above the instructions. Should give you everything you need.

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-14 16:50:10 +0000 UTC]

Oh. I don't want to mess your game up or anything Are you sure??

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-14 16:52:00 +0000 UTC]

It's cool kiddo, you won't screw anything up. Even if you have an account, it'll just save your changes as a Remix.
My project will stay just as I left it!

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-14 16:53:00 +0000 UTC]

Oh I don't have an account. Should I make one??

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-14 16:54:33 +0000 UTC]

If ya want to!   

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-14 17:00:33 +0000 UTC]

I just made one!! I hope you don't mind me asking but are you really 19??

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-14 17:02:47 +0000 UTC]

Nice, what's your user?
And yup.

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-14 17:04:00 +0000 UTC]

mMechanicalMonkeym. I probably won't make anything since I don't know anything about coding and games and stuff And that's cool  

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-14 17:08:41 +0000 UTC]

Scratch is easy, kiddo! When ya get to the big boys like CSS and Java, that's when it gets complicated.
Scratch is pseudocode, it's made for people of all ages. Bet you could do it!
Youre way better than me at art and design, you'd probably make something better than Tapror.   

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-14 17:11:58 +0000 UTC]

Hmm. Well I guess if you say so  I don't know you're alot older than me I don't even know anything about this program XD Also I clicked "See Inside" and it put me on a page full of code. Where are the frames?? I'm a bit scared of clicking anything  

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TapRor01 In reply to mAutomaticApem [2018-02-14 17:13:51 +0000 UTC]

Do you see 3 tabs at the top of the screen?
Click on Costumes.
All my sprites are there.

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mAutomaticApem In reply to TapRor01 [2018-02-15 05:44:34 +0000 UTC]

Ok so I think I can critique you alot better now  

One of the most noticeable things about Tapror's scratch animation is the varying arm length and thickness. They kinda completely change size throughout every frame and contrast each other. For example the frame where Tapror's claws rest outwards depicts the arms as long and thick while the frame before it depicts them as short and stubby. The arms also significantly shrink once Tapror stands normally again making them look really small and thin.

I don't really know if pixel artists sketch but I think that would be a good thing to think about when doing animation and movement. Anatomy and proportions can be more lenient when doing cartoony styles but Tapror has a vibe of being realistic. Remember the Yoshi thing earlier? Yoshi can appear determined and friendly to people due to the position of the body parts, his anatomy and the coloring. Tapror leans towards realistic due to the lizard-like slit eyes, sharp claws and colors you used. Tapror is also mostly expressionless which is the opposite of a cartoony character.

But back to the claws!! Another issue I found with the animation other than the anatomy was that the position was kinda off. All of the action is done in front of the body and looks slightly awkward. When preparing to scratch Tapror should reel back in a brief build up to the action because that's what gives it more power. The claws should be behind Tapror for the first 2 frames of building up and striking to make it stronger. The "Rest" isn't necessarily being idle but it is the claw hitting down and the aftermath.

Here are some claws I tried just to show you an example. I'm not very good at it so you should probably reference professional guides or pictures of raptors to help you more.



But I feel like a fully finished scratching animation needs more than just 3 frames. But I won't criticize you for that because it might be to suit the style/theme of the game  

The bite animation can be criticized in the same way the mouth was. You should try to avoid just painting on parts. I noticed the roar frame is just the bite frame but without the two fangs. Make sure to define parts properly! I'm not saying every frame has to be unique. Even in the Yoshi sheet many of the sprites had certain parts that looked exactly the same. But different actions with completely different effects should be easier to tell apart than looking for little white pixels that briefly appear for a second especially if attacking is an important part of the game.

Well I hope at least some of this was helpful!! I don't know anything about making games so good luck on your code and stuff!!

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