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[Carnivac]

fig. 3 - SFII's perfectly servicable 3-frame Hadouken (top) becomes SFIII's 10+ frame monstrosity (bottom). At this point, Capcom would have been better off investing in 3D graphics...which, most recently, is precisely what they did.

Sorry but I disagree.  I've always preferred that much more fluid animation of Ryu's Hadouken move in SFIII to that nasty stiff and choppy SFII version. Is one reason I wish they'd have added extra frames in Super Street Fighter II HD Remix because the 'comic' sprites they have show up the choppiness even more and it looks awful. I can't even bare to play that game since I got SFIV.  Anyways I really do like more animation and heck I enjoy it.
Must be down to personal preference but I've never found any game to have 'over-animated' sprites.  I got annoyed with another site that said for a 16x16 sprite you should never had more than 4 frame walkcycles.  Well, I do 8, and I like it.

You Will Not Have Fun

   The first thing to be aware of is that, through much of the spriting process, you will not have fun. You will learn to hate your character and his or her need to perform so many movements, each of which requires hours of work on your part.

Maybe you don't, but pixelling animated or still sprites is the main reason I even have a computer.  I enjoy it a lot and I get a good sense of satisfaction when it's come out the way I had imagined or hoped it would.  I may never be great at it but it's still the thing I enjoy doing most on a PC (since I don't really use it for gaming).  It's the only bit of game development I enjoy doing.  I despise the coding bit.

[moi]

I like how Capcom's characters' feet are bigger than their heads

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

i also prefer the sf3 version -- adding extra frames of animation sometimes takes away from something, but can just as often add to it too. i remember in the ohrrpgce we were limited to *two* frames of animation for walking (in each direction), which was really limiting.

e.g.

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[Xion]

What Carnivac said, exactly everything.

edit; but then, I might myself be considered somewhat of an overanimator, probably. But whatever, I enjoy doing things the way I do, even if it results in an abundance of frames.

[Aquin]

I believe the idea is slacking off.  If 3 frames can get the point across (albeit not as well as 4+), just do it and be done. 

Personally, I like to do as little as possible... but I also hate making graphics.  I'm sure real artists enjoy their work. 

[Kadoba]

you could always make the minimal amount of frames and if you're not happy with the animation come back when you are finished with most of your assets and see if you still want to finish them. Chances are you'll have a much better idea of how you want to spend your time.

[godsavant]

you could always make the minimal amount of frames and if you're not happy with the animation come back when you are finished with most of your assets and see if you still want to finish them.

This is closer to what I wanted to say. What I meant was that the beginning spriter should try to get by with 'serviceable' animation (SFII's Ryu) to get through the checklist quicker than to take the 'slow-but-super-detailed' route (SFIII's RYU) of double-digit framecounts right from the get-go, and burning themselves out sooner than necessary. It's much harder to scrap a project with a set of nine or ten serviceable animations already made than it is to abandon one with one or two super-detailed ones.

...I might myself be considered somewhat of an overanimator, probably.

 

Maybe you don't, but pixelling animated or still sprites is the main reason I even have a computer.  I enjoy it a lot and I get a good sense of satisfaction when it's come out the way I had imagined or hoped it would.  I may never be great at it but it's still the thing I enjoy doing most on a PC (since I don't really use it for gaming).  It's the only bit of game development I enjoy doing.  I despise the coding bit.

Carnivac, do not forget that you are an artistic elite in the spriting community that is genuinely talented and interested in the process of 2D art - a level far above mine  , so I'm sure you could write a more advanced guide than I could. But I'm writing to the beginner - usually, someone who makes graphics simply because they have to be made - and in such a situation, I'd rather see a finished game made with novice graphics than a few amazing sprite animations and mockups gathering dust on a disheartened developer's hard drive (nothing personal, Xion). One step at a time.