I think graphics errors need to be seen in game. Often, i looked at a sprite and said "it's awful, i'm gonna redo it". Now, as for me, this didn't worked. I saw that a lot of mistakes i saw in a sprite couldn't be seen in the real game. I decided to correct mistakes only when i'm already near animation completion.

So, give a chance to mistakes. Sometimes we are wrong, it won't worth losing time on unseeable mistakes or mistakes that can add a wonderful effect.

I had the same problem while beginning animation. I searched rules or tutorial for animation but didn't find anything. All i do now is trying to make a move, see how it works and correct mistakes (for example, i often make too much sprites in some part of the move, it gives a strange feeling). So, your tool might become handy for a lot of people.

Another think you need to keep in mind is that animation need to be exagerated. If not, your character will look like those of Mortal kombat 1 2 3 with rigid movements. Think you do a disney movie not a realistic movie. Animation needs amplitude (as far as i know).

Hard cops:uprising is the game i played with the most useful run button. You don't press it because the game is too fast-paced to follow by running but in some circumstances it can help a lot or have to be used. Very good use of the run button.

New super mario bros is a good game but with a bad running button. 99% of the time i played with 1 press. It's very uncomfortable at the beggining. It's not as if the normal speed is really useful, you can't make 75% of the jump in the game without running.

You can guide players to make animations like this by deriving all the attack characteristics from the animation itself and rewarding the attacks that meet certain heuristics for what constitutes good animation.

The user will have to use a 2d or 3d character for your program? a good animation doesn't follow the same path in both case. If it's 3d, you can implement limb detection and allow the user to do his animation just by moving the limbs and clicking.

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=19210.0

someone is trying to do the same thing (see post above).

I think the best (can be wrong) is to let the user create the sprite. For each move, users decide to put points in variables like power, speed of attack, recovery, hitstun... (less stats=easier work for the user). Limited statpoints for the characters or a move prevent overpowered character.

The only problem will be special moves. There is so many more variables than power and speed to take into account to balance special move. How can you balance teleport or mixup moves? forget this type of moves, attribute special stats points for these ability...

To prevent infinite, skullgirls system is a wrong way i think. it prevent the use of same move but don't prevent long combo of 40 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boring as HELL! Sirlin article is enough to explain all you need to prevent infinite

i think the antagonist can be great for some reasons:

-antagonist/protagonist must be the representation of a way of living(i.e. in most final fanatsy). Kuja in FF9 is a great antagonist for me because he represents the fear of dying in each of us whereas the hero must go trough a lot of sorrow to accept death

-very strong bonds. dante/virgil  Big boos/the boss. work pretty well but often needs other things like awesome cutscenes and graphics. very dangerous though like in god of war 3 where the relationship between the two is dumb in spite of all the emotions behind.

-godlike powers. feel like the antagonist is way above you add a lot if done correctly.however for this to work the gap between the two characters can't be filled too fast. (i.e. in bleach aizen appearence is awesome but his end is stupid). If the character can kill the godlike antagonist easily, the antagonist can't be seen as godlike but just as the dumber guy in the world

I think the most important thing to make someone cry with a creative wwork is "involvement".

So the question how can i make someone "go into" my story?

-Personal involvement: story can resonate into a person. Some people can be touched by a story because it remind them theirs

-Fear: why is seinen much better than shonen? because hero can die. how can you be involve in a story if it always finish by "everybody is alive and happy" too predictible. if you fear anything can happen it's much better. "a song of ice and fire" is great cause of that thing

-long storytelling. movie can't moved me. too short. i can go in the story and feel the character are near me. I hate yuna but after 40 hours of game when you learn she's going to her death...ugh!!!! I would never had care at the beginning of the game.

-Art. it's here video games can learn from cinema. a good sound at the right moment, a perfect point of view and it's awesome. Is the final battle of MGS3 could have been so beautiful with a sonic-like music or a mario-like staging? Is the story of silent hill 2 would have been so awesome if the director hadn't left 30 seconds with nothing showy, just to let you make understand the atrocity?

Just give why you can be involved in a game? (instead of gameplay, which is here for me just to make the emotion go smoother) i think it'll bring good ideas for emotional games

Thanks for all advice.
As you said, animation is kind odd. I can make a shitty move then remove one frame and it's much smoother. I think with experience i'll get the hang of it and become better.

I don't intend to do the next blockbuster and sell it 60 bucks (i don't really intend to sell it anyway) just a game to have fun with my friends. Honestly, if i continue like i did last month, i think i'll have a decent in 3 years. But i'm ***** patient so i'll be fine.

For the feeling of the game, i'll try when the gameplay will begin to build.

Yeah, i know but i can't afford to make drawn 2d character cause it's not my job and i can't work on it more than one hour per day. ahahahah!!!

I hate the MK style of character so actors are overdoing the move. If you look at the High Punch of ryu in street Fighter 3, he begin his hook long way behind his back. This move is completely stupid in reality but works in animation.
Another thing that doesn't work in MK (for me) is the realistic speed of the move and of the character. In reality, speed is link to power. Not in the animation (for me) add a lot of recovery to an hard punch is much more cartoon-like and is better for the game that i want. For the movement speed, who would think that a karate chick is slow-walking? Makoti is and it works, nobody is slow in MK execpt bosses and it's boring.

 Like that, i can really had a sense of drawn picture to the characters even if i really need to improve now. I really want to avoid realistic move.

As you said, i'm grounded to reality for the design. I can't do an iron tager or an arakune. I think the final result will be KOF-like character but with a more supernatural background. I'll play on the sprite size for the tough character and i'll use the way i incredibly bend my body to do a monster-like character like Zappa.

To sum up my work, i work mainly alone because i don't want to be a burden to people, as i can't work all day long. But i like to finish what i begin and i want to make a game that i like to play and what i like is BB, GG, MvC, SF. I  post here to avoid big mistakes because i like doing good things. I'll do what i can and i'll take the time i'll need to do it. i'm having fun. ahahahaha. 

To answer your question:
-French is my first language.
-I do the animation but i need to learn a lot, some of them are awful. I just discover that i can have better animations by removing some sprites.

I just begin the game two weeks ago. I only did the 400 first sprites of the first character and raw ideas of the game and the different characters.

For the graphics, i was fed up with the doujin/loli style in the non-mainstream fighting game so i'll go for a realistic style with a bit of cel-shading. A graphic test below:

http://www.hiboox.fr/go/images/animaux/test-graphique1,6e8e9b18255f941937fd880c76296a83.jpg.html

thx a lot for this answer, i'll remenber you.

I intend to do mostly an offensive game with an special option that cancel nearly all moves for creative combos (usable only a few time). To prevent infinite or abusive combos, i intend to use things like reduce hitstun or gravity each ten-hits (or something like that).

I thought of making a generic character and then, do the others by emphasis on those basic continuum:

defense<>offense

Go for a character a defense character (reduce speed, counter, AA) to a an offensive one (lot of pressure and mixups)

keepaway<> come over

fireball or gun friendly character to catch and win character

weird gameplay<> basic gameplay

I'll try to use weird gameplay character like someone that can use a doppelganger, that'll be an hard part on the balance job

weird graphic<> basic graphic


every game needs a monster





I'll make the game on a program made of DarkBasics pro. I begin with the animation but i'll need a lot of time. Only ten characters will be more than enough for a fighting game begginer like me (less animations and easier balance work)

I intend to design the game more like a guilty gear or Blazblue. A lot of varieties in fighting and a lot of failsafe mechanics to balance the character

What are the mistakes we can avoid when designing a fighting game?

I began one of them and i'd like not screw the whole thing by stupid errors.
If any one had some advice, i'll be glad to hear them.

Thanks