2D Animation Resources
Although you are not expected to be artists, you are expected to create your own art or your games. To do so, I would employ tools that simplify art creation. Here are some tools that should;d make life easier (in addition to what I provided on your asset disks):
Stykz for Mac and Pivot Stick Figure animator (for PC) are tools for making stick figure animations. Since we don't have the time for you to learn all the fundamentals of animation, you can simply use these tools to make stick figure games or use the animation as the skeleton for your character animation. This is particularly helpful when you need animation for which templates don't exist (e.g. throw gecko tongue)
A few other basic tips:
- Use existing sprite sheets as templates for the basics (e.g. walk cycle, shoot, etc) - Gamemaker templates, Sprite samples
- Use Photoshop brushes to expedite "world creation" in 2D (collection, foliage, object brushes )
Artistic Style:
You can animate using layers and/or the Photoshop animation timeline (demo in class). You are welcome to use Flash to create your animations, but keep in mind that your output must be Gamemaker friendly.
It is also a good idea to pick an artistic style that is simple to execute but distinct. Here are a few examples of what I mean (not all of these are easy, but they are distinct):
If you browse through the Global Game Jam game collection you should have a good sense for what can be done in a very little amount of time.
