DKC Atlas Forum

[Cyclone]

hmm the zinger would be the easiest to do. I could also include the blue butterfly in the room but I should probably show that in another scene. Thanks for your input!

[Super Luigi!]

You're welcome, but don't thank me too much. After all, the Zinger was your idea! Anyway, I'm eager to see how the scene shapes up!

[sonosublime]

I like the idea of a small Flitter as well. Even if it's not canon to DKC, it still takes place in the same universe.

The wakening scene looks great. Although, like you said, I feel there is a little too much head movement.

[Qyzbud]

Woah, it's been a while since I last gave feedback here.

First up, I just want to say that I really like the animation above; the dynamic camera (showing DK's perspective) looks great, and gives a feeling of being in the scene. It's a bit funny seeing DK's treehouse in the background outside of... well, DK's treehouse... (or is that the house of another Kong...?) but I still love the way it looks.

The recent ideas by yourself, Sono and SL all sound good, but I think the DKC2 elements (such as Flitter) ought to be saved for an animation based on Diddy's Kong Quest — which I strongly hope you'll eventually make.

As for the colour/lighting of the cave; I do agree with Sono that the cave ought to be dark (although perhaps it could be lit by torches? Could that fit in as a concept without disturbing the story's canon?). Dimmer lighting would improve the atmosphere, I think, and the depth and detail can be shown in the lightning flashes and the daytime shot(s). Despite the overly-bright lighting, I quite enjoy the aesthetics of your renders so far.

More feedback soon — I have time on my side once again.

[Cyclone]

Thank you for the feedback. Good observation about DK's house in the background. FIxed it now

Here is the shot re-rendered in 1080p with animated curtains and a zinger hovering over the flowers/flying out the door. These sorts of things I will be trying to add to the scenes. The little touches and things going on really add to the interest to the animation.



Here is the project as a whole. A compilation of the scenes thus far.
After watching it I think the island shot with the gradual emerge of the sunset is too long and boring. I think I may add the necky to the scene but I dunno what else I could add instead. Sonosublime what do you think of the project compilation so far? If you are wondering why I didn't start off with the stormy scene is because I wanted to start off bright a cheery and have the DKC logo the first thing you see.



edit: If anyone wants to see most of the models I created for the project so far visit the gallery here.
http://www.dkc-atlas.com/gallery/fanart/cyclone/
This does not include the animations(tests) as there's no way of easily linking to them within the gallery.

I included the gallery link to the first post as well.

[sonosublime]

That is looking very awesome. Like a coherent movie, and I commend your effort! I would say add Necky to scenes involving Gorilla Glacier and outside Kremkroc.

These are the main problems I noticed:

1. It does not follow the script. If that's the way you want to have it, that's fine. But the reason I had the sequence of events the way they are is:
- The stormy scene gives the movie a louder start. And you also don't have the awkward sequence with the storm appearing far too quickly.
- The sunset scene looks awesome as it is. But I think it should happen later (i.e. after the Vine Valley scene), when the viewer is invested in watching the movie. That way, they would not find it "too long and boring". It's all about pacing, my friend.
- It would add more suspense to have the title logo appear after the Kremling appears in the cave. As for having "the DKC logo the first thing you see", you should keep in mind that hardly any movies show the title right off the bat. They show a bit of the movie first.

2. You absolutely should not have the words: 'DK's house the next morning'. It's very unprofessional. Just cut to black, and then fade in if you are going to do things that way.

[Cyclone]

First off how should DK roll out of bed? I tried looking for reference online but couldn't find any. I lack imagination with animating and so it's difficult for me to do.

These are the main problems I noticed:

1. It does not follow the script. If that's the way you want to have it, that's fine.

2. You absolutely should not have the words: 'DK's house the next morning'. It's very unprofessional. Just cut to black, and then fade in if you are going to do things that way.

Nothing is final yet. As I get further into the project I can move shots around if need be. So I may make it truer to the script. Right now I'm just trying to get the basic scenes/animatics done and refine them later. That way the project doesn't stall and keeps the development flowing.

And yea your right having that text is unprofessional.

Can I at least keep the scene with squawks and the title flying through the clouds? can that be worked into the script?

[sonosublime]

First off how should DK roll out of bed? I tried looking for reference online but couldn't find any. I lack imagination with animating and so it's difficult for me to do.

The best thing I can suggest you do is roll out of bed yourself to get a feel for how it's done. Maybe video tape yourself doing it. And use as many keyframes as you need. What program are you using to animate/make the movie?

Nothing is final yet. As I get further into the project I can move shots around if need be. So I may make it truer to the script. Right now I'm just trying to get the basic scenes/animatics done and refine them later. That way the project doesn't stall and keeps the development flowing.

And yea your right having that text is unprofessional.

Can I at least keep the scene with squawks and the title flying through the clouds? can that be worked into the script?

No problem, mate. And I already did work the squawks title segment into the script. Here it is for reference sake:

Spoiler!

...We focus on one shadow that moves forward, dagger-like TEETH GLEAMING. The monster opens its mouth in a ROAR as it 'swallows the CAMERA'.

TITLE SEQUENCE

LOGO FADES IN OVER BLACK:

“DONKEY KONG COUNTRY”

Clouds appear in background and fly toward CAMERA. Squawks appears from left, circles title once and flies out. The title and clouds disappear, showing DK ISLAND the next morning.

[Cyclone]

The best thing I can suggest you do is roll out of bed yourself to get a feel for how it's done. Maybe video tape yourself doing it. And use as many keyframes as you need. What program are you using to animate/make the movie?

I would probably just hurt myself. I am using 3ds max to animate. Great program but perhaps not the best for animating. However it's more my skill then the program...

Well here is the rolling out of bed shot. Is it too quick? The kinks in his feet will be fixed. Along with other refinements. Also the house in the background needs more objects. Perhaps another window and squawks sitting on some sort of perch preening himself?




@Sonosublime I will adjust the scenes like in the script and see how it looks next.

[Super Luigi!]

Excellent job, Cyclone! I really like how Donkey just falls out of his bed with such spectacular skill. As for objects, perhaps place some sort of furniture or the other window behind the bed?

[Cyclone]

Thanks SL.

Rearranged shot order wip


@Sonosublime I rearranged the shots and scenes more like your script.

A few questions.

- Things are moving too fast is this because the scenes need to fleshed out and longer? In your script for example Diddy paces back and forth in the Hoard which I haven't included in the animation. Stuff like that could fill the animation and make it longer between the different scenes.

- In the script I don't see the shot with the two palm trees swaying in the wind with the sun going down.

- The DK Island time lapse sunset shot also isn't in the script?

Other DK atlas users do you prefer this latest order of scenes more then the previous scene compilation?

Note some shots need to be longer and properly faded in and out. I rendered the shots for the previous version and weren't intended to be the right length for this version of the animation.

Thank you

[Dixie Diddy]

I think DK's rolling out of bed needs a little bit of touching other than that it was good

[sonosublime]

Looking good Cyclone! As for your questions:

1. Yes, some scenes need to be fleshed out and made a bit longer, and also need time left for subtitles. If you like, what I will do is go through the script and add the number of seconds needed for each dialogue bit. From the beginning of the movie until the title sequence is roughly 3 mins or so (give or take a minute).

2. I didn't include the palm leaf swaying in the wind, but I did include a scene of palm leaves dripping with the rain. It's up to you if you want to add that scene, and save the leaf swaying scene for the sunset scene. Speaking of which...

3. The sunset scene is in the script and happens on p27 (i.e. after the Zinger treetop town scene). I have some music in mind that would make the scene really beautiful.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that you sometimes have some fade ins/outs where they shouldn't be. The script should say where to fade in, fade out, cut to black, dissolve, etc. Otherwise, it is just a straight cut.

[Cyclone]

1. Yes, some scenes need to be fleshed out and made a bit longer, and also need time left for subtitles. If you like, what I will do is go through the script and add the number of seconds needed for each dialogue bit. From the beginning of the movie until the title sequence is roughly 3 mins or so (give or take a minute).

Yea that would be great if you could. One thing though I'm a little iffy on the length of the animation. At this rate the animation is going to be an hour long. Who is going to sit there and be interested in it that long?

I am undecided on whether to use balloons or subtitles. There are pros and cons for both. I always find subs annoying and distracting but they don't clutter up the shots with big balloons. However balloons draw the viewers attention to the character when they pop up which is good.

[Super Luigi!]

At this rate the animation is going to be an hour long. Who is going to sit there and be interested in it that long?

You know, critics said the same thing about Walt Disney's Snow White, as well as animated films in general. Trust me, Cyclone, your movie is well-written, interesting, and revolutionary/unique. Nobody has or ever will attempt what you have. Therefore, viewers will watch as long as possible, and continue to do so again and again until you create another one. At the very least, I know I will!

[Cyclone]

Thanks for the vote of confidence SL. I wish I had the same with my abilities. I set myself a smaller goal now. I just want to get the intro done(up to when DK visits the empty banana hoard) and polish it as best as I can. That will take a long time to do and hours and hours of rendering. That fur is so hard to render and takes forever.

[Cyclone]

Here is the latest version of the waking up scene. I shortened the first shot and added 3 new shots after DK rolls out of bed. Cranky has no beard because of render times. The shot with the beard is just a place holder and needs to be animated. Obviously the animation is crappy and needs a lot more work.

How is the pacing of the scene so far? Thanks.

[Super Luigi!]

I'd say, pace-wise, the scene is excellent. As you stated, the animation needs work, but the scene is going the right direction. Just keep at it!

P.S. Cranky looks awesome without a beard.

[Cyclone]

P.S. Cranky looks awesome without a beard.

Ha, that's what my family says whenever I grow a beard...

I animated the shot that shows cranky's beard with his body swaying a bit and his beard animated. Took over 4h to render not including program crashes.
Next I will work on animating the other shots that come after with more accuracy.

[Qyzbud]

Here is the project as a whole. A compilation of the scenes thus far.
After watching it I think the island shot with the gradual emerge of the sunset is too long and boring.

Spoiler!

It's nice to see the shots in order — gives a better feel of the flow and context.

I tend to agree with you about the sunset scene; in its current form, it does feel a little long and uneventful. Adding a Necky (or three) to the scene would improve the feel of it, as would a more dynamic camera, I think. Sono makes a good point that if such a scene were to appear later on — once the viewer is already invested in the animation — it would probably be better received... but I still think it'd be great to show nightfall in an early establishing shot. Perhaps the zoomed-out shot of the island could be more brief, and an equally brief shot of the sun dipping below the horizon could be included. I really like the idea of showing night fall, and the storm roll in, but only if it can be done in a captivating way, so as to keep people interested.

I am undecided on whether to use balloons or subtitles. There are pros and cons for both. I always find subs annoying and distracting but they don't clutter up the shots with big balloons. However balloons draw the viewers attention to the character when they pop up which is good.

Both of your lines of reasoning ring true, but I think that speech bubbles/balloons would add more character to the animation, and could help keep the viewer's focus closer to the action (rather than at the bottom of the screen). If they can be done in a way that complements the animation, and can clearly and easily be read without being too distracting, I think balloons are the way to go.

[sonosublime]

Looking very nice, Cyclone. The rolling out of bed looks a little awkward at the end, though.

If the fur is very hard to render, then I reckon you should come up with a compromise. Perhaps only render fur for close-up shots on the characters. Also, adding fur and lights and other things that would lag the scene are things that should be done last. I've seen videos of professional animating, and they almost always focus on the set and animating first. Prettying up the scene with lighting, fur, hair and other stuff is always done last, for obvious reasons.

Personally, I think subtitles are the way to go. Balloons would be incredibly distracting, not to mention that they would clutter up shots and block out parts of the scene.

Also, the 'rule of thirds' is something you should know about:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

Very interesting stuff. I've started applying it to all my animations.

[Cyclone]

I tend to agree with you about the sunset scene; in its current form, it does feel a little long and uneventful. Adding a Necky (or three) to the scene would improve the feel of it, as would a more dynamic camera, I think. Sono makes a good point that if such a scene were to appear later on — once the viewer is already invested in the animation — it would probably be better received... but I still think it'd be great to show nightfall in an early establishing shot. Perhaps the zoomed-out shot of the island could be more brief, and an equally brief shot of the sun dipping below the horizon could be included. I really like the idea of showing night fall, and the storm roll in, but only if it can be done in a captivating way, so as to keep people interested.

Sonosublime what if... I have "It was a dark and stormy night" over black then cut to DK island close up during the day and then show the transition to night time. It will be faster as Qyzbud suggested. Then after that we see the jungle with the lightning and rain. Then the rest of the script fallows. Could that work?

[sonosublime]

Well, it would be kind of odd saying 'It was a dark and stormy night', and then showing DK Island during the day.
And if you speed up the scene, I reckon the sun would set too quickly.

Maybe as an alternative, you could show some dark clouds rolling across the sea that envelop the camera, cut to black, and then show 'It was a dark and stormy night.'

[Qyzbud]

Well, it would be kind of odd saying 'It was a dark and stormy night', and then showing DK Island during the day.

This is absolutely true.

Perhaps the zoomed-out shot of the island could be more brief [...]

It will be faster as Qyzbud suggested.

And if you speed up the scene, I reckon the sun would set too quickly.

I wasn't meaning that the time-lapse effect (or even the scene itself) should be sped up, just that more could be done to make the scene engaging.

Maybe as an alternative, you could show some dark clouds rolling across the sea that envelop the camera, cut to black, and then show 'It was a dark and stormy night.'

Now that could work!

[Cyclone]

Yes I like that idea. I just want the time-lapse part in the animation some how. I spent a lot of work on it and I like how it turned out.

[Cyclone]

Is this an ok compromise? I rearranged the scenes again. I edited the text to make more sense, sped up the time-lapse etc. The only thing I see is that we view DK Isand twice. I may animate the camera to zoom in on DK's house after the text fades away instead of the long animated zoom in on the island.


Another though. Could we work in Squawks as some sort of comic relief? He can be voice acted too.

[sonosublime]

No offense, but I don't really like it. The words are kind of amateurish. They should only be used sparingly. And the sunset happens way too fast.

I assure you that the time lapse part IS in the script. Just not right at the beginning, for the reasons that Qyzbud and I stated in previous posts.

What exactly do you want to do with Squawks? I'm not sure about voice acting for him if everyone else is not going to have voice acting. Do you just mean squawks and bird calls and stuff?

[Phyreburnz]

I think that a lot of things need to be slowed down. It all happens very, very fast.

I also agree about the words... I don't think I like them a whole lot.

There are a few things that need fixed. First is DK's eyes. His eyes are like rolled back in his head when he's asleep... that looks a bit creepy. Then again at the end, they look a bit off. Diddy's eyes also look off for his first scene. The other thing is Diddy's shaking. It just doesn't look like he's scared, it just looks like he's shaking too much.

The one thing that is more of a personal taste thing is the eye opening thing. I think that kind of goes on a bit too long, like he blinks too many times before seeing Cranky's feet (or he blinks too quickly after opening his eyes, can't figure out *exactly* what it is).

Sorry I haven't been giving feedback. Finals week is coming up quickly.

[Cyclone]

No offense, but I don't really like it. The words are kind of amateurish. They should only be used sparingly. And the sunset happens way too fast.

I assure you that the time lapse part IS in the script. Just not right at the beginning, for the reasons that Qyzbud and I stated in previous posts.

What exactly do you want to do with Squawks? I'm not sure about voice acting for him if everyone else is not going to have voice acting. Do you just mean squawks and bird calls and stuff?

ok I will change back I just don't want that scene to go to waste... I thought maybe Squawks could do funny things in reaction to what's happening in the scenes. Like in Banjo-Kazzooie, Kazzooie is comical.

@ Phyreburnz

Those issues will all be addressed. I'm kinda like piecing together different parts as I go along with the project.

[Cyclone]

Here is a pretty crappy animation with DK getting whacked by Cranky, I think Cranky needs more wrist rotation.
Now how bad is it lol.

[sonosublime]

It doesn't look too bad, but it looks more like a jabbing action then an overhead whack.

[Cyclone]

Well. I accidentally deleted the scene file for that previous animation.
So I had to redo it. I think it looks more like a whack then a jab and the movement is a little more realistic.

I think DK sways too much and the whack could be a bit faster. Keep in mind that this is 3ds max view port preview at low res. Even that took 15 min to render. It is very hard to animated when I only get .25fps in the viewports...



Sonosublime I have been listening to the soundtrack to DKCTP and thought the Alpine Incline at the begining track might be suitable for the gorilla glacier. What did you have in mind for the music during the start(hoard,intro,cranky,storm scenes) of the animation and the glacier scene. post them here or pm.

Alpine Incline


Thanks.

[sonosublime]

Hey Cyclone. It's looking pretty good so far. Although I agree that DK is swaying a bit too much. Make his movements a bit more subtle (except when he is getting whacked, of course).

I would suggest not bothering to render Cranky's beard at all until the scene is completely finished to speed up animation time.

I'll PM you the music.

[Cyclone]

I haven't added new shots but I have added a bit more animation. It's not perfect but hopefully it's suitable in telling a story. I added some captions to. I used Gill Sans Ultra Bold Condensed which is was used in DKC.

How is the scene so far? I need to lengthen the shots a little to give more time to read the dialog.

[sonosublime]

Looking good. The main thing I noticed is that there is too much time between DK cowering and Cranky starting to whack him (especially since there is no dialogue). I reckon have Cranky get started on the physical abuse quicker.

I've gone through the script and added the timing for the dialogue:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/r8ieq ... +timed.pdf

As for how it works:

Spoiler!

[4s]: means the dialogue lasts for 4 secs, obviously, and so on.

However, if there are multiple numbers: [2, 3, 4 = 9s]
It means the dialogue is long and has to be split up into multiple parts. The parts last for 2, 3 and 4 secs respectively, adding up to a total of 9 secs. You will be able to tell which parts are which by looking at where the underlining is.

For example:

DIDDY [3, 4, 4 = 11s]
(MISERABLE)
Oh, man! How did I get myself into this? 'You have to guard the banana hoard tonight', DK says... 'It's an important step in your hero training', he says...

In this case, the dialogue would be split up as follows:

Oh man! How did I get myself into this? (lasts for 3 secs)

'You have to guard the banana hoard tonight', DK says... (lasts for 4 secs)

'It's an important step in your hero training', he says... (lasts for 4 secs)

Hopefully it all makes sense. Feel free to let me know if there's anything you don't understand.

[Cyclone]

I adjusted the timing of the previous renders to your suggested times and I think it's much better. It's tricky matching the time of dialog to the renders. There is a hiccup in the scene as I had to shorten it in post so the mouth opening was sooner.

[Qyzbud]

That timing's looking a bit better — good job, guys.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the latest animation — hopefully they're somewhat helpful:

DK

• I'm finding it a bit weird that while DK looks around all bleary-eyed, he is quite obviously peering in the general direction of his front door, etc... but when he's startled awake by Cranky, his roll out of bed starts from facing the other way. It might pay to dedicate a second or two to a transition shot, showing DK rolling over to face the other way, getting comfortable, etc. before the rude awakening occurs. As things are, there's a problem with the way it flows, but a small change like the one I've suggested may help. Just a thought.
• When DK rolls/falls out of bed, there's some ugly contortion of his feet and legs.
• I like that you've incorporated the tyre (or tire, for the North Americans among us) into the animation; perhaps at some point you could animate the tyre to flip up and sit around DK's neck when he lands on it — could be a nice comical touch.
  
  Here's a crude animated GIF to illustrate what I mean:
  

  

  DK-tyre-over-head-animation.gif (232.77 KiB) Viewed 96262 times

  
  
  I'm sure you could make it look much, much better.

Cranky

• His tapping foot pivots in the wrong place; Cranky's heel ought to be the pivot point, and should remain grounded.
• His fur ought to be more of a greyish brown; currently it looks like it belong on a more youthful ape.
• His beard looks great, but the movement/flow seems too... "wispy"; its motion doesn't really match up with Cranky's movements.

[Cyclone]

Thanks for the feedback Qyzbud.

- DK is facing the wrong way. I was just waiting to see if anyone would notice. But it is a major flaw and I will try to work it out so it works with the pacing of the scene.

- Nice idea about the tire but i'm not sure if I like it enough to include it.

- Cranky's beard motion is correct it's supposed to lag behind. It's part of the physics of the simulation. But I agree it's too wispy.

- the rest of your critiques will be addressed at some point. Right now I'm just trying to get the first act of the animation layed out in rough form. Then I will go through the painstaking process of fixing up each shot adding details and refinments in every area.

[Cyclone]

Again right now I'm just trying to get the first act of the animation layed out in rough form. Then I will go through the painstaking process of fixing up each shot adding details and refinments in every area. Each new shot added even in rough form is an achievement in itself

Here are two shots with DK jumping down to the ground and entering the banana hoard. They take place after the shots with Cranky.

There is a lot of work to be done. There will be more trees and foliage in the background.

I'm looking for a lot of critiques. for these shots.What do you like/don't like. Are the compositions ok or would you like to see more of the house or different angles. Animation wise how should DK's limbs move when he jumps and lands. Any feedback is apreciated.

Thanks again everyone.

[sonosublime]

The main issues I noticed:
1. DK should run out of his house instead of walk.
2. The jump from the balcony looks too 'floaty'.
3. The actual turning action on the ground is too fast and looks kind of awkward.

As for improving the actual animation, you should refer to the game sprites when posing your own characters.



I would key frame the sprites highlighted with the red boxes to make a good looking jump. If, after using the rounding preset, the animation still does not look good, then you can always go back, and add more key frames in between (in this case, I would use the ones highlighted with the yellow boxes).

[Cyclone]

Thanks sonosublime. That sprite sheet should be very useful. I will see what I can do. As for DK running it might be a bit difficult to do. There isn't much running room on the house platform and I don't have a perfected running cycle like I do for the walk.

[sonosublime]

No problem, mate. I'm not sure if you know about it, but the Spriters Resource has most of the sprites ripped for nearly every character from the DKC games.

DKC: http://www.spriters-resource.com/snes/dkc/
DKC2: http://www.spriters-resource.com/snes/dkc2/
DKC3: http://www.spriters-resource.com/snes/dkc3/

You'll be able to find sprite sheets for DK, Diddy and most of the other characters as well.

As for the running on the platform, you don't need much room, you just need to work with what you have. You can just create DK's motion from the door to the edge, import the running cycle (when you have one), and then have it transition into the jump at the edge of the platform.

[Phyreburnz]

Instead of having DK run out of the treehouse, you could have him roll out and then jump.

[Qyzbud]

The latest video again, for reference:

Spoiler!

I love the first few seconds (where the camera pans downward, showing the "D.K." sign, and balcony outside DK's house); that sets the scene beautifully. The rest of this sequence could use some work.

I agree with everything Sono said, and Phyre's idea of having DK barrel-roll out of the treehouse might work well; even if you don't want to have him roll out, it'll better capture the energy of how he would be moving, until you get a nice run cycle sorted out. There needs to be more speed, weight and fluidity to his movements; DK's a powerhouse character, and his movements and attitude ought to reflect that. Goofy moments (such as when being startled/scolded by Cranky) are fine here and there, but overall he needs to move with power, momentum and ambition — especially when his bananas and little buddy are at stake!

I was thinking maybe his jumping-down shot could be seen from a worm's-eye-view (looking up from ground level as he jumps — his mighty form eclipsing the sun — and lands right in front of the camera, dust flying up at his feet); this would be a good way to show his intensity, bodyweight, the expression on his face, his fur, etc., etc... basically, a really striking shot.

That sprite sheet Sono posted ought to help for reference, especially for the start of DK's jump, and for his landing (both of which currently look completely unnatural in your animation), but since those sprites represent his 'standard' jump (rather than an urgent, 'panicked' jump), you would probably want to make certain adjustments to match the vibe required for the scene.

Again, best of luck.

[Cyclone]

I was thinking maybe his jumping-down shot could be seen from a worm's-eye-view (looking up from ground level as he jumps — his mighty form eclipsing the sun — and lands right in front of the camera, dust flying up at his feet); this would be a good way to show his intensity, bodyweight, the expression on his face, his fur, etc., etc... basically, a really striking shot.

Great idea Qyzbud. I will try my best to recreate your vision.

Here is the first shot in the sequence. I did the rolling as you guys suggested. The Jump is looking much better. The rolling needs a bit more work(in the middle of the roll DK should move forward more).



What do you guys think. Thanks again!

[Qyzbud]

The jump does look a lot better, but I'm very distracted by the awfully bumpy, almost on-the-spot roll...

The whole idea of having DK roll (or run) is to show him moving with pace and urgency; he should come hurtling out of the doorway at a fairly high speed, and I would recommend that you actually have him be rolling (at speed) as soon as we see him, as he leaves the doorway.

The roll pose itself could be improved by having DK's hands tucked in near his feet/ankles at the start:



Edit: He holds his hands near his head as he continues/completes the rotation:

dk-roll-frame.png (1.56 KiB) Viewed 96046 times

Hope this helps.

I can upload a sprite sheet/animation if that would be useful?

[Cyclone]

The jump does look a lot better, but I'm very distracted by the awfully bumpy, almost on-the-spot roll...

Why the disappointed smiley?

The roll should look a lot better now. I didn't use the sprite sheet yet but it should be easy to adjust things now that the roll is smoother.



Also here is the second shot. I had to delete all the trees cuzz it was causing the program to stall every time I click an animated object. I will re-introduce the foliage once the animation is decent.

[Qyzbud]

The 'disappointed' smiley was my reaction to the appearance of DK's roll, and how it seemed like you weren't understanding my paragraph-long suggestion regarding the need for there to be more "speed, weight and fluidity to his movements".

The roll does look significantly better now, but tweaking the pose as I suggested, a little bit of animation (rather than just movement/rotation) would help it feel a bit more believable. Some work on the transition from rolling to jumping would make a big difference, too. The current animation doesn't show DK extending his legs at all as he jumps, and I think he needs to get his arms reaching up a bit earlier, as the arm-lifting is to aid the vertical momentum of his jump, I believe.

The second clip, with DK leaping down from his balcony, looks a fair bit like what I had in mind — nice job! Once all the scene elements are in place, and the animation/effects get polished, that'll look great.

[Cyclone]

Sorry to overlook that. I read it but somehow it didn't register when I went to animate.

Here is the first shot with his legs and arms raised/extended at a an earlier time.

[Qyzbud]

I get an error when trying to view this video.

And don't worry about overlooking my suggestion; there's plenty of time to get everything sorted out.