Gamers keen on fighting games are not at all interested in the technique and mechanics of animation: they are interested in the ability to knock out their virtual rivals. Animators at Melior Games know for sure how to meet the expectations of the gamers, and we are ready to share our experience with you. In this post, we will show the basic principles of good fight animation, 6 basic stages of animating a fighting game, and also take a look at the best fighting games.
The Basic Principles of Creating Good Fight Animation
The animation is a virtual image of movement. To create the best fighting game characters, you need to have a basic understanding of the following principles:
Squash and Stretch
This animation technique is responsible for the character’s pose changing. Without it, the movements and attacks of a virtual fighter will look unrealistically rough. The technology provides a realistic perception of the character’s body position at any stage of animations fighting.
Timing and Spacing
This method is the most convenient way to observe the actions of the character fight animations for the gamer. The movements of the animated fighter are performed according to the following principle: the closer the fighter is to the object of the attack, the slower the video sequence appears to be. As a result, the gamer can adequately respond to all the ups and downs of the fighting characters.
Laws of Motion
Newton’s laws are fully applicable to computer animation. Developers of fast fighting games use synchronization and interval technology for realistic simulation of the laws of motion.
Anticipation, Action, and Reaction
These are complex concepts that explain such stages of the movement of animated fighting game characters as foresight and reaction speed. These are the determining factors in the fighting game, and the faster they are, the more the gamer’s expectations to defeat their virtual rival are met.
Exaggeration
Thanks to this technique, a character of action fighting games somewhat exceeds the expectations of the gamer. This method is especially effective when the character performs the key poses, showing incredible fighting techniques.
Overlapping Action
This game principle describes the movement of various body parts of animated fighting characters. Moving sequentially in different directions, the arms, legs, and head create a realistic picture of movement.
Arcs and Paths of Action
This is the most difficult principle in animation, describing the movement of a character together with the movements of other surrounding objects and characters. The better the video game animations performed, the more attention should be paid to the description of several movement ways.
Stages of Making a Fighting Game
Any development of a game application starts with an idea and ends with a game release. Fighting game animation is no exception.
- Researching references. This is necessary if you don’t have a unique idea that, in your opinion, is superior to all successful projects. Analysing your competitors will help choose the best solution for animated fighting games.
- Making scripts. At this stage the team creates the history behind the fighting game, the shifts between scenes, a description of visual effects, scenery, storyboard, and other functionality.
- Fixing key poses. Characters are corrected in accordance with the scenario approved at this stage.
- Adding new poses to create the perfect movements of the animated characters.
- Fixing overshoot and overlapping action is necessary to synchronize the movement of body parts with the movement of the character. Removing overlays when moving the limbs of a virtual fighter at different speeds.
- Polishing the animation. This final refinement of the animation helps to achieve the maximum smoothness of the character’s movements.
Best Anime Fighting Games 2020
Here is the list of the best fighting games of 2020.
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
This game is set in the famous anime based on the manga of the same name. You will meet a unique superhero who can destroy enemies with one blow.
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
The world saw Street Fighter V back in 2016. But now we can play an improved and augmented version of this legendary fighting game.
Griefhelm
A two-dimensional indie fighting game with a gloomy and slightly bloody atmosphere. You will be sent to Griefhelm – a dimension between life and death, where the bravest warriors fight each other for eternal glory.
Guilty Gear: Strive
A series of Guilty Gear fighting games came on PlayStation 1 in 1998. Now the developers decided to completely rethink the franchise and release something new. At the same time, they will try to retain the details that Guilty Gear fans liked the most.
My Hero One’s Justice 2
The My Hero One’s Justice fighting game series is based on the mega-popular anime of the same name.
Metal Revolution
Cyberpunk with a touch of Japanese culture. One of the features of this game is its accessibility for users who are unable to cope with pressing the gamepad buttons at high speed.
Melior Games has developed hundreds of gaming apps. We are always ready to come up with something new and offer the customer extraordinary solutions. If you want to make game animations in any style, contact us now.
