The Spell Weaver - Particle Animations

[Zekallinos]

(See further down for example)

Lately, I've been toying around with a fantastic particle program*, and made a set of animations as a learning project. I thought, might as well share it with others.

Details

The animations are meant to be easily used in any project, mostly those with standard battle system or similar, although you could just resize/realign them and it would fit for an ABS. I've kept things as simple as I could, although some animations are quite big, 100+ frames. It's nothing compared to the 3000 frames or so of Knights of the Round Table, but it is still alot. Sometimes it just looks too rushed otherwise, since it's not just not a manifestation of the element, but a natural one. Well, you'll see.

The list comprises the following

• Fire
• Ice
• Thunder
• Earth
• Water
• Wind
• Light
• Dark
• Ether
• Revive
• Heal

...who all follow the following format...

• Attack 1 (Single. Common manifestation of element.)
• Attack 2 (Single. Bigger, nastier version then attack 1)
• Attack 3 (Multi. Screenwide)
• Attack 4 (Single. Even bigger then attack 2, or different kind)
• Attack 5 (Multi. Screenwide, rather flashy at times)

...except for Revive1-Revive2, and FOUR single heal spell and THREE group-heal spells.

For a total of 59 animations, if my count is good. Included with a Animations.rxdata, with the default animations and sounds (allthough not perfectly done, they should be fine).

Download

Here, we hit them main problem of my animations...

This is the download link

Which is a wooping...175 megabytes. I tried everything, nothing can bring it down by more then ~90%. It's nothing compared to the 5 gig of any modern game, but it's still...massive.

I though that I could convert to JPEG. No alpha channels, which is really needed. I've spent hours looking for something that could resize it down the individual 192x192 squares but I don't have time to learn photoshop scripting now. So I've just resized the whole pic down. It's 4 times smaller.

Shrank version

You would need to use a batch resizer to scale it up at 200%, using a program or this tutorial if you have photoshop.

I did find another solution for that, however. Most people here will not distribute their game outside the rmxp.org community. Did you notice that in the Game.Ini file, there is place for three rtps? USE IT! In your RGSS folder, create a new folder beside Standard. In it, have the same folders (but empty) (Audio[BGM, SE...], Graphics[Animations, Tilesets, Battlers]). Unzip the .rar into the Animations. Then, in your game.ini, add "RTP2=Custom" (or however you called it). Then, offer the animations packaged separatly. Better tutorial on this here

(Well, actually, I don't think my animations will be popular enough to have a need for that but that could be very useful for alot of other ressources. Just don't rename them)

Usage

The animations are set with blending mode "Normal"** with about 200 opacity. Adjust it to your needs. I guess that's all there is to say.***

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*Made with Particle Illusion 3. It's a freaking easy intuitive program, so go get it now! (People who knows it allready will notice that I recycled alot of default emitters. I said it was for learning)
**The alpha channels are included. Note that it looks better on a dark background then a light one (so don't judge it with the PNG files alone!)
***I'm not taking request. Don't have enough time.

---

Don't forget to CRITIQUE! I do want to improve. Make sure I actually "understand between the lines", and be constructive.

Spoiler: Oh, and I almost forgot examples. Although you can't really tell anything with still images

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/rudichen/AnimPreview.jpg[/img]

 

[Bullet_Darkness]

Wow! These were really great! The were VERY Fluid, but the problem with that is there are a lot of frames to fill up. A LOT of frames. But they are amazing, good job man!

 

[Mustardy85]

Woot! LOokin FoRwarD to DIS DUDE!? I haven't seen them all yet but do you think you can match the ranks of Mascarope with that army unit?

 

[kevinsllama]

This looks amazing! Must have taken a long time. Is the particle engine free? I might try to use it.

 

[Mascarpone]

Have you seen my stuff around here?

My review is pending, waiting on the download. And yes they will always be absolutely massive you'll just have to suck it up =\

PS: I've been doing this for close to a year so i'll be dolling out the harsh probably. Feel free to ask me any questions though.


PPS: Oh for starters when you open up a new map, hit Alt+P and adjust the resolution to 192x192 then build your animations accordingly. it will ensure that they all output to the correct size, and they'll still look decent in XP. Full Screens should have their frames blown up to about 350% They'll only look a little grainy, but it's not that detrimental. Check out my "Reformation" project, i'll dig up the link in a sec

http://www.rmxp.org/forums/index.php?topic=50648.0 there we go.

http://www.rmxp.org/forums/index.php?topic=53631.0 here's another thing i posted more recently.

Woot! LOokin FoRwarD to DIS DUDE!? I haven't seen them all yet but do you think you can match the ranks of Mascarope with that army unit?

I beg your pardon? EveN IF YOuR GonnA TAlK liek DIS! please spell my name correctly.



---------------------
OK! i went through everything, let's start from the top. and work our way down. I will teach you a few tricks.

Firey Bolt: (and similar bolt like animations)
You've got a hard edge for the bolt to appear from. It's unatractive. This is where smart layering functions comes in. Here's what your'e going to do:

1.) Open photoshop

2.) Create a new project with the dimensions of the frame you are using for your animation (192x192 or a multiple of that preferably)

3.) New layer, Delete the background.

4.) Using the softest airbrush you can (no hard edges) make a thin frame around the image fading all the way to black at the outside. (A frame if you will)

5.) Save as a PNG.

6.) In your animation create a new layer above the bolt. Double Click it.

7.) Select the frame file you just made. Keep the default settings.

With this, all particles that move in from or off of the edges of the field will appear to fade in on the lower layer.

I have a question i will ask you via PM.


Now as a general critique, i think you use allot of the default emitters in good ways, mostly, although some of them are a little... odd. The wind ones in particular are pretty screwy, i'de recommend you try to use more sequenced particles for them. These look fresh an unique to people here who don't use the program but i recognize almost every emmiter you've used here, so you should work  on editing them to fit your own purposes, it will give them a much more unique flare. (And as great as Diony's Time Flares are, don't over use them)

You solved the Alpha Layer problem i was having though. how did you compile them?

 

[Zekallinos]

Well actually, I build the animations whatever size fits bests (hard to resize sometimes). The contact sheet maker does all the resizing work when rendered.

For the bolts, you mean like, gradient fade-in? That's a good idea, i'll keep it in mind.

And yeah, I'll need to learn to do my own someday  :smile:. Recolors won't do forever. Especially if not everyone begins to do some  :tongue:

I didn't see the reformation one...i'll go see it.

---

P.S. Google particle illusion, Kevin.

 

[ringo]

Gratz for the job man, keep using PI, you will soon be able to make things far more better, like Mascarpone's animations^^
I do work on PI myself, thanks to mascarpone that made me discover particle illusion! (even if he do not know who am I huhu^^)
Anyway, possibilities just increases as you create new animations!

PS: you can also make some animations witch ya want to be fullscreen by resizing your working zone like 384x192 (2 squares of the template^^) it will be better looking than making them at 350% in RPG maker!

 

[Zekallinos]

I'm not sure what you mean, ringo. No mather what the working space, you can only put them in the 192x192 cases of the sheet. Or should I have two or four pieces put together to be smoother? While it's kinda nice, it would bump the size of the thing up to...600 meg...It's not that the low quality is really a problem in an animation, since you can't focus your eye on a single frame or such.

Real games uses real particles anyway, not pre-rendered one. Can't do that in RGSS, it would crash...

 

[SorcerGamble2]

im downloading the full version and the shrank version...

i have the registered rmxp verson... so i will be Most Happy if you have already
made some working animations and i am able to view how they work right away
and possibly cut and paste some of them cuz i might be too lazy to do all the framework.

preciate the resource, looks awesome

also DL'ing the ol Mascarpone release... most excited about that.  I was REALLY hoping to beef up the magic efx on the current project, this may do that.

i was really hoping someone would update / add-on to the rtp animations, but i havn't been on in a while (or had a connection) so this is very exciting

(EDIT)

OMG (x3)  Mad Props Zekallinos.  These animations shame the RTP ones.  And thank god you included an animation file... and the sounds are already layed out.  (WHEW!)  My attempt and putting sound to these would have been pitifull.  Now the difficult task of deciding which ones i can use... theres just no way i'd want to drop all of them in and add 175 mb... but dang, SWEET work man.

Mascarpone:  Great improvements over the RTP animations, they deffinitely outshine those by far... i only wish you were willing to share your newer work.  But i have ripped enuf stuff for a long long time and don't wish to further piss anyone else off by doing so (tileset wise).  Still, my biggest pet peeve is when RMXP game makers put a slew of effort into a game and then release it Encrypted.  Sure, some people just want your resources rather than to just play your game, but both types of 'releases' are fun for the person getting to use them... and no less appreciated i'm sure.

if i ever release my current project .. both of ur names will be credited at game start for
'Magic Animations'

 

[ringo]

yeah sure a 2 squares animation is far big than a single 192x192 one^^
it was just a suggestion, a 200 frame animation is like 15mg... I have already reach something like 500mg only for animation in my project^^

 

[Zekallinos]

Well, for a specific charset of an NPC or something, it`s not really a fuzz, but it`s kinda annoying when you have tileset created just for YOUR game (something original, like a town suspended under a cliff or something?) then a random person finds it cool and creates a town in his game just for that tileset...it`s not really unique any longer. There aren`t many other reasons to want a unecrypted game otherwise...

Glad you like them [anims] though.

And 500 megs of animations  :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: wow

 

[Dark_linis]

can't you just lower the image quality in photoshop a bit?

in my old project, thats what I did with mascarpone's animtions and they still look stunning.
went from like 70 something mb to 40.

 

[Lumni]

Wow, awsome!!! I had never even though about custome Animation but I want to make my own, can you help me.
What are all the default sizes for an animation?

 

[Zekallinos]

I've allready passed them trought PNG-out. The only other way to reduce it futher more is to save them to JPG, which would not work due to the need of alpha channels. Sorry  :down:

The default sizes are 192x192 blocks that are spread over and 5*X grid. To make some yourself just download the (trial) program on the FIRST POST.

 

[DJ]

OH my god!

This...This is most wonderful animation that I had ever Seen.

 

[Mascarpone]

<gasp> attention being drawn away from me? I'd better work on something!

 

[eharper256]

Which is a wooping...175 megabytes. I tried everything, nothing can bring it down by more then ~90%. It's nothing compared to the 5 gig of any modern game, but it's still...massive.

I though that I could convert to JPEG. No alpha channels, which is really needed. I've spent hours looking for something that could resize it down the individual 192x192 squares but I don't have time to learn photoshop scripting now. So I've just resized the whole pic down. It's 4 times smaller.

Easiest way to reduce size: cut out every other frame. It really doesn't ~Have~ to be that smooth. Human vision not being hyper motion sensitive and the fact that it runs at 30 fps means you'll barely notice the difference. Whereas, if you just cut 100 frames down to 50, YOU WILL notice the size difference.

Fading in and out effects can especially get the snip, you probably need only 1 in every 5 frames from them. Since you can achieve the fade in and out in RMXP itself by alterting the opacity of each frame.

But good job, always nice to see others using Particle Illusion.

 

[sondex]

First of all, I would like to thank you for telling us what program you use. Some of us would like to create our own resources rather than depending on others! *looks around*

Anyway, These are great. I like them alot. My favorite one was the thunder one but I also liked the white/dark holes and water arena looked. I think the fireball should be bigger.

Thanks again for telling us the program you use.

 

[Mascarpone]

I've mentioned what program i use before oh insinuator of insinuators.

 

[Twirly]

Wow! Looks awesome! This could be useful.