Are the player sprites left or right handed?
Posted: 06 Jul 2008, 03:37
While working with a new spritesheet for a shield (Thanks, Angeliex), I stumbled upon a rather nasty issue in the playersets.
Whether the player is using the left or right hand for an attack depends on which direction the sprite is facing...
For example, with the right-facing "punch/stab" animation, the weapon is being held in the right hand, which is what you'd expect for a right-handed character. The same is true for the "up" and "down" facing views. The left-facing view, however, is exactly the opposite - the weapon is being held in the *left* hand, rather than the right.
The implications for shields are significant - do we draw the shield on the left arm regardless (so that the player is punching/stabbing with the arm the shield is on?), or do we have the shield "jump" to the other arm during a left-facing attack? Personally, I don't consider *either* to be a "good" solution.
The bow-attack animations have a similar issue. In the case of the left-facing and up-facing animations, the bow is being held in the left hand, and drawn with the right (which is normal for a right handed archer). If the right-facing and down-facing animations, the bow is being held in the right hand, and drawn with the left (a *left* handed archer). This isn't an issue as far as shields are concerned, but if we ever get to the point that we're actually drawing weapons during the walking animations it will be - the weapon will have to "jump" to the other hand in some animations...
I don't see any solution for this other than "redo the player sprites".
Whether the player is using the left or right hand for an attack depends on which direction the sprite is facing...
For example, with the right-facing "punch/stab" animation, the weapon is being held in the right hand, which is what you'd expect for a right-handed character. The same is true for the "up" and "down" facing views. The left-facing view, however, is exactly the opposite - the weapon is being held in the *left* hand, rather than the right.
The implications for shields are significant - do we draw the shield on the left arm regardless (so that the player is punching/stabbing with the arm the shield is on?), or do we have the shield "jump" to the other arm during a left-facing attack? Personally, I don't consider *either* to be a "good" solution.
The bow-attack animations have a similar issue. In the case of the left-facing and up-facing animations, the bow is being held in the left hand, and drawn with the right (which is normal for a right handed archer). If the right-facing and down-facing animations, the bow is being held in the right hand, and drawn with the left (a *left* handed archer). This isn't an issue as far as shields are concerned, but if we ever get to the point that we're actually drawing weapons during the walking animations it will be - the weapon will have to "jump" to the other hand in some animations...
I don't see any solution for this other than "redo the player sprites".