I've been working on the animation for the caterpillar mech this past week. I'm having some trouble drawing the upper thighs so I'm shelving it for a few days so that I can come back to it with "fresh eyes".
Here is what the mech looks like right now:
This is what the caterpillar looks like before the "metamorphosis":
Final Note: Who can name the game which "influenced" my design? Hint: Big red ball.
Thanks, guys! Working on this mech has been a labor of love. Although I have sketchbooks full of ideas for Captain Plokey's enemies, this mech is really one of the first ones that I'm spriting... and I really want to get it "right". Andy has very patiently been waiting for me to get this done so that he can dode the A.I. -- so I don't want to dissapoint him. In addition to the walking sequence, I'll need to draw a few "others". But, they won't need to be looping animations like this one.
As for the design "influence", the game would be Thex.der. Although the Duke Nukem and Halloween Harry influences are pretty clear in the main character's sprite, Thex.der's influence is a bit more subtle. Back when Sierra released Thex.der in 1987, I would play the game daily until I was able to complete all 16 levels. Which, by the way, was no small feat as you only had one life.
Besides the "coolness" of playing as a transforming mech, I was also fascinated by the design of the enemies (which were all 16x16 sprites with 8 frames of animation). What was so interesting about the enemies was that they all had a common theme - a red ball. As corny as it may sound, it almost felt like that red ball was their "life force". Who knows... perhaps their metal bodies were given life from little crimson sphere. Anyway, that idea has stuck with me for over 20 years and I wanted to pay homage to it. I don't know how many of Captain Plokey's enemies will use that theme but I think there will be at least a few more on the first level.
If you want to see what Thex.der's enemies looked like:
1. Go here: http://toadstool.net/
2. Click on the Thex.der Game Shrine
3. Click on Enemies
4. Also, you can click on Gallery (which shows hand-drawn images of the enemies)
Thanks, Va1entine! I've had a lot of fun drawing it. I'm hoping I get some time in the next few weeks to draw a few more for the first level. Although, I still haven't worked out the legs on this one yet.
Advertisement
Jess Bowers 
? ? ?
Favourite