Noise Animation - April 18 2008
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1. Is there any difference between animating for game systems and for television/film?
Hasegawa-san: We did not use any special animation software, instead relying on traditional pen and paper. We decided on the general animation direction in the planning stage before creating each series of frames. After manually preparing each frame, we digitized the artwork.
2. What limitations do you have to work within when animating an enemy character?
There weren’t many boundaries, as a matter of fact, other than the 16-color limit in our palettes. Of course, creating larger sprites and more animation would have increased file sizes, so there is always some self-regulation involved.
3. Did you attempt to mimic real-life frog motion, or did you take liberty in deciding its movements?
We generally mimicked the real-life motion of the animal that each Noise is based on; in that case, a frog. But in making the character a monster instead of an ordinary frog, we used our creativity to make it move beyond what would be natural, utilizing its tattoo.
4. Please explain why it is important that the tribal designs are clearly shown in each keyframe.
The most distinctive feature of each Noise character is the tattoo upon which it is based. Noise attack and move around utilizing this tattoo portion, which can stretch and change shape differently for each monster. We considered this concept to be the most important component of the game, and one of the main features that sets it apart.
