Day13

Today I resized my idle sprite, but at the price of my idle animations legs. See, when I went to edit my photoshop file, I had the wrong picture, because I didn't save the one I actually used, and I didn't have limbs for the one I saved. So I had to Draw them on so I could accomplish something this class and not waste my time resizing a bunch of ropes.

But I did end up getting the proper size and it looks pretty good, considering it is all short time to design these sprites. Now I must design a jumping and a crouching animation, but as I said Before, I will not be making a loop for the jumping animation, just a single animation. No loop. I havn't thought of how I will be doing this, but I can't imagine it would be too hard for it. I think I just have to go into the flipbook animation and there is probably a check box, similar to Photoshop where it says loop once, loop forever, or don't loop, something like that. 

Day 12

Today, I finished what I was trying to do, and I resized the RUnning Animation too. All I had to do was go into the Character Viewport, and resize it. But another problem came, when I do that, it also resizes the other one. So I still have yet to find an easier method of resizing the other one without going into photoshop and resizing them, though I feel like that might be the easiest way of doing it. Then I must make a crouching and a jumping animation. And for that particular animation, I will make it so It doesn't loop and look goofy.

Day 11

Today I started to add input controls. In Unreal's Blueprint function, it is Relatively Easy. All you have to do is make these things called nodes. They are components which basically replace the need of any C++ knowledge, but it is still good to have. This blueprint method is a bit more broad than actually ysing a sourcecode, but it does usually get the job done. I have not finished the Tutorial Video yet, But I am close. All I have to do is make it so my running animation only starts when I input a controll on the Keyboard. And resize. It is currently too big to fit completely on the platform. I don't think the video I am watching will teach me how to fix this. So I will have to learn how to do it on my own, but from what I already know about Unreal, It shouldn't be that hard to figure out, I just have to go to each indevidual sprite and resize it and make it so they're all the same size.

Day 10

Today, I created my new game. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, even post watching the tutorial. I got my character into there and now I need to make movement controlls in the blueprint files. Then I will make a Jump and Crouch animation and make a stage for my character to adventure around in.

Then after that, I don't have any plans for anything else in this Unit of mine,l but I may change my mind and think of something. 

Day 9

Today I encountered a problem, when I try to play my game, My camera doesn't stick to my character. Because I have been using an example game, and just editing it, I will probably just make a new game. Just to avoid any future problems and so I know exactly where to go if similar problems happen. It will make it much easier to follow the video guide I am watching too, that way, I don't have any files that  I don't know what they do.

But other than my current problem, I succesfully loaded my sprite into Unreal and Made them Characters, though I still need to make controls for them. 

Day 8

I forgot to post yesterday. But Yesterday, I finished the legs and put it together. My character has a Running animation now, and now I just need to make it so I can use him as a Playable Character. I will watch the video above. Then I will make Jumping and Crouching Animations just to tie everything together.

Day 7

Today, I worked on my running animation all class. To do that, I just put everything into one group then duplicate it. and After that, I move every component seperately from eachother. I am making the feet move in a windmill kind of manner, and the arms are normal, more or less. I still have to add the ropes, and I might add a few more frame of the right leg going behind the body, otherwise, it is done, and I just have to import it into Unreal and make a Flip Book animation from it, then make an actual controllable character.

I still have to re watch the part one of that video series I am watching, and take what I learn and transfer it and try to swap out the current character that Unreal provides, and put my own into there. Then make the control scheme. 

Day 6

From Yesterdays problem, I figured out that my prblem was because my chareacter had no limbs connecting the hands and feet. So they were extracting as seperate sprite in Unreal, so to fix that, I simply just added ropes for legs and arms. And it was Successful in properly extracting the character sprites into the Engine for use. My next step is to make a flipbook animation in the engine, then  make control Inputs to my flip book animation.

Then after that, my next task is to make a running animation. For that, I will make a new sprite, the same design, just sideways, and make the legs swing in a cirular motion, because they're made of rope, so I thought it would be funny if I added that kind of realism. 

Day 5

Today, I finished the short idle animation, but when I went to import it into the Unreal Engine, I learned that there wasn't enough space in between the different frames, so next class, I will have to space everything out so they don't blend together in the engine. I will just cut them from their current ppostion, and re paste them a bit further away. Then I will watch this video to learn how to put input controlls into the character.

But before that I have will make a movement animation. 

Day 4

Using the Video above, I learned that in order to import a picture with a transparent background I need to make an Alpha Layer. I didn't actually know how to do this prior to this video, so watching this video, I learned how to import character animaton and how to make an alpha layer, along with everything else in the video. Next Class, I will animate my character and possibly make a new environment.