ArcSys characters start as 3D models and then 2D images are drawn - won't add gauges without removing others

Would love to see a video of them making a character with the process explained on the interview. On the second quote, I agree, their games have too many gauges and mechanics. I personally think if it was much simpler the game could be even more enjoyable. While playing a bit of Persone 4, most of the time I found myself forgetting some of those mechanics, because there's too much going on.

Where's that retard "running wild"? Guess you're a giant poser eh?! Still think its lazy of capcom? Lmao I love retribution! Thanks event hubs for posting this in light of the whole 2d vs3d debate lately! I wonder how many 3d models are used than? Is it one that is given a move set then saved and later drawn onto? Guess some around here think its bad?! Woooooooohooooo exposed.

Not really surprising, nor is this info really that new either. VERY few companies do hand-drawn sprites anymore. There's just no reason to when there's technology that allows you to create sprites in a much faster manner and still look just as good or usually even better. Only small companies really bother hand-drawing sprites these days.

Now I'm really wondering where Battle Fantasia 2 is at if this is the way they're going with their animation, due to the fact Battle Fantasia was a 2.5D fighter(and in fact Ono cites it as the inspiration for making SF4 2.5D) and in fact all of their modern fighters are really 2.5D.

@ #2 - Dude this is the same process SNK has been using to create KOF for yeaaaars, it's called rotoscaping. Using this technique, it took SNK's small team of artists nearly a year just to complete 1 character for KOFXIII, it's roughly the same for Arc System Works (Note the number of new character introductions from each new BB installment). It's not lazy at all and requires just as much work, all it does is create a basis to use when creating animations, but they still have to go over each individual frame of animation by hand. At the end of the day, it's still 2D pixel art and it looks a million times better than anything Capcom has done with their ugly 3D models in SF4/SFxT

Its funny cause snk did the exact same thing with there in game sprites and the bb and p4 sprites dpnt look nearly as good as kof13 sprites

^09'er

^ 95'er

^Correction, 91'er. :3

@5i thought i was the only one who hated SF4/SFXTK graphics.
@7your comment lives up to your username.

2d pixel art still rules.ArcSys and Frenchbread are making some beautiful games to this day with it.

if I remember right, didn't they do something like that for SF3?

@7 But the detail on the KOF sprites came with a toll on the animation quality. Kof animation is nowhere near as good as bb and p4u.

#13 - I respectfully disagree, I think KOFXIII's animation is alot more fluid than BB and P4A. ASW games take alot of shortcuts when it comes to animation so characters have alot more unique animations and moves, but as a result, use alot less frames of animation per move.

Regardless, neither tops Third Strike or Skull Girls in that department.

That technique has been around for a very long time. Back in the day it was called Rotoscoping and they didn't have a 3D Models, so had an actor/stuntman act out the actions. The film was then traced over, frame-by frame to make the final animated product.

The original Prince of Persia, and Flashback are good classic games that made use of Rotoscoping to offer realistic animations.

@14

This man knows his sprites. SG has the most animations, then 3s, then KoFXIII, then either ASW or Frenchbread fighters. Of course they all looks beautiful, regardless. #14 explains why the lesser ones have less frames of animation as well.

Didn't they criticize SNK for doing this exact same thing before? They said that, unlike ArcSys sprites, it wasn't "proper 2D" or something.

@16

To give an example of how old the technique is...3s also uses it for some of the animations in the game :). Elena's winning pose being the most memorable one.

Maybe they could ask him WHERE THE F-CK P4A is, for europe.

@20
Thanks, but I believe the examples I cited are way older than 3S =)
The original Prince of Persia is from 1989 and I played the hell out of it on my ancient PC/AT.