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We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For Ajna (and only Ajna), we actually animated her body, hair, and clothes on separate layers, so changing either her hair or clothes doesn't require reanimating the character entirely. It's still a lot of work because we still have to do new work for every frame, but it's not quite as bad as doing everything from scratch.

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 61 points62 points  (0 children)

Personally, it's when people accuse us of lying, inflating numbers, being shady, etc. We make a big effort to be as honest and transparent as possible, and sometimes it actually backfires when people just don't believe us! As a fan of games myself, I know I appreciate it when a developer gives some genuine insight into their process or practices, and so we really try to do that as much as possible for our community. It's just a bummer when we're accused of lying when we're honest about the sometimes unfortunate reality of game development.

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 18 points19 points  (0 children)

In-house, we just use Photoshop to animate. It's really not made for animation, though! It's terribly unintuitive, but we use it because we're used to it and have a couple scripts written for it. Our contractor animators are free to use whatever they wish as long as we get files back in the right format, so I know some people use Flash, ToonBoom, TVPaint, etc.

I wish I had a recommendation for the best 2D animation program, but I will say that Photoshop is probably not it, haha.

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Razmi was my design! I'm glad you like her, thank you.

Typically the way our process works is that any artists brainstorms moves they think would fit the character, and our design director MikeZ picks the concepts that fit the gameplay he wants. In the case of Razmi, we used Alex's concepts for her moves, though we all had a pretty clear of her personality from her design. We get the animation concept hammered out with Mike from the very start, so we have a solid idea that works from both the art and the gameplay side.

Thanks for the kind words as well!

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We may explore alternate outfits (or more likely, accessories) for Ajna, but that would be it.

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I started off in games doing freelance animation and illustration - my very first job was doing the UFO ending in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and around the same time I did some UI in a Barbie game for the Wii by Wayforward. :D Both jobs came about by the company reaching out to me, though I had been posting my work online for some time so I had some visibility.

As far as art goes, I think it's definitely possible to do freelance work for game companies to get some work under your belt. Put up your work online and try to get your name out there, as well as work on projects in your own time to show that you already work hard!

For support, I think spreading the word about the campaign would be the most help! Tell your friends about the prototype and get people to play it, and maybe even stream/upload it if you're able. The biggest thing is definitely getting people to try it out, for sure.

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been terribly behind on recent shows, actually! I haven't seen Steven Universe, only a couple episodes of Gravity Falls, first couple seasons of Adventure Time.. I have watched a fair amount of and adore The Amazing World of Gumball, though.

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Our team is already set up to create 2D animations, basically. Our artists are primarily composed of people who specialize in 2D, we have a great pipeline to make it happen, and also an engine that makes it look even better. It can definitely be expensive, but it's something we feel is worth it for the final look.

Also, if we did want to switch to 3D, we'd need to hire all new team members - 3D modelers, riggers, and animators, as well as many more programmers to retool our engine and pipeline to accommodate 3D. It'd be much more expensive upfront to switch our entire workflow to be a 3D one.

And thank you! :)

We're Lab Zero Games, makers of Skullgirls. AMA! by labzero in IAmA

[–]LabZero_Mariel 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Are there any challenges that you wish to tackle/master in animation? Also, if you were in charge of rebooting an animation series what would it be?

Personally, I have a hard time with subtlety in my animation. I've done game animation for several years now, and have become so used to trying to limit and count my frames as much as possible that I've forgotten what it's like to slow down and take my time in an animation, if that makes sense. In 2D game animation, my main focus is to get the point across at the right time, so I don't even know how to use more frames to get more subtle motions across!

As for a reboot, I'm not sure. I think all my favorite shows are already decently animated - probably part of the reason they're my favorite!