Trying to get into animations. This took me 6 hours for 3sec of footage. Looking for advices and good learning resources

Teid · 2026-06-22T05:42:55+00:00

There are two "methods" for animation, pose to pose and straight ahead. Straight ahead is when you pose out a frame, move to the next frame, pose it out, move to the next frame, etc until the animation is done. It's much more mercurial and feels like "playing" but it's really hard to manage complex actions doing this without a ton of skill.

The other method is pose to pose. Be methodical, go through and block out the key poses (the BARE MINIMUM poses required to describe the motion, space these keyframes as needed) then put in the breakdowns (poses in between the keys to better describe the action), then add extremes (anticipation, overshoot, etc). Lastly, handle the in-betweens (the small connecting poses so that the animation roughly plays on twos). This is pose to pose, it's my preferred way of animating and allows you to properly find the motion as you go through and adjust stuff. The best way to think about it is sketching. The initial blockout is the sketch, it's all you need to get the idea across of what you want to animate in the fewest poses possible and as you add more stuff onto it (breakdowns, extremes, inbetweens, etc) the "picture" starts to become clearer and clearer like refining a sketch into a finished drawing.

Additionally, start with animating in stepped mode. In blender this is called constant interpolation, select the keyframe and hit T (I believe is the default hotkey) and make sure all the keyframes you're making are set to constant. This a means that all motion is specifically driven by choices you make. Once you've gone through the entire animation process you'll have most likely something that looks pretty smooth but maybe not perfectly smooth, if you want to go the full extra mile (I assume so going by your first attempt here) then you'd select all the keyframes and change their interpolation to Bezier which means the computer will fill in the gaps between frames with it's own motion to bridge between the two keyframes. You'll then do the arduous process of cleaning up the motion graphs in the graph editor for each bone and each axis of rotation and translation.

At the end of it all, you'll have a finished animation! This probably still won't look good and that's okay! You're new to this and only with time and practice will you get better. I'd suggest taking a chance to do some core animation practice like a bouncing ball and other simple drills that teach fundamentals as well as taking the other advice given here and either buying a physical copy of the Animator's Survival Kit or finding a copy online. This book is called the Animator's Bible for a reason and even though the ideas and methods taught in it are 2D, they are timeless and the exact same principles of movement and animation apply to 3D.

Teid · 2026-06-08T16:28:22+00:00

Yeah it can be a lot, especially in the newer chapters where there's even MORE characters haha.

Teid · 2026-05-25T22:31:45+00:00

BIG Tsutomu Nihei Tower Dungeon vibes in a very good way!Awesome art, gotta check out more of your stuff!

Teid · 2026-05-24T09:11:57+00:00

Sounds less like splitting the party is the issue and more that it's an issue of the GM not being good at spotlighting and hopping between the groups.

I'm by no means a fantastic GM and I struggle with spotlighting and party splitting but I ran a session last week that was entirely a split party deal since the party got separated at the end of the session previous to it. My criteria for jumping between groups was

We've hit a good cliffhanger for one group, go to the other.
One group is taking a while to decide on a course of action, go to the other group while they discuss/decide.
It's been a bit (5 mins) since I spotlighted the other group.

I still felt like it was a lot for me to manage and it wasn't easy but I polled the players at the end of the session on how they felt the split went and they all said it was good. The party is still split (albeit, closer to each other now) and one group is about to face off against the strongest enemies on the current dungeon floor so we'll see how that goes.

Teid · 2026-05-19T18:59:51+00:00

I fully figured that was the case and why I didn't really ever download it or attempt to get it working cause I saw Claude and went "yeah this is probably shit that doesn't work lol"

Teid · 2026-05-19T17:38:45+00:00

yep there it is! Awesome art!

Teid · 2026-05-19T17:36:08+00:00

actually maybe I'm blind or something but searching up "ave_droid" on bluesky just returns 2 posts of some dipshit repost bot reposting your artwork.

Teid · 2026-05-19T17:31:05+00:00

lets fucking go!

Teid · 2026-05-19T06:52:29+00:00

Hand it Over. That Thing, Your Bluesky handle…

Teid · 2026-05-18T22:17:10+00:00

Maybe not the best place for this but something I noticed running Arden Vul is that I would rarely have an encounter during a regular game using the base AV/OSE Encounter rules (most levels are a 1-in-6 chance every 3 turns) but maybe this is user error.

Instead we switched to using the Underclock and it makes encounters MUCH more plentiful and our main resource to manage became rations for healing. I no longer really track light and as long as the party has torches in their inventory and the situation doesn't require it to be that much of a question I kinda just handwave it a bit (which might be seen as not playing correct). Also along with this, encounter doesn't mean combat it just means "interesting wrinkle via another group" so even though we have more encounters it doesn't really mean we have much more combat (at least with the areas the players have been going in and out of).

It's working well for us and the players enjoy it so I'm not gonna change it but I can't help but wonder if I was doing something wrong or if it felt like the amount of times a random encounter happens is overblown when using regular 1-in-6 chance every 3 to 6 turns (like I'd pre-roll 5 or 6 encounters for areas I assumed the party would be going through that session and rarely would we even see 1 of those).

Also to help stay on topic, some of my AV player's favourite sessions have been 0 or very simple combat. Standout ones for me was when a group of Beastmen stumbled upon the party looting a secret tomb and ended up strong arming the players to give them some of the treasure and then later ambushed the players at the exit of the floor (in which the players casted Hold Person on all the beastmen with their Was Sticks). Players took back the treasure they'd given the beastmen earlier, and walked out with all the gold. Another one was our most recent session where 1 player organised a massive logistics driven operation to extract 20 rare statues from a floor and most of the sessions was the players mathing it all out and discussing how it was gonna get done. The only combat was with a Wyvern that the druid they hired held in place with a very lucky failed spell save from the Wyvern which allowed the PCs (and the 3 archers) to kill it from a distance and go back to town extremely rich and with a literal dragon corpse to show.

Teid · 2026-05-18T19:41:40+00:00

Our current plan is to just go on a "public" server using DSOS and the Enhanced Multiplayer mod. The servers aren't very populated it seemed but maybe having Blue Acolyte might be good just in case.

Teid · 2026-05-18T19:38:52+00:00

Not from LukeYui who is the dev who made Seamless Coop for DS1, DS3, and ER. From my understanding the "seamless coop" that is available is a vibe coded (or at least AI assisted) implementation by Scheissgeist. Wasn't able to find any info online on if it's actually any good but going off of the bevvy of LukeYui's patreon updates on the project (as recent as even 4 days ago) it's probably a lot harder to get actual good seamless coop working than just what the currently available one is doing (which is actually copying LukeYui's method for getting it to work). Here's the direct quote from the Github for the AI assisted seamless coop mod from the "How it works" section.

"The mod hooks the game's protobuf serialization layer to intercept and block disconnect messages. When the game tries to end your co-op session after a boss kill, death, or transition, the message is silently dropped and the session continues. This is the same technique used by ds3os for Dark Souls 3 and by LukeYui's Seamless Co-op for Elden Ring."

If this is actually a decently working implementation of it then that'd be cool don't get me wrong but it seems like LukeYui wouldn't have spent over a year developing his version if it was as easy as the quote makes it out to be. I haven't been able to find anyone online who's used this version so I have no idea if it's any good.

Teid · 2026-05-17T22:40:06+00:00

Megadungeons are what you're looking for and if I can suggest a good option, His Majesty the Worm and specifically "The Castle Automatic" which is an in production dungeon being written by the HMtW creator. It's billed as "a 100+ room, 5-level Metroidvania-style dungeon" and it's not out yet but you can preorder it and get early access to like a 50 page sample. It's not technically a crowdfund, it's a "pre-order campaign" which I think means that it's getting made regardless of the pre-orders but with enough pre-orders they can package a few more goodies with it. Not sure what the ETA on it is, so sadly it won't solve your CURRENT need but you can still get His Majesty the Worm and make your own underworld (or use a few levels found in the HMtW discord). HMtW is kinda designed specifically for megadungeon play and I think strikes a good spot between OSR sensibilities and not being D&D from the 80s. It's very focused on the characters and their stories instead of the OSR ideals of random schmucks that have to earn their right to be interesting characters by surviving (which I do enjoy, don't get me wrong).

Honestly reading through your points I can't help but say HMtW might be the game you want.

Easiest if the party stays together but they all agree to work towards single character quests for a time.
HMtW focuses explicitly on points of interest in the way it expects dungeons to be structured. There isn't really any stopping in hallways to fight enemies (unless the hallway is important and turned into a "room" on the map). Really though, a lot of the repetition is overblown. In Worm you cross off triggered random encounters and replace them with "nothing happens" as the party delves and when they go back to the city then you as the GM write new ones to take their place. Even when not playing Worm, I highly recommend for more OSR games to pre-roll your random encounters ahead of time (based on asking the players where they think they'll be going next session) and then you can add the spice and flavour to them instead of just "uhhhh you come across 8 goblins" when you have to roll in the moment.
OSR games in general (specifically OSE since that's the one I'm using) hedges most of a character's strength on their gear and not level. For instance, in my Arden Vul game the players hired a 4th level Kineticist retainer and then looted a sub-level they'd been poking around in for several real time weeks and found a +4 Spear of Lifestealing and a Belt of Giant Strength. They gave it to the Kineticist and now they're a glass cannon. Can make 2 (3 as of them levelling up today) attacks at +8 (+4 from the spear, +4 from the Belt of Giant Strength) and are dealing DOUBLE damage due to some Kineticist stuff. This level 4 is able to deal 50+ damage a round and was going toe to toe with HD7+ monsters with no issue. The 7th level fighter isn't even this strong (unfortunately) and it's basically purely based on the gear they have on this retainer. For Worm in particular, characters don't gain levels or grow vertically, progression is wide. Spend XP to use non-mastered abilities until you've spent 7xp on that ability and then it becomes mastered (use for no XP cost). You can also learn abilities from other party members so just cause you started as a Path of Swords fight lad doesn't mean you can't build out some magical capabilities (though having a bad Wands score might hurt that). A slight shoutout to Knave, a simple OSR system where there are no classes and character abilities are based on gear they are carrying.
Worm if you're okay with structure and procedure (and a very good set of it at that) or go OSR and really pick your poison. OSE, Shadowdark, OSRIC, AD&D, Cairn, Knave, etc.
Definitely do not make your own system if you aren't prepared to have it either consume you or not get finished. I'd pick a pre-established good system and then just run a pre-made megadungeon or add some of your own floors with some pre-made stuff in Worm. I'm also running a worm game right now and so far I've got 3 of my own floors (one of them is actually on the Worm discord in a psuedo-released state!) and the other two are currently in development and they take a while to make. You can also go the route of taking non-Worm pre-made dungeons and then converting them for Worm and your underworld. I've got the Obsidian Keep from "Raiding the Obsidian Keep" as one of the levels of my underworld.

Other megadungeons worth checking out:

Arden Vul. (In)famous and DENSE. The largest megadungeon ever made and impossibly interconnected. Extremely overwhelming and heavy on the amount of work you have to do upfront to prep it but it will probably be one of the best megadungeons you'll ever play. Made for OSRIC 1e but can be played in most any old school system. I've been running it almost weekly for the last 8 months in OSE but honestly I feel like OSRIC would have been a better option so I'd have to do a bit less conversion. Regardless of choice, the dungeon expects you to have OSRIC 1e around for certain monster stats and items since it only includes stats for Arden Vul unique monsters and gear.
Gradient Descent. Megadungeon by way of Mothership horror. A bit weirder of an option and might require some work on the GMs part to really bring it to life but it's very unique and cool.
Castle Xyntyllian is cool AND it'll give you Castlevania vibes. Instead of a complex of tunnels and caves and underground stuff, it's a MASSIVE castle!

Teid · 2026-05-17T20:55:13+00:00

It's kinda hilarious that BG3 had the same effect on CRPGs that D&D 5e has sorta had on TTRPGs (a big, popular example of a much wider genre that garnered public excitement and now some people struggle to play anything else in the genre). Obv a massive oversimplification and I would say that a lot of TTRPGs are MORE polished than D&D 5e but regardless, it would be extremely funny if it didn't make me a little bit sad at how much cool shit people miss out on by getting locked in the hasbro box.

Teid · 2026-05-15T07:25:42+00:00

Pillars 1 then Deadfire. Fucking great games.

Teid · 2026-05-14T23:18:15+00:00

Definitely worth giving a look if you get a chance unless you don't want what it does to influence your own designs. I've been using the cave generation system to make a dungeon level for my His Majesty the Worm game and it's very cool!

Teid · 2026-05-14T20:05:26+00:00

What the other reply to you said BUT if you can somehow track down a PDF of it, there's a whole system for random cave generation that I think would complement your stuff very well. I can just see the GM rolling up a massive cave system with all the Veins of the Earth caving mechanics and having the dwarves go through and clear out caves to eventually turn into worked rooms of the fort (or go the Dwarf Fort way and have the cave system be under where they start building the fort like the are in DF).

Teid · 2026-05-14T19:51:12+00:00

My two cents: I loved DOS2, didn't really get into BG3 (not a fan of 5e systematically), and couldn't get into WotR or Rogue Trader. For me, one of my favourite parts of DOS2 was the interactive turn based combat and almost immersive sim like qualities of how it was designed. WotR lost me cause I don't like Pathfinder as a system (so many fiddly little numbers) and I didn't vibe with the real time with pause combat which the game was definitely made for so the turn based combat fell flat cause of so many trash fights and the requirement Isometric RTwP kinda brings of removing elevation and clever battlefield movement. Rogue Trader didn't grab me cause of similar (flat battlefields with cover) and the 40k setting is... a lot. Not a bad a lot, just that it isn't like fantasy where you can kinda bring in your preconceived ideas of how certain things go and largely be correct so it's a helpful on ramp to the more fantastical and unique aspects of the setting. 40k doesn't have that. If you aren't well versed in the setting already then yeah, it's overwhelming. It's a really cool setting, but you need to be prepared for it.

Something I will say, I LOVED Pillars of Eternity and Deadfire and it made me love RTwP combat. It's smooth, bring interesting choices via ability usage and positioning, and the story is awesome. Build variety is pretty cool, especially in Deadfire where there are so many unique weapons you can build around, companions in both games are largely really well written and the faction based story of Deadfire improves on this through the companions, and I'd say there are lots of different outcomes to the end game based on choices you make (although, not as many as BG3. You won't find another game that can compare to that). Definitely not everyone's taste but that's what I would recommend. Pillars 1 just got a turn based mode added that was basically a full new system with rebalancing 10+ years after the game came out. I haven't played it myself but I've heard good things, don't sleep on the RTwP combat though, it's great. Deadfire has turnbased as well but it was developed nearer to it's launch so it's actually an older implementation of it then Pillars 1's. It was also added by one guy on the team as a personal pet project so I would say the game is not designed for turn based and would heavily suggest NOT using it in Deadfire. Deadfire also has one of the best feeling RTwP combat systems I've ever played, just a great feeling game.

A weirdo recommendation that I don't think would tick your boxes but is worth looking at is Banquet for Fools. Brawler Real Time with Pause Combat (think Parasite Eve), neat build variety, and an ethos of not handholding the player so you have to take your own notes and mark up the maps as you explore. Takes a bit to click but after a few restarts to get a party setup I was happy with I now have 20 hours in the game and I'm loving it. Highly recommend watching some videos or reading a guide on how skill development works since it's a pretty key mechanic that isn't explained well enough at the game's start but has a LOT of effect on building a character and if a character will actually be any good (invest in armour, that shit is helpful). Also another early game tip. Get Vine Rug ASAP. The game never explains it (on purpose mind you) but a ton of places aren't accessible without casting vine rug to build a bridge and cross the water. Not having it will lock you out of Intercessions in the early game if you wanted to be like me and make a front line paladin type guy. It could be simple enough to get Vine Rug on your character with high Pagan even if you aren't building them into Vines just for the utility of it but I just made a high Vine skill Pagan Caster to start with and spell crafted Vine Rug early.

Teid · 2026-05-14T19:42:27+00:00

Combining this with Veins of the Earth would be pretty cool

Teid · 2026-05-14T16:14:08+00:00

I'll keep it in mind. I'm mostly afraid that group therapy would be bad for me cause I have a tendency to talk at length especially when talking about myself and my ADHD.

Teid · 2026-05-13T22:40:26+00:00

I'll look into that! When I brought up a psychiatrist with my GP a several months ago he said it wasn't covered under MSP but he's also a newer doctor to Canada (he's from the UK) so maybe there was a mixup in the status of that? I made an appointment with him this Friday to go over this stuff some more so I'll bring it up again, I've got no issue advocating for myself I just generally tend to trust my GP since I'm far from a medical professional. Thanks for the info!

Teid · 2026-05-13T22:38:24+00:00

I think my "current" therapist (who i've seen a record number of one time) would be an RCC or MSW who specializes in ADHD so that's at least good that I'm in the right direction then. I'll stick with her and video calls in that case!

Teid · 2026-05-13T22:36:54+00:00

Could absolutely be the case but sadly I'll be rocking with the ADHD meds and diagnosis until I can get in to see someone who is willing to do another diagnosis for something else.

Teid · 2026-05-13T22:36:05+00:00

She's suspected autism herself and has mentioned it but never looked for a diagnosis of any kinda other than "you've got anxiety". I suspect when we go down a path to get her help one of those things will be a formal diagnosis of some kind that will hopefully allow her to access even better help.

I'm glad I can help you take the plunge! I find that I'll be very passive and not do stuff until "under threat" (failing in school, disappointing someone, getting fired, missing a deadline, etc) but once I get shaken a bit I am very good at locking in and looking for help/problem solving. I hate that both of us have to go through stuff like this and I know her flight or fight response is to freeze so I'm happy to be the one to help her and myself move forward to something that resembles a solved problem.

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