Alucard's Running Animation
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- Опубліковано 15 тра 2019
- The video may come across as sarcastic at first, but understand that I'm comically trying to provide an argument from both sides. This run cycle is so damn silky smooth and lovely, it's easily one of the best run cycles out there. But why not make it entertaining on the way ;-)
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#SymphonyOfTheNight #Castlevania - Ігри
Great video, Dan!
With Alucard, I always thought of Muhammad Ali: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Good point about the gliding (2:04). The gliding on the floor can be traced all the way back to Gothic novels and Renaissance plays, where the character in question would glide across the floor like a ghost. For example, Ann Radcliffe's Schedoni, from The Italian (1797). Schedoni was very much a man, but walked like a ghost, with no vertical motion, really. The point is, the appearance of a supernatural-looking gait is what leant Schedoni his supernatural persona (that and low light levels, and lots of spooky mist). In reality he was very much a man, but this didn't matter when looking upon him, slithering spectrally about in the ghostly twilight. :)
Thanks Nicholas, I forget this is totally your bag. That's really interesting. I'm kinda fascinated by the whole vampire scene but no next to nothing about it, relatively.
Though I have literally been to Dracula's castle in Transylvania (well, one of three supposed castles)
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy
Awesome! I've never been to a castle, myself (once I visited Notre Dame), have spend most of my time reading about them, or playing inside videogame versions of them (which are very different from ordinary castles).
Oh, I pulled out Radcliffe, and found the passage I was thinking of: 'Schedoni raised his eyes, and fixing them once more on Vivaldi, with a look that seemed intended to strike him to the dust, "Avaunt!" cried he in a tremendous voice; [...] As he concluded, he started from his position, and gliding with the silent swiftness of a shadow along the cloister, vanished in an instant.'
Wasn't Dracula himself referred to in a similar way in the Bram Stoker book?
@@knightshousegames He certainly had supernatural abilities. It's been some time since I read the book, but I recall him having hypnotic eyes, and crawling on walls. In terms of his gait, I'd have to revisit it to be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.
He looks cool while running and that's all that matters
Except the arms. I love all the animations in this game except that.
So graceful.
The intro in sotn when runs into the castle still get me. So cool
Dracula X - Nocturne In The Moonlight (Saturn ver):
With the "Godspeed Shoes", Alucard can run fast by tapping left or right.
My favorite part of Alucard's movement is that whenever he jumps, he gets afterimages that persist even after landing. That is just so goddamn cool.
OH MY GOD! HE'S SO GODDAMN COOL! -TSF Vegeta
Alucard's Hair moving is part of his magical Vampire Powers, they just don't deem it worthy to be included in lists of official Vampire Powers
The worthiest.
The running animation in SotN is so unique and memorable that I've had dreams in which I run just like Alucard.
Ha!
@Alucard Fahrenheit Tepes You can't fool us, you don't run. YOU BACKDASH 24/7
Did you get long flowing locks as well?
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Alwa's legacy I think is a good recommendation of metroidvania for little girls.
To me he seems to be very light, not to the point of floating, its like he steps on a scale and it would barely register. He also has some grace and delicacy and moves like a gentleman. On a lazy day he would glide from here to there and if he wants he can go really fast as in the first scene from the game. Unless its the axe armor.
Honestly Alucard’s movement always seemed so unique. It really made me happy to hear someone talk about the way the animators made him move!
Simphony of the Night deserves more credit in term of animation.
It does, it's wonderful. There's so much going on
and creature design.
and stage design.
and sound design.
and ... well, the music is fairly acknowledged .
@@trueblueflare no!!! c'mon, the game is simply fantastic! but the story of castlevania series is meh? i don't no, it's not horrible but it's not really good and symphony is no big exception, it story (generously) it's good; And nothing more!
That cloak is mesmerizing to watch while playing though. The game's a near masterpiece.
It is a masterpiece
It’s a masterpiece.. played it 2 years ago, so nostalgia doesn’t blind me, the game is god damn amazing
It is absolutely a masterpiece.
@@wizzenberry I did as well.
All the Castlevania's I played so far are really good. (original, Dracula X, and three)
Except for that stupidly hard Dracula in Dracula X who is literally impossible to hit without falling off the stage.
and of course three's block 7-06 to 7-08, agreed upon to be very bad game design (auto scroller for 3-4 minutes with no check point afterwards for 2 more screens). Rest of those games are great though.
Name a more iconic run cycle than this.
When I first saw it, I was like "Why is he so... slow?" Like, he looks like he's perpetually underwater. Almost as if he runs too slow for how fast he actually moves in game. Just overall moves kinda weird. Even stands weird. And yet... there's something mesmerizing about it. I can't quite name it, but it's just nice to look at. Is uncanny the right word? And all the little touches add a lot, too, like you mentioned. He trots like he owns the place (which... I guess you could say he kinda does?). He slides a bit every time you stop or change direction. There's a brief delay before he actually starts to run... I want to say there's a certain hint of nonchalance in all of this.
Another cool thing about Alucard's movement, is that before you play the game, it may seem unresponsive or clunky. (At least it did to me.) But when you get your own hands on it, everything is exactly as responsive as it should be.
And I admit, I never paid much attention to his hair. I was always hypnotized by the cape. I totally see what you mean, though. Doesn't really bother me, but I guess I won't be able to not notice it from now on.
Either way - another great video. Short but sweet.
Thanks! Yeah, it's a complicated one. A lot to love and a lot to dislike.
I guess the whole idea is that he is effortlessly gliding - right at the start of the game he's running through the woods at a rate way faster than his gait would allow him - I always saw this as the fact that he's part-vampire and generally a badass. I love all the animation detail in this game, currently re-playing it on my phone through a PSX emulator - still holds up.
Every time I think of this "run" cycle, all I can do is think about how well it goes with the track "Wandering Ghosts" in how smooth af it is. Always just felt so fitting when exploring the Arena area of the game.
Next up: Alucard's backdash-cancel animation
His hair comes alive thanks to the Magical Breeze of Coolness, that zephyr that spontaneously pops up to tousle and flutter the hair of characters cooler and handsomer than you (lest you think I'm joking, note that the handsomest Indian in _Dances With Wolves_ was named "Wind In His Hair"). It's a bit like the "bishie sparkles" that appear around pretty male characters in girls' manga, but Alucard can't have those because sparkly vampires = VERY NO. So he gets the breeze.
Huh, well that's an interesting point! Ha, sparkly vampires......
Animations for walking, dashing, posing, sitting and jumping.
He's just so cool.
Also ngl after looking at Alucards walk/run cycle he looks like a soccer mom trying to get in her 10000 steps in one hour
Edit: Whoa when did this get 203 likes jeebus
Haha, *power walk* 😎 🏃♀️
I'm unsure, that sounds about right though.
I didn't expect so many comments to be like "the movement is shit", excuse me but that walking animation is flawless.
All I want is a 1 hour video of Alucard backdashing
Go watch a speed run
@@bishop6881 But I want a non-interrupted version
Alucard's animation is the most beautiful 2D video game character animation I've ever seen.
My take on his hair movement is that he moves in a faster pace and naturally faster speed than a human, so his hair flies wildly due to the wind generated by the high speed.
Also, I grew fond of his "train movement" cuz it gives him an extremely unique walk cycle, which any fan would recognize if someone try to mimic or emulate it. It kinda gives him a unique personality.
Also, on the lack of head bobbing, it emphasizes his "supernatural feel". It's like he's always sorta gliding above the ground, which explains his overall speed and smoothness. It gives him more and more elegance, it's really cool to look at this animation cycle.
BTW, nice video, Dan, short and straight to the point.
Thanks for your thoughts! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
It's unbelievable this game came in 1997.
Alucard’s walking animation is so good, I bought that Record of Lodoss War metroidvania just because Deedlit’s walk looked super similar. That’s the power of good animation.
I've always seen Alucard's run cycle as the "Cha Cha Real Smooth" of the Cha Cha slide.
Well, that was nice and bite-sized!
What makes me wonder is why all the 2D Castlevania games after Symphony of the Night have these ridiculously smooth run cycles while everything else is so snappy. Soma, Shanoa, Jonathan, Charlotte; all these protagonists have a smooth run/walk cycle. At this point it kinda has become part of the Castlevania visual identity.
Yeah, I'm unsure. I guess it does just look nice and becomes party of the identity, like you say. Makes the game as a whole seem inconsistent, I guess (not SotN).
press triangle bro
Alucard will always be my favorite video game character because of how badass he is at times
If it's alright, try to check soma cruz in Aria of Sorrow!!
Please do! Both Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow! I always thought those running animations looked kinda wierd.
@@stefanoponce6090 His walking/running cycle goes along with the rhythm of the castle corridors in that game like some sort of michael jackson :p
It's amazing that I've found someone else that feels the same way about Alucard's "floatyness".
My other personal favorite is Shanoa from order of Ecclesia, her walk animation isn't anything special but when you look at other things...
Her double jump animation, for example, isn't just an inexplicable skip in the air, Shanoa does an entire flip in the air, gaining momentum. While a bit ridiculous, the feat itself makes you think "wow, that person is in top physical condition."
It's the same with her back dash animation, instead of the typical dash, she does an entire hand stand before flipping.
Shanoa's movements make her finesse and physical prowess evident, and that by itself betrays the fact that Shanoa was trained since childhood to become a monster killing machine.
Shanoa is my favorite character in the franchise, part of it is due to her animation, she exudes elegance and power with every step...even if she does have something similar to the power walk you see in Alucard.
Nice vid.
Thanks. That sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out.
Alucard Running? More like...
*determined powerwalking!*
Edit: Holy SMOKES I never got this many likes. Thnx😀😄
Aggressive walking
Lindo
This video has confirmed my suspicion that Alucard actually wears those Heelys shoes everywhere.
Either that or Dracula’s castle has floors waxed smoother than a Brazilian guy’s chest.
😆🤣
Alucard Fahrenheit Tepes
Honey, I have the PERFECT shoes that will turn your outfit ensemble from a 6 to an 11:
heelys.com/premium-1-lo-he100262
His running in this game has always reminded me of the movement cycle of a very specific movie vampire... I just can never remember which. But ever since I first made that connection, it's always looked and felt natural to me.
Another aspect of what's great about the floatiness of this run cycle, building off of its contrast to the strong ploddy walks of the Belmonts, is how it suits the pace of the gameplay.
The classic Belmont games were all about precisely timed platforming and avoiding strongly telegraphed enemy attacks. Hence the strong, deliberate stride of the Belmonts suits their games perfectly.
On the other side of things, the open-world design of Symphony of the Night and the amount of exploration and backtracking that entails means that a ploddy, deliberate walk would feel agonisingly slow (even if the actual speed was the same), so Alucard's smooth flowy run is much more appropriate to the demands of the game. Also notice how the play-style for Richter mode in SotN is based so much around his fast-moving special attacks rather than around more traditional Belmont movement.
Very good points!
Got this game back went it first came out, can't unsee the hair now, thanks man ;P
Like the three second transition with the ending credit music.
Ha, sorry if I've ruined it for you 😅
Dan Root: Video Game Animation Study I always thought this was the coolest run animation but now I can’t unsee the hair thing lmao
It still is the coolest 😎
I still think he's just so powerful that his walk may seem like a run to human eyes. Even with Godspeed Boots, he is still too much for us to see it as a run.
I honestly thought you were going to somehow improve the animation or talk about how it could be improved. Maybe a follow up video?
To be honest, I think it's pretty good.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy jjust less floaty hair.
I mean, shit dude, my hair gets flung around quite a bit as I move about in my day to day life and I'm not even running
I always thought that shield dashing looked better than the run animation, by quickly and consistently pulling it off it really made me feel like a vampire because it's as if you're moving super fast while barely moving at all.
This is the longest amount of time ive seen Alucard walk instead of backdashing
He's stomping around like an upset child. In the very first scene he's stamping about, stabbing Uncle Death's dogs.
The interesting thing about this animation is that in the game it is referred to as a walk not running. By putting on “walking armor” and doing this walking animation you will heal. He doesn’t have a run option in his normal form.
UA-cam just recommended this to me right now and I can't believe the quality of this, your voice is nice and your explanation is on point! Subscribed and time to watch the rest of the videos!
Oh hey, thank you so much, I really appreciate that. I hope you enjoy the rest!
I think that the cape movement of Alucard's run cycle was made to suggest the bat wing flap. Lighter lining, folds that kinda look like wing membranes. This is a neat detail imo and looks like it was one of the core ideas about this run animation
Every time I play this game I always find myself saying "chuga-chuga, chuga-chuga choo-choo" when Alucard runs for long distances.
Awesome stuff, keep hammering this great content out!
"Skill and practice are the structure, but having fun is the decoration."
Now this is an inspirational quote. You're good with words !
Ha, I personally thought it sounded a little pretentious when I heard it back, but I think it makes sense.
The thing is that Alucard has such grace that it's hard to notice how fast he is moving. He is "dragging" his body away from gravity. He isn't "punching the hair back", the hair is just trapped in the air as he is moving as his clothes and hair aren't part os his body and are frozen in time while only he is moving. X shape head Bobbing is BS. Steady movement Means fixed eyesight wich represents constant momentum, there are time and place for that and exaggerated breathing animation, but isn't by any means a golden rule to always follow.
Your videos are so relaxing and I don't know why.
Is it my voice? It's probably my voice .
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy ya its your voice XD
Now im never gonna unsee alucards hair bobbing
This video is another example of why I love the Internet. Brilliant analysis. Thank you for this.
You need more views. Love you mate
Hey, thanks so much! ♥️
Alucard looks like he's marching down the hall to confront his dad
you forgot 1 important topic... gameplay, someone decided that will be speed of movement and now fit into that "run" animation...
There are plenty of situations when you make animation and then it's heavy altered in engine to fit gameplay needs, which is shit from our pov but gameplay is most important.
His face is just as smooth as his walk
This video is great! Original inspired and informative content. Thanks for this
Hey thank you!
Okay so this video has been in my backlog for a while but it was worth a sitdown.
Great video Dan, congrats on 50k. I never noticed you rebranded the channel but I feel it fits.
Hey thanks a lot! Yeah I think the rebrand was worth it
man i havent been here in a while but you still make some hella tight content, hope you experience more growth in the future :)
Hey I remember you! Thanks for the kind words. Yeah I'm getting there, SocialBlade reckons I'll be at 100K subs by Feb next year 😎
Your other videos are great as well, but something about the pettiness when you dislike a run is everything to me. XD
I don't dislike the run...🤔
I mean I do and I don't.
Alucard doesn’t run, the scenario actually comes in his direction faster
The best turning around animation of all time
I really like Alucard's running animation.
It's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the game.
It's great, isn't it.
You want an explanation of why Alucard's hair "flings" during his walk-cycle? Okay, I'll break it down for you:
Alucard is deliberately slowing down and then abruptly speeding up his movements during his walk-cycle.
This causes an excessive spike in kinetic energy to distribute throughout his body, which causes his hair to "fling" because of it.
There, you see? It all makes logical sense when you think about it.
TL;DR : Alucard is super-natural, you silly critics~
Ross Davis Alucard’s hair is too fabulous for it to follow such insignificant things like physics lol
No you're wrong Ross. Alucard is just show of his stylishness.
@@deviancepurplehaze6045 Well, you can think that while I'll think that I am right~
i always thought alucard was just going at nearly supersonic speed, and it was just his perception (and consequently ours) that made him seem slow
I especially love that ghostly trail he leaves behind while jumping or turning around. It consolidates the impression of his nature. Like seeing a vampire in the flesh, it would be mesmerizing, like being in a dream.
Damn. Such a great game! Great video too!
Thanks for this, Dan! =3
Thank _you_ !
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy No problem! I was asleep when this went up so it was some cool wake up juice. =)
Awesome video! Could we perhaps see what the running animation would look like in your style? You say that pixel animation is not your strengrh, but I'm sure many would love to see a drawn version of your 'improved' run cycle. I know I would!
You can also walk us through it, saying why you made the decisions you did. New run animation HYPE! :)
His cape is bouncing his hair up
Hmm. Maybe.
While playing sotn, i remember thinking about just how chill alucard felt. I knew alucard was a half vampire and all given that I played the game more recently. It definitely feels like he owns the place, to the point where the first time i died i almost couldnt believe it either. Overall 10/10 animation
I think the calm, smooth walk cycle also works on a meta level - this is not an epic energetic romp through linear setpieces like older Castlevania games, this is a much slower paced, reserved game about exploration. When you walk in an action platformer, you do it to overcome an obstacle, but when you walk in a metroidvania, you're most likely just travelling from one place to another.
Also: this game was probably partially meant to show off technical capabilities of Playstation. Imagine being an animator at Konami and finally working on a hardware that allows you huge sprites animated on ones, after entire career in games of being constrained by keyframe to keyframe. Of course you'd want to show off. So that probably explains both the cape and the hair.
Alucard's running animation is what kept me from playing this game.
3:15 Draculard. DRACULARD?!?!?!?! NO! ALUCARD IS AMONG THE GREATEST GAMING CHARACTERS OF. ALL. TIME!
I’ve Always like to call this running animation “The Alucard shuffle”
I would watch Alucard running for 10 hours straight and not feel bored
Same!
Skill, practice and fun. What a beautiful ensemble
Looks like he's banging an invisible drum
In my opinion the flowing hair and exaggerated movement "speed" is quite literally that, he is fast, it might not look like it, but compared to the movement of the belmonts at this time, he was fast, even his attack animations are faster, everything he does is twice as fast as his human protagonists counterparts. Which is the reason i fell in love with this game, specially after coming from my beloved control-wrecking Super Castlevania.
Petty critics aside, would love to see more content like this you of 5 years ago xd
@@gmvircallerdododoom
I would also like to, it's just finding the time!
Hey, I also play with the cloth cloak! It's the best looking cape, IMO. It just always looked so soft.
I shouldn't worry too much about the hair its just wind blowing it back but you made good points!
Already two years? Wow, she's growing up strong. Take care Dan and your family as well, can't wait for your next video!
Ha, yeah time goes so fast! Thank you!
I actually thought there would be a skillshare ad at the end
😋
About the hair: I guess people underestimate the open windows in the castle ^^ There is always a very strong draft. Look at the entrance hallway, there are slamming balcony doors 😄But jokes aside, I think he just looks super elegant and vampiric. He is not hectic like humans are so his walk is more like a jog through the castle. It's his birthplace and he knows every single brick in the castle. You wouldn't run through your childhood home either ❤🦇
i always thought that the whip of his cape movement was what kicks his hair back
I am fine with the exaggerated flowing movement of the hair (and the cloak, too) - it makes it appear _lighter_ and easier blown back by the veeery slight breeze passing it by; almost ethereal. In other words, more vampiric, right?
Right?
Not quite, I'd say. It seems a little harsh to me, like it's not knocked back enough for it.
I always thought that it was so smooth because Vampires are light and move swiftly like mist air, almost imperceptible and ghostly
Pretty much, yeah!
I Made sprites animation in like 4 years and im not good but i must say this video if i watched that time would help me a lot, this is great, nice work!
I'm glad it has the potential to help!
Yo, my favorite part of these videos are when you say how you think it should’ve been done. I half expected you to animate Alucard in the way you think it should’ve been. Nice video anyways
Yeah, it's a missed opportunity for sure, but didn't have the time for this video. Thanks
To me, it always looked like he was running under water. The lean at the beginning of the run, and the way his arms move make it look like he's struggling to run through something thicker than air.
Of course, it doesn't help that I first played the PAL version, which runs so slow he may as well be under water.
Alucard is the best game character ever conceived
The hair motion is supposed to contrast with the motion of the cape, but it's set on an off-rhythm to avoid making the movement of the run cycle resemble... well, a conventional run cycle. Every "3rd" beat, the hair flows upwards. The silhouette is still important, so an element of countershape is retained here.
Yeah that's fine I get that, but it's more about _what_ is pushing the hair up like that.
Alucard runing is something that caught my attention since the first time I saw sotn back when I was a kid, it's so well done, specially for a kid that was coming from a nes.
I've always really liked Alucard's running animation; I don't think I ever honed in in the arms not being quite right, but I can't unsee that damn dad shuffle now. I think it's because his cloak is just so mesmerizing.
I wonder if perhaps, in a much earlier build of the game, Alucard was meant to be able to move much faster later on, hence the wild, flying hair? It would sure explain the ridiculous (but awesome) afterimage effect. We see it in the game's opening- he's introduced tearing through the forest like a bat out of hell before the drawbridge closes. In that one context his hair whipping around behind him makes perfect sense.
I'm relatively new to this channel and really enjoyed this video. If you're taking suggestions from the comments... I've seen you touch on something in a couple of other videos- namely the one about Megaman 11 (but also others)- where you mention giving background and foreground elements like fire very specific framerates (I think you said 24 for fire in at least one or two instances) in contrast to the game's framerate (in MM11, 60) to give them a specific, desired effect, and I would love to know more about what that effect is, means, and how such framerates are determined to get the desired effect?
(Here I am now hoping those varied framerates weren't entirely mocking MM11's aesthetics)
Thanks for the feedback!
Well, in my GRIS video I talk about how frame rates make animation look, with 12-24 decidedly being the "standard frame rate", particularly in the golden age.
When you see 12-24fps animations in a game running at 60fps, it looks "more animated" and, in my opinion, really cool and visually interesting.
The Mega Man 11 video was certainly divisive, but I loved most of the animation in the game.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Thanks very much for the reply! I'll check out that video for sure!
Good god them running animations are glorious
I never thought his chugga chugga running animation looked quite right. Like the take off is so powerful and dynamic but then as soon as he gets to the main movement animation he looks like he’s in a hurried stroll. I liked this video a lot though. Humor was on point 👌🏼
He is in a hurried stroll. Not quite in such a hurry that he feels the need to sprint, but also too urgent for a leisurely stroll to be acceptable.
Thanks, I'm glad the video was entertaining.
Awesome video, as always. With all the critiques you had against the run cycle I had a strong feeling that you were going to tweak the animation to your liking.
I don't blame you for not dedicating the many hours that task would require of you, though. It doesn't take away from points you made or the quality of your video at all.
Looking forward to the next one.
Thanks a lot! Yeah a few people have been curious about my tweeks to it, too. Maybe I can work on something over the coming months 🤔
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy That would be great! I spent the better part of a year trying to make a 4 frame run cycle look decent. I think a video showing examples on how to improve an existing idea / animation would be a great help to some.
www.deviantart.com/jsevion/art/Donald-Many-Runs-723540336
Admittedly I find myself Shield Backdashing with a Turbo Controller if playing on console or on PSP using my thumbs. It’s so much quicker than just running.
At the start of the video, I was tempted to argue the exact points you made in the "well rested" take. In other words, I 100% agree with the points you listed.
I just recently played SotN for the first time, so these thoughts were going through my head just recently. I think what really sells that the wave-like, weak-key pose motion IS intentional is the unnatural looking slide he performs when leaning into the run in tandem with the after images he produces. I could see making the argument that it was ameteurish otherwise.
Also, yeah, the hair flipping upwards does look a bit out of place.
Hehe, glad you pushed through the video. Yeah, I think it was all intentional apart from the hair.
I'd love to see what a more believeable version of Alucard's run looks like, open invitation to any pixel artist who want to try that.
Look how badass this man is.
Did you know that the Castlevania Anniversary Collection released today or was it the stars lining up?
It was the stars! I literally saw the video pop up once I uploaded this one.
Recently played Symphony of the Night for the first time.. still holds up like a charm, it's oldskool, but it plays so well and the atmosphere is amazing!
oh, there is a reason his hair that; he purposely has his hair bob like that with his vampire powers, he just likes how his hair looks and feels in the wind
Looks like I have found a new UA-camr!