How to Animate Mega Man 11

[@Stephen-Fox]

Very entertaining take on the animation of this one. And when did you start adding the old British ITV 'transitioning to a break' markers to your outro? Just noticed that this episode.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! And that ad-outro has always been there 😃 You're the first person to ever notice that!

[@Arcad3n]

That was a weird mix of sarcasm and praise, it was often hard to tell if you actually thought something was good or if you thought it was bad. Not sure I like this format.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ha, thanks. Yeah, it was always gonna be an odd one to get, I guess. I was mainly just meant to be comical, but maybe it's just because I'm British and we like making fun of things we love. I do love Mega Man 11.

[@Arcad3n]

Hey thanks for taking my comment into consideration! It shows you have a willingness to improve as a creator. That’s something I love about your channel!

[@xXlFasterthanFastlXx]

CADEN

[@xXlFasterthanFastlXx]

Did u forget me?

[@Dracalis]

I sometimes found it difficult to tell what was genuine and what was sarcastic. There's a looot of description of what's happening -- "Let's have him…" -- but not much in the way of whether it's good or bad. If there were meant to be teaching points, they were lost on me, which is disappointing because this is stuff I want to learn.

[@artsyomni]

Learning recently that the budget for this game was pretty small, a lot of the shortcomings make sense. They prioritized parts that really need to sell the game and I think they prioritized well. Some parts could definitely be better, but with a staff of only 40 people, it’s not hard to imagine how some polish didn’t get done. That run animation is still hard to justify though =P

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Interesting! They did really well!

[@bocodamondo]

i love the subtle animations roll and auto have in cutscenes, they are adorable ^^

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah! Me too! Really considered

[@switchnx]

Yeah!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Skip to 10:26 to bitch about Mega Man's animation

[@thebigsquig]

Well, that was a bit more salty than usual.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hehe, thought I'd try something different in my format and delivery. Definitely salty. Don't get me wrong, I do love MM11.

[@michaelholmes924]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Yeah it was confusing trying to figure out when you were being sarcastic.

[@superskybound8425]

I was gonna use this video to animate Mega Man 11, but it turns out somebody already did it! Who the heck is this Capcom guy anyways?!

[@Clem_Grineer]

Dr.Lights chicken leg of *S C I E N C E*

[@itzjdude616]

Chicken man confirmed

[@itzjdude616]

Or should I say eggman

[@CrystalArtest]

Clem The Grineer you cant SCIENCE on an empty stomach

[@thatsDILO]

Wow this made me really notice a ton of small details I would've never noticed before. Now this is the type of content I want to see more of.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ace, I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@VitaEx]

I can’t say it better then Karby64 did This is spot on !! Ty for the vid

[@Thatdeadpenguy]

I actually really like what they did with the backgrounds in 11. It makes each level seem like its own unique place for the most part (some are definitely better than others). I just wish the themes presented by the backgrounds of the levels were more implemented in the level design.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I know what you mean. I think Impact Man's is guilty of that!

[@migueeeelet]

Damn me of Volt Man's background wasn't cool. I got some Oddworld vives off from it!

[@BonsaiSSR]

I agree! (Also aren't you the guy from sackchiefs discord server?)

[@Thatdeadpenguy]

@@BonsaiSSR Yep, I post art there whenever I have some to show off.

[@MelvaCross]

This game is so odd to me. Some parts are really polished and have lots of personality, but other parts are just lifeless and bland. It seems like this game was rushed, but the devs had just enough time to have some fun with it. But I'm still very disappointed in Mega Mans run cycle. It's so booooring (T_T)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I know what you mean. I think it's more the other way round, like they had loads of time to perfect robot masters, then had to rush the rest. I'm kinda fine with the run cycle now, but it could've been better.

[@dinar8749]

I honestly don't get the run cycle complaint, other than "it's not bouncy/cartoon y enough" which I personally hate anyways, since I'd rather a game take itself more seriously more often than just being over the top and cartoon y for everything.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

But Mega Man's a very cartoony and light hearted series that doesn't take itself too seriously, and I'm just surprised the running was that stiff and not more bouncy or considered.

[@MelvaCross]

A bouncy run isn't cartoony though. It's realistic. Just look at real runners. Like, watch a recording of a marathon. Mega Man's head and torso *almost* don't move at all. His head DOES move and with each step he nods a little bit. It's like a bobblehead. I really really dislike his undynamic bobblehead run. Especially because Mega Man has a quite dynamic run in most of his games. I'm also a bit biased towards snappy run cycles. If you don't see it that way, that's OK. It's all subjective. I do see the advantages of this run though. It's pretty easy to guess his hurtbox because he isn't moving much. It helps with precision platforming and dodging enemy attacks.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

^^^^I like this comment^^^^

[@GermansEagle]

You got me to watch a 14 minute video on animation details, and if you knew me, you'd know that says a lot, so congrats! I've been seeing some comments resisting and others aceepting this format, which is awesome to see. Personally, I was just a bit confused at what you liked and what you didn't, but at the end I kinda understood what you were going for, so the confusion mostly faded away, in between though I was confused. You may have a nice video format here, I like it personally more than a structured, academic documentary, i think this attracts a larger range of people without losing quality of explanation if done correctly. In the end the video was entertaining, so nice job :D!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks for your comment. I'm glad you're n board with the style and weren't put off too much by the sarcastic tone in places. Generally, as long as you had fun watching it, that's the goal. I may try to develop this format in future, and still keep it educational but remove too much sarcasm.

[@roytheboy7057]

interesting way to critique and draw attention to cool details in the animation, very entertaining

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks a lot, thought I'd try something different this time.

[@MichaelAiyedun]

I honestly feel like the game was left unpolished because they ran out of time or money. This is most apparent when you read the description of both the wily stage bosses, they make the same joke about wily either not having enough money or resources to have the boss he wanted. If the development team was given more time it could have been more refined.

[@NIMPAK1]

I don't really mind the dark muted backgrounds since for a game like this, knowing what you can and can't interact with in a 3D space is very important. But yeah Mega Man's run cycle in this game is... yikes. Maybe they did this to keep his hitbox more consistent but the hitboxes still don't read that clearly in my opinion.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, I think the black backgrounds was an accessibility issue perhaps? To keep things clear for everyone? But yeah, the run cycle wasn't superb, but it's still not dreadful

[@thebigbrzezinski]

I'm reminded of the Samus's pose from Metroid Fusion, as discussed in Jeremy Parish's old blog. In Metroid 3, she stood upright with her free hand gripping the top of her gun barrel to manage its powerful recoil. In Fusion, she held it from underneath in a hunched posture. She's injured, recovering from an infection that almost killed her. The effect made you feel weak, vulnerable, hunted. All from a simple change in pose.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I really like that!

[@OmegaJX]

Im a simple man, i see Megaman, i click

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Who wouldn't

[@alxjones]

How to animate Mega Man 11 "Yeah just make everything reaaaally cool."

[@tattieverb265]

Another great video dan. And pretty funny! Particularly when you're saying how bad some things like enemies are. Like the "just doing nothing" parts. Love it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ha, thanks! Glad I could entertaining a bit differently this time!

[@denhareikun9034]

I feel that "doing nothing" has lots of personality in its own right. Most other games just throw a bouncy breath idle animation that just doesn't feel right, and specifically wouldn't fit robot characters. Most things about this game, from empty backgrounds to static enemies are very reminiscent of the old NES games. I think these details that differ from the norm really help players focus on gameplay other than being distracted by lots of things happening on screen. That's the soul of the classics, what they did right. They made gameplay good first and then polished nice details for those who seek them - but not to the point of catching your eye and disturbing game flow. That's what Mega Man 8 did wrong, with its unrealistic vivid colours and animation leaving no room for the game itself.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I totally get that, and I believe the dark static backgrounds are to help concentration, but I disagree on Mega Man 8 getting in wrong. The classic series, even from the NES era, is known for its bright, cartoony visuals, and I believe 8 embodied this the most sincerely. Sure, the animation was a little off, resulting in sluggish gameplay.

[@denhareikun9034]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy well, maybe "getting it wrong" was a bit too critical on the game. I really enjoy Mega Man 8 a lot myself. I just felt oversaturated colors managed to get somewhat tiring to look at and gave that extra surreal feel, which may or may not be a good thing. Couple that with excessive animation frames and unique instrument choices for the music, and we got the very different styled Mega Man 8. Looking at the game individually, it is very cohesive within its own themes - surrealistic exaggerated effects and otherworldly music in a story about an aliens is a nice touch. However it may not be very coherent to the rest of the series, perhaps that's why there are lots of comments calling the style "too cartoony" or "too childish". Just like you analysed before, migrating from the few key frames, energetic NES era to this seemingly perpetually smearing art style was quite a shock to many people.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah. I mean wouldn't have called it a shock, but it definitely would have been different. Don't forget that Mega Man X4 was released around a similar time, and that went for the serious, harder edged tone, so 8 was probably deliberately the opposite. I dunno, personally I feel that it was all building towards 8.

[@Codricmon]

This is as close to ASMR as _Mega Man 11_ animation analysis videos may ever come.

[@kiddbusiness]

This was actually really funny! I especially loved the fact that it was a conversation between a developer and a game animator that was priceless!!

[@dukemagus]

Can't say it isn't honest. you can see exactly where the budget started growing short.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I mean it's a sterling attempt, the game looks and feels wonderful.

[@rimjobledouche5201]

That chicken looks delicious

[@alexllamma2959]

Oh right when you use chain blast in the air you can see mega mans boots are hovering well at least a little bit.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Just a bit yeah

[@melo-7904]

honestly when i first heard it would be 3D animated i was expecting something closer to powered up but that was probably because that is the only other classic series game to do that

[@literallyh3093]

lol you completely roasted these animations. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing but you definitely pointed out allot of details I never noticed.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah it's a difficult one for people to understand, but I'm mostly praising the animations sarcastically, while also ridiculing the rubbish animations....also sarcastically...

[@morbid1.]

I like it... very neat way to show goodies and flaws

[@thesolaruniverse9776]

14:07 Oh my lord absolutely brilliant. Haha love it. Amazing video!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, thanks!

[@caslaBBalsac]

I think this is what happens when you put passionate people, on a low budget project, and give them little time to finish it. IMHO, the team did they best they could with the resources and time they were given, but the execs didn't wanna take any major risks. So they gave it a small budget with a tight time window, that way, if it failed, they didn't lose much. But the team REALLY wanted it to do well and worked hard on what they could.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh yeah absolutely, the game's great I love it. The art style is fantastic and the animation is really tight

[@Lukeormaybenath]

Curiously enough, anticipation and overlapping is basically necessary for platform games. The reason is that those principles actually give the player signs of action and response. Having an arc movement before throwing* a punch give the player some time to react, and that's a really good way to balance a game :) Edit: correcting my rusty english grammar :p

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah totally, that's called telegraphing, right? It's good for bosses and enemies, definitely, and follow through and overlapping is good for the player.

[@smeltstarverse7306]

In a perfect world, they would ask Nintendo to reuse the Smash 4 models and animations, and they would say yes

[@amso7169]

I actually prefer these.

[@marx4538]

MM11's model is not even close to perfect but the smash 4 model is some of the worst megaman designs to exist. in fact, the smash 4 model is the one that is the closest in design to megaman 2-3 gameboy us box arts. the only difference is that the smug gremlin face was replaced with an even uglier toddler face.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I dunno, I wouldn't say it was _that_ bad, really. Smash tend to go for faithful reinterpretations of 2D characters, and while some of the joint posing on Mega Man is a bit wired to match the NES games, the overall presentation is really smart. I don't dislike 11's model, either. It's a nice modern look for the guy.

[@amso7169]

Video Game Animation Study Yeah, in a time where Mega Man was left in the dust and all we got was Bad Box Art Mega Man in SF X Tekken, seeing Mega Man go back to his roots with a new but familiar design for smash was the best way to go. 11 is good for freshening up the series too.

[@marx4538]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy The model itself is very well done in Smash and it fits the style... but it's really, really similar to the 2/3 GB US box art for me. Probably the reason why i still don't like it, i keep associating it with those box arts and i don't like those box arts at all. I still don't like the face, though.

[@MegaManDisconnected]

OMG I loved this video!!! As someone who puts mega man 11 on the top of my top ten best Mega man classic games, this was amazing!! The Sarcastic tone was top notch (couldn’t stop laughing) and it made me see some spots in the game that I was completely blind to. Like fire man's flames lol I can't not notice it now!!! And how the digger actually looks out the window to see, that’s great attention to detail I never noticed. Considered me a follower good sir!

[@Nickle_King]

Mega Man 11 was really difficult for me to play for three reasons. 1. Because Capcom don't have a vested interest in Mega Man anymore, it felt like it was something put together to shut fans up. The series should have ended tying it into the X games. Which, I thought, is what the plan was with Mega Man 8 with the whole "Evil Energy" thing. The fact that the energy was the same color as the Sigma and Zero Virus' tied it together nicely. Then I thought it again with the Roboenza Virus, but no. Dropped in future games again. We could have had a nice ending tying the Classic and X (and even the later games) together in a big, emotional, apocalyptic way, but no. Capcom needs to keep making those Megaman dollars flowing that they aren't making because they aren't making games in that series anymore. 2. The game design was...schizophrenic. Difficulty would spike and recede within stages at random. 3. The animations were immersion breaking for me. The shots not lining up with the gun, Megaman's lack of energy in his movement, enemies being either completely static or hyped up on cocaine and pixie sticks, the bosses being a mixed bag of amazing to amateurish animation styles. The game had such a strange lack of consistency to it that it made me not interested to play more. Then I forced my way through it, and was met with 2 Wily bosses and the least inventive Wily Ships to date, with every theme just being "GEARGEARGEARS EVERYWHERE!", I was kinda right to not expect much from the ending of the game. And there's not much worse you can do as a developer of entertainment than to make someone apprehensive about the future only to have that apprehension be proven right. The game isn't horrible, to be sure, but I've played all the mainline classic Mega Man games multiple times. But, I've only played 11 once, and I don't ever want to play it again.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hmm, kinda have to disagree with you there. Mega Man 11 wasn't a cash grab, you can tell there's effort been put into it, and it's one of the best received classic games there is. I don't think Capcom should _ever_ end the Classic series with a tie in to the X series, they're very different in tone. Everyone dying in Classic wouldn't feel right. Also, if they _did_ end it, then they couldn't make more games 🤷🏻‍♂️ Difficulty felt about the same as any other mega man game, to me. Certainly felt in line with the classic games. Animations are fine, I think. Some stuff was a bit weird but generally it was all pretty good.

[@restlesssheep7156]

This was a great video, both pointing out the bad and the good with a touch of humor.

[@damotoneko1500]

This is some legit talk about animation. You actually referenced the twelve principles of animation and how the movement of the bosses expresses their personalities. Dude, you're good.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks! Even though the whole tone came across as sarcastic, i was being serious and hopefully made the right points despite tone.

[@damotoneko1500]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy I think you did. I could tell it was sarcastic so it definetly didnt bring the wrong thing across. But pointing out things like how the enemies react to Megaman's projectiles was not only useful but enlightening. Definetly speaks for the force of the impact and adds appeal to the gameplay.

[@mersunarytigre]

Wooh, your detailed observations are spot on, as always. Great episode!

[@LizaPlz]

god this perfectly describes how i feel about all the animations. brilliant study, love it!

[@MegaMacTV]

Very fair assessment. The entire game is both very appealing, and VERY safe. It did very little in the way of innovation and next to nothing in any advancement in story or characters. We do get a cool backstory between Light and Wily but eh. It was nothing but another "saturday morning cartoon" installment. Though all the same a solid foundation for more in the franchise. Here's to it!

[@hiyaitsiya1005]

I think you may have just invented a new form of video game analysis. Very straight to the point! I hope you do one of these for smash bros ultimate when that comes out

[@jaywalker2441]

Funnily enough, I was looking at the videos on this channel half an hour ago, wondering when the next upload would be...

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

And herrrrre it is!

[@darksaiyan9103]

Good job m8. I will forever see your commentary when I play this game

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ha, thanks!

[@alice-pz1kf]

Thanks for doing one of my favorite games.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

You're welcome!

[@YoMamaBih]

That knuckle crunch was damn near fucking perfect.

[@baardbi]

You make several good points in this video. I wish Capcom listened to their fans, who early on said that the running animation looks really bad here. There are a few other things they could have done better as well. It's strange that Mega Man 11 didn't come out better, considering Mega Man 7 was made in 6 months. And that game has tons of detail, and a lot of secrets and awesome animations.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, well upon further consideration, I imagine this was made on a tight budget to test how well it would do. I don't think it's too fair to compare this to MM7, which was built in an entirely different way. The running animation is still below par, though!

[@Link-ho8yq]

Watching a LP of the game, what weirded me out the most was the whole "all projectiles go through walls" mechanic, which looks really confusing in 3D. Not helping was that the only games remotely of this type I've really played in the last five years were Shantae ½-Genie Hero and Iji, where walls block them. Well, that and Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, but the latter two games have 2D graphics so that part doesn't look too weird.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah it is kinda weird. They even did the idea in X5 and X6 where shots didn't go through walls.

[@pokemnfan1]

Pretty cool case study for the game. Nice to see a complete examination, including the good with the bad.

[@PhilipJFryII]

Man I really savoured that flavour of this video...

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha!

[@benwilliams5760]

Salty, right?

[@NMarxx]

Your Metroid series is off the charts fantastic and educational. This one went way overboard with the sarcasm. And I have been a Londoner for 10 years so I know sarcasm lol

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I tried. It failed. My latest video gets the humour much better though.

[@NMarxx]

Video Game Animation Study You are an amazing educator and this was a good attempt at something new, but for sure your newest vids have nailed the humour and sarcasm better than this one.

[@maxieprimo2758]

Some things felt so charming and polished, but others felt like Rock's walk cycle. Lifeless. The backgrounds had so much care put into them, but then there's the voice acting. The particles were great, but then Torch Man. The stages were great visually, but then Bounce Man's stage. Just... hegh. If only this game had more time within development, the style was fantastic and the art thoroughly appealing. And we needed a third phase for the Wily fight.

[@CrokeyHigati]

I'm kinda mixed about this video. While I always enjoy a good critique of what can be done better, and Megaman 11 certainly has room for improvement. I felt like lots of this video felt kinda snooty and mean spirited. Giving this vibe of "Pfft so much of this was lazy, I could have done better". It was kinda weird to me compared to how your present yourself in your other videos. It is really odd how some bits of MM11's animations are really polished and other bits seem... Unfinished. Anywho, I understand the video was done in good fun and has plenty of good points though! I always love hearing your analysis on particle effects and special effects. Especially after the explosion video. I look forward to your next video!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, thanks! Yeah, I think this video is gonna divide a lot of people! I just felt like doing something different rather than the obvious. It was meant to sound more sarcastic than snooty, but I understand that it came across that way. I honestly love Mega Man 11, and can't wait to see what else comes from this.

[@zombieguy4444]

Catchy And I like the dancing

[@enderuzhumaki]

Dan Root? TO THE ROOTS OF ANIMATION? GET IT!?

[@Whatthetrash]

I absolutely LOVED this video. Ha! I plan to watch it *several* times. Very cool! ^_^

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, thanks very much!

[@niespeludo]

I feel the character animator is WAY better than the environment animator in this game. I do, however, LOVE how it looks. I can support this art direction going forward. It's going to be interesting to see what CAPCOM comes out with MMX9.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, the art style is sublime. It's so polished and tight, I'd love it going forward. I'll be really interested to see what they do with X9..

[@charlesgray6385]

It’s a bizarre game: there’s a lot of things which feel very polished and other things which were neglected. I get that feeling with the gameplay too with Bounceman’s stage. Either way, great video and absolutely love Megaman 11.

[@Dudeman23rd]

NETWORK TRANSMISSION MUSIC IN THE FIRST FIVE SECONDS I know nothing about this Dan Root guy and I am _immediately_ interested.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

If MM11 had NT's soundtrack and either Powered Up or MM8's sound effects, it'd be perfect.

[@Dudeman23rd]

Someone make a mod of this, stat.

[@SxSxG666]

very accurate description

[@MikeMine2000]

Awesome video!! Love it. Keep up the great work ❤❤

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! ♥️

[@dinar8749]

Mega man 11 in my opinion, is my favourite mega man game of all time. I love the techno music, the 2.5d art style, even the infamous running animation looks great to me! It's actually quite depressing that so many people hate what I personally love in video games generally...ah well, if fire emblem path of radiance was any indication to me, good games aren't guaranteed at all to make $$$ despite how much effort was put into them.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks for your comment. Yeah the game it's great, I'm glad you love it. I find it difficult to hear any of the game's compositions really, all the instruments sounded too loud for any kind of melody to stand out.

[@davidv4018]

I think people (in this video and comment section) are just nitpicking, but they love the game. I think that sometimes, some things doesn't look or feel right when isolated, but all put together they work really great; i only watched videos of megaman 11, and i love it, somehow its old and new. Which is hard, because megaman is very formulaic: when megaman x series existed and capcom decided that they were going to keep with the classic series ongoing, they had to look close to the classic formula (and what it still had to offer) so to keep it different from X, and, at the same time, not being just a nostalgic step back. This i why i feel this game i bold and deserves all the praize.

[@rynagon_]

I didn’t even notice the microwave in Dr. Light’s lab

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I did after a while

[@fast2letgo]

Was this the...Video? :O Wait, actually I can use that how to animate an explosion video when the bosses explode.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It was!

[@fast2letgo]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy *GASP*

[@Reyn_the_Insane]

Mega Man 11: The Safest Bet

[@MegaManNeo]

That was a nice take on the game's animations. Personally, I am all fine with the looks of the game but wish they were taking Rock's walking animation from the 8th main game as inspiration, which they did not but that's fine. Also haven't notice the little microwave in the lab or that single frame where he shoots before his buster is ready, nice pickups either way. I am just glad we are away from the 8bit graphics they used for years. All these indie titles made me kinda sick of it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks for the feedback. I hope you didn't take away from this that I disliked the game, it's seriously great. The art style is fantastic. Yeah, I've got a bit of hi-bit indie games fatigue, not to say they're getting old, but I'm just a bit tired of seeing them now.

[@MegaManNeo]

You are welcome! :> And nah~ I got your points, they are valid and give away indeed that you are quite pleased with the game as such. I'm happy to read actually that many people like the art style, sadly the Classic MegaMan fanbase is in a similar situation as the Classic Sonic community that partly too had a hard time getting used to Generations. The game as it looks reminds me of Powered UP and Maverick Hunter X which were all fine, they were just released on the wrong system to reach the masses.

[@null2140]

This channel is really underrated I wish you had more subs!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thank you so much! Heh, I knowwww

[@Eyeofnelms]

I feel like Megaman X8, while graphically inferior, handled megaman's animations better than 11

[@Lukz243]

Hey Dan, great (and also funny) critique on Megaman 11's animation (or mostly). Haven't played yet, but I really want to play it

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks Luke! Yeah, I'd recommend it. You'll get to play it soon!

[@Part_Time_Fox]

Can't wait for the fans to Demake this into 8 bit.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh hell yeah! The music might sound good, too!

[@vilmy2136]

What is the point of making an inferior version ?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

@@vilmy2136 Inferior? No one said inferior, we said demake, seeing how a modern Mega Man game might look in its classic 8-bit form. Are you saying Mega Man 1-6 are inferior?

[@MesaAufenhand]

I thought this is an actual analysis on Megaman 11 animation but it's just sarcastic nitpick 10/10 I'm subscribing

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Well it kinda does analyse it as well, not much of it is sarcasm. It's a tone of video not many have got that i shan't do again But thanks!!

[@mrshmuga9]

I wonder if some of these animations were purposefully simple to serve the gameplay better. Since the game is contingent on quick reactions and very precise placements. This applies more to Mega Man though, and even then some of those wouldn’t change the gameplay feel.

[@Crcvmbdfl]

Great video! Loved the game! Nicest satisfying ps4 platinum in a while

[@DeepWeeb]

I didn't realize there were two versions of Dan speaking to each other until halfway into the video, the intro piece just felt too funny thinking it was a single Dan not being able to make up his mind with what he wanted 😂

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, to be honest I only thought of the two Dan's thing until halfway through myself. 🤣

[@tinywomanhours]

Honestly I thought Mega Man had a decent run cycle. It wasn't as energetic and full of life as the NES animation or even the Smash rendition, but it did it's job. It looks a bit bland, sure but it also has this nice dynamic feel to it that really just looks kinda cool even if it seems stiff when you pause it on certain frames as you mentioned. This run cycle and it's seemingly bland or focused/stiff nature actually reflects Mega Man and his focus and determination to stop Dr. Wily's plans fot the Eleventh Time. He looks like he's ready to take on anything and his stiff run cycle shows he is not going to let anything stop him. I don't know if anyone felt this way after just thinking about it in their head and analyzing each frame for quite a while. I just like to think of it that way-Just me being an idiot. Genius vid btw-Very entertaining and enlightening.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the thoughts. It's not the worst run cycle by any means, and it definitely serves a purpose, which is more important. Gameplay first!

[@tinywomanhours]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy *Instant Sub*

[@ProfessionalismTrash]

*Thank you for this video, I may now animate Megaman 11 with this knowledge* (Nah seriously though great vid)

[@quan22777]

I hope someone at Capcom sees this video honestly. Also hope they sell the Mega Man IP to Nintendo

[@Bloxed]

I was just about to go to sleep but this was a nice distraction, great video!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks a lot Bloxed! Glad I kept you up haha

[@Bloxed]

Yep. It made my night, thanks! (Also, I only just noticed the reply.)

[@littlemisseevee2309]

its such a good game and it can be rather hard... but that might just be because I don’t play a lot of classic megaman, mostly x and zero titles

[@benwilliams5760]

Sarcastic-tastic! Lovely stuff, Dan. 9.05 - what IS that funny noise you make?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks Ben, Then. That's me starting to say "really", like a stutter (theirs, not mine)

[@TheBersergner]

Really enjoyed this format. had some really solid moments of dry wit. "Aaaand how many principles of animation do you want to use?" "errrrm, some..."

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Heh, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's been pretty divisive!

[@TheBersergner]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy People are always divided when you change a long established format. Stick with your artistic vision. People will come around. I really enjoy your content in general. Thanks for putting so much work in, it shows.

[@HaydenTheEeeeeeeeevilEukaryote]

The yellow helmet enemies are animated well

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah they're pretty cool!

[@TheChocoboKid]

Mettaur, that it's name. Met for short.

[@Kafonn]

Please do more of these

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh I will

[@Kafonn]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy nice

[@saevus2686]

I KNOW!! HIS WALK ANIMATION HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME FOR SO LONG!!

[@tbolland1991]

I got that some -most?- of this was meant to be sarcastic, but I've never played MM games and I'm certainly no game designer, so a lot of the finer points (I think) went past me. For me, in the middle section, I couldn't really tell what was criticism and what was good game design.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's fair, I was just having a bit of fun and changing things up. Basically all points were genuine, I guess that's the fun of the video is to guess which is good and which is bad.

[@tbolland1991]

Fair enough - anyway not a major complaint, just more of a comment. I love your vids regardless.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks a lot!

[@davidv4018]

both?

[@mr.technicalisolate9188]

5:54 funfact: didnt you know,cracking knuckles actually isnt "cracking knuckles", i forgot what their called but theres bubbles from the spot where you crack or pop them,dont worry,theyll grow back in maybe a week or years,so its safe cracking the bubbles inside of your hand/knuckles uwu

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's right, yeah!

[@desu38]

I'm not sure where the sarcasm ends and the sincerity begins. 🤔

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's all sincere

[@TheAlison1456]

it's hard to tell which of these are criticisms and which are compliments

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah it was an idea that didn't go over well. I think it was _too_ British an idea. Anything which sounds genuine probably is and anything that sounds sarcastic probably is.

[@RockEsper]

Man I hadn't realized how awesome the robot master animations are! Too bad about Mega. I'll never fully get over it. You showed some good examples of what his run cycle could have been. Also, I know the video isn't on this subject but thank you for bringing up how other games have had a plethora of Wily bosses and this game had TWO.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh man, I'm so disappointed this game only had two Wily stages and NO INTRO STAGE!

[@RockEsper]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Yeah, this game played it too safe imo. I really like the game and am super happy it exists, but I mean, all the cool advancements the series made were abandoned. Intro stage, extra stages, and hey remember collectibles and secrets? 7 and 8 were awesome about those! Forgive me for thinking I could break the blocks in Brick Man's stage with a special weapon to possibly uncover a secret lmao

[@michaelrodriguez470]

You hit on the game's lack of balance pretty well. It feels like they put more weight on some stages, bosses, animations, and even music than on others in terms of time or effort. To me this was no more apparent than in Fuse Man's stage. It's arguably the best and most exciting stage in the game, by my estimation, and its music just so happened to be the theme for the very first trailer, setting expectations very high for the game. I remember the trailers for Mega Man Zero 4, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man X8 having had similar outcomes, but where the first two were more well-rounded games I enjoyed, I felt really disappointed by X8--partly because the trailers got me more excited than I'd ever been for a Mega Man game at the time. I wasn't as disappointed in Mega Man 11 as I was in X8, but it didn't quite feel like the big triumphant return I'm sure most every fan was hoping for. Still a pretty good, very challenging entry however.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I think I feel the same. I don't recall seeing a trailer for X8 at the time, so I was just amazed they took it where they did after X7, and I really enjoyed it with no expectations. But yeah, I was a little disappointed with MM11, mainly with the lack of Wily castle stages. I mean, two main stages then straight onto the boss refights? Hopefully with MM12 they begin re-introducing the two-castle system. Though that does mean the re-introduction of the fake-villain cop out...

[@michaelrodriguez470]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Maybe they'll pull a Mega Man 10 and reintroduce Proto Man or Bass. We also haven't seen Duo in a while. I think what I didn't like about X8 overall is the somewhat stiff animation, and sense of being "on-rails" in a 3D environment. You also had your obligatory bad vehicle stages trying to be like X4's or X5's, and finally the story wasn't that compelling. The best thing I can say is playing as each character felt solid and balanced with each other, but after all was said and done, it left me wanting a more X-focused traditional experience. Something Mega Man X Corrupted looks like it's poised to deliver despite being built like a Metroidvania.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I think I know what you mean, spreading three character experiences out watered down the whole X gameplay, which at the end of the day is what the series should be about, cos Zero already has his own series with his own gameplay.

[@danobra]

Wow... I can't tell at all what is a compliment and what is not in this video, which made me drop it before reaching the middle of it. It sucks cause you can tell that the writer actually knows what he is talking about...

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I do know what I'm talking about yeah. It's just sarcasm unfortunately, so it's not for everyone. But most of it is compliments.

[@chaozimpact]

Please do "How to animate Sonic Mania"

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh I certainly will

[@GigaOtomia]

Still don't see anyone saying anything about the ladder climbing being stiff. If you had climbing like this in the beginning of Crash Man's stage, it'd be a nightmare!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Mm, I considered it and captured footage, but didn't feel like there was much to say. I'll admit climbing ladders was definitely more prominent in this game than previous games

[@glasseater3474]

must admit this game looks great but the points you go over are brilliant. could you do a mother metroid animation I know I'm not one to tell you what to do but I would love it if you did a metroid zero mission video. great work on the video like that you used two people to discus the animation

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks for the kind words! Well I have a Metroid series on the go as well, and Metroid Prime is the next to come, followed by Zero Mission.

[@swarth8632]

Have you considered analyzing the animation of Mighty No. 9? I was so excited for the release and then severely let down. The disappointing run cycle and explosions in that game actually inspired me to start my current game project with hopes of improving upon the flaws of MM No.9. I'm currently on a quest to create "the game I always wanted to play as a kid" and your videos have been a huge help!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I did, but honestly I don't think enough people will be interested!

[@swarth8632]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Lol. Good point!

[@tomazod]

I feel the stiffness of megaman animations clashes with the robot masters who are very smooth, you can see personality traits on many of them but on megaman, i feel this is his most blandest interpretation of the character. but the again i feel this also happened in the nes games too...

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

There was more energy and his poses were more dynamic in the NES games, but yeah the robot masters look great!

[@tomazod]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy you are correct, despite the limitations of the nes, megamans poses and animations trully left an impact. 11 tries to imitate them medicrely. I feel most would have preferred giving him brand new animations over the ones we got.

[@virgobro2025]

Cool game. So what *indie* company made this?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Just a little studio called Capcom, they're pretty unknown

[@toastbrot97]

12:20 why is your video footage interlaced at times?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Probably because it's zoomed in?

[@mimisaiko]

Originally, Mega Man is about a household robot being sent to defeat other robots to save mankind. It's kind of a sad and lonely quest. Some titles from the franchise seems to forget the setting, and just use cuteness to justify the violence in game.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ehh, I suppose so. Powered Up hones into this idea more.

[@MegamanStarforce2010]

Finally some support from someone knowledgeable. I've been going back and forth with people on why Mega Man's animation looks very poor and people have been completely ignoring it in their love for the game. It's just a weird thing to me. The complaints have been there about it since the very first showcase of the game, and yet they refused to even touch on it in the several months that followed. Why did nobody on the team notice something so obviously poor?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Well it's not that it's poor, exactly. It could just do with refining and enhancing. It's perfectly serviceable and "fine", but it could've been better. I get used it and it doesn't necessarily ruin my experience playing the game.

[@gabrielwolfsbaine3223]

I'm going to play Wily's advocate here for a second Maybe they meant to make Megaman's animation so static because they didn't want you to focus on the character himself but on the obstacles around him. quick simple, animations like this are good for instant input without too much fluff slowing you down.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yep, definitely that I reckon. Very unlike Mega Man 8's animation.

[@AdamTheGameBoy]

I feel like some of the things you were dissing are things I like, like Fuse Man's animation. I think having more frames would have looked unintentionally jerky instead of conveying his high speed movement you see in flashes of electricity.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Nah I was praising it. Is it really that confusing? The only things I diss are the static animation on the fire enemies, Torch Man's shouldera, yellow Devil and Mega Man's run cycle. Everything else is great. Blast Man in particularly is my favourite.

[@AdamTheGameBoy]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Not really, that was the only one I had any serious doubt on.

[@bunsdarius9223]

I immediately clicked when I saw this. I was interested on how you will discuss the animation in mega man 11 especially mega man's walk animation. I also don't like the backgrounds. Thank you for this!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey thanks a lot! I was surprised by how static the backgrounds are, but I kinda understand that they'd want the focus to be the gameplay.

[@kaox44]

OOH HOO HOO WHAT ABOUT THE YELLOW DEVIL