Role: Character Animator and Rigger
Tools: Maya, Unreal Engine 4
Contributions: Animations for main character (Reaver); Finisher-type animations and interaction between two characters; Design and creation of rigs for all in-game characters.
About: Third Person Action Game. Reaver takes place in a cyberpunk world in the distant future. It draws heavy inspiration from the cyberpunk genre of media, urban and industrial environments, modern and future technology. It is a violent world, that maintains a peaceful, orderly facade on the surface. The deeper one goes the further the facade pulls back.
The corporations have taken over the world of Reaver. When they’re not busy fighting amongst each other, they’re dealing with augmented gangs. These gangs make up for their lack of resources with ingenuity, numbers, and a fanatical dedication to their cause, profits, or just getting the shiniest new toys.
Reaver focuses on the conflict between Steiger Consolidated Arms, the biggest weapons manufacturer in the nation, and the Yellow Skulls gang. These two forces face off against each other, fighting for control of the SCA weapons manufacturing facility. A gang as violent and psychotic as the Yellow Skulls poses a grave threat to Blackridge City on a good day. With access to the SCA’s weapons, they pose a threat to the world.
Trailer:
Animations for Reaver
One of the key gameplay elements of Reaver is the ability to initiate “finishers” on stunned enemies to gain a portion of health back. This mechanic allowed for rootmotion driven interaction between two characters in a single scene animation for which would later be seamlessly triggered in game. Additionally, animations for Reaver include melee combo-chained system alongside locomotion system and aimoffset poses.
Finishers
There are five finishers made for Reaver. Finishers are meant to be triggered on all enemies that share the same skeletal structure. Enemy portion of the animation sequence is later retargeted on all other enemy types in engine. Finishers are meant to be flashy, yet grounded and relatively realistic way for the main character to finish an enemy and restore health in the process. All animation are root motion driven.
Finisher 1
Finisher 2
Finisher 3
Finisher 4
Finisher 5
Melee Combo System
There are eight sword-based attacks in the game, four light attacks and four heavy ones. The combat system of Reaver allows for either four consequetive light swings or player can end each previous light attack with a heavy attack. If a player uses heavy attack without initiating light attack first, then a seperate heavy attack will be play instead. Example:
L1 > L2 > L3 > L4
H1
L1 > H2
L1 > L2 > H3
L1 > L2 > L3 > H4
Light Attacks Seperate
Example of all light attack seperate. Each animation has a transition to idle at the the of the attack, which allows for the end of the combo chain to seamlessly transition to idle animation.
Light Attacks Chained
Example of all light attacks being triggered one after the other.
L1 > L2 > L3 > L4
The though behind this sequence was to make Reaver believably swing sword from side to side while shifting weight and catching balance after each swing. This is done to emphesize the power that went into swing and account for the size and weight of the actual sword, which is oversized by design.
Heavy Attack 1
Example the Heavy Attack 1 if pressed by itself while in idle
H1
Heavy Attack 2
Example the Heavy Attack 2 if innitiated after Light Attack 1
L1 > H2
Heavy Attack 3
Example the Heavy Attack 2 if innitiated after Light Attack 2
L1 > L2 > H3
Heavy Attack 4
Example the Heavy Attack 2 if innitiated after Light Attack 3
L1 > L2 > L3 > H4
Jump Attacks
Animation incorperates Reaver’s jetpack thrusters to give him additional upwards propultion after the start of animation and ends up with a sword swing at landing.
In engine, animation is split into three parts:
- jump start of Reaver getting air and winding up for attack
- loop pose, to account for the height of the jump
- actuall attack, which is played when Reaver touches the gound
Jump Attack - Light
Jump Attack - Heavy
Locomotion
Walk
Run
Dodges
Stugger and Fall
Three animations combined into one clip. Animation of reaver being stuggered and falling down - getting up.
The relatively long list of Reaver animations which are not presented here also includes:
- bind poses for the head, gun aiming arm, wings;
- reactive body twitches for when being shot at;
- locomotion loops for walking/running left and right;
- idle additive loops;
- jump loops;
- dash forward loops;
- dash attacks.