4-frame mining swing used when the player hits quarry walls. Plays once at 12fps (0.33s total). The character's facing direction maps to 4 cardinal swing directions.
| Canvas | 64 x 64 px |
|---|---|
| Frames | 4 per direction |
| Directions | South, East, West, North |
| FPS | 12 (83ms/frame) |
| Export | 256 x 64 horizontal strip |
| Godot path | assets/sprites/player_swing_{dir}.png |
| Status | V2 - Hand-drawn arms |
Tap a direction to see its frame breakdown below.
Select a direction above.
Arms are now hand-drawn per frame with hands gripping the pickaxe handle. Each frame has unique arm positions using the character's exact skin/sleeve colors. The .aseprite templates remain available for further polish.
V2 frame breakdown showing the core body (static torso/head/legs) vs. the animated arm + pickaxe layer (hands gripping the handle). Tap a direction above to update.
Layered .aseprite templates are in assets/sprites/animations/
The recommended approach from SLYNYRD and pixel art community consensus:
Open pickaxe_swing_{dir}_layered.aseprite. It has 5 layers: reference (50% opacity guide), core, left-arm, right-arm, tool.
Press F3 in Aseprite. This shows ghosted previous/next frames so you can see the motion arc while drawing.
On the arm layers, redraw the arms for each of the 4 frames: wind-up (raised), mid-swing (coming down), impact (extended low), recovery (pulling back). Keep thickness and length consistent.
Draw the pickaxe so the handle connects to the hand in each frame. The grip point should track with the right hand across all 4 frames.
Complete one direction fully. Then translate the arm keyframes to the other 3 directions. Check consistency by flipping between directions frame-by-frame.
Hide the reference layer. Export as horizontal strip: File > Export Sprite Sheet > Horizontal Strip > 256x64. Save as player_swing_{dir}.png.
Or run: python3 tools/build_tool_animations.py pickaxe
The same workflow applies to all 5 planned tools. Each shares the base body but needs unique arm poses and tool art.
| Pickaxe | V1 composite Overhead mining swing |
|---|---|
| Wrench | Planned Rotational twist |
| Hammer | Planned Overhead slam |
| Fire Ext. | Planned Spray forward |
| Throw | Planned Overhand toss |
Per the LPC approach: generate a full swing from only 3 source views (side, 45-degree, rear) by reordering frames per direction. South plays frames 1-2-3-4, North plays 4-3-2-1. This cuts unique art from 16 to ~6 frames.
| Tile size | 48 x 48 px |
|---|---|
| Character canvas | 64 x 64 px (body ~60%) |
| Item icons | 32 x 32 px |
| Palette | 42 colors (data/palette.json) |
| Outline | Selective (no heavy black) |
| Shading | Medium (2-3 tones) |
| View | High top-down, symmetrical |