TOC: Damage Concept

A little mockup for how the user interface dashboard is animated when the player takes damage in TOC. We wanted the screen to be affected in a way that gives a little more weight to physical impacts, so we figured adding in some static and flickering lights would help. Once we add in some shakiness to the screen and appropriate sound effects, everything should really come together. We're also planning to have different effects based on what you take damage from, such as electrical storms or passing through ice clouds.

This is probably the most special effects stuff I've done with animation since I began but I realize that the basic fundamentals still apply. Whether it's a character walking or lights flickering, I still have to keep in mind the importance of timing, easing in/out, etc. and how the visual result influences the audience. Having fun with this sort of thing though... can't wait to try out some more effects like explosions.

Actually was able to compose this in Flash by placing down .png files over a background and tweening their movements. Pretty useful way to quickly test out how a bunch of individual game assets looks together.