What goes into animating a 2D game so it looks good and plays smoothly?

That's exactly what Klei Entertainment (Invisible, Inc, Don't Starve, Mark of the Ninja) staffers Jeff Agala and Aaron Bouthillier dug into at GDC 2017, where they delivered an extensive talk about all aspects of in-game character animation, from character design to polished symbol-based animation.

The pair outlined Klei's specific goals in relation to animation quality, some of the studio's core inspirational material and how staffes strive to achieve our visual goals.

Helpfully, they also got into Klei's Adobe Flash build process and the flexibility it provides, including costume and color swapping, and animation re-use. 

It was an incredibly useful talk if you care at all about 2D animation in games, so don't miss your chance to now watch it for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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