Yeah, an animation like that is best programmed… Way too tedious to draw it frame by frame.
Just posted this in the sprite list topic, but the original talk about it was in this topic, so I’ll leave a copy over here, too:
Note that I updated only the official “The Sprite List” topic, not the first post of this topic, which I just noticed has a copy of the old list…
i fixed it
So I guess working on the Beams is okay and the whole suit thing we were doing was completely pointless…?
Oh, I haven’t updated those parts of the list yet, just the creatures.
But honestly the new categories are just my opinion. Treat it as “Troid92 thinks remaking this isn’t a priority right now” rather than “thou shalt not”. Bold items might even have “an eventual overhaul”. I apologize if it sounded like I was trying to enforce something.
Really it’s up to your artistic judgement as to what you want to make, and if you think you can do better than what we currently have, wonderful. The categories are just guidelines. (Example: we’re pretty set with pulse bombus, but beetles could use some lovin’. At least in my opinion. 
)
Also the whole new Samus design phase is awesome. There are two of those five up above that I especially like. I wish we could use MH’s original stance as the comparison though (not the Super Metroid-ified version), along with 072’s remake in the mix:
Both of these have pretty thorough sheets with all kinds of crazy action poses. Just throwing them out there in case they help stir more ideas.
I see! Well goodie. So do we want to keep up the Samus makeup change? And Troid while you’re here, got any limits with Beam making or anything? The frames needed, particle effects, range, length/width, palette, impact sprite size, etc.
Why is the right one so much shorter than the one facing forward? Are they from the sheet? That just looks weird.
Stand up confidently tall. Then bend your legs and crouch into that battle-ready stance. Watch how far down your head moves. Maybe 072’s is slightly exaggerated, but then look back at MH’s…
This goes deep. I’ve been squirming around this question for a while now.
MH’s Samus has been the icon of P2D since its birth. It’s everywhere, from the top of this page to the famous mock-ups used in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s February 2005 issue. It was a significant part of the appeal that drew me and everyone else in, and something about the placement of each pixel makes it instantly recognizable.
Hopefully you can understand then, why it was concerning when 072 started designing a new version. How could something with so much historical weight be replaced? But he kept going at it, updating his design, iteration after iteration, then new poses, then new rows of poses, and each step was a reminder of how much painstaking work goes into these full sheets, but soon enough we had another well-designed fully functional Samus at our disposal. Aich!, I didn’t mean for the ironic last word.
It was a confusing time, but in the end the consensus seemed to be that we should just stick with the original. MH’s was an ingrained piece of P2D’s soul, and just had something special about it, some kind of statement, a certain sparkle, that maybe wasn’t coming across in 072’s. It’s always heartbreaking to see someone’s hard work go to waste, but I guess that would have been the case no matter which Samus we picked…
So I guess the source of my tangled reaction is that there’s much more at hand here than the literal outcome, the positioning, the shading, the colors… I have no doubt that with enough time and energy you guys can make a beautiful Samus, polished to visual perfection, and it’s been a joy watching these new promising designs form so far, but if you’re really going to replace MH’s then it also has to be iconic, unique, deep, and all the other words I’ve used for MH’s Samus. Those pixels have to scream, “We are the new P2D! This Samus embodies what we stand for!” all the way to the people who’ve never even heard of P2D. Is this a challenge you guys want to take on? Most of that stuff can only be determined in the test of time, but even then, what could be a substantial, worthwhile gain for P2D would unavoidably be a huge loss also…
But I didn’t want to to say anything because I’m so happy to see people spriting again, and it’s very impressive stuff… There is clear talent in the few members who’ve been here lately, and I want to see how all of this plays out, so I’ve been trying not to think about your question head-on. And I still haven’t come close to answering it, but hopefully I’ve at least given it more texture. In the end, I really don’t know what the correct path to take is from here… but regardless it would make me so much more comfortable to see something like a new Thardus or oculus or wave beam or plated parasite or incinerator drone, and push the Samus issue back until a later time. Yes! I can keep avoiding the issue! BAHAHAHA!
My posts are too long…
There are a few limits unfortunately. See here for more info.
No Troid, I’m glad you answered. I understand and completely agree with you. The Samus sprite at the top of the page is just the P2D sprite. I would be willing to take part in working on either a new sprite, or I think we could also just work on the original sprite. Instead of taking that old sprite and turning it into a new one, maybe we should focus on keeping the sprite the same, and just reworking it a little. Maybe shrink it if necessary and rework some details, but keep the spirit of the original sprite intact while updating it. Or we could just leave it alone…
Oh about Thardus, I would be happy to partake in a Thardus sprite, but I have no idea how that fight would work in 2D. I would need to understand how that would work first…
And yeah Troid I don’t see how I’m gonna be able to work on any beams with those kind of restrictions…
The thing is, I don’t think there’s anyone outside of these forums or SCU that would know if we changed it or not. It’s iconic to us but everyone else in the world would only care if it (in the hypothetical finished game) looks good, which the old one really doesn’t.
it doesnt look bad, its just… outdated
So…
…progress…
So…
…progress…
i think the lack of being unable to agree on a samus killed it
WTF? Seriously? What are you guys, four years old?
So I know I wrote that whole essay on the history and philosophy of the P2D Samus with conflicted thoughts on what it even means to try making a new one…
But, it looks like I was in a really funky mood that day. :O_O:
A new Samus would be awesome, and the designs you have so far are awesome, keep it up everyone. 
Also remember that if you split it up into parts we can animate it using the game engine, like Flaahgra. Of course you can also hand-make each animation frame if that’s what you want. Either way.
more so the fact that being unable to get a design to stick with made it impossible to advance
figured i’d give it another shot, and because of reasons, timeline
That is quite a timeline!
I like the branch going along the right side the best, and two reasons stick out for why this might be:
1.) The right branch has dark highlights in every Samus. This is more satisfying to look at, and she’ll also be more visible on the screen this way. The left branch does not have enough contrast among the colors.
2.) Her position in the left branch looks unnatural. In my eyes she appears to lean backwards and to her left. Her shoulder position feels strained, certain parts of her are angled too much toward the camera while others are not, and the lack of dark highlights makes her feet look too big, like slippers. 
i will merge the two HARDER
edit*
Can’t you just create the game with a placeholder?
Finish Samus when the game is done.
