[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.88,0:00:03.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hello, and welcome to New Frame Plus,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.34,0:00:05.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a series about video game animation.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.62,0:00:08.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,By overwhelming demand, you folks have voted
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.36,0:00:11.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the next Smash Bros character we talk about to be...
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.44,0:00:12.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mr Game & Watch.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.92,0:00:14.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I can see why!
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.08,0:00:15.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He’s weird.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.10,0:00:16.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Look at him.\NHe's flat.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.60,0:00:18.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He’s basically just a silhouette.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.58,0:00:21.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His moves all have like three frames of animation...
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.92,0:00:23.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No one else is like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.14,0:00:27.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does this even WORK in a game like Smash,\Nwhere pretty much every other character is
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.42,0:00:31.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fully 3D and operating at a\Nsilky smooth 60 frames per second?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.38,0:00:34.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let’s get into it, shall we?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.40,0:00:42.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mr Game & Watch isn’t so much a\Ncharacter as an amalgamation.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.54,0:00:46.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A stand-in representing a whole series\Nof games from the 80s.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.34,0:00:49.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yes, before there was GameBoy,\Neven before there was NES…
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.98,0:00:51.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there was Game & Watch.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.78,0:00:55.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Game & Watch was this whole line of of handheld\Ngames that Nintendo produced
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.82,0:00:58.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between 1980 and 1991.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.40,0:01:02.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each one of these devices\Nusually contained a single, very simple game
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.70,0:01:04.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,played on a liquid crystal display,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.80,0:01:08.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,similar to that old CASIO watch\Nyou used to wear in middle school
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.16,0:01:09.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(you... Cool Person).
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.76,0:01:11.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But here’s the thing about LCDs:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.66,0:01:14.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can’t really move the crystals\Nin those displays around.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.02,0:01:17.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They can only be turned ON or OFF.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.34,0:01:19.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that makes it pretty hard to animate…
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.76,0:01:20.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...uh, anything.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.00,0:01:25.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But! Say you were to place those crystals\Nin several different locations on the screen,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.78,0:01:30.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then had them switch ON or OFF\Nin response to the player’s button presses…
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.36,0:01:33.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you did that, it would almost\NSORT OF create the impression
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.56,0:01:36.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of a character or object moving across the screen!
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.76,0:01:40.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,THIS is the origin for Mr Game & Watch’s\Nweird movement style.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.82,0:01:44.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And they way it’s been implemented in Smash\Nis actually pretty clever!
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.60,0:01:47.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So in animation, we have this thing called\N“Key Poses”
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.96,0:01:52.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(also sometimes referred to as “Extremes”,\Nthat's the more traditional animation term,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.54,0:01:54.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but in many cases they’re kind of interchangeable).
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.56,0:01:58.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, Key Poses are the\Ncritical poses in an animation
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.36,0:02:01.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which most clearly communicate\Nthe “story” of the action.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.82,0:02:05.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They’re the extreme points\Nwhich define the path of motion.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.60,0:02:08.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Remember in that previous episode about Link’s attacks
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.44,0:02:12.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where I highlighted these Windup,\NAttack and Follow-Through poses?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.36,0:02:17.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I would call all of these Key Poses (or Extremes)\Nfor Link’s basic attack.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.38,0:02:22.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even without all the frames in between,\Nthese frames tell the story of what’s happening.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.52,0:02:26.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you look at old school 8- or 16-bit sprite animation,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.26,0:02:30.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those game characters operated\Nalmost exclusively through key poses.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.10,0:02:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,From Mario’s jump...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.04,0:02:34.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...to Simon’s whip...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.22,0:02:36.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...to Mega Man’s run,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.64,0:02:40.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of these animations are built using\Njust a handful of key poses,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.98,0:02:45.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the fewest poses possible to\Nadequately portray the action.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.16,0:02:50.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you look at Mr. Game & Watch in Smash,\Nyou’ll see that he also operates on Key Poses...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.58,0:02:51.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...kind of.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.80,0:02:57.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All his moves and attacks are, of course,\Nderived from his whole library of handheld games,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.22,0:03:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but when you look at the character\Nmovement in those old games,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.10,0:03:02.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of that old display technology,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.64,0:03:05.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there’s something... disjointed about it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.28,0:03:10.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are so few poses available and the characters\Ncover so much distance at a time...
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.64,0:03:15.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's very little connective tissue between\Neach new pose and position on screen,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.36,0:03:19.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so those characters tend to feel a little\Nerratic in their movement as a result,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.60,0:03:23.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and none of their actions feel\Nlike they have any force behind them.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.26,0:03:26.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This presents an interesting problem for Smash:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.14,0:03:31.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how do you replicate that weird, choppy,\Nslightly-disorienting quality of movement?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.02,0:03:40.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first thing the animators have done here\Nis use as few frames of animation as possible.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.58,0:03:46.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mr. Game & Watch’s attacks are all constructed\Nusing maybe three poses, sometimes just two!
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.68,0:03:52.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All his moves are built on key poses, just like\Nthose 8- and 16-bit characters I described before,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.58,0:03:56.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it doesn’t feel like there are quite\NENOUGH key poses in there to completely
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.76,0:03:59.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sell the physicality of the actions he’s performing.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.62,0:04:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Old Game & Watch titles just could not\Ntake advantage of most of the animation principles
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.12,0:04:06.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we'd use to convey force or impact,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.50,0:04:10.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Smash’s animators have actually\Npreserved some of that effect
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.12,0:04:12.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in not only the posing of Mr. Game & Watch’s moves,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.98,0:04:16.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also the very even, flat timing of them!
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.74,0:04:19.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You won’t see him actually SWING a chair.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.46,0:04:21.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He just holds the chair this way...
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.26,0:04:22.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...and then he holds it THAT way.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.90,0:04:26.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And, for Mr. Game & Watch, that constitutes an attack.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.14,0:04:31.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is a character that REALLY relies on\NSmash’s dust clouds and hit pauses and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.92,0:04:35.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,effects explosions to get\Nany sense of impact to his moves.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.28,0:04:38.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For any other character,\Nthat would be an animation problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.76,0:04:42.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But for Mr. Game & Watch, it is exactly that problem
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.04,0:04:45.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that makes his moveset feel faithful\Nto the source material.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.94,0:04:50.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But one of my favorite things about Mr. Game & Watch’s\Nanimation - and it’s the thing that I think
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.64,0:04:55.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,really makes this whole animation aesthetic work -\Nis the way the animators have managed to
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.05,0:04:59.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,recreate the erratic, disorienting\Nquality of his movement.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.54,0:05:01.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can REALLY see this in his run.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.70,0:05:05.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just for comparison, let’s look at\NMega Man’s old run again...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.04,0:05:09.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s built from just three poses, but you\Ncan see how each one of those Key Poses
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.92,0:05:11.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leads from one to the next.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.72,0:05:13.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Step-and-step-and-step-and-step...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.94,0:05:16.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can see him putting one foot in front\Nof the other,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.32,0:05:20.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can see the nice up-and-down bob\Non his body with each stride...
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.14,0:05:23.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just three poses, but still enough\Nto clearly communicate a run.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.86,0:05:26.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But with Mr. Game & Watch, and I LOVE this,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.90,0:05:30.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these poses barely communicate\Nthe action of running AT ALL.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.92,0:05:34.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,NONE of these poses connect to each other\Nin a logical way.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.30,0:05:37.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s like they took a bunch of individual\Nrun cycle poses,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.86,0:05:41.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then they completely randomized\Nwhat order they play in
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.20,0:05:45.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so you’re left with an erratic jumble of poses\Nthat make no sense together.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.88,0:05:47.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is really clever!
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.62,0:05:51.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s not exactly how characters moved\Nin the old Game & Watch days,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.38,0:05:54.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it does sell the FEELING\Nof how they moved in those games.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.96,0:05:59.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This brings us to the next question: how has\NMr. Game & Watch’s animation
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.18,0:06:01.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,been adapted to work in Smash?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.10,0:06:05.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, there is one VERY BIG change,\Nand you’ve probably already picked up on it.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.74,0:06:08.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In those old Game & Watch titles,\Nlike I mentioned before,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.82,0:06:12.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the crystals in those old LCD displays couldn't move.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.04,0:06:15.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the characters couldn’t really “move” either.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.02,0:06:19.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They could only disappear and reappear\Nin a new position simultaneously.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.26,0:06:23.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But that is not how Mr. Game & Watch\Nmoves in Smash. At all.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.04,0:06:27.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sure, there might be a nice, stuttery pop to\Nthe way he switches between poses,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.40,0:06:29.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but his movement around the battlefield?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.48,0:06:33.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The tracking of his POSITION... is silky smooth.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.14,0:06:38.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,See, limiting the visual information that\NMr. Game & Watch’s posing conveys is one thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.50,0:06:39.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can get away with that.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.94,0:06:42.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But his position on screen at any given moment?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.78,0:06:43.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No no.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.74,0:06:47.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Positional data is CRUCIAL to Smash Bros gameplay.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.10,0:06:52.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If Mr. Game & Watch popped around the screen in\NSmash the same way he did in his handheld games,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.04,0:06:55.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,effectively teleporting around the stage nonstop,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.20,0:06:57.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he would be a nightmare to fight.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.38,0:06:59.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And to CONTROL, for that matter.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.26,0:07:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, even though it defies\Nthe character’s source material,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.52,0:07:05.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the sake of gameplay,\NSmash’s animators made the concession
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.94,0:07:11.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of having Mr. Game & Watch’s position on screen\Nupdate at a smooth 60 frames per second,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.40,0:07:14.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just like any other character on the roster.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.22,0:07:16.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And thank goodness for that.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.52,0:07:20.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This gets back to that same thing I was saying\Nin the Mario episode:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.76,0:07:24.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,animating a Smash character is all about\Nfinding the balance between
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.74,0:07:30.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,representing that character’s origins AND\Nmaking them functionally work as a Smash fighter.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.58,0:07:35.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the end of the day, that’s the big\Nanimation challenge for ALL of these characters.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.26,0:07:37.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that had to be HARD with this guy, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.86,0:07:43.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Like, so much of what makes those old games\Ndistinct is their extremely limited animation.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.40,0:07:49.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You really CAN’T have Mr. Game & Watch\Nmove around like any other character\Nand still FEEL like himself.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.44,0:07:52.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I love that they found an elegant solution to that:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.68,0:07:56.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,preserving the stiff, stuttery posing style\Nof the source material,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.34,0:08:01.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while also being willing to make\Nbig concessions for sake of visual clarity.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.20,0:08:05.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His movement is still erratic and weird and\Nit FEELS like it shouldn’t work,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.98,0:08:11.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it totally does, because all the\Nvisual information you really NEED is in there.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.58,0:08:12.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Cool as heck, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.08,0:08:14.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this!
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.68,0:08:18.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And let me know down in the comments if there\Nare other characters you’d like me to dig into.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.48,0:08:20.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you want to hear more about Smash animation,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.54,0:08:23.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,here’s a playlist of all the characters I’ve covered so far.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.20,0:08:26.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Have a good one, and I’ll see you next time!