Fix #336: Animation system for actors #337
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Preparation for actor animation system: - New AnimationLoader subclass of ResourceLoader to load and cache animation frames. Implementation: - New file actor_animation.py with two new classes for the animation system. - ActorAnimationSystem to manage animations. - ActorAnimation for individual animations. - Changes to actor.py for initial system capability to load and remove animations from the pool and play a single animation. NOTE: This simple implementation still has many visual issues and state transitions in actor to accomodate having both a static image and animation images are not polished.
Added last warning for loading of animations. Implemented basic capability to switch between animations and return to base animation. Implemented basic setup of animation queue.
Base animation works. Transitions to and from base animation work. Frame offsets work for centered anchor. - Offsets have to be specified by imagining both pictures overlayed on their center. The offset currently is the vector to move the frame to the correct location from this centered state. - This is unintuitive. Before further work to make other anchors possible, a single approach of how to define an offset should be decided on. Started work on pausing and unpausing animations, currently not functional. Added .time() function to clock to get elapsed game time.
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Before continuing work on offsets, we should decide how an offset is to be defined. Since the anchor of an actor can move in the game, the offset should ideally be defined only by the animation frame sizes. As I'm not a professional in the games field, I don't know if there's already an agreed upon convention for this. If there is, we should use it. Otherwise, we just need to settle on something that will be easy to communicate and hopefully intuitive (I've been having trouble with the intuitive part...). |
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Whoops, also just noticed that including clock.time() happens to fix #97. |
Pausing is implemented and works with both single animations and base animations. Pausing the queue works in general but has edgecases that cause problems. Animation queue works but requires more work. Setting up a queue and playing it works, complex interactions between single animations, the queue and the base animation don't all work correctly yet. Switched from representing not yet started animations and the queue with -1 for the position value to representing it with None. This is to prevent strange behaviour with unexpected checking of position when there is no valid position. With None, the program simply errors, exposing a location in source code to be improved.
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Any comment on how an offset should be defined would be welcome. Another thing I've come across is a possible rework of how the queue is accessed. Currently, all functionality is accessed via functions on A different possibility would be to have a separate class for the queue of which the animation system holds an instance. Accessing the queue would then work thus: The second option is clearer but requires more understanding and might be more complex to use for beginner users. What do you think would be the most accessible and intuitive design? |
Split dequeue() up into two functions for readability and maintainability, improved comments and fixed functionality.
Adds a new animation system for actors to utilize (fixes #336, replaces #219, #278).
Allows for
The system exposes an easy to use API with different levels of use from very simple with sensible defaults to completely custom control over animation frames, durations, offsets and callbacks. Comprehensive warning and error messages should make working through problems easy.
Changes are non-breaking to old projects and no changes have been made to existing APIs that prevent the same usage being continued. Specifically important for this: Manipulating the static image of an actor always supersedes any animations.
The PR is currently a WIP and should be reviewed. At this point, it should not be pulled without more work.