Implementing 2D JRPG-style animation in Python using Pygame
Every walking character in a 16-bit JRPG is a flipbook. A sprite sheet holds each frame of the walk cycle in a grid, one row per direction, and the game shows one frame at a time, fast enough that the character appears to move. This guide builds that system in Python with Pygame: slicing a sprite sheet into frames, timing the animation independently of the frame rate, switching rows when the player changes direction, and keeping the character's position and animation in sync so the feet don't slide. The example uses Serge's walk cycle from Chrono Cross, 15 frames in each of four directions.
The rest of this post is still being written.