How to Estimate Animation Scope for a Vertical Slice

Animation is often underestimated during pre-production.

Many teams count animations one by one, but that rarely produces an accurate production plan. A better approach is to estimate animation by character role and gameplay requirements.

For a Vertical Slice, not every character needs the same animation budget. Standard units usually require only the core gameplay set, while heroes and bosses need significantly more production time due to additional attacks, abilities, and gameplay interactions.

Why Animation Estimates Usually Go Wrong?

Counting every animation too early
A detailed animation list may look accurate, but it is often based on gameplay mechanics that have not been finalized yet. Early estimates can quickly become outdated.

Gameplay changes during development
New mechanics, abilities, or combat requirements may introduce additional animation work. Even small gameplay changes can affect multiple animation sets.

↓ Production Artwork

Different characters require different animation scope
A standard enemy may only need basic movement and combat animations. Heroes and bosses usually require unique attacks, abilities, reactions, and gameplay-specific interactions.

Reuse opportunities are often unknown during pre-production
It may be possible to share movement, attack, hit, or death animations between similar characters. However, these opportunities usually become clear only after character designs and gameplay requirements are finalized.

Estimate Characters, Not Individual Animations

Classifying characters by gameplay role makes it easier to define their expected animation scope before the final animation list is ready.

Standard Unit

↓ Conceptual Illustration

• Idle — Animations for the character’s default state when no action is being performed.
• Movement — Animations that cover how the unit moves and changes direction.
• Basic Attack — Animations for the unit’s primary combat action.
• Hit — Animations that show the unit reacting to damage.
• Death — Animations that complete the unit’s gameplay cycle when defeated.
• Optional Special Ability — Additional animations required for a unique skill or action.

• Full Movement Set — Covers walking, running, turning, dodging, jumping, and other required movement states.
• Multiple Attacks — Includes several attack variations for different combat situations.
• Combo Attacks — Connects multiple actions into smooth, sequential attack combinations.
• Special Abilities — Covers unique skills, powers, transformations, or signature moves.
• Hit Reactions — Includes different reactions based on damage type, direction, or impact strength.
• Death — May require several death animations for different gameplay scenarios.
• Gameplay-Specific Animations — Covers interactions and actions tied to unique mechanics or encounter phases.

Animation Tiers

Tier 1 — Standard Units

40–60 hours per character

Suitable for regular melee units, ranged units, and common enemies.

Tier 2 — Hero & Boss

90–130 hours per character

Suitable for playable heroes and boss encounters.

Planning Before Reuse

During pre-production, it is safer to assume that each character will need its own animation set. At this stage, we may not yet know whether characters will use the same rig, body proportions, weapons, or movement style.

Once production begins, the team can see which animations can actually be reused. For example, similar characters may share walking, running, hit, death, or attack animations.

This keeps the estimate realistic. We do not rely on reuse before we know it will work. If reuse is possible, it becomes a practical way to save production time.

↓ Production Artwork

Questions Before Estimation

• Do you already have an animation list for each character?
• Which animations are mandatory for the Vertical Slice?
• Are gameplay animations expected to be reused between similar characters?
• Will root motion be used?
• Are additive animations required?
• Will animation integration be handled by your team or ours?