I am trying to replicate those sprites:
But I am not managing to make sense of how it is done. The character is facing forward ( <--- ), but you can see the front of its body instead of just the side. Why? Is the camera positioned diagonally? Or is the body bent, as in a fighter stance?
Or a combination of both?
Which exactly is the positioning/perspective/view I should use to replicate it correctly?
I'd wager those Fire Emblem sprites are closer to the top drawing. Their heads face the side even when their bodies are sometimes turned. Try placing your body in those positions (trick is looking at the feet and head) and see if it helps you gain perspective on it.
It's really common to cheat a little and get characters to face the camera a bit.
http://waveengine.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/timspritesheet.png
You see it all over the place, it's much easier to read a face in at 3/4 than in profile.
Real people face each other when they're talking, but actors are taught to face a little out towards the camera or audience.
I'm sure many games switch to a proper profile during movement animations, but almost all of them face the character to camera a bit during idle animations.
@PBnFlash
That sheet is great, it does give me a base to make a running cycle for my sprites. But I still have no idea how that works! The heck, he is 3/4, yet running forwards. How that doesn't look bizarre!? But anyway, you all agree it is just the body that is facing the camera, not the camera that is positioned diagonally, right?
All 2d games need to cheat perspective some cheat quite a lot.
How thick is the wall between the swordsman and the wizard? Where is the vanishing point in this scene?
Why doesn't a 3/4 run look weird?
Well it kinda does. You really can't make a scene consistent and scroll. So you need to use tricks to keep the weirdness to a minimum.
you all agree it is just the body that is facing the camera, not the camera that is positioned diagonally, right?
Basically it's nether the sprites are made independent of the scene some have all their animations at 3/4 angle, some don't.
Do an image search for "sprite sheet" and see the ways people approach the problem.
Don't sweat actual perspective rules too much, since 100% true-to-life perspective is absurdly time consuming and can also look confusing.
You might want to try finding a sprite sheet you like an trace a few frames (like another layeri in GIMP or photoshop or even print it out and use pencil), but try to simplify the character so you can see what the limbs are doing and how the foreshortening happens. Basically, try to make a run animation with a guy made only of tubes since you really only care about geometry, to see how it's done in detail (and then you can draw multiple characters on that basic animation).
