Animation Lock: Why don't you like it?

[Alhanelem]

It was noted earlier that aesthetics and gameplay are not mutually exclusive, this is most certainly true.

No, they're not mutually exclusive, but having one most definitely does not mean having the other.

An RPG or MMO (especially Final Fantasy) is on the other end of the spectrum. Aesthetics are a primary engagement tool, and that aesthetic is based on 'Realism' (*see definition above).

err, actually, no, it's not on the other end of the spectrum. Final FANTASY is a FANTASY game. Fantasy meaning stuff that's not real. Magic isn't real. A lot of the things many of the characters do in many of the games is not physically realistic. I think you may be confusing 'realistic" with "natural"- something that looks like it belongs and doesn't feel out of place.

When animation blending is implemented, you will most likely not notice the lack of animation lock. Animations will be blended, such that there isn't a sudden instant change in character's positions when they initiate different actions. Blending creates a smooth transition automatically, without needing special transition animations that lock your character in place (which is what 1.0 had).

In a Final Fantasy game, the 'Realism'(*again, see definition above) always comes first.

False. Many final fantasy games have good gameplay. Good aesthetics come with that gameplay, but that doesn't mean the aesthetics came first.

The TL;DR if your post is: in Fnal fantasy, graphics are everything and gameplay is not important. Even if I agreed, which I don't, this isn't a standard final fantasy game. It's an MMORPG, and gameplay is inherently more important to an MMORPG than a singleplayer one. In a single player RPG, the gameplay is sometimes more shallow because it is only a vehicle to drive the story (and by extension, the aesthetics). However, in an MMORPG, the main story is just the beginning.

Without strong gameplay mechanics, this game will fall flat on its face just like the first one, no matter how pretty the grpahics are or how good the story is.

Soo, once again- In this thread: Gameplay doesn't matter as long as it is pleasing to the eye and the story is good. Everything else is secondary! Read that again. Are you sure that really sounds like a good idea?