[dev1032] Spell Casting Animations Needs More Love

[Tsukino]

Some of the spell effects are pathetic too. No Final Fantasy game with a spell called "Flare" had it look as weak as it does in XIV. FF games have always had elaborate spell effects/animations, and that should come along with all their changes to make the game have more "Final Fantasy style" or whatever like making the tiny mobs bigger.

Agree with everything in this topic so far and also want to add that some of the spells visual effects need to last longer. You cast fire and it appears on the mob for half a sec if that.

I think one of the biggest problems with this is the way they end immediately if you do something else, because the resulting effects are tied to the caster's animation status. It's really bad on archer WSs too, where the whole barrage of arrows just disappears because you used another attack. Resulting effects should instead persist separate from whatever animation the creator is currently in.

[Gidonoidon_Sur]

I am not a big time mage. Is there magic classifications in the game (i.e., black magic, white magic, etc)? I recall seeing umbral and astral quite a bit. Can someone clarify what types of magic there are, if any, and perhaps that would be a good start to delineating possible animations by magic-type.

[Radav]

I wish I could hit the like button 1000 times for this. If weaponskill animations are being added for the melee classes the mage classes desperately need some love as well. Ancient magic being the best example of how bad some of the spell effects are.

[Darrkness]

someone pointed out to me on another thread that its the weekend they probably don't work on the weekends....

[Roll]

Yeah I hope we get a reply on this eventually. *crosses fingers*

[Tahldon]

I'm definitely interested in an answer from the devs about this as well.

As you all have stated in prior posts, the actual spell-caster's animations, the animation of the spells themselves, and the sound effects all need a little more emphasis. Personally, I've noticed that all of the spells form and flow in an inward circular motion, which causes them all to look the same (this is probably enhanced given the fact that it scales to whichever enemy the spell is being cast on). Either way, all of the spells seem to be spheres, which is quite underwhelming considering what spells in other Final Fantasy games have looked like in the past.

Were it up to me, I would have the Spell-caster's animations go hand-in-hand with whichever spell he/she is casting along with new "type-casting" animations as well besides the CON "purple hand" and the THM "red hand". I don't mind the palette swap, but I think the gathering of the magical energies should be a little more grander. Such animation could be, for example, an Astral (white) or Umbral (purple/black) sigil appearing under the feet of the caster and white or purple/black light flowing up from the sigil with white or purple/black particles floating around the caster during the process. Or at least something to that effect.

And being as though there are dozens of different skills for DoW characters, I think the DoM users should at least have different character animations for the type of element they are casting.

For instance: For Fire elemental magic, the caster could stand as normal with staff/wand in hand then pull their right arm back with the weapon in it then thrust their arm forward in which would signify forcing fire upon the opponent. That could be for all Fire class elements. Also the Fire spell's animation could be redone as to have the opponent burst into an explosion of flame that washes over the monster's front and kinda of "splashes" to both sides of their flanks leaving them covered with remnants of flame.

For Wind Elemental Magic, being as though air is everywhere, the caster could start casting with both his hands and the weapon in front of him, then bring his weapon arm out towards his side, arm extended, then swing it forward, horizontally across his/her chest drawing magic from the air all around them as the spell is cast at that moment. As the caster's arm flies across horizontally, the enemy is slammed in a tornado vortex that rotates around them for a brief moment then disperses into random circling shreds of wind (kind of like how Aero looks currently, actually).

For Lightning Elemental Magic, the caster can draw both hands in front of them then lift their weapon up to the sky (for obvious reasons), in which a bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky and crashes into the enemy, surrounding the creature in a small dome of electricity in the process (not quite like the current Thunder spell, but somewhat similar).

And so on and so forth, I won't bore you guys with a wall of text details. But higher level spells should obviously have a little more "oomph" than that of these descriptions. But these are the sort of things, I think, would make magic better all around. Not so keen on the sound effects though, but like Buckles said, I could do without the loud "swa-shiiiiiiiink" sound effect during magic.

Also, ditto for the lack of Raise effects as well. Other magics, not just the offensive ones, should have different animations also. I've just listed a few for the sake of references.

[Cairdeas]

I'd like to see them go back to using the Special Animations per Magic School like they did in XI. White Mage, Black Magic, and Blue Magic all casted with different character animations.

[Sav]

I'd like to see them go back to using the Special Animations per Magic School like they did in XI. White Mage, Black Magic, and Blue Magic all casted with different character animations.

This. This times a million.

[Firon]

I'd like to see them go back to using the Special Animations per Magic School like they did in XI. White Mage, Black Magic, and Blue Magic all casted with different character animations.

i hated the casting animations in XI cause your weapon just poofed into nothing why i like FFXIV casting animations

[Roll]

i hated the casting animations in XI cause your weapon just poofed into nothing why i like FFXIV casting animations

I don't mind my weapon disappearing as long as it looks better than the lackluster animations we have now tbh.