Casting and spell animations...lackluster?

[Endemerrin]

Chaos Thrust is pretty much the same animation as Penta Thrust but 6 hits.

The Chaos Thrust animation is a single hit. I don't know what animation you've been seeing.

Rage of Halone is essentially Vorpal Blade.

Rage of Halone is a single thrust forward with the sword. Vorpal Blade is a four hit weaponskill. Again, I don't know what animations you've been seeing.

There are a few decent looking weaponskills in this game, but it's no excuse for the fact that a lot of weapons are just clones of eachother. 80% of my weaponskills as a Gladiator involve me performing a circle-slash esque attack. It's just old, and boring. Almost every single weaponskill in FFXI varied. There were a few that were copies of eachother, sure, but most weren't.

Playing the "Well, the level cap is only 50" card is just silly. As people have pointed out, there were plenty of awesome looking weaponskills pre-50 in FFXI.

I don't believe the current animations are acceptable. Even the basic attacks are repetitive.

[Draven]

As a computer animation graduate who specialized in character animation, I can't for the life of me imagine what this team was thinking when they designed (if you can even call it that) XIV battle animations.

I know it isn't the most popular thing on most peoples wish list but, I wish they would replace the majority of these attack animations for something more dynamic and exciting. They could keep the chocobos for another 6 months if only they'd give me a Blade Beam or something.

[AlexiaKidd]

As I said this is what I had envisioned battle animations to look like for FFXIV not the lazy half hearted animations that we have now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pzptgE4a4

Those spell animations would look awesome in FFXIV. Also doesn't FFXIII and FFXIV both use the same graphics engine so surely it wouldn't have been too hard to do something like it?

[Draven]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pzptgE4a4

Those spell animations would look awesome in FFXIV.

It hurts to look at that and play XIV at the same time >.<

[napalmninja]

As I said this is what I had envisioned battle animations to look like for FFXIV not the lazy half hearted animations that we have now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pzptgE4a4

Those spell animations would look awesome in FFXIV. Also doesn't FFXIII and FFXIV both use the same graphics engine so surely it wouldn't have been too hard to do something like it?

I approve of this message, +1

[Aravou]

I'm in agreement. The battle animations, weapon skill visual effects, magic casting visual effects, and magic spell visual effects are extremely lackluster in Final Fantasy XIV. The vast majority should be spruced up or redesigned entirely.

Here are some ideas for making things better.

1. Physics. SE touted how FFXIV used physics to help animate characters in the game. Why not take this further? Someone casts a wind spell, and everyone within range has there clothing and hair whipped about. A weapon skill with an explosive ending sends out a shockwave that kicks up debrie and jostles loose items, hair, and clothing. Cause and effect, adding to immersion.

2. Better use of lighting. Fire spells don't seem hot. Add better lighting effects to weapon skill and spell effects so that the plume of flame or spark of electricity feels like it's really there. DirectX 9 is easily capable of this.

3. Variety, variety, variety. One animation for 5 different weapons skills; not worthy of "next-gen" stature. One animation and visual effect for the casting of EVERY spell in the game regardless of magical class, tier, or weapon used; abysmally unworthy of "next-gen" stature. Please, add variety to these things. Every weapon skill animation and resulting visual effect should be unique and of its own. Each class of magic should have a different casting animation and visual effect. Heck, why not get creative and inspiring? How about, each class and tier of spell have it's own unique casting animation and effect. Why not even add some variation between casting animation and visual effect when using a wand, cane, radical, scepter.. and so on. Why not aspire to blow our minds, instead of giving us the same old dog and pony show.

4. Magic should be, well... magical. All magical and weapon skill visual effects and sound effect in the game, so far, seem lackluster. What's worse, they seem lackluster in comparrison to FFXI, an 8 year old aging last-gen MMO. That's a terrible thing for a Final Fantasy fan to have to admit. What could help this? Better visual design, sure. More artistic consideration, you bet. Better partical effects, yes please. More dynamic and advanced lighting of spell effects, absolutely. Eventual upgrade to DirectX 11 for PC players, enabling Next-gen elements such as volumetric objects (clouds, particles), go for it. There is so much that could be done, go all out.

Please, work hard to fix casting, magic, and weapon skill visual effects in Final Fantasy XIV. We know there are core game mechanics that need fixing, and those should come first. But, please, don't put this off too long. Magic is a huge part of what made the Final Fantasy franchise so unique and enjoyable. It must not be left in this state, or anything remotely similar.

[Shikyo]

The vast majority of animations are lackluster not just casting/spell ones.

i agree all skills melee and spells have very little flair at all its not the most important fix thats needed in the game but with a game that has such beautiful visuals u would expect more in this area

[Duuude007]

Theres lackluster, and then there's no animation at all. Perfect examples: Raise & Resurrect. Id wager 70% + people missed the first several res's they received because they were waiting for something like the phoenix down animation, or something to that effect.

[Keith_Dragoon]

I like the casting animations, darkening of the screen flaming glowy hands but the cast itself just brings out the tears. I would however enjoy a lil more glowy particles or more character motion while casting.

Melee animations are just bad, i played gladiator, pugilist and lancer in the betas and i cried more. >.>

[Aravou]

Theres lackluster, and then there's no animation at all. Perfect examples: Raise & Resurrect. Id wager 70% + people missed the first several res's they received because they were waiting for something like the phoenix down animation, or something to that effect.

Excelent example of how unfinished the game truly is. Raise and Resurrect need an actual spell effect, because there is none at all. It's abysmal.