Character animations

[Zaireeka2025]

GW2 is the most terrible example for animations, graphics and natural movement.. and character proportions. . you cant be serious.

Lalafell animations more relastic than -> Asura animations.. that been said.

I don't believe anybody is comparing GW2 animation quality to FFXIV 1.0. I think its super obvious FFXIV takes the cake on animation (duh). Nobody is asking for GW2 animation. What is being stated is that GW2 has been able to pull off having start/stop/land animations without any problems to gameplay. If GW2 can do it, so can ARR.

As for default walking backwards controls, I'm not against it. But please don't take out those beautifully fluid animation cues I'm so in love with!

[kazaran]

It's still possible we ae seen aspects rendered that do not contain all animations.

However feedback and complaints is what SE waits for. That's how they bring what fans want, and without they will focus on what they get.

They work their butts off an so many aspects to remake the tile as fast as they can. Get tunnel vision, and need clear eyes to see things they may not so they can work on it. (hince alpha) then Beta to polish.

[Tonkra]

They work their butts off an so many aspects to remake the tile as fast as they can. Get tunnel vision, and need clear eyes to see things they may not so they can work on it. (hince alpha) then Beta to polish.

well hopefully they're going to invite better beta testers than in the last beta phase <.<

[Mijin]

It seems OP is upset over the "looks" of the motions. The cosmetic value of character animation in this game is something I care so little about it's almost immeasurable. As far as the actual functionality, when I first tried ffxiv I was greatly annoyed by how awful the control of your character was compared to ffxi. I've long since grown accustom to it, but I fully support their decision to improve the control we have over our character's motions. When the devs make an idiotic decision I'm always one of the first to criticize, but this isn't one of them.

[Jocko]

It seems OP is upset over the "looks" of the motions. The cosmetic value of character animation in this game is something I care so little about it's almost immeasurable. As far as the actual functionality, when I first tried ffxiv I was greatly annoyed by how awful the control of your character was compared to ffxi. I've long since grown accustom to it, but I fully support their decision to improve the control we have over our character's motions. When the devs make an idiotic decision I'm always one of the first to criticize, but this isn't one of them.

No, it's not simply the look, it's the feel and weight. It fit the aesthetic, it fit the pace, and it fit the gameplay

As much as people seem adamant on denying it, games are more than just 'gameplay'. The sights and sounds, the feel and artistic integrity can greatly affect how you perceive a game. It all comes together to create an experience, and I'd rather that experience be fresh than one akin to something I'm already paying to play somewhere else. XIV had issues, no doubt, but why not build, fix and improve upon it's unique structure rather than throw it all out?

[Meta]

Two things to keep in mind:

1. All video footage that we have seen so far is running at <= 30 FPS (however, that does not forgive some of the "laggy" choppiness of characters skipping from one point to another, as seen in the newest trailer)

2. There is no motion blur.

Hence, it currently looks like ass, but running the game on a decent rig at 60+ FPS and/or adding motion blur should be more than enough to make ARR buttery smooth.

[Jouten]

I sort of see what the OP means. The characters in the game lost that since of weight to them when they move. Like when they turn they don't lean or when they stop to move to another direction, they aren't shifting their weight. If you've played Monster Hunter you'd understand. Motion Blur and a low FPS wouldn't remove that feel. Now everything sort of feels static as though I was playing another MMO. Even though yes animation lock is retarded, this is not a 3 second animation, it's a sense of movement and weight; that every turn you make looks as though it took effort and not something robotic.

BUT this probably needs to happen since they are streamlining the game to fit other MMO's. Again as MH Frontier as an example, it is wonky as hell to control with a mouse and keyboard but perfect for a controller. Most MMO's don't focus their gameplay around the controller but FFXIV 1.0 sort of did. As much as I loved the "movement" of 1.0, I see the reason to why they would have to get rid of it.

[Dannythm]

I thought the characters animations on the trailer were.... well, pretty bad compared to what we have now, but at the same time it felt like the animation lock was still there.

Even though I don't think the problem on v1.xx was the animation lock, but the lag that don't really let you react in time.

Still I think the solution for keeping the weight and realism of the characters after performing actions can be dealt without animation locks: Just add more movement animations like rolls or whatever movements you cold do after performing an action and want to move the hell away, we are warriors and we are heavily trained, our characters should be able to do this:

Simple martial arts rolls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h--81cAk1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4K_OyUlcVU

Parkour Rolling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4g0PeLVKT4

So imagine you are performing a dragoon jump and want to get the hell away because you see the ifrit cracks appearing and you are pressing the left key, the dragoon could roll to the left while landing instead of just standing there and then reacting and moving to the left.

Just an idea.

[Atoli]

Still I think the solution for keeping the weight and realism of the characters after performing actions can be dealt without animation locks: Just add more movement animations like rolls or whatever movements you cold do after performing an action and want to move the hell away, we are warriors and we are heavily trained, our characters should be able to do this

I think that's a great idea.
Would stop the animation lock problem while still maintaining the beautiful and realistic movements most came to like on their characters
Maybe I'm the only person who feels this way but seeing the new trailer shocked me a bit - seeing the characters move as unnatural as they do in other MMORPGs felt horrible.
It was a "Oh, so FFXIV is becoming the SAME as them"-feeling. Characters having actual weight was one of the little things which made me go back to FFXIV over the past 2 years whenever I tried out other MMOs because it gave me the feeling of really being IN this game not just moving around a few pixels.
But I totally understand that others don't appreciate that as much as I do so Danny's idea would provide a great way of making both groups of people happy

[Dannythm]

I think that's a great idea.
Would stop the animation lock problem while still maintaining the beautiful and realistic movements most came to like on their characters
Maybe I'm the only person who feels this way but seeing the new trailer shocked me a bit - seeing the characters move as unnatural as they do in other MMORPGs felt horrible.
It was a "Oh, so FFXIV is becoming the SAME as them"-feeling. Characters having actual weight was one of the little things which made me go back to FFXIV over the past 2 years whenever I tried out other MMOs because it gave me the feeling of really being IN this game not just moving around a few pixels.
But I totally understand that others don't appreciate that as much as I do so Danny's idea would provide a great way of making both groups of people happy

Thanks! I thought nobody would read/like my idea =P. I really think it would be possible to do it just by adding a few animations to each job/race whatever and including the code on where they are viable to activate.

But we don't know if SE has anything planned on this regard, I mean they said hey will get away with the animation lock, but they didn't say how they are doing that. I hope it's not just making it feel like any other MMO out there.... that would felt terrible for this game.

We will have to wait and see.