Climbing in ARR - Ladders, Rock/Ivy Walls

[Kafeen]

Cost of building new animations.
As YoshiP mentioned in the interviews that the cost to build new animations/motions are high and also there may be PS3 memory limitations to add in more animations.

SE always complain about memory limitations on the consoles but usually in the strangest of places. We had it on FFXI with inventory and mog house space and here with animations. Animation files are pretty small in comparison with other visual assets. If they're really that low on memory we can say good bye to being able to have any new models for weapons or armour and definatly no new textures so more equipment at all. I can't see this happening. We're going to get new equipment, new mobs, etc. All of these use much more memory than animations, especially the mobs since they'll have new animations of their own, and model data, textures, particle effects for attacks, sounds effects, etc.

There will be time constrains to adding additional animations and they may consider it less worthwhile to add new emotions because they are a purely visual aspect and add nothing to gameplay.

While climbing up/down/across how to handle if during battle? Wouldn't players try to use this feature as advantage to battles?
It's possible the players can use this feature to avoid getting hit from mobs while in battle.

My solution would be to not allow climbing while you are being targeted by a mob. If you're in a party, those party members that have the target will be the ones who can't climb. But say for others like WHM, if you cure or something you will be added in the hate list so it will also not allow them to climb during the duration of the fight. But at the same time I also feel like for example, archers, they should be able to shoot at mobs from the other side of the ledge, or from the top so restricting too much would cause problems imo.

That would be one way. Another could be to allow people to climb during combat as part of the strategy but allow mobs to chase if they need to. Players could be knocked off walls they're climbing, maybe even the monsters too.

What if you press 'jump' button by mistake while climbing?
Dev's could either lock the jump key while you're climbing OR if they are going to add damage values when you fall it may be good to leave it alone. But there will be people who will press jump by mistake so they need to come up with something for sure imo.

Plenty of other games allow you jump off walls as you're climbing so that could be an option. Otherwise just lock out jump if for some reason it doesn't work well.

What if you're on a mount?
I would just say, they need to get off first. Being able to go up/down/across with mount would just increase more work for devs to create those animations.

I agree. While some climbing mounts could work I think its better that you need to be unmounted to climb.

Climbing is something I'd like to see along with other moment features such as swimming and vaulting over small walls/fences. Given that we're only now getting the ability to jump, I can't see it happening though.

I think my climbing while fighting large monsters will have to be kept to Monster Hunter.