Animation Lock: Why don't you like it?

[KaiTBF]

snippity.

This. What animation lock does is force you to learn about your enemies and read the flow of battle. It does keep combat from flowing completely, you're right, but combat isn't supposed to just flow in a game like this. Combat should be more like an ocean, with waves rushing out, then receding. Combat that simply flows is a one sided beat-down; it's the assassins creed 1 man army style of combat. What we want in an mmo with giant bosses is an ebb and flow, we want the player/party to trade blows with the boss: back, and forth, attacks, and counterattacks. Combat with animation lock is, and has always been about taking a risk by committing to an action.It forces tactical decisions (don't even try to bring up that "it's not tactical it's just stupid" argument again, choosing when to commit to an offense and when to hold back with a retreat prepared is one of the most fundamental parts of tactics) and I think that makes the combat far more interesting.

The point we've been trying to make here is that animation lock isn't inherently evil, it's not just an aesthetic, and it's not the bane of good combat. It's just another way to set the rhythm of combat, and punish people for acting without thinking. It's no different than having depleting resources like tp or mp: no different than cool downs. It's just another limiter that keeps combat from becoming mindless. I think SE probably just cut it for the sake of cutting it, but the decision was made and doubt they'll go back on it. I'll eagerly await being amazed or disappointed with how they handled combat.

[SkyeWindbinder]

Okay, you know what? Some people are going to be of the opinion that animation lock sucked. Others will be of the opinion that animation lock was fine, and that lag was the problem, or the player's "inability to time skill casts" was the problem. I doubt opinions will change on either side. What matters is that the devs have decided that it's got to go. Which means one of three things...

1. The devs believe that animation lock is stupid, just like many of the players do.

2. Enough of the players have complained about it so it's out of here, at least a vast majority over those who don't mind animation lock, so the devs have taken notice and decided to remove it.

3. 1 and 2

Either way, it would seem most of the players wanted it gone, and the devs have not disagreed with this. So it's gone. Animation lock is dead. Finished. Annihilated. Eradicated. The end. Getting into heated arguments about it really won't change that, either.

[Warlock]

Okay, you know what? Some people are going to be of the opinion that animation lock sucked. Others will be of the opinion that animation lock was fine, and that lag was the problem, or the player's "inability to time skill casts" was the problem. I doubt opinions will change on either side. What matters is that the devs have decided that it's got to go. Which means one of three things...

1. The devs believe that animation lock is stupid, just like many of the players do.

2. Enough of the players have complained about it so it's out of here, at least a vast majority over those who don't mind animation lock, so the devs have taken notice and decided to remove it.

3. 1 and 2

Either way, it would seem most of the players wanted it gone, and the devs have not disagreed with this. So it's gone. Animation lock is dead. Finished. Annihilated. Eradicated. The end. Getting into heated arguments about it really won't change that, either.

Its such a chore to keep reminding these guys such simple facts...but they will insist in whine and complain

[Niqote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb9BF50bPyA

A video made by a LSmate of mine.

As you can see, your own view (on the right) is of fluid movement, but the server does not see it that way (on the left). THIS is the reason it was more difficult to dodge those cracks and why when you were very clearly out of the way of danger you still got hit.

As I said; Animation lock would have hardly been a problem as it directly relates to skill and timing. Fighting Latency like this with animation lock though was difficult to understand and therefore combat.

I don't believe that animation lock or global cool down are inferior to each other. Each has it's good and bad points but in the end it is how they are developed that make them better for THIS MMO or not.

As it stands the GCD is only seen till lvl 20 (we lack cool down reduction skills under 20) and they have already stated it is too long, so we know they are as unhappy with it as many of us are.

And while for now I hate GCD, I am hopefully it will be developed to a point where I can accept it and not have the boring button mash that others are expressing GCD will make FFXIV combat become.

[Alhanelem]

"Animation lock" is HUGE in a fighting game.

Not any fighting game I've ever played. In every fighting game I've ever played, few animations last more than like half a second. In FFXIV 1.0, many animations took several seconds yet you still need to make split second decisions in many cases. Animation lock at best has no impact on gameplay, and at worst hurts it immensely. if it's not making the gameplay worse, I'm not going to kick and scream and demand that it be removed, but i'm sure as hell not going to ask for it to be put in if it's not there already. FFXIV is an example of animation lock making the game worse.

So you're basically complaining that you died because you got punished for doing a skill at the wrong time, ignoring the dangers of the enemy?

No. I'm complaing that a course of action that SHOULD BE POSSIBLE is NOT, purely because your character is frozen in place for an unrealistic period of time when, if you were that character in real life, you would be able to move a lot sooner.

What you're saying is that I should learn to live with the animation lock and plan my behavior around it accordingly- What I'm saying is that the animation lock shouldn't exist and that I should plan my behavior around it NOT existing, because it is a poor mechanic that improves the prettiness of the game slightly while drastically slowing the game down for no good reason. Animation lock does not make the game more fun or interesting, or more challenging in a good way.

Adding challenge is not a bad thing, but there are good ways and bad ways to add challenge. Dysfunctional mechanics that limit the control you have over your character are not good ways to add challenge. It's like taking the keyboard/controller away from me for a few seconds every time I perform an action.

In general, disabling effects are the least fun way to add challenge. You expect an enemy to have disabling attacks though- what you DON'T expect is that every single thing you do disables you, when the enemy is not subject to that limitation. Enemies were NOT subject to animation lock- They could do whatever the hell they wanted, because they were being controlled by a server system, and the servers do not render the graphics, therefore do not render the animations, therefore do not experience animation lock. How anyone can possibly think that this is a reasonable, balanced, fair mechanic is beyond me.

animation lock has no beneficial effects on gameplay. it serves ONLY to improve the aesthetics of character animations. Graphics should never, ever come before gameplay, in my not so humble opinion.

Animation lock was particularly bad on FFXI, because even your allies could unintentionally lock you in place by casting cures and buffs on you. If you were not moving at the time the spell animation started playing, you could not move at all until it was over. However, if you WERE moving at the time, you were not affected. Someone tell me how that makes any sense at all?

[Nayito]

what Niqote is saying, is what i tried to point out with this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...WsAqDsw#t=240s
you can see that with very little lag that JP players had no problem avoiding that second erruption that it would have hit most players in the US and EU

[Vmage]

I don't like it because this isn't an action game. It has no place here. TERA sure. but here? I'd rather see animation locks removed entirely and reduce the time you have to move to safety from boss attacks by a few seconds. Requiring quick reflexes I don't mind, losing control of my character I do mind.

and as far as immersion, if I'm standing here poking some badass demon looking guy, and I wind up some big attack when all of a sudden the ground below me starts glowing, I'm going to run away, not stand there and finish my wind up. - I wouldn't mind the locks so much if there was a way to cancel the ability to break it early.

[Alhanelem]

Requiring quick reflexes I don't mind, losing control of my character I do mind.

DING DING DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!

[Seirra_Lanzce]

pffft, you only loose control of your character if you do not control it properly. is a contradiction of one and another.

This thread fighting of between two is really funny.

Yes Animation Lock plays a major role in how fun a game can be, Look at DotA where PVP is major at. Every move you make have animation lock and speed, is a cruscial point of the game to have this for a Challenge.

Saying Animation Lock is for aesthetic is a far cry and dumb.

Do i care if they remove it? no problem, go ahead. I can just go play games like Monster Hunter Online and the rest of other games that use Animation lock, because it give a sense of dangerous game play that need proper timing, than the so called "spamfest" games.

If FFXIV chose that way, i will not object it. There literally many games use this and is fun.

TERA is fun too in PvP, with ANIMATION LOCK.

Suck to those kiddies that can't "time" their attack.


I am very sad of their decision, but is ok, is still going to be a fun game anyway.

This goes one thing about bad of YoshiP to me, that he doesn't have that sense of PvP danger at all then. but the i understand also why he chose to remove it. the freaking MENTALITY of WESTERNERS KIDDIES THAT WANT A FREAKING NON-ANNOYING GAME.

Go figures.

[Alhanelem]

pffft, you only loose control of your character if you do not control it properly. is a contradiction of one and another.

So how do I control my character properly in order to not ever get frozen in place when I use a spell or ability?

Yeah, that's right. There was no way. It has nothing to do with "controlling your character properly." Animation lock is not something you can prevent from happening with skillful play. It happens whether you're awesome or you suck.

Yes, after you get used to it and adjust to its crap factor, you can minimize the impact that it has on your gameplay, but it still has an impact and it still sucks even after you've polished your 'skillz" to the max, because it's not something that you can prevent from happening.

Saying Animation Lock is for aesthetic is a far cry and dumb.

It's not "dumb." it's a fact, not a "far cry." The animation lock exists so that animations play fully so the game looks nicer. It is not put in as a mechanism to enhance gameplay.