Animation Lock: Why don't you like it?

[Alhanelem]

Aesthetics that get in the way of good gameplay are aesthetics I can do without.

[KaiTBF]

Aesthetics that get in the way of good gameplay are aesthetics I can do without.

Good gameplay with unfitting aesthetics is no better for many of us. A balance has to be found if you intend to make a good game.

[Yrusama]

Good gameplay with unfitting aesthetics is no better for many of us. A balance has to be found if you intend to make a good game.

Most of the animations I saw from the alpha videos looked fine. I think many of the LNC combos in particular were quick enough that I didn't really notice any sliding. The spear throw move in particular is a great example, as the character does a full-body leap as he performs the throw. It would look great if the character were charging the enemy. So it's a matter of animating the characters in such a way that they don't appear to slide.

As for spells, I'm pretty sure they cancel when the player tries to move. This was a decisive change to 1.0's system for mages, and I'm sure they will leave it that way.

[Alhanelem]

Good gameplay with unfitting aesthetics is no better for many of us. A balance has to be found if you intend to make a good game.

I haven't seen any "unfitting" aesthetics. When I do, I'll agree with you. Breaking animations in order to prevent forced delays in game input is an appropriate gameplay sacrifice. Animation blending to be implemented in the beta should alleviate any issues. This is the only extent to which the balance you desire will be struck. If animation lock were to exist I would be demanding that they make the animations faster so it doesn't slow the game down or impede the control of my character.

The game will be perfectly "good" whether or not there is animation lock. I do not measure the "good' value of a fantasy game by how realistic the animations are. I measure the good value of a game by how strong its actual gameplay is, as that's what actually defines the game.

Animation lock doesn't have to be bad. It can be well done.

No, sorry, animation lock is always bad. it should awlays be minimized via animation blending, or not exist at all.

[Klefth]

Aesthetics that get in the way of good gameplay are aesthetics I can do without.

If I wanted that, though, I'd be playing WoW (though the good gameplay part there, at least imo, would be very questionable).

[Alhanelem]

If I wanted that, though, I'd be playing WoW (though the good gameplay part there, at least imo, would be very questionable).

No animation lock doesn't instantly mean good gameplay. But animation lock certainly doesn't improve gameplay.

In real life you don't have to wait for your "naimations' to finish- One is capable of interrupting one's physical motions, or at least bringing them to a stop quickly if the need arises. Animation lock is an arbitrary 'sorry, you can't do this until i finish waving my arms around'. It's almost like your character is disobeying you.

[Klefth]

No animation lock doesn't instantly mean good gameplay. But animation lock certainly doesn't improve gameplay.

In real life you don't have to wait for your "naimations' to finish- One is capable of interrupting one's physical motions, or at least bringing them to a stop quickly if the need arises. Animation lock is an arbitrary 'sorry, you can't do this until i finish waving my arms around'. It's almost like your character is disobeying you.

I meant the "sacrificing anything aesthetic in favor of 'good gameplay'" part of your last post. If the gameplay is smooth but the game ends up looking like generic trash, it'll get boring in no time for me and surely many others. You know, like the world's greatest MMO of all time. The one I couldn't bear for more than one day.

Hmmm lol even intense MOBA DotA has animation lock.

This. It is a way to punish you if you time your skills wrong, too. You have to commit to your actions, and deal with the consequences of them, not just mindlessly spam your stuff whenever it's ready to use.

[Issachar]

1.0 WS processing:
[START] Click WS -> instruction sent to server -> damage algorithm processed and damage dealt -> server instruction sent back -> WS animation activates and log updated [END]

This is why animation lock sucks.

2.0/ARR WS processing:
[START] Click WS -> clientside sees if conditions are met -> WS animation activates [END]

Meanwhile, behind the scenes...

(if clientside conditions are met) -> instruction sent to server -> damage algorithm processed and damage dealt -> server instruction sent back -> log updated [END]


These two paths happen simultaneously when the button is clicked. Combine it with a non-locking animation, and it just works out much better than before.

If ARR were to use animation locks combined with the branching process tree that they introduced, it'd still work much better than 1.0's.

[Messenger]

Animation lock is okay, thanks to that i was forced to be cautious and timed my skill activation effectively. Not sure about you guys but this adds challenge to my personal gameplay. For those who complains that it sucks, they are probably the ones who like just to sit down, relax and spam their attacks to kill the boss faster. Next thing they know, theyr probably complaining how the game is boring that there arent any tactics to it :P

[SkyeWindbinder]

Animation lock sucked, imo.

There are better ways to make a battle challenging and prevent skill spamming than rooting a person in place while a spell casts. It was obnoxious, and I say good riddance to it in ARR.