Animation Lock: Why don't you like it?

[Meta]

I could go for a compromise - cheaper, less-powerful skills have a shorter recovery time while flashier, high-powered attacks might lock you into place for a third to a half a second longer.

Regardless, only concern regarding this topic is the sliding. If SE could somehow creatively incorporate sliding/gliding as an intended aesthetic, I wouldn't mind it so much, but I don't think the fanbase is going to be happy with Advent Children/Dissidia air-dashes or DBZ-style levitation. Jehuty-skating, maybe?

[KaiTBF]

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.

Just as a heads up, everything I say regarding animation lock applies only to weaponskills. Casting is fine without animation lock since it cancels when you move anyhow. I wouldn't be against a similar system for weaponskills, a straight cancel would let you move if you had to but force you to abandon your damage. SE would have to calculate damage after the animation finished though, and I wouldn't be surprised if that turned into an issue.

I'll agree the spear throw thing looks fine, what I'm concerned for is the flashy things like chaos thrust, dragon kick, simian thrash, etc. where moving in the middle of the animation would look terribly awkward.

I could go for a compromise - cheaper, less-powerful skills have a shorter recovery time while flashier, high-powered attacks might lock you into place for a third to a half a second longer.

Regardless, only concern regarding this topic is the sliding. If SE could somehow creatively incorporate sliding/gliding as an intended aesthetic, I wouldn't mind it so much, but I don't think the fanbase is going to be happy with Advent Children/Dissidia air-dashes or DBZ-style levitation. Jehuty-skating, maybe?

A compromise would be nice to see. I'm afraid I can't offer any suggestions for the sliding though.

[Gramul]

Animation lock is bad.
Removing animation in general is also bad.
Cancel to blend animation is a much better solution.

[AmyNeudaiz]

Animation lock is bad.
Removing animation in general is also bad.
Cancel to blend animation is a much better solution.

Animation lock doesn't have to be bad. It can be well done. Casting doesn't need it and nor do buffs but weaponskills should have it. Would it be as bad as 1.0? No.

[Warlock]

Animation lock doesn't have to be bad. It can be well done. Casting doesn't need it and nor do buffs but weaponskills should have it. Would it be as bad as 1.0? No.

It's sole purpose is to be bad... it is a lost case...lock will always be EVIL

[Gramul]

It's sole purpose is to be bad... it is a lost case...lock will always be EVIL

It's actually fine for stuff like non action oriented games like turn based strategies. Sometimes an animation needs to complete a cycle for full effect. It's not evil, it's just a tool that's been used in the wrong place.

[KaiTBF]

It's actually fine for stuff like non action oriented games like turn based strategies. Sometimes an animation needs to complete a cycle for full effect. It's not evil, it's just a tool that's been used in the wrong place.

It's fine in action games too, look at combat in a game like Vindictus and you'll see what I mean. You're locked into the animation for your attacks but it still manages to be fast paced, high action combat. Animation lock just forces you to chose when to run and when to commit to the offensive.

[BruceyBruceyBangBang]

Animation lock is gone. Deal with it. Also, on the "sliding around not looking natural" part, the developers have said on a couple of occasions that they don't like it either. So, stop whining and wait for them to finish their animations and make them look more natural.

[SkyeWindbinder]

Animation lock is gone. Deal with it. Also, on the "sliding around not looking natural" part, the developers have said on a couple of occasions that they don't like it either. So, stop whining and wait for them to finish their animations and make them look more natural.

^^This.

Face it, nobody really wants animation lock. It's stupid, well, at least the majority of people who've dealt with it think it's stupid. Including the developers. So it's outta here. Gone. Done. Over. Animation lock just got This is Sparta'd. And I couldn't be happier!

[Niqote]

The animation lock actually was not too bad.

It's the combination of disgraceful latency AND animation lock that was a nightmare.

At least with only animation lock you know 'I screwed up here and locked myself...but I can improve on that and learn better' But when you have sometimes fluctuating latency, it both confuses and irritates... and you blame or vocalize the thing right in front of you, in this case many blamed the animation lock.

I hate the global cool down, mostly because (as we have seen in the video footage) it cools down everything rather then a category. Why should a DD spell put healing spells into cool down? Ridiculous.