Quote Originally Posted by Brannigan View Post
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.