@ZOS, Animations

Lynx7386

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears to me that all of the animations in this game were created using a 3d program to create skeleton animation sets, rather than by using motion capture technology. The result, no matter how good your animators may be, is a collection of stiff, un-lifelike animations that really hinder the feel of the game.

1.6 was supposed to correct some animation issues, and from what I've seen that is far from the case. We've got a couple of new stances that arent half bad (loving the resto staff idle stance), but other than that the look and feel of combat is largely unchanged, and definitely not improved over what we have now. Some people are even claiming that combat feedback is worse for them than it was on live.


We've got beautiful environments, awesome voice acting, and well written quests and story lines in this game, but putting all of that with stick figure animations is like getting preschoolers to act out shakespear.

ZOS, PLEASE get on the ball here. Hire some motion capture guys and get us some proper animations. I am sick and tired of my characters, who have become masters of their chosen weapon styles, looking like fresh recruits who have never swung a blade in their lives. The combat animations in this game are horrid - they're clumsy, stiff, and do not lend well to the rest of the atmosphere you've created.


Beyond the fact that combat animations need a complete overhaul just for quality's sake, there's also the issue that you've clumped numerous types of weapons (weapons that are meant to be used in completely different ways, I might add) into the same animation sets. If my character wields a greatsword, he swings it exactly the same with each attack as he would with a maul or a battleaxe. If my character wields a dagger, he wields it just as if he were wielding a mace or axe or sword (or the opposite, in many cases).

There are so many situations in the game right now where the animation of an attack does not correspond to the weapon you're wielding, and that absolutely needs to change. Using puncture with a blunt-headed mace or axe should not 'stab' the target as you would with a sword or dagger; instead change it to a proper smashing or slicing blow. Using wrecking blow should not be an underhanded swing with a maul or battleaxe, it should come from above to utilize the mass of the weapon in the attack. Using flurry with maces or axes should not be a series of stabs with the blunt top end of the weapon.

You need to create and assign a unique set of animations to each weapon type for the abilities. Three characters using different 2handed weapons (maul, greatsword, and battleaxe) should move in completely different ways when attacking in combat: The greatsword is designed for stabbing and slicing, the axe for chopping, the maul for crushing.

Stop taking half measures and fix the problem, please.

Aren_Liore

100% this ^^

Dreamo84

Maybe you should stop making your character try and stab people with a mace!

That's the freedom of ESO! You can stab people with a mace, if you want. Personally, I always use swords cause I don't like to stab people with maces.

ChemicalVelvet

I do like some of the new idle stances now, but the other thing I've noticed is that we went from six or seven different kinds of normal swings on both Sword&Board and Two-Handed down to strictly two swing animations.

Also, one of the bigger animations I never quite liked since beta is the stiff-back sprinting animation which I see was left unchanged. There's a lot of new jogging animations to coincide with the new idle stances, however, every sprinting animation goes back to the normal sprint we have now which looks even more awkward with the change in jogs.

XaricAduna

2h axes need a rework. You dont hold an axe like a sword you use the full length of the handle at the moment battle axes just look shockingly bad

Craven_Killmore

I agree, motion capture should have been used, isn't it the standard these days ? especially if you are spending millions on game development.

Vil

Another agree from me!
Animations in this game have always felt somewhat lacking. Could it be due to performance limitations?

Rune_Relic

Vil wrote: »

Another agree from me!
Animations in this game have always felt somewhat lacking. Could it be due to performance limitations?

Server dont give a damn about what cientside animation you want to run.
There is no extra traffic using a different animation...just extra work to create it.

Problem would probably be time constraint.
Console is priority. We are 2nd class citizens now.
There is only so many manhours to allocate.

TheLaw

They no longer have the resources to pay for motion capture.