RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »"Base Game Patch Features & Content
---> Prioritization of animations during combat <---
Improved facial animations for Mac
…and more!"
did anyone else see that and think "WAIT THEY FINALLY ACCEPT ANIMATION CANCELLING IS BAD!" ?
Source: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2016/01/20/thieves-guild-first-look
Well they did tell us awhile back that they were looking into ways make combat fluid and at the same time do away with Animation Canceling. This is probably the first step in that direction.
Now before anyone goes on their tirade about "Oh Animation Canceling adds skill to the game" or "Animation Canceling is not good or bad" "Or its an intended feature" etc...is missing the point completely:
Any game the requires me to cancel animations to complete content is fundamentally broken
Animation Canceling at its core violates the The Principles of User Interface Design.
In particular Animation Canceling Violates rule ##4 of the Principles of User Interface Design which states:
- The feedback principle: The design should keep users informed of actions or interpretations, changes of state or condition, and errors or exceptions that are relevant and of interest to the user through clear, concise, and unambiguous language familiar to users.
Using the Default Interface of ESO Animation canceling violates this principle.
ESO's Default interface relies on giving accurate feedback to the user with animations, ]when those animations can be hidden, obscured, or canceled it makes the program difficult and cumbersome for its users in essence these principles which has been the accepted industry standard for user interface designs tells you that Animation Canceling is broken and don't belong in this game. The game IS a User Interface, it allows you to interact with a program , thats what a User Interface is, a game is just a "fun UI"
(Not everyone does nor should be required to run addons and addons are no where listed in the system requirements to run the game)
The User Interface of ESO should be designed with the Default UI in mind and Animation Canceling does not fit and violates UI design rules by allowing people to hide animations which are deisnged to give the user of the game accurate feedback. No one should be required to run addons to know what just happened when someone AC an attack and 2 skills, anything the user can't figure out with the default interface is fundamentally flawed and broken.
So at this point, its clear that Animation Canceling is just a broken feature of ESO they have never gotten around to fixing. Its not even debatable at this point, AC breaks the industry accepted standards of user interface design, arguing this otherwise would get you laughed out of any Software Engineering conference in the country....User Interfaces that are designed correctly DO NOT hide nor have the ability to hide useful, pertinent, important information from its users...its not even a debatable point.
I personally hope they leave AC in the game as is, as i use it religiously to hide animations, AC Crushy Shock weaves, etc...it makes my game life easier at times, but looking at it clearly from a design perspective its clearly broken...the Game is DESIGNED around feeback being given to its users via animations, canceling those animations breaks that feedback mechanism, its really only broken in PVP though, in PVE it really don't break anything per se, but PVP folks use AC as a form of ofusication to hide their abilties while still hitting you, tactics like this has been going on as long as games have been around in one form another.
I often use Boundless Storm to hide my Crystal Fragment procs, really hard to see my hands glowing under those conditions, thats actually another form of obfuscation thats doing the same thing Animation canceling does(hiding visual feedback from your oppoenent) just doing it in a different way.
RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »We're not removing combat or spell weaving from the game, but improving the animations during combat so you'll be able to clearly see an ability's impact on you.
We'll have a hefty thread for this to gather feedback once the update is available on the PTS, and will be getting into the exact details of these improvements soon.
@ZOS_GinaBruno
After my long wall of text, jsut an FYI I have no problem with Animation Canceling itself, im just pointing out the issue that the UI for the game doesn't support it and thats a big source of alot of complaints about people saying they are hit by 4 attacks at once, etc....because the Game Default UI feedback mechanism(animations) are being obscured from its users in PVP.
I want you to keep Animation Canceling in the game, but im hoping you guys and gals will update the game's user interface to support that feature such as a combat log, some scrolling numbers, and perhaps even some colors or some sort of visual feedback that the person can see a heavy attack even if the animation itself is canceled.
longstory short, update the default UI to support it.thanks again!
Fighting games have, since time immemorial, required the careful timing of abilities in rapid succession to generate high damage output. With that said, in all the fighting games I've played, you could still see enough of the animation go off to know what was hitting you. It seems to me, however, that nobody here is demanding that the obfuscation stays (in as much as it even exists to begin with), they only care about the timing and damage output. Now, in my experience, other than a laggy fight, all animations play adequately enough to let me know what's going on, even "canceled" animations. That might be something that only higher-level players are capable of picking out, but if you aren't a high-level player then you don't really need to worry about completing or competing in high-end content anyway. If the new animation changes add even more transparency regarding what attacks are going off, then that's cool! Nothing wrong with that! I dare say it would even be good overall. But the system as is stands is not as bad as you're making it out to be.
r.jan_emailb16_ESO wrote: »RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »We're not removing combat or spell weaving from the game, but improving the animations during combat so you'll be able to clearly see an ability's impact on you.
We'll have a hefty thread for this to gather feedback once the update is available on the PTS, and will be getting into the exact details of these improvements soon.
@ZOS_GinaBruno
After my long wall of text, jsut an FYI I have no problem with Animation Canceling itself, im just pointing out the issue that the UI for the game doesn't support it and thats a big source of alot of complaints about people saying they are hit by 4 attacks at once, etc....because the Game Default UI feedback mechanism(animations) are being obscured from its users in PVP.
I want you to keep Animation Canceling in the game, but im hoping you guys and gals will update the game's user interface to support that feature such as a combat log, some scrolling numbers, and perhaps even some colors or some sort of visual feedback that the person can see a heavy attack even if the animation itself is canceled.
longstory short, update the default UI to support it.thanks again!
Isn't that exactly what is going to happen with the integration of scrolling combat text into the default UI?
RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »
Fighting games have, since time immemorial, required the careful timing of abilities in rapid succession to generate high damage output. With that said, in all the fighting games I've played, you could still see enough of the animation go off to know what was hitting you. It seems to me, however, that nobody here is demanding that the obfuscation stays (in as much as it even exists to begin with), they only care about the timing and damage output. Now, in my experience, other than a laggy fight, all animations play adequately enough to let me know what's going on, even "canceled" animations. That might be something that only higher-level players are capable of picking out, but if you aren't a high-level player then you don't really need to worry about completing or competing in high-end content anyway. If the new animation changes add even more transparency regarding what attacks are going off, then that's cool! Nothing wrong with that! I dare say it would even be good overall. But the system as is stands is not as bad as you're making it out to be.
I didn't say i want AC gone, i just want better visual feedback.
This is the best example I can give you (AFAIK this is still possible a PVE buddy of mines uses this method to pull DPS in PVE)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NH4-O9Fogo
My buddy does it all the time it still works according to him. you can see in that video "when he timed it right" you can't see the Heavy Attack animation at all, all you see is Wrecking Blow yet the Heavy Attack lands. I don't think this kind of obfusication is good for the game. There is multiple times in that example there is no heavy attack animation at all yet you can see the Heavy Attack landing in the combat log numbers on the screen. We just need a better visual feedback mechanism if Animations are going to continue to be canceled thats all. I don't want them removing Animation Canceling from the game, i use it all the time, but im all in favor of UI upgrades that make the feedback more clear and concise
RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »
Fighting games have, since time immemorial, required the careful timing of abilities in rapid succession to generate high damage output. With that said, in all the fighting games I've played, you could still see enough of the animation go off to know what was hitting you. It seems to me, however, that nobody here is demanding that the obfuscation stays (in as much as it even exists to begin with), they only care about the timing and damage output. Now, in my experience, other than a laggy fight, all animations play adequately enough to let me know what's going on, even "canceled" animations. That might be something that only higher-level players are capable of picking out, but if you aren't a high-level player then you don't really need to worry about completing or competing in high-end content anyway. If the new animation changes add even more transparency regarding what attacks are going off, then that's cool! Nothing wrong with that! I dare say it would even be good overall. But the system as is stands is not as bad as you're making it out to be.
I didn't say i want AC gone, i just want better visual feedback.
This is the best example I can give you (AFAIK this is still possible a PVE buddy of mines uses this method to pull DPS in PVE)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NH4-O9Fogo
My buddy does it all the time it still works according to him. you can see in that video "when he timed it right" you can't see the Heavy Attack animation at all, all you see is Wrecking Blow yet the Heavy Attack lands. I don't think this kind of obfusication is good for the game. There is multiple times in that example there is no heavy attack animation at all yet you can see the Heavy Attack landing in the combat log numbers on the screen. We just need a better visual feedback mechanism if Animations are going to continue to be canceled thats all. I don't want them removing Animation Canceling from the game, i use it all the time, but im all in favor of UI upgrades that make the feedback more clear and concise
Ah, my bad, I believe I misinterpreted something you were saying. Glad we're on the same page! As far as the wrecking blow thing specifically, I noticed that while testing the Imperial City update, but all of my guildies said that there was nothing weird going on with my animations, which makes me think this is an entirely client-side bug. I'd still like it fixed (I find it incredibly annoying), but as far as I'm aware, other people that might be on the receiving end of this treatment will be able to see the heavy attack just fine (again, excluding lag issues).
RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »"Base Game Patch Features & Content
---> Prioritization of animations during combat <---
Improved facial animations for Mac
…and more!"
did anyone else see that and think "WAIT THEY FINALLY ACCEPT ANIMATION CANCELLING IS BAD!" ?
Source: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2016/01/20/thieves-guild-first-look
Well they did tell us awhile back that they were looking into ways make combat fluid and at the same time do away with Animation Canceling. This is probably the first step in that direction.
Now before anyone goes on their tirade about "Oh Animation Canceling adds skill to the game" or "Animation Canceling is not good or bad" "Or its an intended feature" etc...is missing the point completely:
Any game the requires me to cancel animations to complete content is fundamentally broken
Animation Canceling at its core violates the The Principles of User Interface Design.
In particular Animation Canceling Violates rule ##4 of the Principles of User Interface Design which states:
- The feedback principle: The design should keep users informed of actions or interpretations, changes of state or condition, and errors or exceptions that are relevant and of interest to the user through clear, concise, and unambiguous language familiar to users.
Using the Default Interface of ESO Animation canceling violates this principle.
ESO's Default interface relies on giving accurate feedback to the user with animations, ]when those animations can be hidden, obscured, or canceled it makes the program difficult and cumbersome for its users in essence these principles which has been the accepted industry standard for user interface designs tells you that Animation Canceling is broken and don't belong in this game. The game IS a User Interface, it allows you to interact with a program , thats what a User Interface is, a game is just a "fun UI"
(Not everyone does nor should be required to run addons and addons are no where listed in the system requirements to run the game)
The User Interface of ESO should be designed with the Default UI in mind and Animation Canceling does not fit and violates UI design rules by allowing people to hide animations which are deisnged to give the user of the game accurate feedback. No one should be required to run addons to know what just happened when someone AC an attack and 2 skills, anything the user can't figure out with the default interface is fundamentally flawed and broken.
So at this point, its clear that Animation Canceling is just a broken feature of ESO they have never gotten around to fixing. Its not even debatable at this point, AC breaks the industry accepted standards of user interface design, arguing this otherwise would get you laughed out of any Software Engineering conference in the country....User Interfaces that are designed correctly DO NOT hide nor have the ability to hide useful, pertinent, important information from its users...its not even a debatable point.
I personally hope they leave AC in the game as is, as i use it religiously to hide animations, AC Crushy Shock weaves, etc...it makes my game life easier at times, but looking at it clearly from a design perspective its clearly broken...the Game is DESIGNED around feeback being given to its users via animations, canceling those animations breaks that feedback mechanism, its really only broken in PVP though, in PVE it really don't break anything per se, but PVP folks use AC as a form of ofusication to hide their abilties while still hitting you, tactics like this has been going on as long as games have been around in one form another.
I often use Boundless Storm to hide my Crystal Fragment procs, really hard to see my hands glowing under those conditions, thats actually another form of obfuscation thats doing the same thing Animation canceling does(hiding visual feedback from your oppoenent) just doing it in a different way.
ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »We're not removing combat or spell weaving from the game, but improving the animations during combat so you'll be able to clearly see an ability's impact on you.
We'll have a hefty thread for this to gather feedback once the update is available on the PTS, and will be getting into the exact details of these improvements soon.
Toc de Malsvi wrote: »RinaldoGandolphi wrote: »
Fighting games have, since time immemorial, required the careful timing of abilities in rapid succession to generate high damage output. With that said, in all the fighting games I've played, you could still see enough of the animation go off to know what was hitting you. It seems to me, however, that nobody here is demanding that the obfuscation stays (in as much as it even exists to begin with), they only care about the timing and damage output. Now, in my experience, other than a laggy fight, all animations play adequately enough to let me know what's going on, even "canceled" animations. That might be something that only higher-level players are capable of picking out, but if you aren't a high-level player then you don't really need to worry about completing or competing in high-end content anyway. If the new animation changes add even more transparency regarding what attacks are going off, then that's cool! Nothing wrong with that! I dare say it would even be good overall. But the system as is stands is not as bad as you're making it out to be.
I didn't say i want AC gone, i just want better visual feedback.
This is the best example I can give you (AFAIK this is still possible a PVE buddy of mines uses this method to pull DPS in PVE)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NH4-O9Fogo
My buddy does it all the time it still works according to him. you can see in that video "when he timed it right" you can't see the Heavy Attack animation at all, all you see is Wrecking Blow yet the Heavy Attack lands. I don't think this kind of obfusication is good for the game. There is multiple times in that example there is no heavy attack animation at all yet you can see the Heavy Attack landing in the combat log numbers on the screen. We just need a better visual feedback mechanism if Animations are going to continue to be canceled thats all. I don't want them removing Animation Canceling from the game, i use it all the time, but im all in favor of UI upgrades that make the feedback more clear and concise
Ah, my bad, I believe I misinterpreted something you were saying. Glad we're on the same page! As far as the wrecking blow thing specifically, I noticed that while testing the Imperial City update, but all of my guildies said that there was nothing weird going on with my animations, which makes me think this is an entirely client-side bug. I'd still like it fixed (I find it incredibly annoying), but as far as I'm aware, other people that might be on the receiving end of this treatment will be able to see the heavy attack just fine (again, excluding lag issues).
I can tell you from my experience in PVP there are consistently times when the heavy attacks are not visible. Also even worse which I can only relate to lag there are times where WB does not animate at all but you are thrown. I've gotten to the point where it is not an issue for the most part as I can usually predict if someone is going to try and WB me but it looks terrible and it discourages new players who don't understand the intricacies of AC in combat.
"Base Game Patch Features & Content
A 64-bit client for PC and Mac
Improvements to grouping including incentives and cross-alliance grouping outside of the Grouping Tool
Tons of combat and gameplay balance changes
Scrolling combat text (SCT)
Improvements and updates to Cyrodiil and its campaigns
Access to content from other alliances in any order you choose upon reaching Veteran Rank 1
---> Prioritization of animations during combat <---
Improved facial animations for Mac
…and more!"
did anyone else see that and think "WAIT THEY FINALLY ACCEPT ANIMATION CANCELLING IS BAD!" ?
Source: http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2016/01/20/thieves-guild-first-look
Animation cancelling is a fun mechanic since it's nice to have to be a bit more active in combat. But it's also an awful mechanic because it totally ruins the entire aspect of watching what your enemy does - because you can't see what he's doing anyway when he's animation cancelling. If anything, all animations should be forced to play to end(ish) before a new action can be done, except for maybe dodging - now this would force players to be conscious of what they're doing and when they're doing it.
Animation cancelling isn't difficult to do or anything, it's just stupid, unnecessary and should be fixed.
Look at these people saying animation cancelling sucks because they won't learn it
if I can do it with 300 ping, so can you
QuebraRegra wrote: »in the immortal words of Inigo Montoya:
There have been changes to animation prioritization in the past, this doesn't neccessarily have anything to do with animation canceling. If you were a console rat, you'd remember when COLD HARBOUR weapons showed no red circle animation... this was fixed with a re-prioritization of the hit animation.
Decayed_Inside wrote: »QuebraRegra wrote: »in the immortal words of Inigo Montoya:
There have been changes to animation prioritization in the past, this doesn't neccessarily have anything to do with animation canceling. If you were a console rat, you'd remember when COLD HARBOUR weapons showed no red circle animation... this was fixed with a re-prioritization of the hit animation.
Could you at least spell your meme right if you insist on communicating that way?