After the Feedback (7/22)... Can We Also Not Change the Puncturing Strikes Animation?
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merpins
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From what I've seen over nearly 9 years playing this game, the original Puncturing Strikes and its morphs is an extremely favored skill in the game. Players love how it looks and feels to use, it's not like Dive on Warden where it's the only spammable the class has; players like the skill. It could be nerfed, and the skill animation could be sped up to .8 seconds, rather than reducing the number of hits and changing the animation. I don't think changing the animation of a player-favorite skill is something that should be done. It's something that should be done on skills where players absolutely hate the skill animation or how it feels to use;
players love Puncturing Strikes, how it looks, and how it feels to use. Nerfing the damage a bit won't change that.
An example of a skill players very much dislike is Warden's Dive skill and its morphs. It's slow and doesn't feel good to use, and after its nerf, it's pretty lack-luster now. THIS should be a skill worth looking at animation changes, not skills players adore.
A good example of a skill that was worth changing is Flurry and its morphs. I have not met many people that like flurry's original animation or how it felt to use. The new animation is a bit lacking, but the intent of changing the old one to something that feels better to use is good. And it does feel good to use now! Though it's a bit slow for the theme of a flurry of blows, and the animation is definitely either the light or heavy attack animation for dual wield, so the skill itself does deserve its own unique animation that follows the theme, or at worst a re-name. But otherwise, I like the intent here. It shows that the devs were listening to the players, a majority of whom did not like this skill and how it felt to use. It's not perfect. But it's better than it was.
But again, Puncturing Strikes and its morphs do not need a new animation. It wasn't something players were asking for. So please, I implore you as one of your many Templar players; do not change this skill, and please do not change skills players love. At least, don't change how they look and feel to use without extensive player feedback on it. There is a case to be made for improving animations in this game, even ones on skills players adore. But I believe if that's done, it should be done in a way that players can give feedback on the skill change over a period of time and give improvement ideas. Currently, it's just being changed with no intent for this kind of feedback. These are skills we are using every day. Main spammables especially are the skills we see the most often. We should be able to give feedback on this, so it can either be shelved for the time being for improvements and changes to the animation, or so it can be scrapped if it isn't going in a good direction. Adjustments to damage numbers are inevitable, but fundamentally changing the skills players love is not constructive.
My comments on the animation change and how it could use some work (from the POV of a professional animator):
Edited by merpins on July 23, 2022 5:17AM players love Puncturing Strikes, how it looks, and how it feels to use. Nerfing the damage a bit won't change that.
An example of a skill players very much dislike is Warden's Dive skill and its morphs. It's slow and doesn't feel good to use, and after its nerf, it's pretty lack-luster now. THIS should be a skill worth looking at animation changes, not skills players adore.
A good example of a skill that was worth changing is Flurry and its morphs. I have not met many people that like flurry's original animation or how it felt to use. The new animation is a bit lacking, but the intent of changing the old one to something that feels better to use is good. And it does feel good to use now! Though it's a bit slow for the theme of a flurry of blows, and the animation is definitely either the light or heavy attack animation for dual wield, so the skill itself does deserve its own unique animation that follows the theme, or at worst a re-name. But otherwise, I like the intent here. It shows that the devs were listening to the players, a majority of whom did not like this skill and how it felt to use. It's not perfect. But it's better than it was.
But again, Puncturing Strikes and its morphs do not need a new animation. It wasn't something players were asking for. So please, I implore you as one of your many Templar players; do not change this skill, and please do not change skills players love. At least, don't change how they look and feel to use without extensive player feedback on it. There is a case to be made for improving animations in this game, even ones on skills players adore. But I believe if that's done, it should be done in a way that players can give feedback on the skill change over a period of time and give improvement ideas. Currently, it's just being changed with no intent for this kind of feedback. These are skills we are using every day. Main spammables especially are the skills we see the most often. We should be able to give feedback on this, so it can either be shelved for the time being for improvements and changes to the animation, or so it can be scrapped if it isn't going in a good direction. Adjustments to damage numbers are inevitable, but fundamentally changing the skills players love is not constructive.
My comments on the animation change and how it could use some work (from the POV of a professional animator):
Spoiler
I'm an animator, that's my job. I mainly animate for television and movies, but have done some work on games. I can tell you right now, the old animation was better. Exaggeration, anticipation, follow through, arcs, slow in and slow out... It used the principles of animation in a much better way than the new animation. See, the principles exist because without them, animation looks bad. A cartoon doesn't look like reality if you rotoscope exactly, it looks more alive if you exaggerate movements, squash and stretch beyond what a normal human can, etc.
Watch the new animation closely. The first two attacks are exactly the same with no variation in timing. There's no slow in or slow out, anticipation, squash or stretch, or exaggeration. It's just a straight forward animation, frame by frame. It feels stiff, like a robot is moving. The last jab is also slow. It pulls back at the same speed that it stabs, which does not look like a stab.
Here's how I'd fix the animation; for one, there would be variation in the first two strikes, which wouldn't be perfect stabs but have little arcs that the tip of the spear moves in to make it look alive and like an actual warrior is wielding the spear. The arms wouldn't move in perfect repetition. There would be a slight pause at the end of the pull back animation for the first two strikes, and the stab itself would launch forward faster. The body would also move back with the pull back, and arch forward when attacking. Not as much as the final attack, but the body would move a bit unlike the current animation. The second stab would not pull back as far as the first. They're two quick jabs, and pulling back that far both makes the timing of the animation slower, but also makes it look weird. The final attack would pull back similar to how it does, but the launch forward would be faster, and the spear would reach further. It would go in a straight line this time to contrast the arcs from the first two hits, as the arms themselves would be moving in arcs. The character would let go of the spear with their left hand towards the end of the animation to allow them to lunge forward even more than before, which would also give it a better explosive feeling.
That's how I'd fix it. Right now, it needs a complete rework, but the animation I outlined would take an experienced animator maybe a day or two of work to do.
Watch the new animation closely. The first two attacks are exactly the same with no variation in timing. There's no slow in or slow out, anticipation, squash or stretch, or exaggeration. It's just a straight forward animation, frame by frame. It feels stiff, like a robot is moving. The last jab is also slow. It pulls back at the same speed that it stabs, which does not look like a stab.
Here's how I'd fix the animation; for one, there would be variation in the first two strikes, which wouldn't be perfect stabs but have little arcs that the tip of the spear moves in to make it look alive and like an actual warrior is wielding the spear. The arms wouldn't move in perfect repetition. There would be a slight pause at the end of the pull back animation for the first two strikes, and the stab itself would launch forward faster. The body would also move back with the pull back, and arch forward when attacking. Not as much as the final attack, but the body would move a bit unlike the current animation. The second stab would not pull back as far as the first. They're two quick jabs, and pulling back that far both makes the timing of the animation slower, but also makes it look weird. The final attack would pull back similar to how it does, but the launch forward would be faster, and the spear would reach further. It would go in a straight line this time to contrast the arcs from the first two hits, as the arms themselves would be moving in arcs. The character would let go of the spear with their left hand towards the end of the animation to allow them to lunge forward even more than before, which would also give it a better explosive feeling.
That's how I'd fix it. Right now, it needs a complete rework, but the animation I outlined would take an experienced animator maybe a day or two of work to do.
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