Would you regard updated run and walk animations as necessary improvements to the game?

LikaShade

Unlike some occasional suggestions, I think there is no need to remaster the game - just run and walk animations, it'd make a world of difference.

This is truly a vast and beautiful game, with so much to do and look at, but there's something about it that feels very dated.

It can be deceptively perceived as overall "graphics", but it's actually those blocky PS2 running and walking animations. Just changing those things would refresh and modernize the look and feel of it greatly without the need for a greater graphical revamp.

It would make the rest of the game look better, as well, and help its longevity.

Run and walk are also noticeably dated compared to some newer animations - like the Arcanist skills, or even newer mounts.

It becomes progressively more noticeable as you upgrade your running speed.

Trejgon

I will take a moment to point out the discord between question in the survey and the answers available.
Question is if the updated animations are NECESSARY improvement, while answers are if they would help or not at all.

As far as my opinions on the subject go: necessary? no, not really, current want are perfectly serviceable.
Would improvement on those help the game? Yes it would be a nice change if done right.

Snamyap

You trust the people who gave us the new animations for puncturing strikes and flurry to do this?

AlwaysDancing

If it takes 40 hours of work to "update" the run and walk animations, I would rather see those 40 hours go into fixing some of the other, more impactful issues with the game.

I prioritize performance over graphics. If we can improve both, that would be great. But if I had to choose...

LunaFlora

i like how my characters move.

Faulgor

Because this topic has been raised a while ago, I took a concious look at the animations in the game, and I don't think the walking and running animations are that bad.

What always rubbed me the wrong way were the stances and animations when holding a weapon.

The postures seem too comical (possibly a remnant of earlier stages of development when the whole game had a more cartoony aesthetic). Limbs are too spread out, chests hunched over, the idle sway floaty and irritating. The same could be said for light and heavy attack animations, whereas skills are a mixed bag but overall much better.

So if they chose to improve anything, I'd vote for base weapon handling animations.

Araneae6537

I generally like how my characters move. In another thread on this topic, the remastered WoW running animation was brought up and it was absolutely horrid!

ESO personalities have different idles, walks, jumps, and maybe runs. I think it would be fantastic if buying personalities unlocked these options for us, but then we could combine what elements we like for each character! Additional options for walking and running animations could be added that way (or some could be part of already unlocked options for all players — perhaps a better idea if the current animations really do turn off some potential new players from the game).

chessalavakia_ESO

I'm not a huge fan of many of the newer animation choices and I don't think the existing walk/run animations are that bad so I don't think it's a great ideal to gamble with them.

If you've got a bunch of demand for it, you might be able to monetize it by selling alternative sets.

JerBearESO

Just the mount running is bad. It should transition into a longer stride animation rather than just speeding up the loop.

Rest I see nothing wrong with. Meant to vote blue btw.....

ghastley

The only purpose of the animations is to feed back to the player what the character is doing. As long as each activity has a distinct animation, the details are less important.

Adremal

It's not a priority but a graphical overhaul would be welcome. And before anyone starts humming the old adagio about how animating is time-consuming: take a look at how many morphs and personalities required animating.

tomofhyrule

I can honestly say that I haven't spent more than a second thinking about the walk/run animations. There are more important things than that in the game.

Besides, I have every one of my characters in a Personality anyway, and every one that I have (save one, but he's getting the new event one when it's out so then he'll also apply) has a unique walk animation anyway. And before anyone asks, out of 7 characters, only 1 of them is in a Personality that I had to pay for - the others use free Personalities from achievement rewards or event rewards.

Out of curiosity, have the people who claim this game is literally unplayable because of walk/run animations tried using a Personality that changes said animations?

EDIT: one thig I will point out though is the animation speed versus move speed debate. There are so many sources of speed/major expedition/minor expedition/major gallop in the game that anyone moving at speed cap of course looks ridiculous. They did change one PTS cycle to lock the animation to the movement style instead of the speed (so you would use the 'jog' animation if you weren't holding shift no matter how fast you were going), but what that ended up doing was making everyone look like they were ice-skating across the ground because then the gait no longer matched the speed. It did make the movement of the animations slower so it looked more natural... until you saw them sliding stupidly across the ground.

Again, I'll ask, are the complaints about "the movement looks dumb!" or "the movement looks dumb when I specifically min/max my movement speed!"?

AcadianPaladin

I don't think the walk/run animations look bad.

Destai

I think both that the animations are fine as-is and the development resources are better allocated elsewhere. I'd rather see them spend their cycles addressing inventory and other QoL issues. I also am extremely skeptical of any existing animations or cosmetics being adjusted, following the changes to Jabs and the Grim Focus permaglow.

merpins

AlwaysDancing wrote: »

If it takes 40 hours of work to "update" the run and walk animations, I would rather see those 40 hours go into fixing some of the other, more impactful issues with the game.

I prioritize performance over graphics. If we can improve both, that would be great. But if I had to choose...

As an animator, I can confidently say that, if they use the current animations as a base, it'll take one competent animator a couple hours at most. In fact, if their animation software is like Maya, then it would probably be less than an hour of work. This is the same for the new jabs animation.

However also as an animator, my opinion is the animations of walking and running are fine. Generic, maybe a little stiff, but fine. If I did anything to them, it would be to make it a little less stiff. Which, if the system is like Maya, would take maybe a half hour at most.

ArchangelIsraphel

I don't need the templar jabs equivalent of new walking animations. I don't want to be the living embodiment of the sparkling shovel of virtue.

Bo0137

I'd rather have new personalities with new walk/run animations honestly. The default is fine for what it is

SaffronCitrusflower

Sure, the run animation could be better. But on the scale of things ZOS needs to focus on fixing it is so far down the list as to not be a meaningful priority.

#1 thing ZOS needs to do is expand server resources for the game. And the number one animation that needs attention is the wonky new jabs animation.

Hapexamendios

Could it be improved? Yes. Is it necessary? Not in the slightest.

Wolf_Eye

I've always disliked the female walk animation. The hip sway is so way overdone that it looks like they're dancing in the club instead of just going about their day.

Luckily, I have the Deadlands Firewalker Personality for when I get tired of looking at it (it changes the animation to be more like the male's). So I think I'm pretty good for now. I've always loved Isobel's animation and kind of hope we get a custom personality of hers, too.

mikejezz

It looks hideous.

The torso is not moving while the rest of the character is.

It's one of the reason many are choosing not to play the game

NotaDaedraWorshipper

Wolf_Eye wrote: »

I've always disliked the female walk animation. The hip sway is so way overdone that it looks like they're dancing in the club instead of just going about their day.

Luckily, I have the Deadlands Firewalker Personality for when I get tired of looking at it (it changes the animation to be more like the male's). So I think I'm pretty good for now. I've always loved Isobel's animation and kind of hope we get a custom personality of hers, too.

Same. I like to use the Minstrel personality on some of my female characters. Not only does it have one of the best subtle and normal looking idles, but it also changes the running and walking on them for the male one which I find more suiting for those characters. I also use it on some of my male characters too, just because of the idle.

Also, Isobel got a slightly modified Swashbuckler personality. Same as Sharp-as-Night got a modified Assassin (he isn't forced to constantly play with a knife), and Azandar got a modified Maniacal Jester. All of course modified to be more natural and subtle compared to the exaggerated versions we get...

Wolf_Eye

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

Wolf_Eye wrote: »

I've always disliked the female walk animation. The hip sway is so way overdone that it looks like they're dancing in the club instead of just going about their day.

Luckily, I have the Deadlands Firewalker Personality for when I get tired of looking at it (it changes the animation to be more like the male's). So I think I'm pretty good for now. I've always loved Isobel's animation and kind of hope we get a custom personality of hers, too.

Same. I like to use the Minstrel personality on some of my female characters. Not only does it have one of the best subtle and normal looking idles, but it also changes the running and walking on them for the male one which I find more suiting for those characters. I also use it on some of my male characters too, just because of the idle.

Also, Isobel got a slightly modified Swashbuckler personality. Same as Sharp-as-Night got a modified Assassin (he isn't forced to constantly play with a knife), and Azandar got a modified Maniacal Jester. All of course modified to be more natural and subtle compared to the exaggerated versions we get...

Yeah I kind of wish they released our companion's more subtle personalities to be available to us as well.

And I knew Sharp had some kind of personality, but I never put two and two together that it was the Assassin's. I do love the Assassin's, but the constant playing with the knife gets tiring after a while.

Jammy420

I feel like there are much bigger problems.

I generally am not against graphical updates, this games base game needs a seeeeeeeeeeerious update.

Necrotech_Master

i dont really think theres anything wrong with the walk/jog/run animations

ive seen worse lol

DreamyLu

No. However, it's not because I like it as is, but because I would prefer that priority is set to other changes before that.

Side note: Please stop adding comment to poll options. It limits their meaning.

HowlKimchi

It doesn't look bad or anything, but having played other MMOs (GW2 and FF14), I think their run and walk animations are vastly better. Especially the starting-to-run and coming-to-a-halt phases of the movement. Doubly so for GW2 mounts, which are animated beautifully.

So yeah, an update to the movement would be good, but shouldn't be top priority (cries in you cannot mount while in combat when i am in fact not in combat).

barney2525

I don't like your choices trying to tell me what my reason is.

I don't think it's a big issue because it works. It may not be great animation but it is NOT what I would consider a "Necessary" to fix priority. THAT is the question you opened with. You never asked If I thought the animations were particularly good the way they are.

LunaFlora

Bonefizt wrote: »

Unlike some occasional suggestions, I think there is no need to remaster the game - just run and walk animations, it'd make a world of difference.

This is truly a vast and beautiful game, with so much to do and look at, but there's something about it that feels very dated.

It can be deceptively perceived as overall "graphics", but it's actually those blocky PS2 running and walking animations.

what does blocky mean here?
i haven’t seen that word used to describe animations before.

And i love a lot of ps2 games and i can't see the similarities so which games are you thinking of?

Avran_Sylt

I think it would be nice to have an expanded list of personalities (and at the very least some generic idle movement over the A-pose for the default personality sheathed idle animation)

But I wouldn’t say it’s necessary like the option I picked. Just that it would be a “nice to have” given spare resources.

Anumaril

I’m all for improved animations, updating old assets, etc. But I don’t have a strong opinion on walking/running animations in particular. Maybe it’s that I use personalities 100% of the time, but it just never stood out to me as much as other aesthetic issues in the game.