New EQ2 run animations incomming

[Aldarion_Shard]

All that matters is the result, if they chose a style they can make look polished and fluid, and EQ2/Vanguard did not, the fault clearly lies with EQ2/Vanguard.

The problem is that WoW's 'solution' allows animations that look decent, but character models that look ridiculous. Whereas the EQ/VG approach has great looking character models and somewhat awkward animations.

It all depends on which bothers you more, at the end of the day: awkward animations or character models that look like cartoons designed by one handed colorblind retards.

[Schatze]

So, when are those game breaking, hundreds of subscribers lost, issues that I mentioned earlier going to be addressed? But oh joy, CLOAKS! WHEEE!

Bite my tongue, but if the expansion is any time soon I'm going back to WOW. In the 6th months they've devoted to EOF the game has gone to hell in a hand basket.

[Zuuljin]

Originally Posted by Schatze

So, when are those game breaking, hundreds of subscribers lost, issues that I mentioned earlier going to be addressed? But oh joy, CLOAKS! WHEEE!

Well, considering the entire EQ2 team is 1 guy, and since he just finished up on doing cloaks, I'm assuming he'll move on to the other more important stuff, after lunch.

[Lefazz]

Originally Posted by Aldarion_Shard

It all depends on which bothers you more, at the end of the day: awkward animations or character models that look like cartoons designed by one handed colorblind retards.

I realize that all this art and animation stuff is subjective, but GOD you're an idiot saying the above.

[Aldarion_Shard]

"I recognize that this is subective, but you're wrong for disagreeing with me"?

Neat.

[Itzena]

"WoW's art is not to my taste" = Fine.
"WoW's art is bad" = You're fundamentally retarded.

Clear now?

[Gallenite]

Originally Posted by Schatze

While cloaks are nice, are there any plans to fix balance on the PVP servers?

Sorry it took so long to grab this one. Short answer: Yes.

I can't release details here before we do so on our own boards, but the idea is to start getting detailed info as to what's going to be happening to fix a few combat imbalances (impacting both pvp and pve in different ways, and to different extents) out there as soon as we can, which I agree hasn't been soon enough.

- Scott

[Utnayan]

Originally Posted by Zuuljin

I dont think you understand what you quoted. Its only polished and fluid because its a cartoon, and you dont hold it to the same scrutiny that you would a real person. Take the WoW animations, and think of them with EQ2 models. It would look worse then it does now.

I disagree.

In EQ2 and VG you are dealing with motion capture. This is a lot easier than hand drawn animation systems. You also have movements to go by in real life, so there is less imagination, easier to make motions that an animator has seen make a million times whether in another movie, a game, etc.

Cartoon animations for fictional characters without a bases of movement for their skeletal frame is a lot harder and different at the same time. EQ2's animation system sucks because they used mo cap, then tried to cut corners, also had high system reqs, and animators who couldn't even animate a deer walking correctly. Not to mention artists that didn't even know how to make them proportionate. Their swings were terrible, as said the combat stances were ridiculous, and overall, it absolutely destroyed immersion - the number 1 reason why people play these games in the first place.

There is no need to scapegoat WoW here and say anything was easier. You may or may not like the game, but you cannot argue their animations were top notch, while their character models were also very good, in combination with great artwork. Don't downplay that work. It was harder than what VG's system is now, and what EQ2's was. And it looks 20 times better to boot.

Sometimes it is better to just take a shot on the chin and say, "They kicked our ass. We'll do better next time"

Edit: If you want to compare the animations on a level playing field, compare the animations of the Gryffon rides in each game. WoW's is always smooth, very detailed, even down to when they coast and you still see a bit of wing ruffle in the air as they glide. EQ2's are completely robotic, unnatural, and just plain ugly. It's flatout fantastic work compared to terrible work. Don't spin it, and give credit to where it belongs.

[GrobbeeTrull]

Thread over.

[Hardcore Cracka]

Utnayan is 100% right.

[Jabberwhacky]

LET'S BAN HIM FROM THE BOARDS!!

But seriously, thanks for answering my questiones Gallenite. I guess it is possible to animate cloaks to look cool and I'm simply biased since I've been staring at the rigid back-and-forth monotony of WoW's.

I'm still a bit confused about the whole animated-versus-simulated thing though. There's already a toggle for cloth/chain to be either animated or simulated, so why can't you do a similar thing for cloaks? Seems like the hard part would be going through the hassle of actually animating a cloak whereas if you wanted to use the simulation you could use what you already have in game for robes and such.

[Kolle]

I wasn't taking a jab at WoW, just pointing something out. Imagine if you saw a guy trying to shoot a bow like a nelf, for example.

[xmod2]

I really dislike the eq2/vanguard style of graphics. Then again, I can barely stand to watch video on my computer due to the artifacting and low quality. Seems like the people who look at the jaggy akward piece of shit graphics in those "realistic" games are the same who go "I don't see the real difference between DVD and VHS lolz".

In the end, they throw these SUPER COOL REAL LIFE MODELS at me and it looks and runs like a rotten asshole. I think that's the main reason I've stuck with WoW. Good graphics and even my shithead friends who are too poor to afford a real computer can play with me.

Oh, and gg on animations. Maybe I'll come back eventually, I miss EQ lore.

[FohMD]

Glad to hear about the cloaks and very glad to hear about the improved pvp incoming. Blizzard could learn a thing or two from SoE.

[Coladar]

Damn it, I got really excited with the thread title. Time to get sex-change surgery on my two characters... But still, definitely a positive move on the heels of EoF. Should it have been done earlier? Probably, yeah, but it's actually getting fixed, and let's face it, most other MMO's wouldn't go around changing something as time-consuming as run animations for who knows how many different models with a patch instead of having new models with an expansion.