SoE: Fix the Luclin animations

[JulesDrools]

Really, they've been around for 2 years, and they're embarrasing. The players shouldn't have to revert to 6 year old character models to make things livable.

Having this issue on the back burner (as stated in a mobhunter interview) is the wrong way to go. Graphics are important.

If you can't do it yourself, open up the models side of EQ for modding. I'm sure there would be plenty of replacement models within months.

[Lenardo]

the problem would be in implementation on allowing players to mod the files...but i agree they HAVE to do something about them eventually.

[Obtenor]

I think the models look awesome, the only thing awful about them are the animations.
The walking/running animation is real awful.

[Wrathcaster]

Make it a contest, see who can design the best working animations for existing models/design new models... Verant goes through and chooses the best ones, or maybe even let the players themselves (maybe in a sort of closed beta type thing) vote on which models they like the best. Perhaps they could organize it with particular models being developed in certain time periods/dates (High elves get z amount of months starting on whatever Day of Month x and ending on whatever Day of Month y).

Once the contest is won by one person, or a combination of people with the best work, make it a downloadable patch, downloaded in segments (e.g. a model a day, week, something like that). Maybe it would be best as an optional patch for a while, so as not to cause dial-up users too much grief over long downloads.

I think if they let players test the models beforehand, they could get feedback very quickly on what models and animations did and didn't work, eliminating fears that the contest winning stuff would be buggy or of low quality (doubt it can get much lower).

I'm sure if they simply put the name of the winner in the credits, or gave them some minor prizes for winning (ingame rewards, free month or two) that they'd have plenty of talented modellers releasing some quality stuff. Everybody and their retarded cousin can do a bit of modelling these days anyways, at least from my experience.

[Rimidal]

I think the models look awesome, the only thing awful about them are the animations.

yeah.. hence the title of this thread being "Fix the ANIMATIONS"

[Evan Nash]

The models are shit some certain models, such as Dwarves, Halfings, etc. Their legs are too damn long.

But for ALL models, yes the animations and poses are SHIT!!

Swallow your pride Sony and fix them, or allow us to.

[Suineg]

All the other problems and you ask to fix animations?

Maybe I am missing something but that seems to be a VERY minor issue at this point. I would rate that with doors opening the wrong way. Or spinning rocks when you click them.

I mean ffs they haven't even fixed Inner Acrylia yet!

[T'harkis Xaros]

they did really well on the froglok animations though, i love glare and tap and stuff =)

[JulesDrools]

I mean ffs they haven't even fixed Inner Acrylia yet!

Yes, because 1 zone out of 150, that you'd spend maybe 10 hours in, is more important than the animations (and graphics) of the player models you see hundreds of everywhere, all the time...

[DJk_zero]

Know why the frog model an animations is very well done? They had a designated team of 5 people working ONLY on the froglok model / anims, who did not get shuffled around, or had thier work interrupted half way through by a dick swaying supervisor on a power trip. (Hi James) The model and it's anims are also not horrible memmory hogs like their predecessors, they had taken the time to optimize it very well.

Lesson here? Don't fucking interrupt, reassign and otherwise fuck with the pc model teams, or you get shit like luclin.

[Sean]

Heh, the Luclin models need to be redone period... not just the animations. Not that they look bad, but for how much resources they take, and how they can make even a high end system run like shit, EQ should look like Doom-fucking-3.

Whoever did LoY did a fantastic job. Frogloks have great animations, and they hardly take anything to run compared to Luclin models. Hell, even the modified Luclin-Pirate models in LoY are way better. I can look at an entire area filled with Pirate models and it runs just as smooth as if it were displaying old models. However if I looked at a big area filled with normal Luclin models like that... my fps would be extremely choppy.

Seriously, redo the Luclin models so they're as optimized as the LoY stuff is. Absolutely no reason for something that looks like EQ to hog system resources like it does. It's like you guys went overboard with how many polygons you used just to prove you could use that many, when it was completely unneccessary (And it's very obvious you did that with some Luclin zones, not just the models).

[Wolfganng_LC]

in terms of visual quelity, i have to say they did an ok job with the female luclin models (boobs!)...anyways, the ones that really look like crap are the male ones. But i have to agree with Sean, the worst thing off it all is the lack of optimization on these models. They wwent for brute force in stead of swiftness when making these models ..."hey lets pump up the polyglons thru the roof man!! i bet they will look l33t!!!!!" Good texturing can sometimes make better models than raw polys.
so yeah i agree, fix the damn models from the ground up

[DJk_zero]

You mentioned something I had overlooked, the pirate hybridized luclin models. Quick info tidbit for you on them.

First run conversions resource use was just under the current luclin models. Keep in mind that is an un-optimized model conversion, already running a bit leaner then it's luclin parent that had been somewhat optimized, so yes the new tech does help. What helped even more tho was a full 23 day run of optimizations, debugs, real machine testing in different settings. This was not done on fx workstations, it was done on the testing department's slew of barebones systems. (Funny that, they actually used the test department) The models themselves went through about 5 to 9 code runs, the final product you see is running at about 15-25% if that system overhead compared to the beginning depending on model. The troll was suprisingly one of the least memmory intensive.

Another quick fact: Global wolf model uses more system overhead then the luclin wood elf. Yes a model that small and simple is sucking more resource then a player model.

Back to the frogs, tho everyone hates on them, take another look. Even on high texture settings the frog model runs great, most just don't notice it because of the luclin era garbage they have turned on. The art team did an outstanding job on the models / anims, now if only they would be allowed to fix what their predecessors started, currently they are being told a big fat no. Cost vs benefit isn't something SoE likes to bargin on.

[Araxen]

I quit EQ because of those models thats how bad I hate them heh.

[TheJob]

I quit EQ because of those models thats how bad I hate them heh.

im gonna argue for the sake of argueing... no you didnt. your 65, models were introduced a year and a half before you could have got 65, so unless your retarded and notice stuff really slow, your a liar =/