Officially Unofficial Weekly Discussion #25: Animations

[SeraphimKensai]

Welcome back to another week. This week we turn to animations, and primarily power animations.

 

What are your favorite animations in the game? Why do you like them? What about your least favorite animations? Why don't you like them? Are there any powers with too short of an animation time? Or too long of an animation time? If you could design animations for the game what would you want to tackle, new animations for a potential new powerset or revamping some of the existing powers' animations?

 

As always thanks.

[Skyhawke]

Knockout Blow is still one of my all time favorite animations. It just looks like it should: that old school, Popeye winding the fist move followed by someone going flying into the air. Chefs kiss! The staff fighting animations are just so slick to watch.

 

Least favorite? Probably the ragdoll physics itself. I've just stood still and watched a body twitch and distort and while amusing, it's 1. unnerving and 2. is just too much. I punched you in the face and you're out cold...why is your waist turned into a bow and your arms where your face goes?

[Uun]

Least favorite by a mile is Devastating Blow. Not only is it stupidly long, but you just stand there frozen like you're trying to take a dump.

[ZemX]

Punching the Ground.

 

This one appears in several powers but is most impressive in Mighty Radial Final Judgement because it's accompanied by Mag 20 Knockup.  Do this in a crowd of Scrapyarder minions in Sharkhead during a strike.   Count the seconds until they all land. 🤪

 

I also like the one associated with Ground Zero in Radiation Armor.  Again, probably appears in other "nuke" like powers but it's the one where you levitate just a little bit off the ground and then just flex as the explosion goes off.  In Ground Zero, I pair this with an Avalanche Knockdown so up to 30 targets just all take a seat when the blast goes off... very satisfying.

[Jiro Ito]

Favorites!

Mighty Judgement

Ghost Widow's Patron Soul Storm

 

Least Favorite?

Fire blast's snipe animation

[ZemX]

2 minutes ago, Uun said:

Least favorite by a mile is Devastating Blow. Not only is it stupidly long, but you just stand there frozen like you're trying to take a dump.

 

Any of the "horse stance" attacks is way worse, in my opinion.  There are Stalker primaries I can't play because this horrid thing is their Assassin Strike animation.  Talk about having a bowel movement...

[DougGraves]

I love pretty much all dual blades and dual pistols.  I love the movement and spins.

 

I don't like the kinetic melee motions.  Melee attacks that are just standing waving your hands feel wrong to me.  I wouldn't mind them for ranged attacks.

[Uun]

3 minutes ago, ZemX said:

Any of the "horse stance" attacks is way worse, in my opinion. 

Which attacks are those?

[blue4333]

the alternate animations for Psychic Blast look super awkward. I'd rather the set uses the alternate animations from Fire/Ice Blasts 

[Greycat]

2 hours ago, Uun said:

Which attacks are those?

Martial Arts stalkers AS, for one. Can't think of others that use it, but I remember it being complained about since live.

 

(Hard to see, granted, but ...)

 

As far as animations? I could do with non-flippy-spinny dual pistols animations. It has some really *nice* ones - having a character just level the pistol calmly and fire can look extremely cool. But then following it up with "toss your pistols up, spin around, do a handstand and a full cheerleading routine before firing" has always looked ridiculous.  Staff *kind of* gets away with it for its AOE because it's a long hunk of wood/pipe/whatever, but pistols just look silly with it.

 

And yes, I kind of agree that the ragdolling looks ... just too much sometimes. Better than the "planking out into thin air from your toes" we had previously, but... yeah.

 

Likes... hmm. I'm probably so used to them all that they dont' really stand out these days. Still like Thunderous Blast - just gather everything and watch a group of enemies twitch and fall over.

 

Dual Blades AS... will always be a "Got'cher kidneys" for me. (Straight in from the back, swipe out to the sides, it just looks vicious.)

 

And Staff's "innocuous strikes," when it's not overriden by an enemy animation, is still funny. "Jabbing toes, toes, toes..."

 

[TheZag]

I hate face attack animations.  Barfing poison,  barfing ice,  barfing fire,  laser eyes - anything that comes from the face would benefit from alternate animations (to me).

 

Knockout blow is almost perfect.  That windup....and then the swing...and the fist connects with....air.  If i could grant 100% accuracy to only 1 ability in the game,  knockout blow would be it.  Its still great the other 19 times out of 20 though.

 

Kinetic melee animations are too long for the damage they do.  They are nice and flashy but the target is often dead by the time i finish my wind up.  KM being on the bottom of all the damage tests for all melee archtypes doesnt help the long animation times case either.

 

[UltraAlt]

4 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

What are your favorite animations in the game?

 

wow. No idea.

I try to play as many different archetypes and power sets and variations of power customizations that come to mind.

I really just enjoy all of it.

I'm at a loss.

 

4 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Why do you like them?

 

Because they are all so cool. The game is so much fun for me to play.

 

4 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

What about your least favorite animations? Why don't you like them?

 

Yeah, no idea.

The problem with animations to me come down to the default color picks or colors players pick for powers over having issues with any animations.

 

4 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Are there any powers with too short of an animation time? Or too long of an animation time?

 

Animation time, recharge time, and damage done per execution of each animation is a factor for the number-cruncher/mini-maxers/cookie-cuttered but I'm good with the game as provided to us.

 

4 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

If you could design animations for the game what would you want to tackle, new animations for a potential new powerset or revamping some of the existing powers' animations?

 

It would be power customizations. 

I would start with individual weapons or items options - which aren't related to the animation. (a good bazooka looking weapon for the Lhttps://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Munitions_Mastery#LRM_Rocket, large wrenches and screwdrivers for dual weapons, and other stuff for various weapon sets) 

 

It would be cool to do nunchaku animations for maces (weapon pick would lock in the animation options for this weapon selection as the current animations wouldn't make sense with the nunchaku)

Magician wand and staff animations for blast and control sets (would cause redraw time, but probably would be okay to switch between no weapon/staff/wand dependant upon power used)

Shuriken/Ninja animation option for archery. (would cause redraw time, but, again, I think it would be okay to switch between bow/shuriken SFX dependant upon power used. thing like the pool of oil and webbing would use the grenade throwing animation)

For water sets, animations that roll along the ground and then rise up in a wave just before hitting the target would be cool, but probably too difficult to make look decent.

 

I would really like to see some kind of stretching/elastic power but fear that would mean a whole new archetype to handle correctly as it would require short/medium range attacks (can't see more than 10-15 feet at the most) but not a much range as any of the current ranged power sets.

[ZemX]

15 minutes ago, Greycat said:

Martial Arts stalkers AS, for one. Can't think of others that use it

 

Thanks.  Couldn't find a pic myself.  It might only be used for various Assassin Strikes.    Dark, Energy, Radiation, and Martial Arts all use this same animation.  Looks like you're laying a brick while you gear up to hit someone with both fists.  It's not quite as extreme a stance as you'll find Googling how to do a proper "Horse Stance" but it's close enough to call it that. 

 

19 minutes ago, Greycat said:

Staff *kind of* gets away with it for its AOE because it's a long hunk of wood/pipe/whatever, but pistols just look silly with it.

 

Eye of the Storm (the Staff PBAoE) is pretty ridiculous though.  It's basically break-dancing while holding a staff.  Interestingly, it's much better while flying.  

 

22 minutes ago, Greycat said:

And Staff's "innocuous strikes," when it's not overriden by an enemy animation, is still funny. "Jabbing toes, toes, toes..."

 

Seconded.  The enemy even does a little dance in response.

 

General overall answer to the thread though is that shorter animations are generally better.  It's fine to have some long animation play for a massive and long recharge attack, but no normal attack chain animation should probably ever be more than 2 seconds long.  The ones that are never seem to pay off that lengthy animation with appropriate damage and/or effects.

[JodisWelch]

Favourite animations:

A few have already mentioned these so not exactly original but I am a Superman mark at the end of the day so love me some Knockout Blow and Foot Stomp from SS.

 

Crushing Uppercut looks great as a rival power to Knockout Blow from Street Justice. With that it feels like "Yeah screw being cocky, I'm launching you into the atmosphere right now!".

 

 

Worst animations:

Simply put, Tough. Unless I am making a Gorilla or a Tarzan rip-off it just doesn't look right on anything I've made and used the power on. Thankfully there is the flex alt to remedy that.

 

 

Animations I would like to see:

Alt for Fire Ball Blast (Suitable for some of the other blast powers as well for those who use them). Don't have to go into any major detail, just have to show you this pic:

[BurtHutt]

I don't really have an issue with animations for the most part. I will say I hate the look of Huge model toons when they run with a shield. Looks awful.

 

I also really dislike the new non-rooted animation thing. It looks cheap and awful as you move a toon during various animations. It looks bad. Just...no.

[Spaghetti Betty]

5 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

What are your favorite animations in the game? Why do you like them?

Knockout Blow (A classic. Uppercut across the jaw. Baddie goes flying. Deal dmg to match), Soul Drain (I channel my energy to drain the strength of those around me. Time to kick ass), Staff Fighting (Genuinely some of the most fluid animations in the game), Street Justice (Looks brutal. Knee to the balls clam gut, kick their shins out, giant uppercut), Moment of Glory (I summon the power of god and anime)

 

5 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

What about your least favorite animations? Why don't you like them?

A lot of the ranged sets just look so blah to me because they generally draw from the same pool of animations. Good thing the FX department picked up the slack.

 

5 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Are there any powers with too short of an animation time?

I can't think of a power with a short animation time that also felt underwhelming.

 

5 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

Or too long of an animation time?

Thunder Strike! Why doesn't this move do a trillion damage? It looks like it should. Eagles Claw. Same complaint. My opponents head should fly off their shoulders with that animation.

 

5 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

If you could design animations for the game what would you want to tackle, new animations for a potential new powerset or revamping some of the existing powers' animations?

This isn't a good question to ask me. I could come up with a new animation for every power in the game. I could think of animations for 3 new powersets. My mind works fast. My hands don't.

[ZemX]

1 hour ago, Spaghetti Betty said:

I can't think of a power with a short animation time that also felt underwhelming.

 

Titan Weapons, Whirling Smash.   Arcanatime = 1.188s. 

 

Looks fine but FEELS utterly lacking.  Like I'm swinging this huge weapon through tissue paper.  It needs some resistance added to it.  A few hitches in the spin that represent actually slamming the weapon into enemies as you whirl it around, accompanied by multiple crunchy sound effects.  Instead it's just "whoooosh" and it feels like I somehow missed every last person standing around me.

 

Staff's Eye of the Storm, for all its break-dancing nonsense, manages to feel like you're actually hitting something with all that flailing about.  And that's just a stick.  Titan Weapons can have you swinging something more the size of a small tree. 🤪

[Spaghetti Betty]

1 minute ago, ZemX said:

 

Titan Weapons, Whirling Smash.   Arcanatime = 1.188s. 

 

Looks fine but FEELS utterly lacking.  Like I'm swinging this huge weapon through tissue paper.  It needs some resistance added to it.  A few hitches in the spin that represent actually slamming the weapon into enemies as you whirl it around, accompanied by multiple crunchy sound effects.  Instead it's just "whoooosh" and it feels like I somehow missed every last person standing around me.

 

Staff's Eye of the Storm, for all its break-dancing nonsense, manages to feel like you're actually hitting something with all that flailing about.  And that's just a stick.  Titan Weapons can have you swinging something more the size of a small tree. 🤪

Ok, I'll give you that one. TW wasn't on my radar because I just don't mechanically like the way it plays.

[ZemX]

15 minutes ago, Spaghetti Betty said:

Ok, I'll give you that one. TW wasn't on my radar because I just don't mechanically like the way it plays.

 

Me neither but I stubbornly took that tanker all the way to 50 and incarnates before finally deciding Momentum was kind of a bummer.  Ah well.

[Spaghetti Betty]

6 minutes ago, ZemX said:

 

Me neither but I stubbornly took that tanker all the way to 50 and incarnates before finally deciding Momentum was kind of a bummer.  Ah well.

Karok from Vindictus or wielding a Hammer in Monster Hunter are way better examples of how a giant, crunchy weapon with deceptive speed can be handled. If TW was anything similar to those, I'd play it a lot more.

 

Ok, no more derailing!

[SeraphimKensai]

Like many I really like Knockout Punch and The punching version of Foot Stomp. I also really like the whole Storm Summoning set, and for the most part control sets (aside from Mind Control).

 

My least favorite animation is Neutron Bomb, because of its speed before the effect is applied.

 

On 4/20/2023 at 1:31 PM, JodisWelch said:

just have to show you this pic:

I don't know if anyone else can see this picture without thinking "Hadouken" and that I swear it seemed growing up that I didn't know a single person that didn't follow up a Hadouken with a Hurricane Kick into a Shoryuken.

[Yomo Kimyata]

I like a lot of animations, but I’m going to focus on the ones I hate.  
 

ice sword and Fire sword.  Hideous!  I can play Ice Melee without swords but I can’t play Fire Melee.  Some alternate animations would be welcomed.  Psionic swords and stone mallets are customizable enough to be useable.

 

anything with a flip built in.  I get it; a longer animation is necessary to justify a more puissant power.  But I cannot stand the flip on something like Ripper because it is completely extraneous to the power.  At least the spinnny staff break dancing animations seem justified.

[DougGraves]

On 4/20/2023 at 10:04 AM, TheZag said:

I hate face attack animations.  Barfing poison,  barfing ice,  barfing fire,  laser eyes - anything that comes from the face would benefit from alternate animations (to me).

 

I don't mind face attack animations as such - except when it is unique in the set.  I shoot flames out of my hands except one attack where I breathe fire - that seems weird.

 

I'd like to be able to choose that my set uses my hands or my face but not both.

[Luminara]

I hate Knockout Blow's default animation.  It's ridiculously cartoonish.  I don't play "toons".

 

I love everything in Martial Assault.  All of it.  It's fast, it's stylish, it's visceral.

 

Bitter Freeze Ray.  No other animation says "I'm going to rip out your tongue and beat you to death with it" like this one.

 

Fuck Incandescent Strike/Thunder Strike.  Spending ~3.5 seconds waiting for the attack to finish, and then missing, infuriates me.

 

Shield Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrge!

[Techwright]

On 4/20/2023 at 8:43 AM, SeraphimKensai said:

Welcome back to another week. This week we turn to animations, and primarily power animations.

 

What are your favorite animations in the game? Why do you like them? What about your least favorite animations? Why don't you like them? Are there any powers with too short of an animation time? Or too long of an animation time? If you could design animations for the game what would you want to tackle, new animations for a potential new powerset or revamping some of the existing powers' animations?

 

As always thanks.

I think one of my favorite animations is not from the primary powers.  It's the ninja run.  I use it with several characters, and it, combined with a slight jum.p can get a martial arts character to flip over several in a mob, then sweep their legs for a very satisfying display.  That said, I don't like that it sticks one arm out regardless of whether there's a weapon or not.  I'd rather have an option to sychronize both arms.

 

For wish-fulling game design?  An elastic attack set, revamping current animations when it fits.  For example, for the set, retool the whirlwind power look to display around the character with extended spiraling arms.  A "lash out" attack, could be a straight-lined energy power attack redrawn with an elastic arm and an enlarged fist.