Combat animation

[Bos_hybrid]

Just wondering what your take on DA's death blow/fatality animation for fighters and if you planned on implementing something similar in DS III? And if so, would you consider giving archers and mages an equivalent.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Didn't a preview mention throwing enemies off a cliff?

I know it's not the same thing, but it would be a signal that they care about both the mechanics and the dynamism of combat.

[Nathaniel Chapman]

We've focused a lot on making control of your character more direct than it is in a game like Dragon Age (or NWN2 for that matter!). This goes along with bringing the game to the consoles, where players expect crisper, more responsive controls - lag between hitting a button and your character animating is just not cool for a console ARPG. Along with all of that we're making sure we don't take the player's control away while their character does some kind of finishing blow.

 

So, I'd say we probably aren't going to have longer sequences where your character finishes off enemies - instead, we'll just focus on making our enemies death animations as awesome and epic as possible, and use ragdoll where appropriate so you can get some awesome finishes from physics.

 

Actually, we had a little mini-game going at e3 among the presenters where we tried to use a special dashing sword attack to lob one of the enemies from one cliff to another. That kind of stuff is always fun with ragdoll deaths.

[Oner]

This game sounds awesome so far.

[Bos_hybrid]

We've focused a lot on making control of your character more direct than it is in a game like Dragon Age (or NWN2 for that matter!). This goes along with bringing the game to the consoles, where players expect crisper, more responsive controls - lag between hitting a button and your character animating is just not cool for a console ARPG. Along with all of that we're making sure we don't take the player's control away while their character does some kind of finishing blow.

 

So, I'd say we probably aren't going to have longer sequences where your character finishes off enemies - instead, we'll just focus on making our enemies death animations as awesome and epic as possible, and use ragdoll where appropriate so you can get some awesome finishes from physics.

 

Actually, we had a little mini-game going at e3 among the presenters where we tried to use a special dashing sword attack to lob one of the enemies from one cliff to another. That kind of stuff is always fun with ragdoll deaths.

 

Thanks for answering, I'm liking the sound of this game more and more.

[Junai]

lag between hitting a button and your character animating is just not cool for a console ARPG.

 

Aye.

 

Also, most consol-games atm don't involve the player at all. You end up watching a "movie", then you're allowed to click your right thumb off for 3 minutes for some mindless grinding, then it's back to a movie again.. Quite boring.

I really loved the old co-ops, like Gauntlet. Imho, the more the player can be involved all the time, the better.

 

J.

[Amentep]

lag between hitting a button and your character animating is just not cool for a console ARPG.

 

Aye.

 

Also, most consol-games atm don't involve the player at all. You end up watching a "movie", then you're allowed to click your right thumb off for 3 minutes for some mindless grinding, then it's back to a movie again.. Quite boring.

I really loved the old co-ops, like Gauntlet. Imho, the more the player can be involved all the time, the better.

 

J.

 

My brother enjoys playing Guantlet like games with me (he's not the gamer he was) but he tends to get turned off by excessive "movies" in games that have more story than Gauntlet. It bores him to sit through the movies or cutscenes.

 

A few games that had skippable cutscenes, I'd play for awhile and then get him to play so we could skip the cut scenes without missing out on what we were actually supposed to do or where we were supposed to go.

[Junai]

lag between hitting a button and your character animating is just not cool for a console ARPG.

 

Aye.

 

Also, most consol-games atm don't involve the player at all. You end up watching a "movie", then you're allowed to click your right thumb off for 3 minutes for some mindless grinding, then it's back to a movie again.. Quite boring.

I really loved the old co-ops, like Gauntlet. Imho, the more the player can be involved all the time, the better.

 

J.

 

My brother enjoys playing Guantlet like games with me (he's not the gamer he was) but he tends to get turned off by excessive "movies" in games that have more story than Gauntlet. It bores him to sit through the movies or cutscenes.

 

A few games that had skippable cutscenes, I'd play for awhile and then get him to play so we could skip the cut scenes without missing out on what we were actually supposed to do or where we were supposed to go.

 

I think I understand him, though I do love a good story as well. I've probably played all the IE games 5-6 times, as well as NWN 1&2 and quite a few other D&D crpgs. I like the chapter-cutscenes in BG2, but the long animated dialogues in some new consol-games turn me off. It feels like I'm "allowed" to participate in a movie, rather than play the game. Also, as mentioned earlier, people usually expect a little more direct control-involvement in consol-games.

 

I'm sure they'll strike a fine balance. Sounds like they're aware of the "lag-issue" at least. 4 player co-op teamwork in an action consol-game can be smoking. I hope they don't dumb it down with too much spell/power-animation, annoyingly huge avatar-circles, unnecessary screen-shaking, glossy cartoon/manga-stuff etc. Keep it clean, realistic, fast and responsive. That'll get people hooked.

 

J.

Edited June 19, 2010 by Junai

[Alvin Nelson]

I hope they don't dumb it down with too much arcana-animation, annoyingly huge avatar-circles, unnecessary screen-shaking, glossy cartoon/manga-stuff etc. Keep it clean, realistic, fast and responsive. That'll get people hooked.

 

J.

 

Shoot, i'll need to chat with Nathaniel now about changing some things.

[Junai]

I hope they don't dumb it down with too much arcana-animation, annoyingly huge avatar-circles, unnecessary screen-shaking, glossy cartoon/manga-stuff etc. Keep it clean, realistic, fast and responsive. That'll get people hooked.

 

J.

 

Shoot, i'll need to chat with Nathaniel now about changing some things.

 

[Oner]

I hope they don't dumb it down with too much arcana-animation, annoyingly huge avatar-circles, unnecessary screen-shaking, glossy cartoon/manga-stuff etc. Keep it clean, realistic, fast and responsive. That'll get people hooked.

 

J.

 

Shoot, i'll need to chat with Nathaniel now about changing some things.

 

You has the power to influence ze game!

[Junai]

You has the power to influence ze game!

One can always.. try... *cough*

 

 

J.

[Purkake]

We've focused a lot on making control of your character more direct than it is in a game like Dragon Age (or NWN2 for that matter!). This goes along with bringing the game to the consoles, where players expect crisper, more responsive controls - lag between hitting a button and your character animating is just not cool for a console ARPG. Along with all of that we're making sure we don't take the player's control away while their character does some kind of finishing blow.

 

So, I'd say we probably aren't going to have longer sequences where your character finishes off enemies - instead, we'll just focus on making our enemies death animations as awesome and epic as possible, and use ragdoll where appropriate so you can get some awesome finishes from physics.

 

Actually, we had a little mini-game going at e3 among the presenters where we tried to use a special dashing sword attack to lob one of the enemies from one cliff to another. That kind of stuff is always fun with ragdoll deaths.

Left click/bumper swings with left hand right click/bumper swings with right hand confirmed!

[Jean-Eric Khalife]

Left click/bumper swings with left hand right click/bumper swings with right hand confirmed!

 

You also have to alternate between left trigger and right trigger to move your character. We're going for the sim arpg feel for this game.

[Purkake]

I like it.

 

Yahtzee's Duke Nukem Forever review offers some good ideas as well.