Playing the Beta, the characters are running everywhere.

This isn't much of a big deal, but in the Infinity Engine games characters were "Walking" everywhere and with Boots of Movement Speed or similar could be abstracted as "Running".

I know there is a walking animation in the game, because NPC's use it, as well as the Party Characters use it from time to time in-game.

This isn't a plea, or a demand in anyway based on the results of this poll, but merely a question and a personal curiosity what the community here thinks about walking/running as a go-to for exploration/movement/pacing out of combat.

I voted "Walking", because I'd like to see, feel and experience it myself. Is it better? Worse? Will I get withdrawal and want to run because everything is so slow? Or will I be immersed in it? Will I enjoy it? Etc. etc.

I would like to see a build have the option to toggle Walk/Run for above mentioned testing purposes.

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by Osvir

To be honest I'd prefer walking, but they are not going to change it.

Walking for me too. Just another aspect where the spiritual successor lacks the spirit of its predecessors. 

 

The toggle idea is the right one. If you really want to run, you could always double click on the spot where you want to move, while single click is for walking. Naturally you could also have an option which reverses those functions for those who prefer to run. 

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by PillarsofEternity

I would prefer walking too, with an option to toggle Walk/Run.

I've seen "Walking" animation in the game by my Player characters. I know it is in there. It is a question of how easy it is to re-direct the "Move" Command to play "Walk" animation instead of the "Run" animation. It could be problems in the code by doing that, because walking animation depends on this or that. Skeletons might not be tuned correctly etc. there might be an issue with combat if you do that, or other "dependables".

Then again, it could be as simple as a switch (to make, maybe tops an hour, 2 hours? Granted, if all the right conditions are met in the code). Essentially: Do "Walk" instead of "Run" when "Mouse-Click Move" command. But I doubt it is that simple. Also depends on if the pathfinding of "Run" can be re-directed to "Walk" and if it is compatible.

Emotionally immersive & pacing/narrative:
Running around everywhere feels like you're on a rush somewhere, "You really shouldn't be in the Dyrford, you've got more important things to do!!! HURRY!!!!".

Technical Aspect/Beta Testing/Promotion:
For these purposes, Running is really useful, you get around the world faster and can do stuff faster due to it. As a Beta Tester I appreciate running around, it is convenient. But in the real thing, I'd continue to ask the question "I wonder how this would have felt if the characters were walking" I think, from time to time. Like walking in on the Cultists in the Skaen Temple, or walking in on Tryndil, or walking in on Lord Harond (Sound/Volume, another aspect, for another thread). "Walking in" on things.

Obsidian can also show off way more of the game by having "Running" animation in trailers, Let's Plays and so forth. If the characters were walking around everywhere, Jesse would've gotten to Part 14-15. It'd take lots of time, potentially more than a month, and would be too much of a waste of time, showing off way too little in too much time. Running around essentially helps testing & promotion a lot.

Expansive Start: Ideas (shelf material):
A more advanced idea would be to "Start Run Animation" when combat starts and there is X distance between target and character. I think this could merge extremely well between in-combat and out-of-combat "transitions" and even give some clear visual feedback on "Now you're in combat" & "Now you're not". Another idea is, you go with "Readied" movement when in "danger zones" (dungeons, battles) or even having a "readied" mode (like "Scouting" mode). Whenever you go into "Readied" mode you'd show hostile behavior, and NPC's could even react on it :D (Fighting in a city against some thugs, the civilians cheer you on, and if you're the thugs they'll boo at you or run away).

Or interacting with a farmer, and he'll become defensive/aggressive/raise weapon/"Readied" too, if you raise your weapon or have it equipped. Or perhaps run away. I play Project Zomboid on a roleplaying server, and it's a great game to roleplay with others. You have an "Aim" state, be it a melee weapon or a ranged weapon, a "Hold down button" aim. What I'm presenting is a toggleable "button", a trigger, "Go Hostile" and NPC's can react, or you can see NPC's "Go Hostile" before you do as well. Readability /Expansive End

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by Osvir

Where's 'BOTH' in the poll?

Honestly, I want to walk around town most of the time (and through the wilderness some of the time) and cautiously through a dungeon - but I'll want to run around already covered wilderness or to get around the shops in town when I come back for the 5th time.

BG2 walk-speeds were ok, but sometimes a run was better.

Well, many have suggested "Use the Slow-Motion feature!" previously in discussions, and I'm going to do the reverse here I think, "Use the Speed Up-Feature!"

Good point on "Both" in the poll, and I agree somewhat. It's easier to define "Yes" or "No".

How would you want Both to function?

In what way? Would the characters enter combat "tired", or would there be no penalty to it? Is a Walk animation even necessary and wasteful to resources if no one is going to walk around anyways?

How would you want both running and walking to work in sync? Auto-Run On/Off (Infinite)? Consequences/Penalties? "Both" is in itself its own discussion.

I'd prefer walking, and running animation when in combat (readability, player understanding). Or running to cost a small amount of Endurance over time. How would you want both to function in unison? I think for a game like Pillars of Eternity, and budget, "Both" introduces more problems than one or the other.

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by Osvir

Or interacting with a farmer, and he'll become defensive/aggressive/raise weapon/"Readied" too, if you raise your weapon or have it equipped.

I hate this - because I put my weapon away and then forget it's in my pack and when out of town, my character launches themself bare-fisted at an ogre

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by Silent Winter

Well, many have suggested "Use the Slow-Motion feature!" previously in discussions, and I'm going to do the reverse here I think, "Use the Speed Up-Feature!"

That's one option - but it also affects enemies and animations  (like the water-wheel), no?  (though if it's just to get over the already-covered/slaughtered ground more quickly then I guess it's ok).

 

Or interacting with a farmer, and he'll become defensive/aggressive/raise weapon/"Readied" too, if you raise your weapon or have it equipped.

I hate this - because I put my weapon away and then forget it's in my pack and when out of town, my character launches themself bare-fisted at an ogre

A "Readied" Mode could function in a way that that wouldn't happen. There could be a "Readied" Equipment Slot. Essentially you'll stow away your weapons when you're not "Readied", and if you are attacked, the characters would equip all their weapons when you click "Readied". "Prepared"? "Alert"? "Hostile"? "Attack"? *shrug*

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by Osvir

Combat: always Run

 

Outside Combat: toggable Walk/Run speed

Running in combat sucks, and the run animation blends badly with the combat idle.

Edited December 5, 201411 yr by Sensuki

Walking in combat ? Too relaxed don't you think

 

 

Or interacting with a farmer, and he'll become defensive/aggressive/raise weapon/"Readied" too, if you raise your weapon or have it equipped.

I hate this - because I put my weapon away and then forget it's in my pack and when out of town, my character launches themself bare-fisted at an ogre

A "Readied" Mode could function in a way that that wouldn't happen. There could be a "Readied" Equipment Slot. Essentially you'll stow away your weapons when you're not "Readied", and if you are attacked, the characters would equip all their weapons when you click "Readied". "Prepared"? "Alert"? "Hostile"? "Attack"? *shrug*

This would be fine - if the characters just put their weapons away when not in combat (but optionally take them out if you want to saunter through town appearting aggressive)

Walking in combat ? Too relaxed don't you think

The animation and the movement speed is better for combat. It's not about realism, it's about practicality.

Funny, today I was going to ask Sensuki or Bester if it's possible to bind the walk animation to the movement command instead of the running animation somewhere in the code.

It probably is, but it would likely have animation blending issues with other stances, such as the combat stance. Even the run has existing animation blending issues.

Ok, if you get curious enough to try it out, tell us about the result

Walking, and not just for the IE feels.

I'm perfectly fine with running, and its speed, as is in the beta. It feels good to me. But I think the game needs a walk toggle as well. I'd prefer walking inside Inns and other interiors.

Walking in combat ? Too relaxed don't you think

Well, if you run around like a crazy person in real life combat, you're gonna tire yourself out, and risk tripping/not noticing things.

 

Toggle for me would be awesome! (If it would be easy to implement for the devs) But it's a Quality of life issue imo, not high on the list ^^

@kat7ra: Yep, it's one of those "If Obsidian has some extra time" before release I think.

i think running is also what made combat in PS:T pretty bad for me. They could have solved the issue with getting from one corner to the other of a map in a better way. If the player explored an area and there’s no enemies near, you could have just selected your party and with a mouse/key combo when clicking on the place you’d want to move them, the party would fade out and fade in to the new place for example. Running could have been interesting perhaps as a short 3 sec sprint for example if you selected the appropriate ability which could have a cooldown, so if you wanted to get away from an opponent or reach a char faster you could do that if you could use this ability.

Crawling?

running in PoE looks awkward to me by now. They reduced the speed (acknowledging that movement is too fast) but by now the chars look like they’re stomping and not running. I’d bet the chars in Numenera walk as fast as chars in PoE run. Heck, i wouldn’t be surprised if the walking chars in BG2 are not that much behind of chars who ‘run’ in PoE. Couldn’t they just have made a well animated walk style with a little bigger steps ?