Real talk: Player Avatars

[MassiveD]

So,

I've been watching some Star Citizen videos today, just out of a bit of a boredom while having my morning coffee, don't care for that game, nor will I ever, but I've came across this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1FG0pg8bQ

Neither content, nor commentary is relevant here so you can just mute it.

Look at the avatar models.

I don't care if SC is in alpha, or beta, I don't care if they will be reworked, but if Elite has anything similar to this garbage, might as well not have them at all

This      is just pure comedy, the first player avatar shown in this video running away down the hallway just made me burst laughing out loud, Elite is sort of game where I expect player avatars to have very fluid movements, both animated (like taking seats, interacting with objects etc), and free-roam as well, just basic running around, walking, jumping, ducking, crawling etc.

Seriously, the models in this SC video are just awful, they look like they are yanked straight out of a random 2005 MMO, all stiff and wooden.

FD listen to me, NO , JUST NO, either make it right or not at all, this is the biggest immersion breaking thing I have ever seen not even exaggerating

IF there was ever a time to learn from mistakes.... right there lol

 

[fennster]

So,

I've been watching some Star Citizen videos today, just out of a bit of a boredom while having my morning coffee, don't care for that game, nor will I ever, but I've came across this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1FG0pg8bQ

Neither content, nor commentary is relevant here so you can just mute it.

Look at the avatar models.

I don't care if SC is in alpha, or beta, I don't care if they will be reworked, but if Elite has anything similar to this garbage, might as well not have them at all

This is just pure comedy, the first player avatar shown in this video running away down the hallway just made me burst laughing out loud, Elite is sort of game where I expect player avatars to have very fluid movements, both animated (like taking seats, interacting with objects etc), and free-roam as well, just basic running around, walking, jumping, ducking, crawling etc.

Seriously, the models in this SC video are just awful, they look like they are yanked straight out of a random 2005 MMO, all stiff and wooden.

FD listen to me, NO , JUST NO, either make it right or not at all, this is the biggest immersion breaking thing I have ever seen not even exaggerating

IF there was ever a time to learn from mistakes.... right there lol

Before this gets moved to another forum section, it reminds me a lot of Doom 3 animation and graphics.

 

[MassiveD]

Eh, looks adequate to me.

if it was in world of warcraft, sure, but ... come on lol, I mean even ancient games like Blood Rayne 2 had movement physics, inertia, etc, what we see in this SC videos are just cardboard cut-outs that happen to be animated (I'm not talking about graphical fidelity here, which is not bad at all, I'm talking specifically about movement)

edit: you can even see snapping between animations, look closely at the avatar coming out the door in the hub thingy, then stoping, moving backward and snapping into idle animation, they cant be serious about using this sort of movement technology, it is very dated and there are better ones out there

 

[Iain L]

Just because SC is set in space, doesn't mean it's particularly relevant to how Elite will use animation. Every game has to decide how to balance the fluidity of its animation frames against responsiveness to player input - think of how FIFA's changed back and forth on this over the years, with some using really pretty canned animations, and other sacrificing some of that so that a character turns and kicks exactly when you tell it to.

Take Rock, Paper, Shotgun's messing around with the character creation in Black Desert Online

[video=youtube;ZvALq8G48Fk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvALq8G48Fk[/video]

There's a tonne of possibilities here; don't dismiss it just because one game does a poor job with the animation.

 

[MassiveD]

Just because SC is set in space, doesn't mean it's particularly relevant to how Elite will use animation. Every game has to decide how to balance the fluidity of its animation frames against responsiveness to player input - think of how FIFA's changed back and forth on this over the years, with some using really pretty canned animations, and other sacrificing some of that so that a character turns and kicks exactly when you tell it to.

Take Rock, Paper, Shotgun's messing around with the character creation in Black Desert Online

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvALq8G48Fk

There's a tonne of possibilities here; don't dismiss it just because one game does a poor job with the animation.

Sure sure, no I understand that every developer has their own approach, I just cringed at this particular SC display, and with upcoming avatar module for Elite I go a tiny bit worried I mean SC already showed massive lack of fidelity in many places where Elite shined through, and I'm confident that FD will come up with something way more immersive

 

[Iain L]

As far as I know, ED Avatars are firstly to put a face to mission giving, and once they move to animation it'll be for walking around and talking to each other - I don't think we're getting the on-foot FPS that SC is doing, which is why it's so important they concentrate on responsive hitboxes rather than looking good.

It's always tempting to bash that game, because the funding model is so odd and Roberts has a history of poor project management, but I can see why their current alpha makes the decisions it does.

 

[MassiveD]

As far as I know, ED Avatars are firstly to put a face to mission giving, and once they move to animation it'll be for walking around and talking to each other - I don't think we're getting the on-foot FPS that SC is doing, which is why it's so important they concentrate on responsive hitboxes rather than looking good.

It's always tempting to bash that game, because the funding model is so odd and Roberts has a history of poor project management, but I can see why their current alpha makes the decisions it does.

I personally hope ED will not have FPS action, because I mainly play on a telly with a gamepad, so I'll be in an automatic disadvantage vs mouse players, I won't mind it if there was FPS per say, but talking about snappy hitboxes, just look at Metal Gear: TPP, it has sickeningly good fluid movements and animations, one of the best looking games in 2015 in my opinion, and one of the best feeling ones as well simply because of how fluid the movement is, how real it feels to shoot something that is moving so realistic, which to me says that even FPS's can be done in a creative way with enough heart and effort contributed towards the models.

SC just seems like its going to be Call of Duty in space, which is fine I guess for COD and Destiny fans, but to me it completely misses the point of what a space game should be, thank God ED is here to pick up the slack

 

[Iain L]

I really rather enjoy Destiny, but I don't play it enough for it to become repetitive. The guns have a great 'feel' to them and Bungie are second to none at the core movement and aiming parts of console FPS. But as I say, it's all down to what the game needs, and Elite can afford to have fluidity at the expense of responsiveness, so I'm not worried.

 

[fennster]

I personally hope ED will not have FPS action, because I mainly play on a telly with a gamepad, so I'll be in an automatic disadvantage vs mouse players, I won't mind it if there was FPS per say, but talking about snappy hitboxes, just look at Metal Gear: TPP, it has sickeningly good fluid movements and animations, one of the best looking games in 2015 in my opinion, and one of the best feeling ones as well simply because of how fluid the movement is, how real it feels to shoot something that is moving so realistic, which to me says that even FPS's can be done in a creative way with enough heart and effort contributed towards the models

There really won't be a FPS, maybe outside of the game where CQC will be, possibly?

I would imagine the FP section of it will be interaction with your environment, and other commanders on a roleplay basis. I think the key to this is not to force people into gameplay they do not wish to partake in. Within a station, high security, very little chances of confrontation. If you turn up to a wrecked site and there is already a wing there, then move away before you get shot. It's not a FPS.

And before people turn up saying "We don't want a FPS scenario in the game". You really should be ashamed of yourselves, by not including the CQC into the fabric of the main game, you shot everyone in the foot. Shame on you all. I don't play CQC, but why would you deny others of the chance of diversity to the game world. Sport you know, it still exists. I would of loved to see a richness come to the game. But no, those over 20,000 ly from the bubble campaigned against it, boo!

 

[Conch]

the movements my avatars makes at the moment look fluid.. the hands and such.

 

[Sir.Tj]

We already have a thread on SC

[h=3]The Star Citizen Thread v 4[/h]
Feel free to continue there.