Liking root animations less the longer I play

ilisfet

While they help give hits weight, I'm finding the mechanically restricting root to feel worse and worse as I play more. Being unable to move at all or even cancel attacks forces melee fights into trade fests without a knockback ability, and ranged is winning out in melee because you're literally a stationary target while attacking. Not to mention, the speed boost from the Greatsword of Haste is almost useless because of the root.

I want some amount of player controlled movement while attacking, the root isn't working out. Even if it's 70% or 50% snare, at least being able to side step while swinging would be a great improvement.

FuryBladeborne

+1

Rem_

It feels really weird being locked forward attacking. It feels like you should be able to strafe left right backwards and forwards. Instead when people move you have to spin your mouse around with them while still moving forward because of attacking.

Nagash

I just hate that you move forward when attacking and its not like its a small step it's like a few meters

Freezman

You CAN cancel animations.
1) switch weapons
2) use an armor ability (archemage Q also works cause it has a separate animation)

Most people still dont understand the basics of melee combat and just spam click, I think it's too early to talk about whether or not the rooted animations are good or bad.

Personally, my biggest gripe with melee is how bad the hit detection on lunges is. You just slide off people a lot of the times.

ilisfet

Very belated, by several weeks, but since I have a change of perspective I'll also address the last comment (which I think misses the point).

Freezman wrote: »

You CAN cancel animations.
1) switch weapons
2) use an armor ability (archemage Q also works cause it has a separate animation)

The issue is performing movement, rolling or blocking immediately after throwing an attack. The roots don't allow for responses as reactive as I'd like or expect.

And specifically about those animation cancels...
Weapon swap into an attack stops movement
This also applies to armor abilities. It stops the animation, sure, but you're still locked into the action until the now invisible feat is complete.


So, onto what's changed: Intrepid definitely trimmed the root duration down, and I've played obviously a lot more. I've gotten used to the roots and don't think them that restrictive until the chain finisher or multi-hit attacks.

Personally, I don't like one LMB to trigger multiple attacks unless it's dual wield and you're striking with one weapon right after the other (starting off-hand swing right after or same time as main-hand swing). Basically, if a swing is complete, I don't expect nor want another swing to start unless I hit LMB again.

Chain finishers have had their animations trimmed polished up and root greatly shortened, so relative to before they feel much better. But they still root about twice as long as other attacks in the chain, which I'm not quite fond of. The finishers let you attack again much sooner than if you stop the chain midway, but start movement much later. Again, not entirely fond of this, but not so bad I can't work around it.

The one thing I think definitely needs improvement (besides lunge detection) is block queueing. When hitting block during an attack, block doesn't come up at all, even when the attack finishes and you're idle. Sometimes it even triggers the cooldown without actually blocking. I'd really, really prefer this to be you start blocking once the action finishes if you started holding the button during said action.

ilisfet

Getting beat out by ranged weapons in melee distance is happening more often, it's just like in the first test before lunges were implemented. The roots as they are really make you a sitting duck and don't move forward enough to counter back pedaling. I don't care if it feels floaty, I care that I have control over my character! If we had control over which direction we move while swinging, if we had snares instead of root, if we had no movement restrictions at all, I could be a trickier target and most importantly get out of the way when I want to get out of the way.

Wololo

it still feels clunky but i think it has a good place in the mmo because it takes skill to position before hitting. for now it should move preferably in the direction the player is walking to though.
but eventually it could be applyd to high value skills or have any other effect to it.

ilisfet wrote: »

The one thing I think definitely needs improvement (besides lunge detection) is block queueing. When hitting block during an attack, block doesn't come up at all, even when the attack finishes and you're idle. Sometimes it even triggers the cooldown without actually blocking. I'd really, really prefer this to be you start blocking once the action finishes if you started holding the button during said action.

I totally agree on this.. blocking is worth it and does win 1v1's but it is clunky to use and works fundamentally wrong. lol now you can actually keybind block to 2 keys with a macro program like Corsair's ICUE and let one of them be continuously activated (virtual key hold) so that you can keep onetapping the real key, get the quickest block possible and the block will also be hold without you holding the key
we should be able to hold it down during a attack OR use block on any moment so that it cancels the attack and the opponement has to respond quickly. doubt it will be as detailed as say Mordhau or Kingdom Come Deliverance with block directions and such but its deffinetly the 'feel' action blocking should have with either directional block or a timed block.

ilisfet

I have to agree with how block feels when in use. The directional blocking does what you expect it to at all times.

I'd say the biggest issues with block are the cooldown and already mentioned queuing. The stamina drain on hold and successful block is already incentive enough not to use it, it feels even clunkier and unresponsive when the cooldown prevents you from raising it again.

ilisfet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF92wKNV8vE
This is a fine example of what is wrong with the root animations. The enemy had 35 armor while I had 55, both yellow weapons, and I even activated the mace's Q for a DPS boost, and we traded. I couldn't evade at all without deliberately missing my swings, and the enemy was backpedaling faster than melee attacks step forward.

If melee attacks weren't rooted, much more of those point blank shots would have missed and melee would actually have the advantage ...in melee.