Bad Animations

Combat system
#1

There has been lot of written about facial animation, but I think that maybe even larger problem are animations in general (especially in combat)

Graphics in general are great, but animations look very unnatural stiff and clumsy. And they are ruining the impression from the game.
I is shame especially when it is obvious that there was lot of work put in to the animations.

People think that motion capture automatically means good animations. There are three main reasons why motion capture animations can be bad:

Bad technical quality: not problem of Kingdom Come
Bad acting: problem in some cases in Kingdom Come
Bad implementation in to the game: biggest problem of Kingdom Come

Animations outside combat:

There are hundreds maybe thousands animations in game, but there is only one animation for walk and one for run. And you see those animations over and over again. It looks weird and unnatural when there is group of people and everyone has the same walk/run animation.
Is it such a big problem to make few different animations for walks and runs?
I would make groups of people look much more natural.

Bad implementation in to the game:
There is problem with animation transitions character are stopping and turning immediately like they have no weight. And lots of other transitions looks unnatural.

Bad acting:
There is also some problems with acting, for example: woman is pouring bucket full of water in to tub, but lifts bucket like it has no weight.

Combat animations

Bad implementation in to the game:
Again character are changing direction like they have no weight.
When they are changing guards (or position or how they are called) transition is very unnatural, there needs to be transition animations. Also characters look really stiff and robotic, when they are holding sword up. There needs to be some slight movement. I would be great if there were couple versions of the same animation with slight different angle of weapon (group of soldier looks really unnatural when all of them are holding weapon in exact same angle).
Foot sliding this is really bad. When I asked about it animator in Weekly Torch, he answered that it because Cryengine transitions animations like this and that they can’t do anything about this and it is not his responsibility. I know that no one will probably answer me, but I would really want know, if there is somebody in Warhorse, whose job is to take care of implementation of animations in to the game. I refuse to believe they can’t do anything about it, it looks to me more like they don’t really care.

Bad acting:
Strikes (especially with one handed weapons) look really weak, probably because they needed to make them slower than they would be in reality, but they should have make them look more powerful through acting.
Hit reactions look really fake. Look at some videos of people really being hit.

And please do something with that terrible ragdolls, even Skyrim has better ragdolls than Kingdom Come.

It seems to me that Warhorse no longer gives a shit about feedback from the forums, but at least I tried.

7 Likes
#2

IMO they are well aware of the issue. Vavra would be the first person to trash a game for animations like this. Even the animator in Weekly Torch aknowledged that animations are the weakest part of KCD. It seems to me they simply don’t have people capable to create animations that are on par with modern standards. For example as long as I remember, there has been open position for animators in WH.

10 Likes
#3

We can expect better animations in next kingdom come.

3 Likes
#4

Zub how old is your Beta version? Just curious as to which build you’re playing before I give consideration to “It seems to me that Warhorse no longer gives a shit about feedback from the forums”.

#5

if first release fails then they wont expect someone buys sequel.

#6

Beta is quite irelevant at this point. I base my observations on the latest footage of the game.
Majority of questions regarding development remanis unanswered. So you can’t blame if I get the impression that Warhorse don’t even read it and feedback don’t get to responsible developers.

1 Like
#7

Yes, it is probably very hard to get really good experienced animators here in Czech Republic. But things like adding some movement to stiff robotic stances and transitions animations when changing them, is not that difficult and it would make characters look much more natural and alive during combat, but I have not seen any significant improvements in that regard since alpha.
It seems to me, that the person who takes care of implementation of animations in to the game, may have technical knowledge but doesn’t understand human movement and based on that animator wrote this: “Animators cannot really influence in any way how characters move around the streets or the country.“ there is not enough communication between them and animators. Which is really a problem, because implementation in to the game, is often more important than actual animations.

1 Like
#8

Zub, how am I to know that from your post? OK, it’s video you’re talking about. Is this video release game video?

#9

What? What is the point of giving feedback on released game?

1 Like
#10

I think warhorse studios really care about their fans and their feedback.It is possible that things u mentioned may be very difficult to implement in game.As we r not game developers so we cannot say with certainty that task was easy and warhorse studios is not implementing that feature.I would say kingdom come deliverance will be one of best original games made by small studio.

1 Like
#11

U can give feedback to developers on released game so that they can rectify their mistakes and make even better sequel.

#12

Yeah, in the year 2023. Bud standards will be very different by then.

#13

Of course, but if i got it corectly WeeScot was implying, that there is no point in giving feedback to ureleased game.

#14

Zub, I am implying nothing. I asked you some questions. I do not care one rat hair about the value of feedback after release, at least in the context of this conversation. I have several points on that subject, but it is off this topic. I wanted to know, as my questions plainly state, how you come by the information you base your opinions on. That’s perfectly reasonable.

From your responses, I can safely say that you have not seen the final release yet. I do not know what the final release will be like either. It may be awful. It may be fantastic. It may be somewhere in between. We are all concerned and hoping for something at least close to fantastic.

In my life, I always- in every case- allow people to actually fail before I criticize them for their failure. I don’t hesitate to encourage them to do better along the way, but things like “don’t give a shit” aren’t what I consider saying, unless I am mad at say, a businessman who is trying to rip me off.

Your comments pre-suppose that certain things have already happened, and that some other things have already failed to happen. We do not know this. Without that knowledge, we are at best making guesses. If it is an ‘educated guess’, by all means it is appropriate to cite the source of the information.

So yes, I ask questions. And your initial statements, responses to me, and attitude about the state of things shows me that you’re very comfortable predicting what the outcome is based on video of what we all know is not the release version. Those responses also show me that you have no problem assuming things you do not know.

Your concerns are well-founded and they are the same as most of the members here. But to again go back to “don’t give a shit”, you have to realize that providing your own flavor of confrontation like that (such a stong negative reaction can be little more than confrontation) to the same concerns that I have may be seen as less than constructive, and relegates your comments more to the realm of ‘emotional complaint based in assumptions’ than it does to “well thought out commentary”.

You may not agree with that, but I hope I have removed any need you might have to make more assumptions about my goals and motives in asking you questions. You may answer them or you may not, as is your pleasure.

#15

Bit of an over reaction. He didn’t write his comment as if it will absolutely have bad animations upon release, he woudln’t have asked them to improve them if he believed that.

1 Like
#16

How could I have seen release video of unfinished game? It’s obvious that i haven’t, so I don’t get why do you ask and there is no wonder that I asssume you are implying something by it.

I think it is clear that i am only guessing, but since we don’t have enough information about this topic, that is the best I can do.

I’m active on this forum for quite some time now. There used to be times when developers were discussing feedback here.
But now most questions here are unanswered and random coments on youtube are more likely to be answered by Warhorse, than questions from long term backers. Which is understandable from marketing standpoint, but you can’t blame me that I’m not very exited about it.
It is frustrating when you have lot of feedback, but you have no way to get it to the developers. So I’m sory that I dared to expres this frustration.

#17

Hello Zub,
what is exactlly your question about walking?

I have asked:

That´s the answer from Karel “pan Tau” Taufman (Animatior):

If you ask questions in the Weekly Torch they try to give good answers…

You are right the animations/ transitions are not the best in game history, but I don´t care because I know they try their best. Sometimes you are limited by money, time or menpower. Looks like they a limited by all this faktors…Nevertheless can´t wait for next Valentine… to see the result and make a trip into history. :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#18

So if I understand corectly there will be different animation sets for different types of NPCs (but we don’t know if they will have different walks). My problem is that, if all soldiers will have same animation set run/walks will be the same.
I think it is more important to have variation inside group (3 different run/walks would make huge difference) than to soldier walk differently than noble. I don’t think RAM would be problem in this case in battle you already have NPCs palying dozens of animations at the same time.[quote=“Blacksmith, post:17, topic:33895”]
If you ask questions in the Weekly Torch they try to give good answers…
[/quote]

Problem with weekly torch is that you need to ask rigt question in the right time. Thre is no poin in asking QA guy about animations. For example I was told by the animator that I should ask that question Dan Vávra, but how should I ask Dan Vávra wen his Weekly torch was long time ago.[quote=“Blacksmith, post:17, topic:33895”]
but I don´t care because I know they try their best
[/quote]

I think it is shame, when relatively small change (like transiton animations for changing stances) can make quite big difference. Bad amimations can put off lot of potencional gamers, wich means game will be less successful, wich means less resources fo potencional sequels.

#19

Zub, you either don’t read very well, or you don’t bother to read what people post. I have clearly explained myself. You have not seen the final version and yet you’re saying people don’t care. That’s nonsense. The fact that it is nonsense is not my problem. It is yours. So is the fact that instead of reading what people tell you, you go off on a tangent and put two and two together, come up with five, and act as if somebody else added incorrectly. Good luck.

#20

Wicker, over-reaction? I asked him some questions and instead of answering, he took off at 90 degrees and never looked back.

It’s my prerogative to explain or not after that. if I chose to make an explanation after his non-answer that’s my business.

Š 2015 Warhorse Studios www.warhorsestudios.cz