Kotor I/II had great melee combat animations. It looked as if they were fighting instead of simply making a swing every 6 seconds.
I think no other Rtwp game comes close to them unless i missed something.
Id really like a revival of proper animations in Rtwp, they add a lot to the feeling of combat.
have you played nwn?
Yes, i remember NWN 2 having decent animations but not up to par with Kotor. I guess the larger amount of
weapon types and possible pairings would have meant to much work.
He's probably referring to the first NWN. Combat rounds were obscured behind interlocking animations, giving the real-time turns a certain visual fluidity as combatants blocked, deflected, or ducked their way to victory. They would also move, either stepping forwards, backwards, or to their side. Problem was this got a bit excessive in the early game. They'd end up fannying about playing ring a ring o' roses with up to two movements per one attack.
Not to be discouraged, Bioware made some tweaks for Kotor. They dropped the ballroom dancing and heavily focused on striking animations where two melee weapons often made contact, which was the right call for a lightsaber spectacle. Dragon Age: Origins had parries and blocks to a lesser degree, but by Dragon Age 2 the combat was so fast that the whole concept got scrapped. A staple (kind of?) of their games for nearly a decade, dropped, just like that. I still wonder what Bioware's interlocking animations would look like today if their development had continued. Maybe bring back the dancing and pair it with a spacial awareness mechanic, producing animations that utilized the enviroment. Or go the Total War route and hire stuntmen to choreograph some really gratuitous but fun clashes.
