1) I used to do a lot of 3D Modeling/Animation/Raytracing - I know it's *hard* work.
2) I know the modelers and animators are not happy this was released UNFINISHED. (they are probably as angry as players about it. if not, they should probably reconsider career choice.)
3)
I am saying what I mean and I mean what I am saying here - and I've never been this hard on the staff of this game studio, but here it is:
ANIMATION SYNC: Rider/Mount.
The synchronization of the rider animation with the mount run looks
sloppy. I understand it's supposed to be a "rough ride" and look like the rider is struggling to stay on - I get it - but the sync disparity appears to only be the 'bounce' - it looks sloppy without the rider also "struggling" in his upper body (if this is the effect being attempted). Therefor the rider/mount animation looks more amateurish than anything I've ever seen come from Cryptic.
Ever.
STANDING/IDLE MODEL COLLISION: Rider/Mount.
Except for the really bad-looking rider/mount bouncing sync during movement, the standing idle animation has rider legs clipping into the Gorgon model - the rider is not properly centered on the mount model as the right leg clips further into the side of the Gorgon model even more than the left leg; both legs clip into the model. This seems to be the case with all PC character shapes, including my very large Half-Orc character.
MOVEMENT ANIMATION: Mount.
The legs of the Gorgon model animation seem to be incomplete; rear left leg appear to 'lag' or 'flail' about.
MODEL TEXTURE: Mount.
It is relatively clear what the intended look of the model is to be, however the texturing of the Gorgon appears to be
incomplete; no textures applied; color and specularity only. Which begs the question:
is this supposed to be an animated statue? This is what it appears to be. For goodness sake: at least color the eyes.
*****
The movement animation of the Gorgon with rider appears to have been created with keyframe and no fine-tuning, as though the tween frames were left as-is and this is
unacceptable - it appears your standards of quality have fallen through the floor.
Even with the usual issues
I have never, ever seen such a sloppy "release' from Cryptic Studios in City of Heroes/Villains, Champions Online, Start Trek Online, and Neverwinter until now. I have always championed the quality of Cryptic's modeling/animation work and now I must admit:
I am embarrassed for you and I now publicly eat all those 'modeling/animation quality" words I've hyped over all these years.
Now that the Gorgon is released, please do not consider it finished; PLEASE REVISIT THESE ISSUES and fix them. No screenshots provided because all you have to do is actually use the thing and look at it.
@Modelers/animators: I feel for you; you were shortchanged on this - I blame the PRODUCER/PRODUCTION DESIGNER bosses for releasing your good work unfinished into the public against your recommendations. At least this is the only possible explanation for such slop I can even think of.
EDIT to clarify this: I know there are other threads mentioning one or two of these, but I wanted to create a thread that gives a detailed complaint so the Cryptic Staff know precisely what the complaint is and where the perceived problems lay - SO THEY CAN FIX IT.
NOTE TO NYONE WHO MAY REPLY TO THIS THREAD:
No need for the usual vitriol against Cryptic about how 'this is standard fair' and all that nonsense. They do work hard and we must recognize that. This post is simply my way of throwing down the gauntlet to let them know that this is unacceptable as compared to the quality of all their other work (regardless of how you feel about that other work.)
Comments
^ This is why we can't have nice things.
Digital Marketing: Short Term Profit vs Long Term Growth
"In January 2012, Haribo released a TV advert showing the results of an interesting (if slightly halfhearted and biased) social experiment. Children were asked to sit at a table, faced with a single Haribo sweet. If they managed to resist eating the sweet for a short period of time, they would get two Haribo sweets to eat rather than one.
A no-brainer… surely? Apparently not. Not even one of the participants could resist the temptation of something they really liked, despite the promise of a better prize at the end of it."
Encounter Matrix | Advanced Foundry Topics
That was a real experiment Eldarth and the Haribo one doesn't seem...accurate...more like an advert.
It was originally done in the '70's if I recall correctly with Marshmallows. What was found was that few kids could resist but all those that could would be successful in life. While I don't exactly know where the original study was here is the TED Talk discussing the second study in February of 2009.
Blood Magic (RELEASED) - NW-DUU2P7HCO
Children of the Fey (RELEASED) - NW-DKSSAPFPF
Buried Under Blacklake (WIP) - NW-DEDV2PAEP
The Redcap Rebels (WIP) - NW-DO23AFHFH
My Foundry playthrough channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Ruskaga/featured
When standing, feet are still inside it.
I dont see many things like this from Crypt, only thing i wanna point out is my female halfling on her black steed (dont remember the name, its maintenance, so cant check) but its a armored horse 110% speed.
There her legs is so deep within the mount she is probably giving the horse a good heartmassage when she rides.
Have not seen it on other races.
Only thing that annoys me other than that graphic-wise is the armor always sticking out THROUGH any cloak you use, making it impossible to have show cloak on unless you are constantly running so the cloak floffs out behind you.
Not so happy looking at what I look like on it
It's an awesome mount, but by far the absolutely worst release in terms of quality they've ever released. The model is awesome, the gallop animation is *okay*, the jump animation is *tolerable*, the hoof "clackity-clack" sound is *decent*.
But anything and everything to do with synchronizing Player Character the the Gorgon model is downright horrific: riding animation is completely out of sync, rider leans to the right as though intoxicated (and ready to fall off) - nasty clipping issues during movement and standing idle.
~sigh~
We can only hope they get to fixing this thing sometime before Mod 9 and three or four new lockboxes from now.
yeah: I'm just a little disappointed in this one.
Oh boy I just can't stop laughing :D:D
Ditto.
I have actually put mine away and returned to my Clydesdale because riding the Gorgon has become outright *irritating* and *annoying*.
Yes.
Really.
Abso-fekking-lutely the worst, sloppiest job ever to come out of Cryptic in all their history.
Hell, I still have 20k Z in my account, considering the other lockbox super-prize: the Metallic Dragonborn race ability is broken, think I'll spend it on anything at all right now, much less lockbox keys? You get three guesses and the first two don't count. LOL
My confidence will become restored and the Gorgon out of my bank storage only when I actually see a patch note that states the Gorgon has been fixed. Until then, no more 'blind' purchases of anything from me.
@Cryptic management: shame on you.
@Animators: Thank you for finally finishing this. And thank you for fixing the Bear run animation on all bears; it finally runs like a bear and not a jackrabbit.