Animation appreciation thread.

[idbeholdME 390]

Have you ever closely examined the myriad of unique animations the game has for pretty much anything? Every single CA, attack, its version for 1 handed, 2 handed, dual-wield, unarmed... They are all full of amazing detail one will usually not notice in the heated action. I encourage everyone to sometimes make use of the pause button (P) while fighting, and just look at the amazing things that are happening on your screen all the time.

Here is a selection of screenshots for the Seraphim. Might do a similar one for the Shadow Warrior or the other characters later:

Spoiler

This is something only Sacred 2 can provide. No other ARPG will go into such detail for things that you barely ever end up seeing. And it is one of the reasons I love this game. All the animations simply ooze character, many even with mimics and everything. I've just spent 2 or 3 hours just standing around and trying out all the CAs with all the weapon combinations and screenshotting like mad. Something I pretty much never do in any other game. The screenshots above are just a selection from the dozens I took  

Edited April 26, 2022 by idbeholdME

[idbeholdME 390]

(Double post due to upload limit)

Also discovered one slightly bugged animation during this. The 1 handed weapon animation for Pelting Strikes. The Seraphim's hair move slightly out of position for the duration of the animation:

Spoiler

The hair moves a bit more forward than it should be, even clipping in the face. The only animation that had this issue - melee 1 handed Pelting Strikes.

Edited April 26, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Flix 5,116]

The facial expressions are nuts.  I remember when I first started modding and being obsessed with just how many different faces the Seraphim & High Elf make when casting spells. To the point where if any edits to the models messed up those expressions even slightly, we had to start over.

 

 

[idbeholdME 390]

55 minutes ago, Flix said:

The facial expressions are nuts.

Indeed. I only ever closely examined the High Elf like 8 years ago (and not nearly as thoroughly), and the Seraphim today. The only thing I haven't gone through for her yet are 2 handed weapons (didn't have any on hand). One sad thing is, that if you use the technological helmet (the ones that look like Endijan helmet that cover the face), it completely eliminates the mimics.

Really looking forward to checking out my Shadow Warrior. The helmet from the Centurion set that the PFP enabled is going to be perfect for this.

Edited April 26, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Dax 481]

It started already in S1. In the very rare occasions I give the Wood Elf a try, I mostly enjoy the WE´s extra set of animations. It is so incredibly well made. Who ever was responible for it, he should get a medal. I think the well made animations, plus the highly interactive characters added a huge chunk of depth to both games. It is surely a factor why people regard S1 and Sacred 2, despite all these years, as well made products, which do not need to hide in comparison to other, newer games.

[Flix 5,116]

8 hours ago, idbeholdME said:

Indeed. I only ever closely examined the High Elf like 8 years ago (and not nearly as thoroughly), and the Seraphim today. The only thing I haven't gone through for her yet are 2 handed weapons (didn't have any on hand). One sad thing is, that if you use the technological helmet (the ones that look like Endijan helmet that cover the face), it completely eliminates the mimics.

Really looking forward to checking out my Shadow Warrior. The helmet from the Centurion set that the PFP enabled is going to be perfect for this.

Yes, sadly many of the helmets in vanilla/PFP contain a non-animated version of the character's head/face that overwrites the base skin.  This is eliminated in the big mods (EE/D2F/Addendum) thanks mainly to D's labors in editing the models so that the armor is always displayed on top of the base skin.  As cool as it is I didn't see that it would be appropriate for PFP due to all the edits.

[idbeholdME 390]

On 4/26/2022 at 2:01 PM, Flix said:

Yes, sadly many of the helmets in vanilla/PFP contain a non-animated version of the character's head/face that overwrites the base skin.  This is eliminated in the big mods (EE/D2F/Addendum) thanks mainly to D's labors in editing the models so that the armor is always displayed on top of the base skin.  As cool as it is I didn't see that it would be appropriate for PFP due to all the edits.

Well, that is something that I personally would deem acceptable for the PFP (the facial animations are still there when closed helmets are on part). A pure visual enhancement with no impact on the gameplay. But I have no idea how much work integrating it into the PFP would entail and how many of other edits are there/whether it would be separable.

But if anything, the visual bug with the 1 handed pelting strikes I posted in post #2 is what I would fix in the PFP.

 

Anyway, time for the Shadow Warrior edition. Being our resident undead warrior, he doesn't have that many fancy facial expressions and barely shows any emotion, besides just yelling on top of his lungs to lend even more strength to his blows and Combat Arts. Guess that becoming a corpse animated purely by T-Energy takes away that "special something" from you... Either way, many of his animations are still a pleasure to behold, but the sad fact is that his they are simply not as detailed. Just comparing Assailing Somersault (which has a unique look to every weapon type) with Belligerent Vault (where the Shadow Warrior just somewhat rigidly glides through the air the same way with every weapon) shows that to the fullest extent. But then again, a human has no chance of matching the grace and agility of the Seraphim. Even though it is an undead human animated and infused with T-Energy (and thus probably on the same level of power as a Seraphim would be), the rigorous military training still dominates his tactics, relying mostly on the good old brute force and applying it where it hurts most. The Shadow Warrior is stoic, disciplined and unerringly focused on the task of dispatching his enemies in the most effective manner possible. And now, with access to many otherworldly abilities afforded to him by the resurrection through T-Energy and his connection to the Underworld, he is truly a force to be reckoned with. By everyone without exception. The only emotion that sometimes still surfaces is that of pure rage for being denied his deserved rest.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go through his dual-wield animations, because my Shadow Warrior is ranged and already has all the skills populated. Anyway, here goes

Spoiler

Not something you'd want to see heading your way.

 

En garde!

 

Release!

 

This skeleton's day is about to become a very bad one.

 

Don't underestimate the reach of a one handed weapon.

 

About to land a fatal blow on an unsuspecting prey.

 

Cooking up something special (spoiler - it's Reflective Emanation).

 

Precision is key to victory. This skeleton found out the hard way. Off with his head!

 

Fancy footwork.

 

Even fancier footwork!

 

Salute!

 

Rise! Your service is not yet over.

 

"I come from the depths of the earth, and YOU want to scare ME?"

Again, only a small selection of all I took. Was much more difficult than the Seraphim due to me already having most attack/casting speeds capped. Excuse the life-leech lines in some of the screens, I have Frenzied Rampage modded for the life leech so can't get rid of them...

As for other characters, it might take a while. The only one I have on hand is a Temple Guardian. And of course, I encourage everyone to share their close up screenshots of animations too.

Edited April 27, 2022 by idbeholdME

[idbeholdME 390]

As promised, here is the batch for the Temple Guardian. Our friendly robodog doesn't have any facial expressions at all, but still manages to impress. Unfortunately, many of the screenshots have a bigger than usual size to accommodate the Battle Extension arm, which is also animated for most of the animations when it's on. So managed to squeeze only 10 screens into the upload limit and had to discard some of the bigger ones :/

Spoiler

What are you looking at?

 

Crouching dog, hidden Temple Guardian.

 

How nap time looks for Temple Guardians.

 

I'M A' FIRIN' MAH LAZOR!!

 

Apply dedication directly to face.

 

Bulky, yet elegant.

 

Brace for impact!

 

"I'm not short, I can be this big!"

 

Battle Extension arm joining in on the fun.

 

This is gonna hurt.

Special mention to the Battle Extension arm, especially the AFK animation where the Guardian spins his hand. If you have the Battle Extension arm on, it acts independently and closely watches the movement of the weapon. As if curious at first, it looks at what the Guardian is doing with the weapon and then the arm also rapidly spins as it tries to follow the weapon spinning in the TGs hand. Haven't noticed that until now. Can't show that in a screenshot, so putting it here verbally.

This is it for now. The Dryad, High Elf, Dragon Mage and Inquisitor will have to come at a different time. Or if anyone is currently playing those characters, feel free to post some screens too

Edited April 30, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Hooyaah 2,820]

^ Very nice captures, Mr. Crow! You inspire me to post a few of the High Elf's animations.
 

Spoiler

Here we see her casting Ancestral Fireball. If you zoom in to these screenshots you can see all sorts of detail!

And here she's casting Blazing Tempest.

And, fending off an angry (and "horrid-smelling") wolf.

Slicing a brigand with a downward thrust.

I think that she's going for the neck, here.

Our lady is a bit eager to gain more experience points.

Casting Grand Invigoration has a nice animation.

 

[Flix 5,116]

She is without a doubt the most expressive of the bunch.  They really went the extra mile with the High Elf.

I've always adored the graceful leaps and spins that she performs for Incandescent Skin and Raging Nimbus.

  

[idbeholdME 390]

Thanks for the High Elf pics.

The main reason I don't want to do the other classes yet is because I'd have to start level 1 ones and don't have any gear for them yet. And I don't want to do a photoshoot in default gear and a random mix of gear often has clipping issues (especially in some poses), which would look bad in artistic screens  Finding a good looking leg piece for the Shadow Warrior was somewhat difficult so finally settled on Lucretis.

I might have my old, pre Ice & Blood HE saves somewhere. Can't play her anymore, since she had many hundreds of runes read above the newly introduced 200 limit and also relied pretty much exclusively on all skills bonuses (which also got reduced), but could still be used for some screens...

 

EDIT:

One more thing. High Elf can't dual wield, but the Ancaria hero statues of the High Elf show her dual wielding. Does she have dual wield animations available and are just not used, or is the statue just a tease? 

Edited April 30, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Hooyaah 2,820]

1 hour ago, idbeholdME said:

Thanks for the High Elf pics.

The main reason I don't want to do the other classes yet is because I'd have to start level 1 ones and don't have any gear for them yet. And I don't want to do a photoshoot in default gear and a random mix of gear often has clipping issues (especially in some poses), which would look bad in artistic screens  Finding a good looking leg piece for the Shadow Warrior was somewhat difficult so finally settled on Lucretis.

I might have my old, pre Ice & Blood HE saves somewhere. Can't play her anymore, since she had many hundreds of runes read above the newly introduced 200 limit and also relied pretty much exclusively on all skills bonuses (which also got reduced), but could still be used for some screens...

You might consider downloading some "rare" armor here:

 

[idbeholdME 390]

36 minutes ago, Hooyaah said:

You might consider downloading some "rare" armor here:

Thanks, but I like the process of making do with what I have and finding/fine-tuning the look with that. Just to list the gear used for the Shadow Warrior for example:

Head: Cassis

Shoulders: Manica

Chest - just a Rare piece that I've been using

Arms - just a Rare piece that I've been using

Hands - Danderan's Skirmish

Boots - Caligae

Waist - Akarim's Legacy

Legs - Lucretis' Honesty

 

Pretty much exactly my normal gear besides the legs, which I've had to swap due to clipping issues (using Legs of Justice otherwise). I actually really like how synergistic the look is, especially the Chest and Waist (chain mail seems like it connects the two) and Gloves and Arms (really fits together well). The Gloves and Arms combo was also the reason I opted for the Lucretis legs, because they have that red-ish spot on the inner thighs that has a very similar texture to the arm piece. With proper lighting conditions, it almost looks the same color too.

Example of the clipping with my usual leg piece:

I will eventually get to playing the other classes (already have an Inquisitor planned), but I will probably be taking a break from the game soon. Honestly played an obscene amount in the last few months....

Edited April 30, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Hooyaah 2,820]

The armor looks quite good! It almost looks like a set.

[idbeholdME 390]

2 hours ago, Hooyaah said:

The armor looks quite good! It almost looks like a set.

I also just found an upgrade for the chest piece and to my great joy, it still remains greatly synergistic (the color is perfect). I like the stylish collar and it also eliminated the "under-shoulder weakspot" that the previous armor had when hands were raised. But there is a bit of clipping with the shoulders.

Edited April 30, 2022 by idbeholdME

[idbeholdME 390]

A small update after a long time with another batch of Seraphim screens. Didn't check her 2 handed sword animations the last time and they are pretty yummy. Also added a screen of Hallowed Restoration.

Spoiler

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by idbeholdME

[gogoblender 3,069]

12 hours ago, idbeholdME said:

A small update after a long time with another batch of Seraphim screens. Didn't check her 2 handed sword animations the last time and they are pretty yummy. Also added a screen of Hallowed Restoration.

  Hide contents

 

wow, Ive been missing this thread

your last up post, third pic is hysterical... check out her face... this game's output still surprises and astonishes  me

gogo

[Vishanka 236]

Captured this for the high elf...

[gogoblender 3,069]

33 minutes ago, Vishanka said:

Captured this for the high elf...

splendid!

This game still has oomph, specially with your eye

gogo

[idbeholdME 390]

11 hours ago, Vishanka said:

Captured this for the high elf...

Seeing the model swapped character (seraphim-HE), I've been wondering if the default High Elf character could dual wield if she had access to the skill? The Hero of Ancaria statues also depict a Dual wielding High Elf.

But I'm guessing not or it would have been already done. I assume she probably doesn't have the animation set for it.

Edited September 7, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Vishanka 236]

1 hour ago, idbeholdME said:

But I'm guessing not or it would have been already done. I assume she probably doesn't have the animation set for it.

Flix said it was not possible for the high elf, here:

https://darkmatters.org/forums/index.php?/topic/72222-vishankas-mod-corner/&do=findComment&comment=7139547

[Vishanka 236]

Oh, how beautifully animated! Here she is passing over the bow to her free hand to perform the animation

[idbeholdME 390]

Probably the very last batch of screens for the Seraphim. Animations you are probably the least likely to ever see in the game - AFK in-combat animations.

Spoiler

1-Handed

     

2-Handed

 

Bow

T-Energy Gun

                 

Especially the gun animations are really intricate. In the first combat AFK animation, she spins the gun for a while and in the 2nd one, she scans the surrounding area with the gun. Similar with the bow, where she also slightly kneels down and scans around. Definitely recommend checking those out in motion, there is only so much screens can convey.

Note that there are 2 combat AFK animations (and also 2 out of combat AFK animations) for most weapon types. The first one will play about 4-5 times before the 2nd one will play. As a result, I doubt many people actually ever saw the 2nd in-combat one. They are also usually quite brief, but some can be surprisingly long.

Edited September 13, 2022 by idbeholdME

[Vishanka 236]

A bit more highelf

[idbeholdME 390]

Long time no see, I've decided to drop one more batch of Seraphim screens. This time, from the forgotten ATTACKX animations. They seem to have been disabled in most community mods/patches. But they still work, I restored them and these are the results. In order, captures from:

1 handed ATTACKX animation

Dual Wield ATTACKX animation (2x)

Polearm ATTACKX animation

 

 

EDIT:
For some reason, the forum seems to be automatically downgrading the quality of the pictures even though I'm in the 2MB upload limit. Either way, that allows more screens:

Another dual wield one.

 

Assailing Somersault with Dagger.

Edited November 20, 2022 by idbeholdME