Not Happy with Lack of Animations

[kingofkings1124]

Listen, go ahead and use animations, I know you're only going to being playing the multi for 2 months. So, whatever makes you people happy.

In following this discussion for the past few days, I can honestly say that gaming communities are absolutely uniform in one way, they all have their characters.

See, I, like many, play PC games for the "mature community." Of course, its people like this that make me wonder if pre-teen high pitched criers really are worse than people with an over-inflated idea of pretentious self-worth. You are so convinced in your CIV greatness that you won't even listen to the argument.

First, I have played CIV since 2, and with regularity. I mainly play it with a friend or two in particular, and we have no problem playing over the course of a long time. I don't care about speed, per se, and certainly think that pure "competitiveness" in CIV is laughable. We enjoy playing, of course trying to win and outsmart one-another, but at a pace that is comfortable.

Second, I like seeing animations. OH MY GOD. I am not a purely "ranked" (hah) competitive player such as yourself. I don't expect 3D rendered battles in real-time, but a sense of "a pikeman is different from Giant Death Robots" would be nice.

Third, Competitive? Really? Hahahaha..... Go play Starcraft (1 or 2, they both have animations), or any FPS with rankings, or any other game that implies pure competition. This game is, and always has been marketed as a civ builder with varying paths and "winning" conditions. There have been plenty of games that I "lost" but certainly enjoyed. If winning in a pure sense is your concern, please see the above.

(Oh and before you, grasping at your straws that you have done with that gentle sarcasm of yours, point out that this is post #1, feel honored that I, after 2 years of visiting, DL'ing MODS, and reading... finally felt the need to create a name to answer the toolbag comments you have provided us with)

And for the record, ALLOW CHOICE for MP animations, please... put my name on the growing list.

 

[DopeJam]

Im sorry but this feels like freeciv or civ2 (without animations). Specialy, after u dont have zillion units on one title and u don't have to watch all zillion of them fight. Removing animations would make(maybe) sanse if we had unit stacking like before. Why do they bother making nice grafics and then rip off the animations...sorry but is is crapy

 

[Fistalis]

From 2kgreg http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1206729&postcount=17

"It's a lot more complicated than that. Animations are not simply something that we turned off and forgot to provide an option for. There are underlying technical reasons why they aren't in multiplayer at this time. We will be evaluating what it would take to allow them in multiplayer, but at this time I don't have any guarantee that it will be added. We definitely have heard your feedback on the issue though."

so I wouldnt hold your breath for this getting patched in..

 

[guczy]

Sure it is interesting that you cant have animations in MP, but what's even more baffling is why cant you turn them off in SP. Since i played multiplayer i really want the animations gone from my SP games aswell, i've seen 'em, novelty gone, now i dont want to wait 2-3 seconds for a unit to move to another tile.

 

[Jellly]

Sure it is interesting that you cant have animations in MP, but what's even more baffling is why cant you turn them off in SP. Since i played multiplayer i really want the animations gone from my SP games aswell, i've seen 'em, novelty gone, now i dont want to wait 2-3 seconds for a unit to move to another tile.

Pretty sure there is a toggle for animations in the options.

 

[firecat318]

Sure it is interesting that you cant have animations in MP, but what's even more baffling is why cant you turn them off in SP. Since i played multiplayer i really want the animations gone from my SP games aswell, i've seen 'em, novelty gone, now i dont want to wait 2-3 seconds for a unit to move to another tile.

When you're setting up the game go into advanced options, I'm pretty sure there is a toggle box for that.

 

[Meeber]

How many times is this thread going to get remade... ok we get it you guys want animations.

It wasn't put in because most multiplayers find it annoying.

How many times must you go into a thread that annoys you and tell them, "How many times..Blah...Blah...Blah..."

If you don't like the topic of the thread then don't read it.

 

[Meeber]

It's not lag, combat animations means you don't know the result of the battle until the animations are over. It also means you can't move the unit being attacked or do anything with it for the several seconds it takes to have the battle finish.

And again, it doesn't matter if they're off for me; if one person has them on and uses it on me then I suffer the consequence of that.

Then there should be a toggle in the set up of the game to use animations or not for a game set by the host. I would always use them for my games because those I play with perfer them and we don't mind a slight wait.

 

[ChaosPearl]

Okay, before I say anything let me state that I'm a newb to MP. I've played exactly one multiplayer game of CiV in my life and that was last night. If that means my opinion is less valid, so be it. That being said, it only took one game for me to see how aggravating it can be trying to figure out what's happening without animations. I'm not sure I'll be playing further MP games until something changes.

I don't actually care about the animations per se. I've played a ton of SP and seen 'em all already. If full SP animations were available in MP then yes, I would turn them on because I enjoy them, but it isn't the lack of the animations themselves that make MP less fun for me: it's the fact that without them, I can't see what's going on unless I'm basically staring right at the unit when it moves or attacks. Blink and you miss it, sorta thing.

In my first and only MP game last night I ended up fighting a war on two fronts and I got slaughtered because I didn't see a cluster of five chariot archers flanking my capital until it was too late -- I thought the attacks were coming from the smaller cluster that I COULD see. And it happened because I was focused primarily on the other battles I was fighting on a different part of the map. I only have two eyes, even with a 42" LCD television as my monitor I can't pay attention to the whole map at once and without the animations it's nearly impossible to tell where a ranged attack is coming from unless you're only being attacked in one place by a couple of units.

Obviously being an MP newbie I don't know how common it is for the multi-front wars I encountered in my first game to occur, but based on what I've read on the forums here and in the War Room, it seems like playing with humans means it's conquer or die, so I can't imagine that it's very rare for an MP game to be hosting simultaneous battles all over the map. Maybe it'll get easier for me as I grow more experienced in MP. I don't know, I could easily be wrong about everything. I do know that right now I have no interest in gaining that experience because it's just not fun for me to play when I'm getting killed due to what I perceive as a mechanics problem. I have no issue when my civ is wiped off the map due to my stupidity or my opponent's superior gameplay -- or even when I lose due to pure bad luck. It's still fun to play the game; I don't have to win. What I DO take issue with is when I'm losing due to poor game design.

TLDR: I don't care about the animations. I only want a way to tell for certain who is attacking me and where the attack is coming from, and the animations are currently the only way to do that. I'd be just as happy if the animations stayed out but Firaxis put in something like, oh I don't know, a blue arrow pointing at an incoming ranged attack.

 

[Meeber]

I love the game so far and played Civ multiplayer exclusively since civ3 but sweet baby jesus, I hope they can please change the animation asap.

This reminds of of one of the best turn based strategy games of all time called Birthright in the mid 90s. For some reason Sierra came up with the genius idea of dumbing down the terrain and unit combat to reduce lag into something that was simply unplayable. Back then it made a little sense because everyone played on dial up but they did not project plan correct and did not forsee that in only a year or two broadband would be more readily available.

I loved that game. I also loved the Dragon Lance one too. I would really like to find these games and be able to play them with Win7. Also the Greyhawk games was not too bad either.

 

[Meeber]

the mind boggles that the thing you guys find to complain about with Multi-player is unit animations

seriously, you think that's the biggest issue?


if they do allow unit animations in MP (which they shouldn't) it HAS to be possible for the host to force animations off for the hosted game.

It should be a choice. And a choice I will always have on. Yes there are those that want to rush through a game in 5 minutes to be the King E-Peen Kwel Dude guy but I'm willing to bet that most of us like to play and enjoy the FULL game with our friends and Families and could not give two rats (well you know) about ladder play.

We don't want a dumb down verson of the game as it appears the 'Competitive' people want. There is no reason that they can not put in options to stream line the game sot that all gan enjoy it the way they want.

 

[Meeber]

How about the fact that none of the competitive or public games online used animations in Civ IV?

Maybe that had something to do with them taking it out in Civ V.

But you know, I'm sure your point was very good too. What exactly was your point?

But you see CIV IV you had a choice which is all we are asking. I have played a lot of CIV IV MP and it always had animations on. I have played a lot of people in Public and private that perferred this. No I did not play in the 'cometitve' realm because those people are usally not fun to play with. They take the game way to seriously.

So tell me why not have the option in Civ 5 like we did in CIV 4. How does me playing a MP with animation affect your boing stream lined 'Competitive' gameplay?

 

[Meeber]

Sure it is interesting that you cant have animations in MP, but what's even more baffling is why cant you turn them off in SP. Since i played multiplayer i really want the animations gone from my SP games aswell, i've seen 'em, novelty gone, now i dont want to wait 2-3 seconds for a unit to move to another tile.

You should have that option. I personally would NEVER turn it off but I believe that you SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION to turn it off. This is what we are asking for in MP. the option to TURN THEM ON.

 

[Kingmarzo]

I haven't been able to play CiV for abit but I take it the patch didnt change anything?

I dont hold out much hope with mp animations with all the other issues around

 

[patgarr]

hey Firaxis ! bring back animation or die.

are you stupid to remove that feature ? what s the matter guys ????????

incredible...

i m very hungry

 

[tommynt]

what a ridic threat - civ5 mp got so many problems and u talk 4 pages about something ABSOLUTLY irelevent - i could never imagine turning on animations even in sp.

If i want see nice animation i watch a movie - if i want play a game i want environment which alows me to have a FAST input - to be able to output fast aswell.
Also i cant imagnie that some1 REALLY want animations - they are same everytime anyway ...

also this is a real problem - cause you dudes make firaxis think hell - lets just give em animations and mp is fine ...
outcome
a even more unplayable game due to even more lag

 

[patgarr]

well... my friend and me take time to play in MP for hours...there is no prb to wait the animation and long turn... there is no lag when you know how thread works... i never have prb with civ 3 & 4...with animation..

Firaxis must include an option to allow the animation or not...

I don t like company who disgrace their code to bellieve in their own idea that could be good for others. They take risk...

I want animation, if there is not in few weeks, i will stop to play civ5m because we play ONLY in multiplayer...

It s an epic fail

 

[GregUMR]

what a ridic threat - civ5 mp got so many problems and u talk 4 pages about something ABSOLUTLY irelevent - i could never imagine turning on animations even in sp.

If i want see nice animation i watch a movie - if i want play a game i want environment which alows me to have a FAST input - to be able to output fast aswell.
Also i cant imagnie that some1 REALLY want animations - they are same everytime anyway ...

also this is a real problem - cause you dudes make firaxis think hell - lets just give em animations and mp is fine ...
outcome
a even more unplayable game due to even more lag

Have you personally tested the above scenario, ie, animations on and off on a controlled environment? Have you then made comparison charts of time taken to execute a turn with animations on and with animations off given identical work orders by the civilization game engine? Do you work at Fireaxis and know the underlying code and how it behaves? If you don't, you really aren't qualified to make such statements, other then to discuss your desire to limit everyone's choices so that they conform to your view of the world.

It's already been noted that there is a lag noticed when a move is executed in a multiplayer game. It is entirely possible that the time saved on enabling and disabling animations on a multiplayer game will actually have negligible impact. Perhaps, the observed lag in multiplayer where the unit freezes momentarily then appears in a different spot is actually an indicator that the developers merely took out the animation display code but the engine code is still waiting for the animation which is now invisible to you, to complete. In that case, you are experiencing a placebo effect where you in your mind believe the game is faster the way it is, yet you have no reference point other then the way the game is currently which unfortunately only allows for one method, animations off. Since you can't turn animations on in Civ V, and since Civ IV is an entirely different game code wise, you can't even make a valid comparison between Civ IV and Civ V, and thus, any complains about how animations would slow Civ V is merely conjecture and hearsay, as no one here can state the actual differences with it enabled and disabled.

I suggest we leave it to fireaxis to figure it out, and I'm sure level heads will prevail. Hopefully we don't end in a situation where the whining and complaining of the competitive quacks who are failing to look outside their own square box end up controlling the game to the point that everyone who would like to enjoy an option that is available in the game can no longer do so. Server side option, disable if you want, all competitive ladders will have it disabled by default. Only a selfish fool would argue against a server side option that all clients must follow... End.. Of.... Story..

P.S. Your little comment about

also this is a real problem - cause you dudes make firaxis think hell - lets just give em animations and mp is fine ...
outcome
a even more unplayable game due to even more lag

is non-sense. I'm sure the people at fireaxis, if they happened to read that, would be laughing. Do you really think they are just going to listen to what everyone in here says without their own investigation? Of course they won't. They listen, but, they'll check it out and come to a conclusion behind closed doors.

 

[tommynt]

OK GregUMR want be smartass so be smartass

Have you personally tested the above scenario, ie, animations on and off on a controlled environment? Have you then made comparison charts of time taken to execute a turn with animations on and with animations off given identical work orders by the civilization game engine? Do you work at Fireaxis and know the underlying code and how it behaves? If you don't, you really aren't qualified to make such statements, other then to discuss your desire to limit everyone's choices so that they conform to your view of the world.

I dont need a test which isnt even possible I am able to calculate: I can easyily loose and kill about 100 unis per game: If u add that before a unit dies it ll get injured in average 2 times before there are:
100X3X2 fights to happen in a bit longer then avarage game: Thats 600 fights - well PLEASE dont tell me that ANYONE can have fun watching same animation which he have been watching 599 times before ....
Now add like 5-10 sec for each animations and u need 300+ minutes for animations only .... sry I rather watch 3 movies then watch 5 hours of animations ...

Do you really think they are just going to listen to what everyone in here says without their own investigation? Of course they won't. They listen, but, they'll check it out and come to a conclusion behind closed doors.

Well Firaxis is a company and companys -if it all- listen to masses - so if masses cry for animations they will give them animations. They just want semihappy customers who dont return the game and be possible future buyers

 

[patgarr]

I have time to spend for animation

If Firaxis is a serious company, they will bring us a checkbox that allows animation or not.

If not....