Alaloth has a very complex combat system which is a key part of its gameplay, so the combat animations had to be both functional and impressive. We chose Alaloth’s fighting styles and their animation after a long period of study and comparison together with our tech-animation department and designers. We wanted Alaloth’s combat system to be as spectacular as possible. The system we settled on allows you to choose from and improve 5 different fighting styles, all with their own unique animations—one-handed, one-handed + shield, two-handed, dual wielding, and polearms.
The animations we ended up using were taken from our libraries and then modified by our animation team to adapt them to the needs of our designers and maintain a unique visual style. We utilize both motion capture and handmade animations and Root Motion is essential for us to make movement and combat as real as possible. Once all the animations were put into our test environment (we call it the Dojo) and selected, we moved on to managing the animator controllers in Unity. During this development phase, it was important to maintain a dialogue between our coders and tech-artists to ensure the best possible management of the animations and transitions. Our goal of course was to have everything be as smooth as possible, so to do that, we needed to set certain mechanics in our animator controllers to create a unique common base set to start from for each fighting style.
Each fighting style was designed in a way that the timing and combos would give the same feel and so enhance players’ experience with all 5 fighting styles. Light attack animations and heavy attack animations are used in each style, and thanks to our animator controller, we were able to manage combos consisting of only light or heavy attacks, or a mix of both. In addition, we introduced a multidirectional dodging system to give the player a tactical advantage by being able to dodge attacks in all 4 directions once an enemy is locked onto.
Enemies in the game also use this animator controller system and, thanks to a complex AI, they can manage a series of fighting styles and behaviors—from the most cautious to a more aggressive and brutal style. Finally, closely related to the VFX department, we have unique animations for unique skills. In Alaloth you can customize your character by choosing different Ways of Power, classes, and skills. Each one of these has its own animations, changing accordingly with the chosen fighting style.
But in the world of Alaloth there are not only warriors looking for fame and fortune. In each city, town, or tavern you will find different NPCs and animals, each with their own set of animations, according to the situation or task they are carrying out. Plamen is a living world and we transmit all of this through the scenes of everyday life with tons of gestures that are scripted by our writers and to allow players to appreciate each dialogue and all the small details that make the lore of Alaloth unique. With all of this we hope to make Alaloth’s world as immersive as possible.
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/919360/Alaloth_Champions_of_The_Four_Kingdoms/