"It can't start in a way that just feels crappy": Avowed devs are turning to animation to solve an RPG "challenge" of offering a sense of progression without sacrificing a strong start
While Obsidian wants you to feel a sense of progression throughout Avowed, the developer also doesn't want the RPG to "start in a way that just feels crappy." As such, the idea is that you'll feel the difference in power between you and a foe in how the HUD responds to a hit.
"The challenge in RPGs is we want you to feel this progression throughout the game, but it can't start in a way that just feels crappy," combat designer Max Matzenbacher tells PCGamer in issue 405. "We play with the timing of the animations, and we've spent a lot of time having the animation state change based on the type of hit.
"If it's a normal hit, we're trying to get that connection to feel right; if it's a hit where you're fighting an enemy that's too strong for you, we kinda try to make it feel like you're hitting an immobile post. Camera shake in first-person makes the game too disorienting, so our UI team has gotten the HUD to shake."
It's an age-old problem. You don't want players to be distracted by how underpowered they feel early game – much how you don't want people to feel like they need to sink 10 hours for the story to 'get good.' Still, using the HUD to demonstrate how far you've come is a nice idea that ought to go a long way, coupled with other elements to keep Avowed from feeling "crappy" early doors.
You won't have to wait long to see how it all shakes out, either. Avowed is due to launch on February 18, 2025.
Avowed is an RPG that's both the culmination of everything Obsidian has done before, and also an evolution of it: "There's really not a whole lot of our regions that's off limits to the players."
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