I think a great way to enhance animations is to have a multitude of sounds to coincide with different surfaces or materials... I would love a specific sound of a blunt object hitting bone and a different sound of a sharp object hitting bone. Same for metal armor, same for rock surface or soft surface. That really helps me appreciate combat and I would not need fancy animations if more detail was put toward this.
UPDATE: Added a video of really old footage of traditional japanese archery(not the more modern kyudo). kyujutsu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcu-8GvaqFk
Also a video of a "sword dance", not the most practical of things but I find it very beautiful and inspirational. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9tkq1yzcg0
Audio is really important I agree but I also think it something that is really hard to make in a way that sounds good in an MMO.
//Voices of Terminus' Youmu Svartie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEG-ly9tQGk
Always loved this dudes style of archery, would love to see some animation along these lines added in
Lars Andersen's claims are very big and from what I know there are no sources for many of them. No proper academic paper or anything has been released on it so I would take it wit ha grain of salt and skeptisism. It is a great video showing really cool trick shooting and totally deserves attention imo, adding it to the main post :).
//Voices of Terminus' Youmu Svartie
UPDATE: Added some info in the other section about the Elmslie (single endged) and Oakeshott (double edged) typology for medieval swords. I am not saying that this should be something to strictly follow, but something I hope can inspire some designs, history had many different looking swords even if they were all of the same kind (straight and double edged). Just don't go too crazy on spiky bits and overly big and non-functional stuff is all I ask.
A Picture of the Elmslie and Oakeshott typologies together.
Youmu said:Lars Andersen's claims are very big and from what I know there are no sources for many of them. No proper academic paper or anything has been released on it so I would take it wit ha grain of salt and skeptisism. It is a great video showing really cool trick shooting and totally deserves attention imo, adding it to the main post :).
//Voices of Terminus' Youmu Svartie
yeah, could care less about his Real Life claims...I just love the style. Got to admit (if there are no camera tricks in that video) that the dude is super freaking talented
UPDATE: Added a video in the 1h sword section with a display of Korean swordsmanship, very fance and awesome and added a section for Rapier with a video about the mechanics and explenations of the very iconic lunge.
A fun fact for you all. Olympic foil fencing is not rapier fencing, it is actually from the weapon known as the small sword.
//Voices of Terminus' Youmu Svartie