Weapon Types (Part 1/3)

Thanks everyone for the support for this exciting new month! 

With the most of the work for the locomotion animations done, it's time to start working on animating the weapons, tools and skills!

In this post I'll demonstrate 4 potential types of weapons, however, those are not the "weapons" you're going to use in game directly (that will come later), instead I'm listing the different styles of how such weapons can be held and operated. 

For example, two actual weapon objects, like a shotgun and a mining laser, can both re-use the "Medium Ranged Weapon" animation set, how it's aimed, shot, and reloaded. They will be both operated similarly to the "rifle" style we know. 

Those "styles" is what we're talking about here - because the ultimate goal is to re-use animations as much as possible, yet still provide diversity of weapon kinds. Plus it will make it easier for modders who want to add their own weapons into the game without having to animate them.

Medium Ranged Weapon

A regular rifle-like weapon type. Examples: assault/sniper rifles, shotguns, various energy weapons and tools, crossbows, etc...

Instead of a stock we are used to, a mechanical arm goes around the shoulder and attaches to the back harness. When weapon is not in use, it is conveniently stored on the back. This mechanical arm is also capable of aiming the weapon automatically, like a shoulder cannon, which makes this weapon type usable for creatures who don't have their hands free at all times, like quadrupeds or wyverns.

For those who prefer using their hands for aiming, angled to the side of the weapon pistol grip makes it comfortable for them to hold it. Their anatomy is different from human, that's why their way of holding the weapon is a bit unusual on the first glance.

Arm Blades

When it comes to melee combat, who wouldn't find a pair of blades that are literally extensions of your arms? The only reason why humans have swords is because they have to use steel to make them, and it is heavy. But when you can shape energy into a very sharp forcefield that doesn't even weight anything - the choice is obvious! 

Blades can be shaped differently to provide various functions, sharp for cutting like swords and long claws, wide for increased defense like shields, and even long and pointy for essentially making a blunt weapon variant like a powered jackhammer.

Throwing weapons

Strange technological orbs levitating around your arm, one simple motion and you send them flying towards your foes, yet they return back into your hand once they strike.

This animation set is useful for many throwable weapons, crystals, needles, disks, spheres... They levitate above your hand, circle around it, looking elegantly simple, yet extremely deadly.

Creatures without hands can also use those - they levitate after all.

Channeling

Some prefer solving problems with weapons, some with their intellect... and some combine two in one! Channeling energies from cosmic sources is the most direct way to affect the world with your sheer willpower, bending the reality to your will.

This is the most generic animation set, it involves a lot of waving your hands around and doing a lot of cool poses, but only with added VFX it will look like something is truly happening.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's it for now, but its far from over, stay tuned for the part two of this post!

And as usual, if you have some cool idea for a weapon type, don't be shy, let us know!