I do a lot of nitpicking on games, but every once in a while I think it’s worth pointing out a really standout good bit. I’ve previously talked about my love for game holidays, for good quest breadcrumbing, and even for some of the design components of D&D Online. Something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently is movement. Namely, avatar movement. It’s something that’s been impossible for me to ignore since Damion’s Zen of Design talk last year at AGDC; his comment that ‘getting jumping wrong’ is a fundamental problem really stuck with me.I want to call out a fantastic bit of movement and race design, with the Arasai race in EverQuest 2 acting as my paragon of awesome. Read on for why the little winged terrors are so fantastic – with video footage!

If you’re unfamiliar with the Arasai, they’re a race of evil fae patched into EQ2 in early summer last year. Part of a free content drop for all players, they’re sort of the dark mirror of the Fae race added to the game in the Echoes of Faydwer expansion. Both of these character races feature a combination of elements that make them fantastic.

Look

The overall look of both the Fae and the Arasai is really slick. While you could initially mistake them for pint-sized humans, they actually look visually distinct from every other race in the game. They’re thinner than dwarves or haflings, softer than gnomes … they’re unique. In a game with graphics that tend towards sameyness. even this small element of visual distinction is welcome. They’ve also got some of the most unique hairstyles in the game. That’s especially interesting, as hair customization is one of EQ2’s strong suits – there are some really wicked-looking hairdos in the adventuring set.

Wings

What really makes the Arasai/Fae stand out, though, are the jaw-droppingly gorgeous wings they’re sporting. Just as with hair options, EQ2 fairies have numerous choices when it comes to their wing shape and pattern. Coordinating with the overall look of the character, players can offer up definite statements about their avatar simply through wing choice. What truly sets this avatar element apart, though, is the fact that the wings are so fantastically animated. More than simple stiff props, Arasai/Fae wings move with a beat of their own, only stopping when the character rests on the ground.

Moves

To really see what I’m talking about here, check out this quick video of my lowbie Arasai alt in combat:

The look, the movement of the wings, the avatar’s bodyshape – they all come together into this incredibly cohesive whole. The clincher, though, is the way these characters move. No matter what they’re doing, no matter where they’re going, EQ2 fairies are always in the air. This tiny buffer of vertical space might seem unimportant, but it’s crucial to the ‘feel’ of playing this race. The character’s animation plays with the space fully, swinging legs about as the avatar reacts. Brief pauses when readying to log out, or when gathering tradeskill items, place the creature firmly on the ground – and it just feels weird. Arasai and their goodly breathren are born for the air – ant it shows.LessonsI’m not an “RP” guy. I’m not pretending to actually be a fairy. That said, when I play this character it feels substantially different than any other EQ2 avatar I’ve slipped into. The grace, the movement, the floating, it all adds up to a gameplay experience that other races don’t compare to. My gnomish priest feels positively bumbling in comparison, and he’s just a tiny stick of a character. What’s amazing to me is how ‘cheap’ it was to get that effect. A few simple visual tricks, some attention to the customization options you get at character creation, and voila – a completely unique feel to the race.

I’d love to see more games making use of core racial identifiers to make the experience of gaming more fun. Animating races with different gaits, for example, or giving them some unique identifiers players haven’t seen before – these would be incentives to make characters in this race, and try out the game in new ways. I was actually surprised that, after the fantastic reception of the Fae and Arasai, the Sarnak race wasn’t more differentiated from the others. That’s not to say it’s totally same-y; the lizard-men have a great, hunched over run that looks totally different from anyone else. But there’s so much more they could have done. Full animations on the tail? Flexing ears? Little elements of detail and zazz that could make the experience of being a Sarnak that much more enjoyable.

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