How Animations and FX Make Ship of Heroes Exciting

Giant explosions! More seriously, today we'd like to share a few of our favorite animations in Ship of Heroes, and why we think our animations and FX help to make the game exciting. Reviewing and upgrading animations and FX was a major project lasting many months. And no wonder: there are animations for when hero and enemy powers fire, reaction and impact animations for the target, movement animations for heroes, civilians, and enemies including non-humanoid enemies, idle animations so heroes and NPCs do not stand there stiffly, emote animations, and special purpose animations such as dancing in the Beta Club and animations related to NPC roles. Both heroes and some enemies can fight in flight, which greatly increases the number of animations. We have not taken an exact count, but in total, somewhere between 500 and 1000.

Players often come to love and identify with their favorite combat powers, and with how they look and sound. In this video, you'll see a few of ours, and what makes an animation or FX a good fit for SoH. And you’ll see how some non-combat animations can add to the immersion in the game as well.

One of the key considerations in a superhero game like Ship of Heroes is that the animations should look, well, superpowered. For us, this means that they should look smooth, powerful, and plausible. And what’s plausible in a setting like ours, with advanced gadgets, improved genetics, and magic? Quite a lot! But it’s not exactly the same for every hero, much less for enemies.

Animations that illustrate superhuman physical prowess, magic, psychic powers, futuristic technology, or unusual biology are all very helpful in conveying the superhero themes of the game. FX also help to carry this idea, not to mention being fun to look at. This is one reason why Ship of Heroes is a fairly large game to install – at launch, you'll see over 270 distinct powers of all kinds, with a very large number of polished and distinctive combat animations.

You'll also see heroes flying, running faster, and leaping higher in the air than any normal human could. Teleporting to key locations, activating spells, using psychic powers, and fighting with futuristic superweapons are all part of the mix. Seeing is believing - and the best part is learning to use those powers with your own unique heroes.

We look at many features for each animation to see if it is a good animation for its use. Ideally, it should be:

a. Fast

b. Strong

c. Weighty, with visible kinetic momentum

d. Smooth, so the character only stops or shifts direction with appropriate timing

e. The FX matches the power's nature: high-tech, or mystical, or psychic, or something else

f. Any weapon attacks use cool weapons that fit the story

g. Footwork is good

h. Posture is good

Certain features in a superpowered combat animation make the animation good, or great, depending on how they are implemented. For example, a hero’s attacks should usually be faster than a normal human could manage, and if they have a momentum aspect - punches, sword strikes, explosive shots, etc - then the attack needs weight.

Weight is delivered both in the attack, and in the reaction animation. But magical attacks may be different, they may be healing or debuffing oriented, and if so, they should not have much weight to them. Does a laser beam knock an enemy back by 20 feet? Not usually. So, each animation needs to match the power's the underlying story and premise.