Recall Animations for VU'd Champions

Chocolate Waifu·7/26/2015, 9:53:27 PM·65 votes·7,690 views

This is more of a question than rather a concept. All I want to know is why Riot is leaving champions that are getting new animations, such as Maokai, MF, Fiora, without new default recall animations. I mean if they fixed up a couple animations on the champion, why not give it a recall animation? It is understandable to not give recalls to champions who just received TU's. But seeing these new, fresh animations, and models, just standing there when they recall is sorta sad.

29 Comments

Jofeyy7/26/2015, 10:39:21 PM22 votes

Every champ should have a unique recall animation. I dont really care if its something stupid like sitting down, it makes it feel much better than looking afk.

RiotMeddler7/27/2015, 7:51:17 AM15 votes

For partial visual updates like Fiora's we prioritize animation updates that support ability changes, rather than going for full animation overhauls. The reasoning there is that we believe that generally we can most improve the game by updating the key parts of a larger number of champions, rather than doing everything on a smaller number of champions. Definitely agree there's value in adding recall animations, they're really cool when done well. Need to compare that value to the other work that could be done instead though.

idoki7/27/2015, 12:13:36 AM4 votes

I think they only rework the model, texture and VFX in VUs but don't rework the rig (aka the skeleton which you animate). Sometimes they update animations but never add recall animation, which honestly is somewhat depressing because champions who get VUs will never be updated again, so they just look old near every champion from Darius and onwards animation-wise.

Pyrodinium7/27/2015, 12:19:59 AM2 votes

It is a matter of cost versus benefit.

While recall animations and complex dances and emotes are really fun to watch in game, they consume time as they not only need to be animated, but ideated, conceptialized, sketched and studied beforehand, then surveyed by QA and other pertintent departments afterwards.

It is not easy to simply add them, and in the case of champion VU's, each time invested in an update pushes back the release date of not only the one that is worked on, but every other that will come after it. In the case of skins, there is just a delay in when the skin will come, but by adding a recall animation to the Miss Fortune update, you are relegating Ryze/Teemo/Fiora/whoever update by the time that is required to process the feature.

Add to the fact that, as has been mentioned before by Riot Games, their animation department is a natural bottleneck for them, as they use tradional animation for their models rather than motion-capture animation, so it is difficult for them to find enough experienced animation artists to support the workload (or at least was this way when they posted it).

Kamekazí8/8/2015, 11:52:58 AM1 votes

So Theres VU- Visual Updates SVU- Small Visual Update TU- Texture Update NTVU- No Taric Visual Update :<

SnoKingXBL7/26/2015, 10:54:32 PM1 votes

Time = Money

On a serious note, only high end skins get that treatment. The temptation works too.

Blue Moon Wolf7/27/2015, 9:54:06 AM1 votes

I understand them not giving Maokai Alistar and MissFortune recall animations, they honestly made light changes on the models to update them, but I still think they should add recall animations for the sake of keeping them up to date. also, they should give new jokes/ taunts (along with interactions with other champs) for the more boring ones... >_> Zilean MonkeyKing

Avious7/26/2015, 10:29:59 PM1 votes

Been thinking about the same thing for soo long