So im pretty sure orbwalking and stutterstepping are the same thing and they're when you walk after an auto to get closer or farther away from a target untill your next auto is available if im wrong please correct me, but my main question is if animation canceling is the same as orbwalking and stutterstepping or just a similar concept because i hear it mentioned a lot when talking about orbwalking
AikidoLawnNinja2 votesThey're somewhat similar, but not the same thing in practice. Animation canceling is clicking off the target at the precise frame when the attack hits, thus canceling the finishing animation and moving on to the next action. Stutter stepping is alternating between move and attack move so you can continue to attack while moving. When you stutter step, you're generally also canceling the finishing animation of your attack, but you're not necessarily stutter stepping when you cancel animation.
Byakuya Kuchiki1 votesalso any other phrases that mean the same thing as anything mentioned above would be useful to know so i dont get confused when i hear/read them
Roaranor1 votesKiting is relatively the same as orbwalking/stutterstepping (I think kiting is the most interchangeably used term for League specifically). It's sort of a square and rectangle kind of deal. All orb walking is kiting, but not all kiting is orb walking since canceling the finishing animation isn't inherently part of kiting, it just improves it.
The difference between stutterstepping and orbwalking is that stutterstepping is usually referred to the specific practice of constantly moving in random directions to make yourself a harder target to hit, and is generally seen in laning phase (when people will auto a minion and immediately go back to random movements, cancelling the finishing animation). Orb walking is used more closely as an ideal kiting (it was originally a DOTA term if I'm not mistaken)
Byakuya Kuchiki1 votesso kiting is all 3 combined?
Roaranor1 votesKiting = fighting as you move
Orb walking = kiting + animation cancelling
Stutterstepping = repeatedly switching directions so that it's harder to hit you with skillshots
You'll end up doing all of them in a sort of blend, but at this is their simplest definitions. The reason stutterstepping isn't the same as kiting is because it doesn't necessarily lead to chasing or running, it just replaces the act of being stationary (which would make you an easier target).
junglerboy161 votesThey are related concepts, but not entirely the same. Animation canceling can also just be you hitting the stop button to cancel an auto attack, or other similar ways to stutter your champion's animations. orbwalking/stutter-stepping is a method of animation canceling that is used primarily to reposition in tiny movements in between attacks, which allows you to run away and deal maximum DPS at the same time.