Feature Request: Flexible Combat System – Moving & Stationary Skills

[hevesli]

Hello Atavism Team,

I would like to suggest a new combat system feature that would greatly enhance player experience and modernize action combat in Atavism.

Feature Concept:

• Moving Skills: Most basic attacks and abilities can be used while the character is moving. The animation system should allow upper body skill animations to layer over lower body movement animations, so the character feels responsive and dynamic.

• Stationary Skills: Some special, high-impact skills or channeling abilities would require the character to remain in place, preserving tactical depth.

• Flexible Animation Layering: Use an upper-body/lower-body animation layering system (like Avatar Masks in Unity) to allow a smooth transition between movement and skill execution.

• Server-Side Support: Movement while casting should be validated server-side to maintain authoritative state without breaking network sync.

Goal:
Create a hybrid combat system that allows fluid, action-oriented combat similar to Aion, where players can move while casting most skills, but certain abilities still require standing in place. This would make combat feel more dynamic and engaging, especially for PvP and large-scale battles.

I hope this feature can be considered for a future release or as an optional module for developers using Atavism.

Thank you for your time and for considering this suggestion.

[Martin (Dragonsan)]

On 3/20/2026 at 1:35 PM, hevesli said:

Moving Skills: Most basic attacks and abilities can be used while the character is moving. The animation system should allow upper body skill animations to layer over lower body movement animations, so the character feels responsive and dynamic.

This is already possible using Unity's built-in animation controller, avatar, and layer system for animations.

On 3/20/2026 at 1:35 PM, hevesli said:

Stationary Skills: Some special, high-impact skills or channeling abilities would require the character to remain in place, preserving tactical depth.

This is already in place. You can define if the character shouldn't move during casting ability, and on the client side, you can define coord lock move effect to prevent it from moving for tor the casting duration. We are using it widely for various elements, like harvesting, so the player wouldn't move and cancel harvesting.

On 3/20/2026 at 1:35 PM, hevesli said:

Flexible Animation Layering: Use an upper-body/lower-body animation layering system (like Avatar Masks in Unity) to allow a smooth transition between movement and skill execution.

As in point 1, it all depends on how you configure your animation and prioritize layers. We used this approach in our game.

On 3/20/2026 at 1:35 PM, hevesli said:

Server-Side Support: Movement while casting should be validated server-side to maintain authoritative state without breaking network sync.

It is validated server-side, and the server checks if the client has moved.