Being an MMO with a very diverse world, there are many different player and npc character models running about. I complement ArenaNet on a job well done with all the character animations in the game. From the very beginning, I noticed how smooth my character transitioned from idle, to walking, to a running animation. There was no jumpy movements; just a seamless flow of movement which looks very natural.
Pictured above is my Sylvari Ranger. In the picture you can also see the vividness of the world I am exploring. The grass and trees blow in the wind, creatures mill about, and npc's interact with each other. Great care was put into each animation to make sure it is smooth and organic.
In the screenshot you can also note the various particle effects going on around my player. There is sparkly dust and fireflies in the air, and a water portal in the distance to the left. All these particle systems are dynamic and have their own properties. Each adds atmosphere to the game world and helps bring it alive.
A majority of the characters in GW2 are bipedal, and as such ArenaNet put a lot of working into making convincing movement and animations. There is no feet-skating present so your character very rarely clips through objects or the environment. The following screenshot is very good example of these systems at work.
Due to the huge variety in poses a character in GW2 can do, I believe all these animations are done using a skeletal system. Each races /dance emote makes the character perform a very complicated dance with a large number of different poses. These animations are on their own though, meaning they cannot be blended to or from a running animation.
One of the first things I noticed about my character when I started playing was how their clothing moved as they did. In the video above if you watch carefully you can observe the bottom of the tunic moving with the character. All the cloth and hair animation is done real-time using a physics engine. It moves and sways with the wind and with the movement of your character.
As a ranger, my character uses a shortbow and longbow as their primary weapons. Early on I noticed that every shot I took was affected by gravity. The arrows would arc towards targets which were further away. This effect has a major impact on game play, as it can be a true tactical advantage to having the high ground. When trying to shoot an enemy up on a keep wall, often the arrow will not reach its target because of the arc path it flies on. Conversely, on top of a wall, it is easy to shoot at enemies down below, and from a fairly long range.
Its a little difficult to tell from the video, but each arrow fired is affected by gravity on its way to the target. It is a subtle yet important detail that is often missed in these types of games. ArenaNet really focused on making Guild Wars 2 both look good and play good, and this all comes about from consistent and effective animation techniques. If you go look at WoW for example, you'll notice a large difference in the fluidity of the character animations.
Guild Wars 2 has been proclaimed as a 'beautiful looking game' and players definitely notice the high quality of the many different animations present in the game.
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