Update
I've been thinking more about making the human unit's more diverse, by splitting them into 4 different factions with differing appearances based upon different historical cultures
I wanted to show a chart that displays what units are available to four factions, as well the potential promotions/class changes available. Not all factions have access to the same classes.
I tried making each faction different in terms of the units they recieve, for example Blue recieves more Ranged units, Green recieves more Melee units and is more geared towards offense (and has a Melee/Magic hybrid Spell-sword), Orange has a balanced range of units and Purple are balanced as well, receiving an extra melee unit at the expense of one-ranged unit and are more defensive in comparison to Green.
Tried making an example mock-up of how movement/action would be dealt with:
I wanted to go with a simple design, although it's obviously subject to change.
I hope this is an improvement over my previous attempts at attack animations (Specifically the spear-thrusting knight):
Previous version (Sixth Row):
I tried making him look less static and tried to put more oomph behind his thrusting of the spear. I'm unsure of what to do with the shield, but i don't think it should remain in place, especially after such a thrust, like it did in the previous version as it made it look more static in my opinion.
Also; should i cut the frame where he's turning the spear 90 degrees? Or do you think it adds to it? I'm currently restricting the frame limit per unit to 8 frames, since that's what i feel comfortable working with at the moment.
I currently use frames 1-3 to get the unit in place, such as raising a sword, lowering a spear, raising the staff etc, Frame 4 as a build-up to the attack, frame 5 as the actual attack although this can vary between 5-6 especially with the archers and in this case the knight, Frame 6 where they complete their attack, with melee units moving slightly forwards to suggest this and frames 7-8 as recovery, with units moving back to their original place if they've moved. For archers, they usually fire on the 7th and return to their original stance on the 8th.
Here's an update:
Tried reducing the sliding of his legs and the pole whilst he is thrusting, and tried making him walk forwards. Not sure if an improvement, but i have been trying to do a walking animation so i can at least improve my animation(s).
Update:
Tried also re-doing the swordsman's attack:
I've probably got it wrong, but it's a start.