A walk that walks: natural speed, no jolt when the front feet land
Four-legged walks looked stiff and slow and shook when the front feet touched down. They now fold their paws, roll their shoulders and hips, and move at the speed their stride implies.
Working on a test creature showed three problems with the four-legged walk:
- It walked like a robot. The front paws now fold as they lift, the wrist rises with them, and the hips and shoulders each roll on their own legs' rhythm.
- It walked like it was a hundred years old. The walk now moves at the speed its stride and timing imply, with a longer stride and a shorter cycle by default.
- A jolt at every front landing. The body dipped when a front foot touched down, then caught itself: a shake twice per cycle. Feet now roll off their toes, a trailing leg hands over its weight smoothly, and a foot that lands ahead of its hip touches down where the leg can actually reach, so the body is carried instead of dropped.
There is also a new walk style, canine, for dogs, foxes and wolves.
Creatures pick this up on their next bake.