A word of advice who's deeply into anything grindy and time consuming, don't ever use the static animations for anything other then conventional uses. If im sword fighting with a stupid ai, I-, no, most of us don't want it to look like we're hammering a nail into a wall.
If you truly want this rpg to be successful, think outside the box, get creative, and take a new look on things. Don't just make it like any other Blockland rpg because truth is, they sucked. The builds were cool and the mechanics were wow but the lack of any new or intuitive combat left the game with "quick, who can run around and gather and mine the most resources first and get the highest armor and weapons first" Sure they were fun to begin with but look at most of them now.
Here are a few ideas. Turn/trigger system. Look at any final fantasy game ever. Your character and the enemy has a timer indicating when to attack ect. Using a menu to use whatever he has at his disposal from weapons to magic and items.
Similar aspects can be seen in the paper Mario series.
Another thing, emphasis on coop.
Your guy shouldn't be a god mowing down enemies left and right until late game grind. Your not supposed to be a lone wolf but if you are good loving luck beating every dungeon ever.
I hope I've given you insight and information to move away from the typical rpg trash I see in Blockland, but it can't be helped because it is Blockland. This kind of work and time requires something more than motive, it requires money or a separation into its own game but all means good luck with your project I hope it becomes successful.