When we have smooth animations instead of animation phases where one phase is one image, I'd like to see the Phase-Thing dropped. Only by dropping Phase we can truly use the benefits of smooth animations like controlling (dynamically) the speed of the animation. Instead of Delay=1 or Delay=2 (double as slow), we could use this:

[Action]
Delay=140
Length=auto, -1 or something similar

to assign that the whole animation should last 140 frames. The speed is steplessly adjustable by modifying the Delay (which should be possible by now, right?)
This feature whould be very helpful for at least all creatures and vehicles that accelerate so that the actual animation can be synced to the actual moving speed. Think of a steam engine, the wheels of a pushed lorry, the turning of the wind wheel or the clonk who first starts to walk faster and faster and then eventually starts to jog (faster and faster). Especially with the clonk it always disturbed me that he is moving so much faster on the ground than the animation suggests.

(And with mesh rendering, I am very happy that the clonk is not in his 16x20 prision anymore and can actually move up and down while running/jogging which would look much better)

> mixing two animations that use different bones: individually animating f.e. upper- and lower-body (or door and forge!)

e.g. Aiming the bow while running

>setting the position of specific bones manually (overwriting action data for that bone?)

For what purpose?

>changing only the texture via script while keeping the other animation data (already possible?)

What do you mean? Classical texture animation inside a model animation? If yes, I acknowledge that. Otherwise I don't know how we could animate the fire inside the oven of the tool workshop.