Chris' Release 8 Ramblings!

Also PK-Ks expensively geared to the teeth will take down and kill faster than anyone...all while saving the true innocent.

 

That vote, either way, is FOR the current system

 

Chris,

I loved this write up....the number one thing I got out of this is how passionate and excited you seem to be. I'm home soon and will be part of the testing soon....I got a lot of good feelings out of this post.

Always have been a supporter of the card system since I have played a lot of card games(not just magic) and could see the logical approach it could add.

 

It is interesting to see you compare SotA to MMOs and not MMORPGs specifically. Have you ever tried playing Team Fortress on an Asian server against Asian players while in Austin? I remember shooting fireballs at people in R8 who showed perfectly in hit position on my screen only to see them magically get away because of that half a second ping round trip. Seems on the server they were already behind obstacles or another position while my client lagged behind. The more action and real time elements you add, the more emphasized such problems become.

 

Thanks Chris !

 

That would mean 2/3 of those whom voted support the current combat system. Fear not Prince Guni, the combat system as it is, is far from finished. It will improve, just have some faith and patience.

 

Using a poll where two thirds of the people voted the opposite of your point of view as a reason for change is not a winning strategy.

 

I hate it when people use unofficial polls on forums as a gauge of actual support or not support. It is more likely that people who agree with them will even click on their thread. The results are also of too small a percentage of users to really be usefull at all.

 

The subject of lag is a valid one when you're talking about mechanics that require nothing but timing. I don't think that the card system qualifies, but I agree that your fireball example does.

 

I understood that part, I just can't handle more than 5 or so random slots. It's too much for me. Frankly, I have trouble tracking in a 3d environment if I don't have to look at a skill bar, one with random slots is too much for me, but at 5 slots with one locked, it's nearly manageable.

All I was saying was that I think the ability to get a bunch of different skills into a small toolbar is an innovation. In most games, I'm stuck with whatever skills, spells and quickchanges I can fit into the number buttons. If I want something beyond that, it's out of reach or deep inside menus. I like that the glyph system let's me access a greater number of skills by rotating them.

My guess is that when the system is more "done," that I'll split my bar with a 3-4 noble skills and 2-3 random skills, so that I have access to the deck, but I don't have to be scanning it all the time. But it all depends on how it comes together.

 

I would agree with Chris on that. I tried it all three ways: all locked slots (Dallas mode), all dealt slots ("regular" mode) and a combination of both (hybrid). The hybrid approach clearly worked the best for me (at least in PvE - in PvP, so-so).

 

And 2/3rds said they did like it.

2/3rds, if I remember my fractions correctly, is twice as many as 1/3rd.

 

Chris, I am not suggesting any of that. But you have to make a fundamental design decision how much you want combat to be action / real time and reward player speed and multi-tasking skill. This also has to do with the target group you choose for your game. Are you mainly targeting action MMO players in America? Or do you want a world-wide/international audience playing on an American server? Why have people chosen to play Ultimas and Ultima Online? Why do people play MMORPGs (the vast majority of which do not emphasize action/real time/fast reactions)?

I am part playing devil's advocate here to help you. This is your game, not mine. Partly I am giving feedback here on my years long experience playing multiple different games with different types of combat systems from "overseas". People living in the US don't usually play on overseas servers. But if you think there isn't anything to discuss, well, good luck!

 

I don't think R8, 9 or even 10 is going to be the time to worry about 'ping lag'. There are still too many important items to be developed and implemented first.

I can understand that this might be a little frustrating at times but with more than half the SotA world still missing and only half the background systems in place this may be a little lower on the 'to do' list than say things like crafting (is alchemy even developed yet), skills and skill balancing, promised backer content, story and plot lines, single player mode, instability issues (some people couldn't even log into R8), and the list goes on.

My guess is that this will be addressed closer to release when all of the background systems are being tweaked and performance enhancements are the major focus.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Crickey that was a massive wall of text, well regardless I like the new combat system can't wait to use more of the skill trees and very interested to learn more about regents for spell casters.

 

Interesting. My observation concerning those fireballs might have been inaccurate then. Maybe you are right and there can be some tech magic that somehow lets both players share the lag effect roughly evenly? Is that mathematically possible? Are you using some predictive algorithms for things like movement?

I would definitely be interested in learning more about this. I will also keep playing PvP and pay special attention to the LOS, dodging and positional stuff as you add (more of) those in. I hope those 10000+ deaths give you some good data to mine. My friends and I tried our best to contribute to that number Maybe you can add stuff like average pings and frame rates as data points to see how those correlate with win/defeat ratios and how that changes with specific changes/additions you make.

 

Haha nice one