A new players impression of the deck system

There is a keybind for combo's where as you press the keybind then press the numbered skills you wish to combiner .
Lets use "R" for example as the keybind. R then 1, 2 R then 1, 3 now you have a 3 stacked glyph on 1 .

 

It should work with just numbers, try 2+1 instead (just guessing) or hit 'R' first then the numbers.

 

R is dead people (as in unnecessary). I have not used it since they made the change many releases ago. My opinion would be to not learn this.

If you can build a 2 stack there is no reason you shouldn't be able to build a 3 stack if you have another of the same glyph up as the process is the same.

You can even move a stack onto a new glyph. You don't always need to move a single onto a stack.

Should even be able to mash the keys at the same time and it will pick whichever of the keys you hit slightly slower as the location where the stack will end up.

 

I think the deck system is interesting but I don't like the way it has been implemented.
I don't like the card decaying system it works pretty much like a slot machine. I would rather prefer
a system where you get new draws only when you use or discard one of your actual cards.
It is very distracting and immersion killer, also stacking and combo system is very dull tbh.
Just hope they find better mechanics in the future to make deck system something more enjoyable.

 

In Q1 2017, there is supposed to be new combos, glyphs, and more combat mechanics being introduce into the game. So that's something to look forward to see if it will make things more enjoyable.
As far as the glyph decaying, have you tried to using mind lock glyph. It works pretty well for those who like to stack the glyphs and wait until the good time to use it.

 

Well Put.

While I Do know how to use the deck system As the OP states the randomness is too much as well as having to try to keep your eye on the combat bar as well as the fight going on. it's pure madness at
times. And running a 20- 21 glyph deck when I have 50 plus skills to choose from to begin with makes absolutely NO Sense!

Swords Fire Death and Healing 4 schools ONLY and i can only use 10 randomly as the deck deals them out. <yes i know and i do lock some> so that realistically make it 8 random slots for ALL
the possible things I can use in those 4 schools.

It's not ideal for A Lot of people and has been a major thorn in the side of this game since the beginning IMHO.
And while I hate to say it I know we are probably stuck with it.

As many of you know I have been a major opponent to this system since the beginning, but time and time again it's a post like this that just bring us back to the starting point where the base combat system is seriously bad.

Don't even get me started on the recticle and the poor targeting system to top all this off.

How many more time do we need to see this from new players coming in before it gets some SERIOUS consideration and fixes?

And I'm sure that there will be many many more post to follow on both sides of this topic.

Thanks,

Laz

 

The deck system AS IT IS, is one of the gems of the game imo. The joy of the system means it can be as dynamic as you want it to be. If you wish to make it easier on yourselves then by all means lock your deck completely. Even people that have no issue with the dynamics of it all have some locked for ease of use but its all about choice and dealing with it as best you can, advancing when you learn a little more and comfortable with it all. Lets not turn this into combat for the lowest common denominator, else before we know it we may just have one or two skills per character.

The system caters for all as it is, the ones who cant cope with the dynamics of it and keeping their eye on the combat etc, well don't, stick with what you are happy with, 10 locked skills, still more than you get in some mmo's. But for the rest of us, and it is the majority by far who don't have an issue with or adapt to use as much dynamics as they can cope, please leave it alone as it really is the best combat system as it is now i have ever played. Rotating slots, combo's, stacking, a degree of randomness but nothing that cant be tailored to give a good chance of getting what you want when you want it, combat is fun with it just the way it is.

 

@Schlock If you don't feel like you have enough control over your unlocked deck, I assume you aren't using mind luck and/or mind wipe. They make a HUGE difference. You'll find those skills in the focus tree. Try them out and then see what you think.

 

That is not an option as your DPS will be a lot lower. It is not dynamic for all play styles. One must use an unlocked deck to stay competitive.

They are ready to purchase so I can try them in short time. As it stands now with having implemented the many suggestions, my opinion has not changed. I sometimes forget what mob I'm even fighting. That's not immersion.

IDEA: Instead of randomly dealt cards, I'd rather be able to cycle them, then click to activate. I could actually build a controllable deck that way.
Player skill would be a factor, not lucky whack-a-mole split-eyed card selection.

 

When the game went live there was a number of posts by people, who are still playing!! who complained about the system. I and many others gave advice to and from the lack of negativity on this topic and to the fact i see them now doing well in the game i come to the conclusion that they have mastered the system they initially didn't like. I'm not saying it isn't confusing to begin with but I'm quite sure that in a month+ or so you will be of a different mindset, hopefully. Start of with 10 locked slots, then just have one slot for say buffs on yourself and get used to just firing that off when playing, then advance a little at a time.

I and many others, the vast majority can keep our eyes on the battle, add to that constant movement, keeping and controlling a pet and healing and setting it on various targets while i engage others and keeping allies healed is quite possible and enjoyable especially for me. I do not have an issue with what skills to fire when, i constantly watch my bar even though i could in theory fire blind as i have my deck setup for various slots to do certain things, ie: slot 5 debuffs on enemy, slot 6 physical damage buffs on me etc. I stack a lot so it helps to keep eyes on bar, but it only needs a cursory glance for me, I personally have 5 locked slots and 5 dynamic, with only 3 slots for damage glyphs so you don't have to do a constant 10 slot dynamic build, just what you are happy with.

Have a watch of this video, these much better than me and all done in pvp...This chap talks you through numerous skill effects and you can see his movement and deck setup and stacking skills all at same time. He has around half of his deck at times locked with the rest dynamic, but some of the dynamic slots have the same cards in, meaning he knows what is where when, no whack a mole really. Its all quite possible

Spoiler: jobe

 

A good, honest post, Schlock, and the quick answer is -- you're not alone. I absolutely loathe the combat in SotA, to the degree that it has been a deal breaker for my interest and enjoyment in the game.

And if you'd been around the community even longer you'd have seen stuff like the major and rushed combat changes just before the game went persistent which, to my mind, didn't really help anything.

I know in my heart of hearts that this cannot be true, but so much of SotA -- the combat included -- feels like it's been part of a, "let's see if this works" design philosophy which is still going on, in a persistent game.

 

@Bow Vale My concern is that the new player will not last long enough to realize the system could be good in its full capacity. Hopefully the changes coming up will help.
I did start with locked sets and as my skills opened up 3-4 cards, I start stacking. Currently I'm running 4 dynamic, 6 locked at a total of 18 cards. 3 of 4 of the dynamics are damage cards but they are laid out in a priority of use. Long story short, I get it. The system is not lost on me.
I will check out that vid.
I now have mind wipe slotted as suggested to see if I can more finite control over my choices.
Thanks for the input. It's constructive and appreciated. I am trying to like this system.

 

https://www.twitch.tv/kigustarfish/v/112408495

Spend and hour watching that video. Kor does a good job showing that its a complex combat system requiring a skillfully designed deck for the type of enemy you expect to be fighting be it in PVE or PVP. It's not something you are going to master in 40 hours of game play. ****, I've been playing the game for almost 3 years now yet I am still learning new things and trying to get good at combat. But, that is one of the important things which keeps me interested and coming back. If I mastered the deck building, armor selection, stacking technique, combo technique and tactics within 40 hours of game play then I would be very disappointed and bored with the game. You can see from the video Kor knows what the hell he is doing yet he continues to study the skills and how to use them.

Good luck with your journey over the next few hundred hours of game play. Have fun.

 

I've gotten used to the deck system, but there are still two things that really annoy me:

First is that I spend a lot of time staring at my deck (for stacking and/or combos) rather than actual combat. There needs to be further UI improvements in this area so I don't need to stare at it so much.

The second thing that really annoys me is that there's a max amount of decks you can have. Why does this exist? Now that proper mob resists are in, I want to customize a deck for each type of creature, but I can't. So now I either have to delete a deck and recreate another customized one every time (which I refuse to do), use a generic deck and discard a bunch of glyphs that come up (really poor way of combat), or just not bother adventuring in certain places because I don't want to be bothered with the previous two workarounds. I'm defaulting to the last option, which is stupid; large swaths of land I won't bother exploring because I don't want to go through the tedium of deleting and creating another deck and/or discarding a lot of glyphs for my generic deck.

The max amount of decks also pigeonholes players into a single specialized playstyle because they simply don't have enough decks to do multiple forms of combat. I gave up melee and ranged because I couldn't spare the 2-3 decks required to be able to switch to them. So now I'm a pure caster not because of playstyle choice, roleplay, or anything of that nature -- it's because of this artificial deck size constraint.

 

To me the combat is great. I too did not think it could be but it is really fun and challenging and you totally do not have to watch your deck whatsoever. So if you are a warrior for example try taking your main hits and putting them all every copy of each on unlocked slots 1-4 for example and your ranged hits on 5-6, buffs on 7, lock a heal on 9, rotate heals on 10, throw a mind wipe anywhere. You know where everything is. I have bludgeon hits on 1-4, arrow hits like ice arrow, obsidian arrow etc on 2 slots rotating. It is really fun once you play around with it. I rarely don't have what I need and I am not even a master at doing it. I'm still learning. there is so much we can do. We can run up to our group and throw out a healing rain that heals everyone for a little depending your skill, we can blink, steal life, stun, and more. I also lock my rez because I play in groups a lot and I don't want it rotating so I can rez when I need to. So give it a good try and yes it takes time to figure it out, but many here would love to help. Jump on in

 

As an opponent of "card combat" from the beginning, I have many, many problems with it (which I won't rehash again here).

I will say that my biggest problem with it is that you have to focus on what's going on in the unlocked deck than what's going on in actual combat. Sure, I can lock skills thus taking a focus penalty and losing the ability to combine skills for combos - so that's not a good option for me.

Maybe if the combat bar could be made translucent (allowing the player to make the bar as transparent or solid as they wish), then I could move the bar over the actual combat. At least then I could see what's going on with the on-screen combat and still move my glyphs around.

 

Quite sure there is no focus penalty now for locked glyphs..

The bar can be moved, just not made transparent

 

Didn't realize there was no longer a focus penalty. Good to know!

Yes, I know the bar can be moved but the transparency would help a lot (for me , at least)

 

I have since moved the combat bar over my butt so I can keep my dynamic cards in my peripheral vision.
Transparency would be a very nice addition.

 

Frankly, I'd say that most MMOs have poor combat UIs. I think a lot of it remains a technology limitation. I much prefer a skyrim style combat (or Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines, love how you can play that game as a brawler, a sword fighter, a spell slinger, or as a straightup FPS if you want).

I was against the card style combat here, but have come to accept it. Not, love it, but it's ok. It works, provides for deep complexity, but remains overly deliberate and takes your focus off most of the rest of the screen.

One thing I would suggest that would keep more of my focus on the nicer looking part of the game would be to change the function of the 'R' key. Instead of prepping you to make a combo, it should automatically combine any 'green' combinable glyphs. If there are more than one possible combination, it should take the one that occurs numerically first (e.g. if 1+2 and 1+3 are both possible at the same time, it should default to 1+2). For me, at least, this would help take some attention off my hot bar/number keys, but not reduce the depth and complexity of deck building and strategy.