A not so random skill selection

Ok, how about this. I think a huge part of what the community is objecting to in the idea of the random skill system is the concept of not being able to remember/plan your skills, even though you use them all the time and are theoretically an expert/master in them. What really drives this home for me, is the idea that I will not know WHERE my skill is even when it does come up. What if the skill cards were not the actual buttons? What if I could bind my keys, mouseclicks, forehead smacks, voice commands, or other UI controls to use my various skills as I saw fit, but the cards controlled when they were available?

So, say, Simple Mode. I have 3 spells, I have 3 card types in my deck, I deal 3 cards at a time. Each card corresponds to one spell. I can get anything from three of spell A, to one each, I have the duration of the hand to use them, then get dealt more. This would be short bursts of whatever spell happened to be available, but I as the player WOULD KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. No hunt and peck.

Not so Simple Mode. Now I've got 8 spells/abilities, I get 5 cards at a time, I have a mix of 8 different types, but in varying ratios. I'm very likely every hand to get at least one each of my A and B abilities, not so likely to get my G or H abilities middling likelyhood for the rest. Same gameplan, I get a few seconds per deal, I will probably be able to pound away with my basic powers, I will probably use one or two of my intermediate powers, I MIGHT get a chance at one of my less commonly useful spells (place a heal over time on self. Not really a spammable move, but nice to get every few hands).

Totally Complicated Mode (this is what I'm really thinking would be cool).
I have 15 abilites, bound to my keys as I see fit (I would want a sorting macro that put 1-5 as the first set, alt+1-5 as the second set, and shift+1-5 as the third, letting me hit all 15 with one hand and a little finger flexing) I have 4 cards being dealt per hand, but each card can be used to power as many as 6 different powers. Some cards only power one of my abilites, but some give me massive options. How I spend that card depends on which skills I use. The system has settings options for how it defaults when I use a power that could be fed by either of two cards in my hand, I can adjust this to do what I think is right. Now I WILL get up to 4 moves in the next 4 seconds, but I can choose which powers I will use, based on what the cards I got could power, as well as any limiters that are internal to a power, such as cooldown, cost, reagents, etc.

The reason I think this is worth posting is twofold. First, no matter what power I'm using, the KEY I must press never changes. My wide swing that hits multiple foes in a forward arc is ALWAYS alt+2. Maybe I cannot use it right now due to random factors, but when I CAN use it I will have no hesitation doing so, I won't miss the chance because it got dealt to the 9 key. Secondly, in the final "Totally Complicated Mode" example, one card could be used for several of my abilities. Still random, still could fail to come up, but now instead of just playing the cards as they get dealt, I can make choices, spend my resources in different ways.

This allows me to not merely customize my character's abilites based on what SKILLS I use, or what gear, or what specific abilites from those skills, or what passives, but now I can plan out his deck to work with those abilites. I can plan a bread and butter approach where almost all the cards do the same thing, that thing is to allow a set of basic moves, and those moves are what's on my bar. I use my powers constantly. I could build a fisher deck, trying to get that awesome trump card that lets me bust my Paralyze-Lava Column-Frost Strike spell, that kills just about anything IF I can get the cards to come up. I can choose my cards based on my powers, and vice versa. The devs could introduce controls on what cards can be used, maybe each card has a point value and decks have a cap on point value (modified by our skill levels?).

TL;DR: I like pants. They are better than dresses because dresses don't offer as much protection against wolverine attacks.

 

Yea, as I've said, the categories and buttons need to make sense. Something like: dodge, attack, defend, cc, finish. More is worse, not better. I'm willing to entertain the concept of an alt or shift modifier. But again both the button and the modifier need to make sense. e.g. higher risk, more aoe, etc.

I don't want a button that might be an attack or a summon or a buff or whatever.

 

The funny thing about this is even the people saying "this is going to be a great cool system" then limit that by saying "we can stack the deck" or "we make different decks for different skill types" or whatever. Ie almost everyone "in favor" of this system STILL don't like it as the devs have annouced. Everyone is just trying to fix problems which should never have been there in the first place

 

You are not correct there. I do not remember the exact quote, but the devs did say at one point something like this: and this is before/without the skills/abilities to modify the order/frequency of the draws.

You are all seriously jumping the gun on the hate of this system. Of course they aren't just going to release it as is, a totally randomized "card deck" with every single skill you've got in it. Seriously guys, put the thinking hats on and you can avoid most of this negativity with simple through processes.

Sometimes... I think the devs just release this much to watch the weak amongst us go rabid at every suggestion they make, and if they are doing that... I love them