Exasperated with Combat

Right now this is a game of experimentaion for all of us since nothing is completed, we have to play with what we currently have. That can be frustrating, but if you remember you are playing with a game in development, then take the challenge. Trying something is what is going to give the best ability to provide much needed feedback.

I am just trying to have fun with it. If something isn't working I try something else. So right now I have a strange set up, but it is getting me by I am level 18, I have 6 points in the first tactics choice called healthy, I have about 6 or so points in it, I locked fire arrow with about 4 points in it and also points in extra fire dmg, then I am using a bludgeon weapon and so I put quite a bit of points perhaps 4 in the first one (sorry can't remember all the names) and then knockback and one other. So I try to hit them with powerful fire arrows and then when they get to me I can bludgeon them to death and run and fire arrow more if I need. I also made healing my friend and gave my healing ray a few points for emergencies. I am not oposed to the healing ability being my friend.

I believe it is going to be someones quick thinking that keeps them alive no matter which way it goes. If it's not fun after completed because we are all wimps and have no ability to finagle in ourselves in battles then that is no fun. So you will see many many people doing all kinds of things and that is the point right now. We have to be creative. We can do it. Pre alphas are definitely not for everyone. **cheers** and welcome to all the new people.

 

If you put on full plate and tank yourself up, there's no problem. This game becomes amazing from a PVE standpoint.

It's when you attempt to break out of that mold that it gets crazy stupid.

 

Yes and mold breaking is what SotA is supposed to be about. Time will tell

 

Melee combat did seem about impossible, this trip.

But I agree with those above, it is possible to get the hat without fighting through a few 'detours'. The reward actually is in the tour or exploration.

 

I logged into R11 - walked around for 5 minutes - logged out.

I couldn't face the dreadful combat, epic loading times and lack of 'chat', 'control' and 'UI' refinements etc.

The only reason I haven't sold my account is because I want the 'game box'.

 

Sorry, the combat system needs to be totally revamped. I'm saying it now and I said it months before it was released. I told ya so..

 

As you can see from the comments, this system maybe to hard for the average MMO player. There are a lot of moving parts that you have to sort of work out and if you can't figure out what to have in your deck with what you have equipped it can be very challenging.

I personally like that it gives me a lot of options, but I am more of a single player at heart(though I play a lot of mmo's over the years).

 

I just don't think a new style combat system was needed for this game. The selling point was never gonna be combat, but it has become a breaking point to people.

 

As I said before pre-alpha is not for everyone. I took a break and in coming back I see so much more has been done. Don't panic people, just step away if you must, but constructive feedback is the best. I have thoughts of not jumping in sometimes, but when I go in with my quiet mind and dig in I know I can then help with the development of this game, not attribute to it's demise. I'm sure there's a lot of people that don't have the patience for a pre-alpha project, but at least they now know that. I would by no means give up on this project. We have a long ways to go and I intend to see it through.

So best wishes where ever your individual mind-set is. I'd hate to see anyone go, please just hang in there. In the long run you get so much. Much more than any other game will offer you in so many ways, plus an awesome Dev Team who are working their butts off for this game. **cheers**

 

Good tip. I found myself in the sewers fighting 2 slimes & kept dying consistently. Could be my build since I opted for a spear & shield build plus healing and sunbeam spells. Got myself an elven bow but not quite sure where to get the ammo - yesterday was the first time I tried the randomizing deck build since I've been gone for 2 releases or more.
greally rather not

ps. also sticking to a leather armor build so any tips on that score would be very helpful - thanks.

 

Ok , i figured out that one of the best areas for a starting character of my level was the South Valeways where bears, wolves & skeletons abound. The spear & shield combo worked great against bears & wolves with minimal healing involved. The leather armor skills also helped. Elven bow was useful in drawing the mobs in one by one but after the first two shots it's a given that you switch to the melee deck. There should be a way for beginners to know that wandering into the Owlshead sewers or the Dragon cave is bad idea until you gear up a bit and that there are better places to level at.

Didn't bother to put anything in offensive magic spells at this point since getting the physical attack & defense basis seemed more important. I"m deliberately avoiding the sword skills , many people are using it so there's no shortage of feedback on that.

The Mad Hermit's video on how to build a proper deck (R8) was very useful in getting myself going btw.

ps. got rid of the card points placed in health & strength and placed those in the pole arm's innate reach instead. worked much better

 

I want to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. It's reassuring to see that there are others who share my frustrations and concerns. Using some of the advice here and a bit of devious skill-respecing, I found a way to reach each of the tour guides without engaging in combat. Rather than fight, I invested all of my points in passive shield, health and toughness upgrades, which allowed my character to survive just long enough to speak with the right people. I now have my hat, but I certainly wouldn't want to play the game like this post-release.

Here's hoping Portalarium address the whole combat issue after R11 closes.

 

I found combat to be more interesting then ever in this release because the skill trees are starting to get more fleshed-out. Once you can acquire enough skill points, expand your deck size and slow down discard speed things get interesting. The trick at this point is to realize that every attack doesn't have to be a signature move. The default attack can deliver enough of a wallop to keep you in the game while you wait for the right card to appear or the right situation to present itself before playing a card held in your deck. It's not perfectly balanced yet, but it's certainly starting to show it's potential.

If you just click cards at random just to get rid of them, even when they are not needed, you will waste an attack and become frustrated for sure.

Also keep in mind that you are rewarded for growing and having a full compliment of cards in your deck by combos that reveal themselves when the right combination appears.


@Numa,

Glad the videos helped.

 

I realize that this game isn't about "levels" per se, it's about skills selected and how you use them, but having some sort of indicator of what to expect in an area would be nice. I don't want to have my hand held. It's just not too obvious what the flow should be. It's pretty funny to get 1 or 2 hit killed by mobs when I have no idea what I'm capable of, but it's going to scare away a lot of people. If the goal is to have a small niche market of hardcore people, then the way things are right now is likely to ensure that happens, but I, for one, do not want a niche game. I want it to be vibrant, full of life, popular and growing. It's a balancing act though. I don't want the game to attract people like the community from Archeage /shiver. Worst community in an MMO EVER.

Perhaps a tool tip or small window when you target a mob that says "This mob would be easy for you", "This mob would completely destroy you", etc. to give one a rough idea of what to expect.

 

Just to be clear, I didn't agree with you.

 

please keep the combat system - new and innovative is good, in an MMO climate where every freaking game is practically the same thing with different skin.

its pre alpha, and i totally expect that this fighting system will be really buggy, unbalanced, and only partially complete. i think every other "player" (were not really players, more like testers, at this time!) should have the same expectation right now.

please do not nerf the combat system and make it generic to fit "play styles" that people have come to expect from other MMOs. BOOOOOOOOORING...

im very excited to be able to really tweak and customize my avatar's combat abilities so much. the end goal needs to defeat the pathology every other MMO combat system has - every single archetype class ending up with 1-2 exact same "builds" with their skill points. i want to play a game where you cant really predict what the other player's skills are going to be, and theres a very diverse set of possibilities to contend with in PVP (ESO tried this to some degree, with some success, but eventually the same thing happened - the same 5-or-so templates dominate, and everyone is the same in the endgame).

however, i do agree, for the sake of this testing phase, that we should not be forced into combat. it should be relatively optional, like the last release, so that we can focus on achieving the various game world stress testing goals. either that, or make the mobs we have to fight trivial as heck to defeat - i too gave up playing friday night because i couldnt go 2-3 steps without being one shotted by a skeleton.

people who want the same level of control over their experience can go play WOW or other games some more. These attitudes destroyed the original ultima online, and every game since the first UO has been some nerfed variation of everquest. BOOOOORING

 

There are a few issues, please see here https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/glyph-combat-fixed-combat.15964/

 

yah, i get that there will be issues... i was mostly responding to the original post asking for the game to be adapted to someones comfort zone, and saying that trying to be innovative is a bad idea. i dont want a richard garriot flavored everquest. im excited for something new and different.

also again, sorry to be off topic, but can someone link me to some guide about the glyph system? my current toon is practically unplayable and i cant figure out how to get skills on my hotkeys, after having other players try and explain, and searching endlessly on this forum (perhaps my search terms suck...).

 

As of yesterday and late into the night while I was playing to about level 26, I had managed to have skeleton arrows and hits truly not do that much damage. I was using the skill tactics and lots of bludgeon with deflect and and also strong fire arrow with extra burn dmg, and shield protection points. I didn't go down the tree in bludgeon far, it does no good to spread yourself too thin. So get yourself protected, don't worry about getting to the fire elemental or air elementals or the bottom of a tree, well except focus maybe, just have yourself be extra strong in your couple of trees as in my two with bludgeon and fire backed up with strong tactics healthy and a bit of heal. Really it was fun for me to evolve and while it will probably change how things effect our characters, there truly is a way to make it work. I don't even have good armor on and too many slugs and still was making it work. Now why is that so different from many other games? Do you know how many times I respec'd my character in wow to get the perfect build, which of course I never did, what is this "I played one day and gave up thing", sheesh hang in there, well or don't, but consider it to be user error and lack of tenacity to give it a fair try. My gosh, oh well I still think you're the best community, sorry for ranting, just if I can do it, so can you. **best of the best to you**