Time for positive suggestions to fix the combat system.

Okay, my largest issue with the current system is your visual focus is down on the hotkey bar and you cannot watch the combat, to insure you're not backing into another MOB, or walking off a cliff, etc.

So here's a positive suggestion:

SCRAP the bar down at the bottom of the screen. In it's place, create a circular array of semi-transparent (user adjustable for taste) sprites around the center of the screen, about, say 4 inches in diameter. You can even get rid of the current square format and use any kind of sprite you want to represent the skill, ability or potion that has become available. The keyboard shortcuts still need to be there of course, maybe counter clockwise from the top around to the left for 1-4, then clockwise from the top around to the right for 5 to 8?

A nice visual would be for the sprites to "zoom" into view from the distance as they become available. Still greyed out (and more transparent than normal) until they "land" and become active.

This way you would at least be keeping the combatant's attention *ON THE FIGHT* and making all of your choices with hotkeys instead of mouse clicks (though mouse clicks should be available for those who'd rather have them.

This type of MMO user combat interface has been done before, many times and a lot of people I've talked to over the years prefer it. Even when they had user-assigned hot keys, not everyone remembers where some of the lesser used ones are so having them out of the peripheral vision and right around their focus works well for seeing them, understanding which one is which, etc.

With the one second cooldown removed, this type of circular array around the center of the screen in place, I think you'd have a much better chance of converting die hard MMO players over to this approach.