twitch combat instead of turn based/cooldown combat

I strongly urge the staff of SOTA, to lean towards a twitch-based combat system instead of stand in the same spot turned based/cool down combat system.

What I mean by a twitch-based combat, is actually having to move physically away from a melee swing so you don't recieve damage, actually timing a block/parry of swing by blocking with your ''right click button", actually being able to dodge spells thrown at your LoS instead of them automatically hoaming in on you like a heat guided missle and being dependent on your ''resist skill''. Actaully aiming with your bow on the target you wish to hit and ahve a headshot be a headshot instead of a base damage. This type of combat is much better IMO instead of the traditional cool down/spam skills combat.

What do you guys think?

These are things that I would love to see in a SOTA for mobs/pvp, instead of standing in one place spamming this skill that skill and waiting on that cooldown and this cooldown. At the very list they should incorporate both, cooldown special skills and twitch combat.

 

I agree with twitch based combat. Because it's much more natural to have to block and aim in real time.

The new free to play D&D game Neverwinter does it pretty well.

 

I agree, and no to the target based combat. Big no no.

 

Thing i disliked also in the video provided with a little gameplay is the flashy whirlwind skill. I would not like melee combat to become as in the new games with colorful rainbow whirlwinds.. please dont go in that direction, rather play with diferent atack animation and sound. I really dislike nowadays trend to make game so cartoony.

 

@Illveran

Agree 1000 %. Invest more into mechanics than colors. After all the majority of the fan base of SotA are Ultima/UO players who are now older than 20, many are in their 30's already, we need something new, not just colors.

 

@Illveran, BK:
I second that. No rainbow whirlwinds / unicorn explosions! Stick to the basic elemental animations, it looks good. What I would like to see is the combat animations itself more versatile, different types of swings that the characters do, dodges, blocks... make it visible.

 

There was an RPG released early in 2012, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, that had just amazing combat. Which, technically, would fall under the general heading of "twitch" combat, but which was the most kinetic, explosive, and enjoyable combat I've ever encountered in a game...any game. It was even a bit tactical, requiring you to sort of dance through a theatre of battle to avoid being flanked or mobbed.

Which, if your dodge move was the "poison blink" ability, was both hilariously fun and tactically advantageous.

And there is nothing so sublime in that game as bringing your shield up just in time to not only deflect an enemy attack but also stun/stagger the foe, allowing you to launch into a furious counter-attack a moment later.

 

Hey thanks for the support and agreeing with me guys, don't want this gameplay/combat to end up being an easy "diablo3 AoE" type of game.

@UltimaCodex
I have never heard of that game before, but after hearing you talk about it I'm curious about those combat mechanics, they do sound interesting and fun.

 

I really liked Amalur as well but I don't think a detailed action combat system like that would work (or fit too well) in a game like Shroud. Maybe I'm wrong though.

I'd rather be more worried about what skills would work on what enemies and how best to implement them. Maybe you have a sweep/stun ability that only works on enemies with legs, which can be followed up by a downward ground thrust, which sounds fun, but I wouldn't want it to be simplified to something like, press Y followed by X

 

I too liked Kingdoms of Amalur, too bad 38 Studios went bankrupt. Didn't really see that coming. R.A. Salvatore did a great job on the story though. Always loved his books. Drizzt FTW!!

 

@Kurgun: I'd recommend Reckoning to anyone. I still lose myself for hours in it.

@tekkamansoul: Rowan Kaiser can say it better than I can, so I'll just let him: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/revisiting-reckoning-how-kingdoms-of-amalur-got-the-single-play/

Basically, his thesis (which I agree with) is that MMOs have to slow down combat to make the team mechanics work, but these same design choices don't translate well to single-player games (or, I would posit, small-scale multiplayer games). Amalur expertly pairs large-scale MMORPG-style world exploration and questing with this explosive, kinetic combat system that is never slow or klunky, and consequently the game just flows. The parts you want to take slowly can be taken slowly, and the parts where you have to bop monsters on the head are fast, fun, and don't get in the way of the exploration and questing by taking too damn long.

 

I agree. There should also be reward for positioning. There should be bonus damage for flanking and terrain should be able to be used to advantage, such as use of choke points and such. Dungeons and Dragons Online so far had the best live action combat for me, I would like to see something similar here. Amalur had some interesting combat as well but I am not sure it would suit this style of game.

 

Eh...if they're aiming to produce a game that encourages exploration and interaction in a sandbox world, if they're going produce a game that rewards slowing things down and looking behind just one more rock, then it probably makes sense for them to have some sort of combat system in place that doesn't get in the way of that. So even if they don't follow the Amalur model directly, here's hoping they at least take a hint from it and opt for a faster-paced combat model that makes encounters fun, but fast...something that peppers the exploration and sandbox experiences of the game without becoming a tedious chore to be endured time and again.

 

Agree 100% with everything posted in this thread; I really did not like the non realistic "Blade just cut me in half, only 50 dmg!" style of other games. Hopes are high!

 

Overall, I agree with the OP. Twitch based combat, (AKA: Realtime Combat), is always a lot more enjoyable than turn-based/cool-down combat. As much as I love some classic games like KotoR that use t-b/c-d combat styles, I find that the old games that I'm still going back and playing are the ones like Jade Empire which makes you feel more engaged in combat, rather than simply a bystander who's only hoping the attacks hit.....

I'm not saying that you have to go full on Elder Scrolls with the combat for it to be fun, but I know that personally, I'll be playing for a lot longer if the combat relies more on skill, than luck/"accuracy/dodge" stats.......

 

Oh, please don't go full-on Elder Scrolls...

 

Going to go a little bit off the track here; what about a sort of Dark souls esque combat system? The pvp in that game is the most enjoyable I've ever played; and I still play it to this day. You actually have to be aware of your surroundings; how many men there are; there strengths and possible weaknesses; and running or staying and fighting could be the deciding factor on weather you live or die, not the level of the enemy, or it relying 100% on your armor or stats, but skill.

 

Accidental double post; my bad.

 

Just my two cents on combat:

It would be nice if all the skills/spells/actions etc. do not root you in place.

I understand some big combos, or summoning a demon lord, might require you to stand still for a second or ten seconds, but some general actions like swinging a sword, to throwing a magic arrow should not. I really hate every game (diablo 3, Tera, etc) where your champions is rooted every time you want to perform any action. It is very cumbersome and frustrating.

Thank you

 

Anyone familar with the combat system used in DDO? It would be very much what you might call a "twitch" system and may be the best combat system I've seen in a multiplayer RPG.

It still made use of to-hit and armor mechanics in addition to requiring you to aim your sword or projectile. There was a lock-on mechanic but it would fire where the enemy WAS not where they are GOING to be. So in more advanced combat or PvP you would have to make use of the free aim.