Guild Wars 2

GW2 uses the same tab-target system as most older MMOs, and it’s something I think that feels old. Sure, there is a lot more mobility involved than most other MMOs and there is weapon swapping, but there is also quite a bit of downtime of only using the auto-attack. After playing games like Tera and Neverwinter I find myself wishing that GW2 used the same reticule system these games use, much like the combat mode mod. But the mod isn’t quite the same, as you don’t have to hold down the mouse button to continue auto attacking, and there still is the old targeting at play.

I also thought that for the ‘right click’ with the reticule there could be a secondary ‘auto-attack’ based on your off-hand, or a set secondary attack if you’re using a 2handed weapon. For example if you had a shield you could block attacks, coming from the direction you are facing, at the cost of your endurance (With some variety between professions on a bonus effect, like say Guardians make a dome that blocks for nearby allies as well). And with a ranger longbow you could charge up an attack that would deal damage more damage the longer it is charged (to a cap) and at max it will pierce through enemies. Mesmer staff could have an attack which deals bonus damage to a single target based on how many conditions they have, which would complement it’s primary auto-attack which applies conditions. The idea is to have an alternate attack which is more situational but can have strong synergy with the main auto-attack and/or other abilities.

In addition, there could be more interesting abilities which involve some targeting, this could involve things like line AoE, or just targeting allies, because as of now you never have to target an ally with a spell. And personally I wouldn’t mind seeing rally removed, as it makes a lot of fights a bit sloppy and it feels a bit odd to sometimes want to leave an enemy at low health when you are about to be downed.

Right now combat feels like an odd mix of action-combat and tab-targeting, fully committing to neither one. Maybe tab-targeting could be kept as an option for those who prefer it, but I wouldn’t be one to complain if it was replaced.

All these combat mechanics are in Tera , GW2 won’t have it ( at least soon ).
I believe that GW2 combat is better , If you want to be able to cast many skills at once , use MMO mouse ( Razer Naga ).

The best way i think they could improve combat would be adding in an on and off for target and skill shots. Some abitlys have this to a point the ones that you must be in melee ranges or the type where you shot a projectile i am more thinking about the ranges attks that are non projectile. Ele would be the main class i am thinking about mainly the scepter.
Flamestrike is the main example i will use here. As things stand use of this ability with no target ends in a cast that hits nothing. What i want is for this ability to create a small attk field where its max ranges is on the same plan as your hero. Now things like walls and rock etc.. will block your ability to use this but it would be as if you have shot something that only show up as its going off.
If this is something that can be done i would like to see some level of expansion on my idea to where you can start using ability in the 3d such as making walls perpendicular to your self if you want or even standing start up off the ground kind of a side ways wall that stands in the air.

Other then that combat in GW2 is a very “freeing” expression. There are very few “you must stop before doing that” type of game play so it keeps things moving and very water like as in every one and every class can move as need to land attks and avoid attks and no one is boxed into having a set of movement that can be read. Its a lot like martial arts or more human like movement vs having a robot like movement.

While I do think combat in gw2 does get stale after a while, I don’t think turning it into another game is the answer. While I do also prefer the combat in Tera and neverwinter, guild wars 2 is guild wars 2. I would like to see more skill options. And maybe some depth added. I would also love some consistent game design decisions. For example some skills can be used without a target, some can’t. There are a couple that can be used in the air, most can’t.

Also I do believe there is a mod out there that will give you control you are looking for. It has been a long time since I have heard it mentioned so I have no idea if it works or is allowed.

Combat can feel slow when you spend a lot of time auto attacking as a melee class because your abilities are on CD. That’s one of my only gripes right now, eventually though it will come down to abilities becoming old. I want more variety in my GS abilities instead of spinning around. :P

combat is definitly best than other mmorpg, but downed state and rally just killed the flow…

I’d like to stop holding down this right mouse button. Such DUMB design, to the point of dur da dur. Archaic tab target = more dur da dur.

These two lame mechanics do not fit with all the bob-n-weave, stick-n-move, dodge-n-dive combat.

I want an option to select cursor, no cursor. I want a free mouse like in Tera, Neverwinter etc.

This current method is not healthy for your hands or wrists.

Oddly enough someone just mentioned it in another thread

Villious.8530
Ryuujin.8236:
You might also look up “Combat Mode”, which is a key binding plugin – while not endorsed by Arenanet, it doesn’t violate the “1 click = 1 click” rule, it adds a key that engages something akin to “shooter mode” in Star Trek Online (Or the entire game in Mass Effect 2/3), so you don’t have to click and drag the screen, instead moving your mouse aims and the reticle is fixed centre screen, this frees up the scroll-wheel and mouse buttons for key bindings that are traditionally required to orientate the camera and gives the game a much more responsive shootery feel
+1 for Combat Mode. I use it everyday and love it. This is the version I use. He did a great job on it! http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/16pi2d/yet_another_combat_mode_4_guildwars_2_11/

Combat mode do not fully bring what is asked for.

Tera and Neverwinter in a way bridges RPG and third person shooter.

RPG in that they have stats and builds, shooter in that your character’s skills land based on where you aim rather than what target you have selected (Tera more so than Neverwinter, as the latter still use “hot”-targeting).

I guess you can get close if you turn of “promote skill target” perhaps even go as far as turning of autotargeting altogether. The former still appears to lock a target, but drops it once it exists your forward cone of attack.

Honestly, why ANet has not put in a simple “lock/toggle mouse look” option is beyond me. Even DDO has this for crying out loud.

I like the combat how it is. It’s a good mixture of tab target and action based combat.
In games like Tera you loose out on a lot of social elements and it becomes really frustrating every time you want to use a UI element.
GW2 enables you to fight and type at the same time very easily and is still actiony enough to be really really fun.

FlamingFoxx.1305:

I like the combat how it is. It’s a good mixture of tab target and action based combat.
In games like Tera you loose out on a lot of social elements and it becomes really frustrating every time you want to use a UI element.
GW2 enables you to fight and type at the same time very easily and is still actiony enough to be really really fun.

I agree with every word

I saw a red crosshair above my character in World VS World but I didn’t download the Mod. Did anybody see it too?

I like the way it is … i absolutely hate shooter style controls and deinstalled games
like Tera, Vindictus, DCUO and Neverwinter mostly after 10-30 minutes because
of that.

I don’t want to have my camera shake whenever i move my mouse, and i want to
have the option to click skills with my mouse.

I also never understood why Neverwinter doesn’t have the option to be played
like Champions Online .. since it is the same engine.

sage.6947:

I saw a red crosshair above my character in World VS World but I didn’t download the Mod. Did anybody see it too?

Probably someone else in your party targeted you by ctrl+left mouse click on your character, you don’t need a mod to see that. Why were you posting this in a year old thread, are you a necromancer?

For all the accusations of “archaic tab targeting”, it’s not really. It’s more of a mix.

In actual “old tab targeting” games, you cannot attack if you do not target the enemy. Someone jumps you? You must tab through all targets in range, the random enemies all around you and maybe even offscreen, make sure you don’t tab past the guy that jumped you or you’ll have to tab through this entire group again before you can even do anything to respond. Pray that your attacker does not have a target drop ability or you’ll have to go through this process all over again. With the GW2 controls in this scenario, many of your skills you can use to attack without even having a target (especially melee skills, blocks, etc), even ranged abilities may hit your target as dumbfired projectile attacks may be “bodyblocked” by your intended target, even if he’s not targeted.

I believe that there is a lot of space for improvement in GW2 combat (and GW2 in general), but I really do not see why tab targeting is such a focus. GW1 had nothing but tab targeting and the combat is far, far more interesting just because the skills and character building is incredibly interesting and in depth (nearly unanimous opinion).

Press that 1-key to keep attacking without a target. If you’re using a ranged weapon, practice how to aim with it, it’s not too hard and doesn’t need a little dot to help. With professions such as Mesmer being forced into having targets, or a majority of their skills refuses to work, targeting is a required mechanic of the game (unfairly so at times, when fighting professions that doesn’t need a target for high damage skills. Phantasms are parts of our damage bursts). You don’t need to tab-target anyways, that is a very slow method of acquiring a target, when you could have simply aimed your mouse cursor at them and clicked.

You seemingly want the mouse to do things other than controlling the camera with your right click suggestion, and that’d be horrible in my opinion. It would have to be locked and turn your character as you look around you, yuck. Talk about hindering situational awareness. Active blocking, while a neat enough idea.. there’s 3 professions out of 8 that can use a Shield. Uhm.. balance?

There are several skills that are used by throwing them down on your allies, water fields, fire fields, Null Field, Symbol of Swiftness, Time Warp.. it’s ground targeted, but you target it on allies in most cases. You just don’t target-target them, in the sense that you’d lose your ability to fight while providing support. There’s a reason these beneficial skills aren’t requiring you to target an ally after all.

Suggestions for the game is great, but I don’t see why you would suggest any of what you just suggested. If anything, this game has some pretty darn good combat over most games. I also don’t think downed state needs to go, but they should definitely re-visit how some of them work. Elementalists should not be allowed to go through portals when downed.. that is just stupid and broken. With how you can’t stomp under water (that whole drowned system needs a re-visit), the Ranger pet-resurrect is way too strong. Some downed states, such as the Mesmer one are just terrible (or, I mean yay.. Confusion application on a target that are not going to attack you anymore.. a random teleport that can end up moving you as far as the width of your kitten-crack.. it’s horrible..). And so on forth. These are issues that’s been there since launch, that they have decided to omit fixing. It’s about time they do, starting with Elementalists using the downed state Vapor Form, not being allowed to go through portals and enter the safety of enemy structures in PvP if they go down. It’s ridiculous that they’ve been allowed to do that for two whole years.. (I know Immobilize can counter it, but it should simply not be required, or every profession should have a similar option.)