Guild Wars 2

Hello, and thanks for reading. GW2 is a very innovated game. The goal was to take the best features of multi-player games and out there, and put them into one game. The final product to be feels like a combination of a standard mmo, some rpg essence, and moba abilities and pvp map features. With all these genres in one game, things can get cazy. For example, having to hold your right-mouse button to move your camera, while having to “aim” abilities gets a bit awkward for me. One way to solve this is to lock the camera so it moves with your character like most rpgs or have some kind of crosshair, but I think some people want the standard mmo-controls (tab-targetting). GW2 decides to keep the option to left-click or tab to your next target, again…while having to “aim” your abilities and control your camera, all the same time. IMO “true action-conbat” does not need such “lock-in” mechanism; we should always be trying to aim our abilities not lock-in to our targets: However, I do realize this is a hybrid game and that may be the reason why some people play it. I’ve been recently into this new 3rd-person moba game called “SMITE”, and I love how they managed their combat. I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s almost what I was expecting from gw2 in the first place…just faster and more intense. The characters in, the visual abilities, combo fields-the combat is really smooth and enjoyable in SMITE. They only have 4 abilities, yet they are more rewarding to use, compared to the abilities in gw2. Now, mobas don’t satisfy every need, as there are no dungeons/raid or exploration, so I do jump on to gw2 for that. But then the awkard camera, characters, jumping, aiming, and animations shy me away again. Are you guys satisfied with Anet’s take on this hybrid mmo/rpg/moba game with “action-combat”? Is there room for more innovation or is everything pretty much done?

This may be old news, but there is a mod out there to modify your game to that of rpg with a crosshair that I’m currently using. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! ANET CAN’T OFFICIALLY APPROVE 3RD PARTY MODS BECAUSE IT CAN CAUSE POBLEMS WITH THE GAME! READ THEIR POLICY ON 3RD PARTY MODS IF YOU’RE WORRIED. Basically same story as when using SWEETFX to enhance your game. As long as it doesn’t help you cheat you should be fine, BUT USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Anyway the mod takes like 2 min. to set-up:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/10s4s6/combat_mode_11/
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tjK5OI2oAQ

An another note, here is an older post I did discussing the art style and physics of the game:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Does-the-art-style-bother-you/first#post804986

I enjoy the combat in GW2 but’s not really a true action game, it’s a hybrid.

true action games would be something like Vindictus and Dragon Nest.

It’s a loaded question. The only real answer to it is “no” since things are very rarely done right the first time. It takes practice, iteration, and tweaking to get things just right. Like a timeless cooking recipe your grandmother might know.

The real question is; “Have they created a combat system that works well, and leaves room for improvement?”. I say yes.

Toxyn.9608:

It’s a loaded question. The only real answer to it is “no” since things are very rarely done right the first time. It takes practice, iteration, and tweaking to get things just right. Like a timeless cooking recipe your grandmother might know.

The real question is; “Have they created a combat system that works well, and leaves room for improvement?”. I say yes.

Ya, I undestand it’s almost an unfair question. I actually like this game, but I’m not enjoying it. Just want to hear people’s take on things. Thank you!

The combat is miles ahead of any other MMO.
It’s not purely action tho, it’s a hybrid, and a hell of a good one at that.

Not really. GW2 combat isnt really that great. The combo system is kinda cool but the pve creature mechanics are pretty lame. Dodge or get one-shotted isnt really a very fun mechanic IMHO.

GW2 isnt a ‘true action combat’ game that would be TERA. GW2 is your basic MMO mechanics with dodging added in. FYI I do think TERA’s combat system is better than GW2’s, but the rest of the game is really bad. If you could combine TERA’s combat with GW2’s world and quest system you would have a much better game.

Also, you must be new to MMOs the camera in this game pretty much operates just like the cameras in pretty much every other mmo.

Comparing it to SMITE isnt really that great of a comparison its a totally different type of game. SMITE is a MOBA and has an extremely basic combat system.

The core mechanics of this game are pretty much set its not going to change. My suggestion would be to try TERA since its going Free 2 play soon you probably might like that more.

IMO, not at all. Lost interest in this game a couple of months ago and just been checking it out again the past couple of days. In the meantime I have been playing Chivalry: Medieval Warfare and War of the Roses. Both have combat systems that are infinitely better than GW2’s creaky tab-targetting system.

GW2 + War of the Roses combat would have been pure win. As it is it’s just another bland WoW clone.

From my own standpoint, the answer is yes (for the most part.) The action isn’t particularly twitchy, but that’s probably best for an MMO.

I think there’s room for improvement as they continue to fine-tune the game over time, but I’m happy with how things are for now.

Now, with all this said, I remapped almost all of the controls to make them more intuitive for myself. Before I did that, I probably would have said no. Fortunately the game allows for that sort of personalization.

I believe that the combat is done in a manner that it feels comfortable to the players, plus the learning curve in the combat is so easy. Additionally, the combat in GW2 is a hybrid, like what people posted above and while it may seem simple in concept, the execution is far better. The real-time combat and dodging makes it hard to see the basic concept of just pressing buttons and moving and whatnot In other words, combat in GW2=Great

Tab-targetting took the “Action” combat away. I really hope that they work something out to do away with tab-targetting or add a simple option to target the center screen. I often move my camera as if it was an FPS, aiming my camera to my target.

I for one love the thief play, especially dual wield dagger, the only thing I would like to see more of is the ability to actively parry/fight with full animations (kinda like in SWTOR where you can see the blocks/parries) I would never leave…

however I find some of the other classes feel clunky to me

Yes for SPVP, maybe for WvW and dungeons, no for open world PVE.

Tho the main issue with PVE is not so much the mechanics, but that the mobs and such often behave as if the game is still a non-action MMO. By this i mean presenting a solo player with waves of multiple mobs, yet our CCs are more fighting game combo breakers than proper CC.

End result is that PVE favors professions that can drop PBAOE hurt instantly, as trying to target that ground circle, never mind if it is channeled, is a waste of time and virtually force you to stand still because the interface just isn’t there for doing it on the move smoothly.

If I could dodge 3 times instead of 2, it would feel like an entirely different game to me. For some reason the 2 time limit feels… clunky compared to other action MMO type games.

Also, if we could switch between tab targetting and crosshairs I would probably never put the game down ever again.

Tolmos.8395:

If I could dodge 3 times instead of 2, it would feel like an entirely different game to me. For some reason the 2 time limit feels… clunky compared to other action MMO type games.

Also, if we could switch between tab targetting and crosshairs I would probably never put the game down ever again.

Switching from tab targetting to crosshairs would eliminate a lot of camera issues, that’s the point I was trying to make. I understand why gw2 would stay a tab-targetting game, which I don’t mind at all, just wish it was smoother.

Yea, tab targeting at present seems to be as much a liability as a tool. Ran into a bunch of grawl the other day, and tab targeting consistently landed me on a distant non-aggroed grawl even tho i have 2-3 aggroed ones barking up my legs.

Later on i ran into a similar issue in a story instance. The tab targeting would pick distant targets, and mouse targeting was not a option because of all the NPCs milling about.

At some point i wish there was a third option besides auto attack and hammering the skill key. That is that the skill would continue firing as long as i hold the button down.

At that point i could turn off auto-targeting, not bother with a actual target, and just play the game as a shooter.

Having played DC Universe, GW2 and TERA, I found I prefer DCUOs and GW2’s more agile combat system, especially for playing caster classes. The hybrid targeting system that sits half-way between lock-on and crosshair works really nice for this combat pace. For GW2, a slightly better camera position/angle wouldn’t hurt though.
I wasn’t too impressed with TERAs crosshair targeting, though that was more due to the specific way they chose to implement it. It just wasn’t very interesting to play for a ranged caster.
GW2s biggest problem with combat is that enemies don’t use enough variety in their skills. They become too predictable, and it’s more about fighting through attrition than using your skills intelligently.

anything that helps you target i consider it terrible addon to any combat style, it feels like a third party software is helping you, tab, autotargetting, and that stuff.

Naqaj.6219:

Having played DC Universe, GW2 and TERA, I found I prefer DCUOs and GW2’s more agile combat system, especially for playing caster classes. The hybrid targeting system that sits half-way between lock-on and crosshair works really nice for this combat pace. For GW2, a slightly better camera position/angle wouldn’t hurt though.

I have played TERA, DCUO, RIFT, SMITE, WOW, and some RPGS, and I have to say that GW2 is the only game where I find the camera, characters, movement, combat, and abilities less satisfying and more awkward. Again…probably because of the hybrid factor.

Camera could definitely use improvements. I’d love to play Elementalist without hard-locking targets, but for that to work camera position behind my character and the angle between camera and skill trajectory would need to change.