Guild Wars 2

While GW2’s combat is very fluid, it lacks spectacle. Especially with the new auto-effect adjustment system, which seriously needs a toggle option.
Games like Aion is more clunky, but it certainly has better spectacle, doing things like trapping foes in bubbles midair, jumping strikes, flight combat, and so on and so forth.

That said, I’d still take this over that, since fluid movements and precise controls are important for success, and success is the best fun. Still though, a bit more visuals would be nice.

+1
But I’ve noticed a lot of mmorpg players seem to prefer plain boring graphics and effects. Thus the “get all these particles out of the way” crowd. Guess some people want their war without all the chaos. Me personally – I live for those huge zerg fights where you have to really concentrate and stay sharp to see what’s going on while lightning bolts, explosions and magic particles fly everywhere around you.

I hope Anet comes out with skins that have more unique animations and effects when channeling skills. Bigger effects would be cool too.

Effects, yes, but no more freaking skins.

I actually enjoy the small scale fights in GW2 quite a lot.

However, the problem becomes when people zerg and we reach a so called ‘critical mass’ where people simply tap W to move forward while spamming AoE skills with no sense or meaning.

Summoning a big firestorm when dangerously close to your own allies or yourself has no consequence, the abilities have no real weight behind them that punish stupid or careless use.

I love chaotic fights, including big fights in games like Chivalry or Planetside 2, but in Guild Wars 2, it’s just a button mash :/
It’s not like I risk accidentally chopping the heads off my teammates on my Charr warrior if I swing my sword around like a maniac, there’s no real ‘danger’ to using any of my abilities(unless you charge off a cliff) which encourages me to spam to my heart’s content, creating a rather ‘brainless’ large scale PvP experience.

CuteLilKittenHugz.2064:

+1
But I’ve noticed a lot of mmorpg players seem to prefer plain boring graphics and effects. Thus the “get all these particles out of the way” crowd. Guess some people want their war without all the chaos. Me personally – I live for those huge zerg fights where you have to really concentrate and stay sharp to see what’s going on while lightning bolts, explosions and magic particles fly everywhere around you.

I hope Anet comes out with skins that have more unique animations and effects when channeling skills. Bigger effects would be cool too.

I love a good explosion.

But when all I see of the enemy is a giant, shining ball of light, flame, lightning etc, it goes from being “Cool!” to being ridiculous.

SinerAthin.2374:

But when all I see of the enemy is a giant, shining ball of light, flame, lightning etc, it goes from being “Cool!” to being ridiculous.

This, mostly.

I like how the combat looks in small scales. Playing as a guardian, you can feel the hit of your hammer strikes. Playing as a necromancer, there’s a very cool looking dagger skill in which you use the weapon to slice your hand, effectively making a blood sacrifice to entangle your target.

When we get more people, though… With 5 players, the particle effects starts becoming too much to actually see what’s happening (and it’s worse if the players have a lot of effects themselves, I hate those wings). With anything bigger than that, combat becomes a massive shiny explostion of blindness.

I think GW2 combat doesn’t really work above 5 players.

Erasculio.2914:

SinerAthin.2374:

But when all I see of the enemy is a giant, shining ball of light, flame, lightning etc, it goes from being “Cool!” to being ridiculous.

This, mostly.

I like how the combat looks in small scales. Playing as a guardian, you can feel the hit of your hammer strikes. Playing as a necromancer, there’s a very cool looking dagger skill in which you use the weapon to slice your hand, effectively making a blood sacrifice to entangle your target.

When we get more people, though… With 5 players, the particle effects starts becoming too much to actually see what’s happening (and it’s worse if the players have a lot of effects themselves, I hate those wings). With anything bigger than that, combat becomes a massive shiny explostion of blindness.

I think GW2 combat doesn’t really work above 5 players.

Indeed.

I think GW2 does a good job at small scale, but just because your combat works well in small scale won’t guarantee that it’ll work so well in large scale.

I think blobbing up should have its disadvantages as well.

However, in a game where you can walk through allies, not worry about friendly fire and can still have LOS through 10 of your friends, large-scale fights are also going to become bad.

SinerAthin.2374:

I actually enjoy the small scale fights in GW2 quite a lot.

However, the problem becomes when people zerg and we reach a so called ‘critical mass’ where people simply tap W to move forward while spamming AoE skills with no sense or meaning.

Summoning a big firestorm when dangerously close to your own allies or yourself has no consequence, the abilities have no real weight behind them that punish stupid or careless use.

I love chaotic fights, including big fights in games like Chivalry or Planetside 2, but in Guild Wars 2, it’s just a button mash :/
It’s not like I risk accidentally chopping the heads off my teammates on my Charr warrior if I swing my sword around like a maniac, there’s no real ‘danger’ to using any of my abilities(unless you charge off a cliff) which encourages me to spam to my heart’s content, creating a rather ‘brainless’ large scale PvP experience.

We CANNOT have friendly fire though. Can you imagine the massive amounts of trolling and accidents that would occur? that would be total chaos

I would actually love to have less effects.-

Who in the seven hells make a sword spark while swinging?

Everything that is natural and not magical (or explosive/flaming) should not have an FX associated.

Gizmo.9178:

SinerAthin.2374:

I actually enjoy the small scale fights in GW2 quite a lot.

However, the problem becomes when people zerg and we reach a so called ‘critical mass’ where people simply tap W to move forward while spamming AoE skills with no sense or meaning.

Summoning a big firestorm when dangerously close to your own allies or yourself has no consequence, the abilities have no real weight behind them that punish stupid or careless use.

I love chaotic fights, including big fights in games like Chivalry or Planetside 2, but in Guild Wars 2, it’s just a button mash :/
It’s not like I risk accidentally chopping the heads off my teammates on my Charr warrior if I swing my sword around like a maniac, there’s no real ‘danger’ to using any of my abilities(unless you charge off a cliff) which encourages me to spam to my heart’s content, creating a rather ‘brainless’ large scale PvP experience.

We CANNOT have friendly fire though. Can you imagine the massive amounts of trolling and accidents that would occur? that would be total chaos

I know, friendly fire would not work in GW2 unless it underwent a large change :P

Either due to changing the gameplay or introducing an advanced anti-grief system, or both.

But I think FF might be unsuited because of the gameplay engine(we simply have too many large scale effects).
You can’t really compare a Warrior in Guild Wars 2 to the 2handed Knight in Chivarly. Even though the latter is notorious for accidental TKing, the range of its attacks is still nothing compared to Warriors(or elementalists) in GW2, hah xD