Guild Wars 2

What on earth did they do it? it was a laser from space, now it’s a sneeze of a tiny lightning bolt.

I cant even tell if it goes off now…please change it back

Oh you know, less cluster for their e sports and what not.

I prefer it that way.
less visual clutter allows for better reading what my opponent does, and that includes some of the NPC’s I encountered mag, where you’ve often just split-seconds as tell before they unleash their rather hard-hitting stuff…

I’ve always criticized GW2 for having very overdone skill effects, but they really overcompensated on this change. It’s barely noticeable.

The first few times I used the skill after it got changed I thought it was bugging out and not working at all.

I can see how the old effect was perhaps a bit too much, but they reduced it way too far. Its still a laser blast from space, it needs to look SOMEWHAT impressive. The new effect is just plain sad.

I don’t like it.

However if this is what we have to suffer for the greater good of being able to see enemies on combat I am completely okay with it.

I can understand why it was changed, but now it’s if anything too hard to see. Especially the beam signifying where it’s going to land.

The whole effect tune down was imo overdone and a little unnecessary, if i can see stuff because of effects, i zoom out of my character a little bit more. That’s possible too.

Just look at the grenade 5 atm for gods sake. It’s so horrible. It’s like throwing some of those really small crackers on the ground, and it doesn’t even have the smoke of those crackers. Can’t understand, whole grenade kit looks terrible atm imo.

I feel like they need to update the audio to better reflect the new visual. Something like a wet fart seems appropriate.

The effect was overdone, but this was a massive overreaction, especially considering it’s part of an elite. It’s also very inconsistent; why change orbital strike to this degree, but leave overload air more or less the same? Why not address EVERYTHING herald does? Why not give us a particle density slider so we can turn it down for #ESPORTS or raids?

Adamantium.3682:

I don’t like it.

However if this is what we have to suffer for the greater good of being able to see enemies on combat I am completely okay with it.

But we don’t. Sensible changes are a thing too.

Guys it’s a ninja compressed laser now to strike your foes when they least expect it:D

Electro.4173:

Its still a laser blast from space, it needs to look SOMEWHAT impressive.

Just want to note that a laser blast from space could be completely invisible to the human eye (light is more than just the visible spectrum).

As for the topic, it could probably be a bit more noticeable than it is now, but not by much.

Penguin.5197:

Oh you know, less cluster for their e sports and what not.

Meanwhile they continue to add gemstore finishers that take up three freaking quarters of the screen with models and particle effects.

I can’t even see it now. It is bad now. Game mechanic affecting.

I am pretty certain i put the field in the right place to blast it, but now I can’t even see it to ensure that I did.

At least put the pre-cast somewhat back. I CANNOT SEE IT.

Edit: Anet just keeps making mortar worse. FIRST they nerf auto attack damage. Okay I understand this. SECOND they take away its awesome and smooth shoulder fire animation (giving us an awesome alternative to the hideous hip shot) and make an awkward animation with more (or at least perceived) aftercast. NOW they took out one of the coolest animations engineers had. And not from player feedback. The phrase if it ain’t broke don’t fix it comes to mind.

The old effect was a bit much, yes. It was immensely satisfying to use though, now the effect is kinda pitiful; I need to actually look at the icon to see if I fired it off or not.

To be fair… making it less visual has PvP benefits I’m catching more folks with it now.

Then they should nerf other visual effects if it is a pvp problem. For example the necro reaper aoe and DH traps…

RollFzzlbeef.4092:

now it’s a sneeze of a tiny lightning bolt.

Best expression I’ve seen in a long time on engi forum. On a serious note: It’s so sad now Also in PvP it can take some time to run out of the circle if you don’t want to waste a dodge on it. But now I can’t see the circle belongs to an orbital strike Please fix it.

On a bonus-note I have a suggestion they could make: Dont place a laser beam on the ground, but just a glowing effect on the ground of an incoming beam. Once it is about to hit a beam flashes down quickly followed by the current spraklez

They need to retune this. Its barely visible now.

It’s too bad they can’t give everyone what they want – have a setting to toggle…say…“epic” visuals versus “strategic” visuals.

So, wait?. this is intentional?

I thought is was bugged out, not only because I could not see any animation to speak of, but also not big flashy damage numbers.

If so, this sucks. There are many over te top animated spells, and removing the clutter a bit is fine, but this is the opposite end. There is no visual feedback that it actually worked or hit anything now.

I think it’s safe to say that the original pre-fire marker was fine, but the firing effect was the real blinding one. For me it was how thick the static running along the ground was; thinning that would allow for fields below to be seen, while still showing the range and power of the attack. Just my little idea

I can’t actually see it, maybe because I don’t yet know what the new FX looks like. Or… i guess it’s just too obscure. :P

Amethyst Lure.5624:

I can’t actually see it, maybe because I don’t yet know what the new FX looks like. Or… i guess it’s just too obscure. :P

Its pretty faint unless you’re looking for it, basically a thin beam of light and that’s it.

I don’t get it.

Orbital Strike was to “obfuscating”. Then i see the new animations and effects from specialisations, and some of them blow the old OS clean out of the water in terms of spectacle and “obfuscation”.

How will I play Thor now with Hammer 5 + Orbital Strike if it looks so bad now ?

WTB back old Orbital Strike…

PRoblem with AOE is for skills that have very low CDs not ones with long CDs.

Please give the option to have it just how it was, it was awesome.

Most of the time, I don’t see anything at all after I fire it off now.

Yeah this thing hits hard, good to see they didn’t mean to tone it down THIS much.

Although toning it and other effects down is a noble cause!

Personally I never found the original orbital strike all that exciting anyway. Change it to artillery strike and make it similar in concept to the ele’s meteor shower and now we’re talking. Would bring us one step closer to the commando specialization Next expansion, release the hounds

Irenio CalmonHuang.2048:

A reduction was intentional. THIS much of a reduction was not intentional. Going to see what we can do about this to keep it both visible, but not obfuscating.

Irenio, no offence mate. but Dragonhunters have a superior whooshy whooshy effect that is even bigger and screen filling than orbital strike ever was. So what’s the real reason for the reduction?

How long does it take to simply revert it.

Glad I saw this. I was confused as hell yesterday playing my engineer and thinking I kept canceling my orbital strike.

Part of the GW2 game was the pleasure of visual graphic. (Especially the spell/skill graphic) When I first noticed the skill animation reduction, I almost thought it was my graphic option setting…
(I also realized when playing Ele, attuntment swap animation got reduction too)

Anet please bring back the good fancy animation, give us an option…. for player who doesn’t care, let them tune down the graphic effect, for people who care, let us keep it! Nice visual is really part of the game.

So how is Orbital Strike after the change?

I miss it so but I have to admit i have alot more people standing in it simply because they have no idea its commin. Also after watching some of the DH trap animations im starting to get jelly. give me my finger of god back!

Well I’ve now tested it and I can at least see it but only the beam from the sky nothing on the ground.

I never noticed the effects of this, but I have only recently begun to seriously play around with my engineer. In any case, I am an advocate for this effect culling to be optional. If you go into a competitive environment and want to see things more clearly you should turn on effect culling. If you just want to kill some easy mobs while looking visually impressive you shouldn’t have to deal with culled animations.

If you guys want to support effect culling to be optional keep posting and show your interest to the devs. There is also a dedicated thread in the general section https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/Visual-nerfs-Merged

and here we go, now it’s not just orbital strike.

Mortar, flamethrower, grenades and bombs have received this “visual clutter removal”

As a class designed on big explosions and swathes of fire comparable to an elementalist, all we have left are pop guns and noisemakers.

as for what i’m on about, Mortar fields are all but invisible, flame jet is a much narrower cone and darker, napalm explodes so fast you barely see it, FT3 has about half the air on the blast, FT 5 is a gray cough. Bomb fields are dots on the ground that are barely noticable, hell even big ol bomb’s explosion is half the size it was.

And finally orbital strike, oh boy. you added a colorless white wavy line but still left that sneeze of a lightning bolt as the effect. Bravo, yeah it feels like what it’s supposed to do now, joy of joys.

Look, Yanking the carpet out from under those of us who actually like the aesthetic of the game without warning, or giving us an option on the thing is really kind of horrible. Visually, and some may not agree with me on this, but at least for me all these “visual” tweaks now make engineer unfun. It’s not like we play engi’s strictly for the omg esports, there are better classes for that realistically. Overall, the actual feel of the engineer is ruined.

You took away our weapons and gave us toys instead to fight a jungle dragon and his minions, thanks.

Its not just engi though, its all classes when I get back on I’m going to remove the graphics option to reduce visual clutter or whatever its called.

morrolan.9608:

Its not just engi though, its all classes when I get back on I’m going to remove the graphics option to reduce visual clutter or whatever its called.

Not optional, the changes were global. Also not all classes, just eles, engis, and mesmers.

Daralii.8940:

morrolan.9608:

Its not just engi though, its all classes when I get back on I’m going to remove the graphics option to reduce visual clutter or whatever its called.

Not optional, the changes were global. Also not all classes, just eles, engis, and mesmers.

I know they were but isn’t there still the option to reduce particle effects?

morrolan.9608:

Daralii.8940:

morrolan.9608:

Its not just engi though, its all classes when I get back on I’m going to remove the graphics option to reduce visual clutter or whatever its called.

Not optional, the changes were global. Also not all classes, just eles, engis, and mesmers.

I know they were but isn’t there still the option to reduce particle effects?

There’s just effect LOD, which doesn’t really do anything.