I read this comment over on the cohtitan forums.
One poster commented:
Exactly how I feel also. I don't want to have to block or play any type of twitchy combat as well.
To which Downix replied:
I know CoT isn't planning on this.
Let me first state I am happy about this. I've played twitchy styled combat in Neverwinter, CO, GW2 and Wildstar. I can't see how anyone can say, with a straight face, it is faster gameplay than CoH and eventually CoT. I will grant at lower levels the game can be slow but what MMO isn't. Once you have a full chain, you keep quite busy because unlike the previous games you start fighting 5+, 10+ and eventually 17 enemies at one time. Get on a team? Even more frenetic pacing, imo.
Ok, now that I've established these newer games really don't offer that much better combat than the CoH model, at least in my mind ;) , we can now bring up the subject about deflection and misses. CoH did eventually add some semblance of differentiation to combat responses to certain powers such as giving you a Deflect, Miss or Absorb message but is it possible to now give that a graphical upgrade? Instead of the Power Bolt randomly firing practically straight up in the air or into the ground or hitting with the exact same animation every successful hit, can we get some animations such as the bolt flying off on a tangent when hitting a force field, as one example? Maybe in an absorb situation, the character gives an "oooof" sound effect or more advanced his shield is automatically brought up if using that powerset, as more examples.
For the most part I read that people do not want to add a block or twitchy like combat play(i.e. please keep tab targeting) but would you guys be adverse to adding a more graphical effect to misses, absorption or deflection types of combat responses?
For MWM, technical wise is this adding too much complexity or can we find a happy medium and still upgrade from the previous system in CoH to give us more shiny to look at beyond floating words?
[b][color=red]Reward tactics as well as damage dealing.[/color][/b]
That is all in the art department, actually part of the animation system. Even if we do not have it at launch, the plan is to make it possible to do in a future update.
Technical Director
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That's good to hear and I hope it does eventually make it into the game. For me, it would add to the feel of power your character has yet avoids the issue of playing the numbers game to increase power and possibly create a balance issue. To see a blast deflect off your force field, absorb some electricity into a device, block a punch with a shield or have your character make a quick movement dodging an attack, all performed behind the scenes because you have the correct power, would be just that more fun to watch as was watching all the various effects of CoH powersets had over the years.
[b][color=red]Reward tactics as well as damage dealing.[/color][/b]
yep, the only thing i always hated about defense toggles in COX was that it was all just a visual que and no animation... it never felt like you were dodging, or having powers bounce off your force field, or whatever...
it didn't feel 'special'... it felt like math. (i.e. they broke the illusion of what the character was doing, and revealed the underlying truth that the character wasnt really dodging anything, s/he was just accouting for the action with a perscribed algorythem producing a net loss of fewer hit points than the chatacter would otherwise)
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[i]....Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars...[/i]