Mmorpg Combat? Good or Outdated? Opinions?

Ice Bird

Kinematics are my field
Elite Member
Mar 25, 2015
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Tell your opinions, or pick one up. Try use facts. :rolleyes:
The longer post you do, the better it will be? I will try quick-scope answering, even though I won't know everything.

1. Linear fighting combat & Hit/Run/Hide (like in the most 2D Mmo's)
2. Classless cba /w Action Bars
3. Combat Triangle (currently on 1 Mmorpg only)
4. Action Bars (Like on World of Warcraft, Lineage, Tera, Aion, Perfect World etc.)
5. Something else? name it.

As long developers are playing safely, we will end up getting our average hit & run Mmorpg's. I kinda wish that someone could just take risk 'n try step ahead from the Action Bar jungle. Will see it then, in another 10 years... however anything is possible, or is it? Yay, this is my first thread. Actually, judge me from it, if you want to.
 
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tab targeting trash , tera fighting combat best in my opinion , until black desert finally comes to the west , i might try some final fantasy but i hate paying a subscription, i can be cheap sometimes.
 
tab targeting trash , tera fighting combat best in my opinion , until black desert finally comes to the west , i might try some final fantasy but i hate paying a subscription, i can be cheap sometimes.

It isn't the gameplay in this case... You seem preferring only the ones which have fancy graphics, am I right? Tera has the same tab targeting system than these others do, to add in; the Eu's supporting team is making playing Tera quite harsh for the most players, countless errors, infinite loading screens, launcher plug-in's broken without work-around, no supporting in bug fixing, slow upload speed & major Fps drops even with the good pc. Tbh most of the players I've met, aren't the nicest people to chat with in 'the World chat', if you know what I mean. I would rather play GW2 even though it hasn't that much endgame content, as the Tera lacks in too!

Black desert seems fine, though I wont except anything special from an Korean MMO, which is going to be outdated since they claimed to move the eastern release by half an year. It's basically the same than Tera few years ago, only major difference to basic MMO's is; with the inserted ''dodge button'' in the middle of the playing screen & having less other ''skills'' to spam along. Sorry to be negative, but I wont except anything good from devs if they're going to only do an another Mmorpg niece to World of Warcraft.

I will answer, if I can, seems like there's no need yet.
 
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Just as a reminder, we don't encourage double posting at all, please avoid this in the future.

As to me, I'm played a lot of MMORPG, mainly WoW I must admit, but I've always enjoyed MMORPG. To me I think Action bar is probably still one of the best way MMORPG to go, yet I think we can spice it up, I've seen Skyforge (haven't played it myself) but the way that action bar changes depending on what skills/combo you've been using its really interesting, I hope they develop this more as I personally see potential to that kind of system in new MMORPG myself.
 
Just as a reminder, we don't encourage double posting at all, please avoid this in the future.

As to me, I'm played a lot of MMORPG, mainly WoW I must admit, but I've always enjoyed MMORPG. To me I think Action bar is probably still one of the best way MMORPG to go, yet I think we can spice it up, I've seen Skyforge (haven't played it myself) but the way that action bar changes depending on what skills/combo you've been using its really interesting, I hope they develop this more as I personally see potential to that kind of system in new MMORPG myself.

I will try to remember that, thanks for editing my message though. :ninja: So am I allowed to reply, then?

What makes action bars so superior? For me, the idea seems quite plain & entirely boring. Sorry but WOW killed the MMORPG industry. They made the formula of combat, to be too ''casual'', which is now so popular that nobody even dares to challenge it. Wow brought us the power leveling, people who were more concerned with starting fights in chat than adventuring instead, were on the top of all.
This sums up my part better: ''Wow made MMORPGs more about mass consumption, more about ease of play, and mechanics even non-gamers understood, opening the game up to tons of people who would have never played a MMORPG otherwise.''
It's cool to see new ideas spreading around, but however I hope MMO-devs could try be less niece to Wow, than just abusing its popularity to boost their own status.
 
What makes action bars so superior? For me, the idea seems quite plain & entirely boring. Sorry but WOW killed the MMORPG industry. They made the formula of combat, to be too ''casual'', which is now so popular that nobody even dares to challenge it. Wow brought us the power leveling, people who were more concerned with starting fights in chat than adventuring instead, were on the top of all.
This sums up my part better: ''Wow made MMORPGs more about mass consumption, more about ease of play, and mechanics even non-gamers understood, opening the game up to tons of people who would have never played a MMORPG otherwise.''
It's cool to see new ideas spreading around, but however I hope MMO-devs could try be less niece to Wow, than just abusing its popularity to boost their own status.

I won't say what makes the action bar superior, but the fact for an MMORPG to function, action bar is essential. I mean, unless you can come up with a way for your combat system to function otherwise (e.g. spamming combo using different type combinations of left and right mouse clicks like Dynasty Warriors?), you're stuck with action bar, why? Because RPG games is about spells and action through a combinations of different buttons and such, thus making action bar essential. (I hope you haven't mistaken action bar with core combat mechanics).

Secondly, I won't say WoW made MMORPG for mass consumption, to have been able to experience WoW from Burning Crusade up to this expansion playing it on and off, having played both GW/GW2, a bit of TERA, various other Chinese/Korean MMORPG, WoW to me have been the most fun, one of the main contribution was the fact that it had a massive engaging story behind WoW, if it wasn't for that I probably would have left WoW long ago.

As to whether combat in WoW gotten more casual due to the fact that they removed talent trees/reduced the amount of spells over the years etc etc is just a necessary steps in my opinion. I've played WildStar and I personally admit it bring me back memories back to when Vanilla/BC WoW where it was "best MMORPG" kind of era, you have to hard earn your gear, get a huge group of people playing it with you, wipe like 2 hours or more on a boss in order of progress, they're all great and things but as I get older, this is not a formula I can follow, prime reason is because of the lack of time. Think about it, to get to the end game content on an MMORPG is to partly enjoy the story as well, I mean why would you play an MMORPG if there isn't a rich story to draw you in in the first place (to me at the very least anyway), so ask yourself this question: with probably only 1 or less hour a day, would you be able to "enjoy" the content being released? Well obvious answer to this question is yes, provided you play enough, get your friend to grind with you enough eventually you'll down the boss, but that brings another question: how easy is it to organise a massive 25 man raid as you get older, because of different work schedule and various other reasons, which directly related back to my question of if you only can spend 1 or less hour a day, would it be fun to probably wipe at a boss and achieve nothing during your meeting up with your friends?

Don't get me wrong WildStar is a fantastic game for the people who can put the time and effort into the game, however would I say WoW is making the wrong step on making the game more casual so people are actually able to still enjoy the end game content/story with their friends provided they can probably gather around an evening for maybe 1 or 2 hours? I'm sure the maths is simple enough, if you can attract more players you attract more money, which is what every single company set out to do: make money. So if the formula works, would you attempt to venture into the unknown where it can potential lose you a lot of money?

Which brings it to your last points: "It's cool to see new ideas spreading around, but however I hope MMO-devs could try be less niece to Wow, than just abusing its popularity to boost their own status." If you're the company's CEO and you're faced with 2 option: venture into unknown or use the formula that's proven to work, what would you do? Provided if you have a very very good idea but you don't know how the community would react to it, if in the end your very great idea was pretty short lived then you could potentially face the problem of no player base supporting your game, or very little, which potentially earn you less money, someone that every company needs to get a good R&D team. So yes, I don't think its not that the company don't want to venture into new ground, but unless you're willing single handedly financially support a company's team, then I doubt they would want to venture out into what potentially be a death trap. If, and that's a big if, that your idea actually work, then it'll very well be the next generation of "WoW" which completely redefined the MMORPG genre, but are you that confident that your game will be the next WoW of MMORPG?
 
I wont quote, it would lengthen unnecessarily my message. Hmm, maybe I do need.

''I mean, unless you can come up with a way for your combat system to function otherwise --'' ''-- you're stuck with action bar, why? Because RPG games is about spells and action through a combinations of different buttons and such, thus making action bar essential. (I hope you haven't mistaken action bar with core combat mechanics).''
I've played over 10 years all sort of Mmorpg's and most of them; Runescape (which isn't the main point). Yes most of Mmorpg's which I have played they've gotten action bars or have gotten them at least in the fall of 2012. Action bars are not essential, you can use Combat Triangle or Classless combat, which brings us more ways to delve into MMORPG's combat, than just having the one ''regular'' tab-target kill x-amount mobs etc, which current Mmorpg's have chosen.

There's also possibility to change games target, like: move some Mmorpg's to be supporting 'PVP only' -playing style, rather than ''sweeping the same roads'' with the current PvM-PvP mixtured games, which we have gotten from late 90's to until this day.

''As to whether combat in WoW gotten more casual due to the fact that they removed talent trees/reduced the amount of spells over the years etc etc is just a necessary steps in my opinion. ''
Removing talents seems to be fine (huh?), but they can be used like an regular scoreboard (which will be overwriting the talent tree), ''where xp is tracked/counted'' by each skill separately. However skill trees are shocking, sometimes, especially the ones, which got Offensive, Defensive, Avatar/Genie & Non-combat ''branches'' for me, I've used into scoreboards but I think I've met some in Pwi/Gw/Tera.

''Where it was "best MMORPG" kind of era, you have to hard earn your gear, get a huge group of people playing it with you, wipe like 2 hours or more on a boss in order of progress, they're all great and things but as I get older, this is not a formula I can follow, prime reason is because of the lack of time.''
Yeah, we seem to run into same subject, the lack of time. :) But it's not necessary to play for xp only (if you're completed the most of the game, it's good to chill sometimes?), you can always just login without bothering to repeat the daily quests, nobody forces you to wait 2hrs or play over 8hrs a day.

''So ask yourself this question: with probably only 1 or less hour a day, would you be able to "enjoy" the content being released? Well obvious answer to this question is yes, provided you play enough, get your friend to grind with you enough eventually you'll down the boss, but that brings another question: how easy is it to organise a massive 25 man raid as you get older, because of different work schedule and various other reasons, which directly related back to my question of if you only can spend 1 or less hour a day, would it be fun to probably wipe at a boss and achieve nothing during your meeting up with your friends?''

I will enjoy, if it's Pvp, if it's Pvm I probably wont be able to finish it in 1 hour + I'm so slow in gearing tbh. Only coincidence is that I do party events (I can't chose people in it so there's random possibility to invite favorite people) so picking up my fave friends to co-op with me is not yet possible, usually they hang in ''clan chat'', so they wont be missing anything or go in with their own ''mission''. It's not easy to be boss or organise a big/medium group, but it works when the people can be asked in the lobby or in the World Chat for instance/Raid, hopefully that ppl have gotten experience through various tries in that regular place or have a good touch with the overall playing. That schedule isn't the biggest 'worry-able' thing, since there's always 'able people' to be invited, but seems like Yours game got straighter deals when to run an instance & when not. Usually the bond between a mate will fade, since you keep looking/searching help for various things if your ''clan'' ain't able to run them for you or your mate has a college or a work to do in first place, if playing with friend is not too vital, in part of completing the Endgame, you will be more loose/lightheaded about the whole game itself, Mmorpg or not. (It's not going to die in a night.)

''So if the formula works, would you attempt to venture into the unknown where it can potential lose you a lot of money?''
Well if you're happy with the consumption, you maybe wont think it. There is always better things to buy...

''If you're the company's CEO and you're faced with 2 option: venture into unknown or use the formula that's proven to work, what would you do? Provided if you have a very very good idea but you don't know how the community would react to it, if in the end your very great idea was pretty short lived then you could potentially face the problem of no player base supporting your game, or very little, which potentially earn you less money, someone that every company needs to get a good R&D team. So yes, I don't think its not that the company don't want to venture into new ground, but unless you're willing single handedly financially support a company's team, then I doubt they would want to venture out into what potentially be a death trap. If, and that's a big if, that your idea actually work, then it'll very well be the next generation of "WoW" which completely redefined the MMORPG genre, but are you that confident that your game will be the next WoW of MMORPG?''
Venturing is always the risk, if no one tries, nobody will ever have anything better than ''average'', which was the whole point of my last comment. Money is the major backing thing, when people starts up creating a MMORPG, also it restricts the MMORPG itself in the first place. Proven formula is profiting only the people who is enough varying the basics, like rendering the graphics being little better & making it action combat, to stand out from others, like GW2 & Tera have done along many others.
It's fancy idea to deal with the community, usually Gm's are going with their own ideals. I'm sure asking community will make up something good in the end. Well actually some companies with smaller player-base are providing Q&A's and while doing these they tend to bring up possible updates, ''hand picked'' from community forums, which can be voted by the player. If a deal gets over 75% Yes votes, it would pass into the dev-zone. (too bad, usually people want just small things, which will provide only some tweaks into an major update, like: removing waiting timer from instanced lobby, faster trading screens, bank's search buttons etc.)
I'm really looking forwards to something, which could ''maybe'' redefine MMORPG genre, I will bet it might be a potential contender but their company isn't going to give extra points, they have been only teasing us for past 4 hard years.
Sorry went off-trails again, been doing herblore/farming run. I usually pickup normal threads but this was something which I arranged from youtube's comment section tbh.

Bouncing a question, to you. How long have you been playing a single Mmorpg? And would you try something else which isn't in your ''normal comfort zone''? Is there anything you wanted from an MMORPG which can't be found out, from the current ones?
 
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I've played over 10 years all sort of Mmorpg's and most of them; Runescape (which isn't the main point). Yes most of Mmorpg's which I have played they've gotten action bars or have gotten them at least in the fall of 2012. Action bars are not essential, you can use Combat Triangle or Classless combat, which brings us more ways to delve into MMORPG's combat, than just having the one ''regular'' tab-target kill x-amount mobs etc, which current Mmorpg's have chosen.

Wait hang on, as far as I understand Combat Triangle is a core game combat mechanics, not how you cast spells and use abilities right? Action bar is nothing but a place where you put your spells and you press a button to use it...I'm pretty sure you're onto core combat mechanics than the action bar itself?


There's also possibility to change games target, like: move some Mmorpg's to be supporting 'PVP only' -playing style, rather than ''sweeping the same roads'' with the current PvM-PvP mixtured games, which we have gotten from late 90's to until this day.

I'm not sure how well a MMORPG with a PVP only theme would get much fanbase, as much as PvP is great, RPG have an element of story to it I think? I'm not sure how much you can get with a pure PVP system?

Bouncing a question, to you. How long have you been playing a single Mmorpg? And would you try something else which isn't in your ''normal comfort zone''? Is there anything you wanted from an MMORPG which can't be found out, from the current ones?

If I remember correctly WoW:TBC was when I first touch on the MMORPG genre, just RPG itself though, date back to FFIV. To be honest I kind of like the action combat and all, but I feel that most RPG are genre WoW "offspring" one might say, just like how most MOBA are like LoL offspring, and I'm not sure what you mean by normal comfort zone, I just play whatever MMORPG that look interesting, but if there is one thing I do not like, that would be pure grinding, which is one of the thing that put me off TERA, I remember jumping, everything looks great until first quest and be like: here farm 20 of those monsters for me. I was like, sure ok, then next quest: here farm another 20 of those monsters for me, I was so put off by it I to this date still haven't got past much of the leveling area.

Something that I want from an MMORPG that can't be found with current ones? Yes definitely, but what I wanted would be far out of reach with our current technologies. I would personally love to play an VRMMORPG with a heavily player driven economy and things, much like Sword Art Online. I remember once asking my friend about whether I would still sign up for Sword Art Online even knowing it is a death trap, funny enough we both agree that we would.

Venturing is always the risk, if no one tries, nobody will ever have anything better than ''average'', which was the whole point of my last comment. Money is the major backing thing, when people starts up creating a MMORPG, also it restricts the MMORPG itself in the first place. Proven formula is profiting only the people who is enough varying the basics, like rendering the graphics being little better & making it action combat, to stand out from others, like GW2 & Tera have done along many others.

Hm, I'm not sure whether I agree. Just because something is used often and repeatedly doesn't mean something is average. Yes it get repetitive and boring, but that shouldn't stop someone from polishing a what is already good developed system. I don't know how you can improve on the action bar provided we still use mouse and keyboard to cast spells, but that shouldn't stop people from coming up with other creative ideas they can use to stand out in the genre.
 
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Wait hang on, as far as I understand Combat Triangle is a core game combat mechanics, not how you cast spells and use abilities right? Action bar is nothing but a place where you put your spells and you press a button to use it...I'm pretty sure you're onto core combat mechanics than the action bar itself?

I'm not sure how well a MMORPG with a PVP only theme would get much fanbase, as much as PvP is great, RPG have an element of story to it I think? I'm not sure how much you can get

I'm against Action bars most likely, well but there can be something else...
Core game combat mechanics is one point which I want to be fixed (though I think it's not the biggest problem after all), changing combat from pokemon styled basic sort of turn based hit/miss/poison/heal ''combat'', to special attack one (where you basically fight & gain energy to get one strike which has the possibility to knockout your opponent but is not 100% accurate, the hit could be based upon your skill levels, not on ''what class you're playing on'', or something where you could basically by changing your gear, change your fighting style. Something alike: You've gotten mage robes & staff you can cast spells but you will take very high melee dmg from enemy, so if you combine the other armor set which could be melee set, you will lose the magic accuracy but gain instead some more defense against the melee opponent. There can be a lot of different variations, these are just ideas, but have you gotten anything other, could you name it? (Hmm, this is some sort of explanation for alternative combat, which might be able to replace also action bar itself--- or rather turn it into special attack bar, which gives you more time on changing items or hybriding what ever you call that :D, casting spells, dodging attacks, auto-attacking & healing, rather than making you spam the same ability-chains over & over again.)

''I'm not sure how much you can get.''
You can always try ask, sometimes it works. I think there's some (s)trife for 'Pvp only Mmorpg'. (Rough idea) Well it might have some sort of an area where you couldn't be griefed by players, or just add attack encountering time, which gives you time to loot & deposit it into bank but however make you tagged to others for x-amount of time, so people would know you're worthy opponent but still not make it impossible to play.

''I feel that most RPG are genre WoW "offspring" one might say--''
Correct, that's what I said too.
''I just play whatever MMORPG that look interesting, but if there is one thing I do not like, that would be pure grinding--''
To me you lookalike an average casual player (not in a bad grasp, I like to play like it sometimes), who gets hands into an graphically appealing game, not every MMORPG will be good or average, you must look beneath the surface; what does it really has to offer for me? There's always something, which pop-ups on our minds when we went into the Game, sometimes it's more like an routine to do, than pure entertainment that get us role-playing.
 
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I'm against Action bars most likely, well but there can be something else...

The thing you listed have nothing to do with action bar from my understanding. From my understanding, action bar is just nothing more than a place where you put your spells and a hotkey is assigned so whenever you press a certain button (e.g. 1,2,3,4 or q,w,e,r) then a specific assigned skills can be used. That's it, nothing to do with the base core combat mechanics on whether you wear plate/leather and take different type of damage. So if you're so against action bar, can you think of another way of how the combat can be operated? I mean I suppose MMORPG can introduce a different way of combat, much like the one in dark souls where you get different attack set depending on whatever weapon class you're holding, but that will reduce MMORPG to a mere hack and slash at best. Without using spells, the game will just be mere hack and slash, with spell you'll need some sort of place to put your spells in...unless you want to wave at the screen and cast your spells? (which is actually possible, because I personally own a set of LEAP motion technology and someone have assigned the whole WoW action bar onto how you motion your hand, its pretty cool)

To me you lookalike an average casual player (not in a bad grasp, I like to play like it sometimes), who gets hands into an graphically appealing game, not every MMORPG will be good or average, you must look beneath the surface; what does it really has to offer for me?

I'm sorry what? Graphically appealing game? To me WoW doesn't even look graphically appealing, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the graphics. Also if I enjoy graphically appealing game why won't I stick to TERA? That suppose to have one of the best graphics the MMORPG industry have to offer right now. As for an average casual player, well yea, I hardly have much time to invest in a hardcore MMORPG nowadays, so I'm just a casual player, though I'm not sure what you meant by average? Can you get like Hardcore casual players?

than pure entertainment that get us role-playing.

Wait I'm so confused by this, why would you play a MMORPG game not for the role-playing purpose? Like I mean RPG does stand for Role-playing game right? So what are you looking for in an RPG? Call of Duty fast pace shoot'em up?
 
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The thing you listed have nothing to do with action bar from my understanding. From my understanding, action bar is just nothing more than a place where you put your spells and a hotkey is assigned so whenever you press a certain button (e.g. 1,2,3,4 or q,w,e,r) then a specific assigned skills can be used. That's it, nothing to do with the base core combat mechanics on whether you wear plate/leather and take different type of damage. So if you're so against action bar, can you think of another way of how the combat can be operated? I mean I suppose MMORPG can introduce a different way of combat, much like the one in dark souls where you get different attack set depending on whatever weapon class you're holding, but that will reduce MMORPG to a mere hack and slash at best. Without using spells, the game will just be mere hack and slash, with spell you'll need some sort of place to put your spells in...unless you want to wave at the screen and cast your spells? (which is actually possible, because I personally own a set of LEAP motion technology and someone have assigned the whole WoW action bar onto how you motion your hand, its pretty cool)

Updated my last message's end, didn't know you were writing that in between my answering.
'' is just nothing more than a place where you put your spells and a hotkey ''
True (well in wow you can bind melee attacks too (what I've heard from my mates) like hammer of justice... wait, well it's a spell?), that's what brings up with the mainstream combat, which is boggling my mind, I want something to change ''actually''!

'' I mean I suppose MMORPG can introduce a different way of combat, much like the one in dark souls where you get different attack set depending on whatever weapon class you're holding, but that will reduce MMORPG to a mere hack and slash at best.''
You're wrong with that, it will make it be more essential than ever, you can fill, the action bar can be moved but not replaced with quick-time events (which most people tends to dislike), with like so said special attack button or something similar in Dark Souls & Skyrim has.

''Without using spells, the game will just be mere hack and slash, with spell you'll need some sort of place to put your spells in.''
So, you mean Runescape by that? Actually it were only one, to introduce true ''hack 'n' slash'' system, but they arranged action bar over 3 years ago, which made its uniqueness to fade away, they lost approx. over 250k players in exchange of the combat update, which wasn't really community ''approved'' at all.
Hack and slash, maybe is boring or considered harder, but it also brings to MMORPG genre another attribution. In that exchange where you drop out the hotkeys, you will get the gear switching; so the bridding is then even possible? (the gear switch - into a different fighting style), well in other hand that sort of combat might be quite dry, or null, well Away From the Keyboard, as I would say. To be honest, what else we have gotten? Pretty much nothing in between these extreme grinding & vanilla-Wow gambling, however you will get the daily grinding dosage with the both of these formulas, it's entirely up to you; how you're willing to play, casually or 'formally'.

''I personally own a set of LEAP motion technology--'' Haven't heard of that, well might google about it, though.
Hmm.. which will take more nerves, to reach certain level cap & hang around/ than end out maxing all the 23 different skills taking each up to 150-300hrs to complete & after that see how the game has been nerfed to be, easier? I think the endgame value will be the same for both, but less people are willing to achieve the longer ''routine''.
I would consider myself, a Semi-grinder, funny since I always tend, to joke about people whose playing more or lesser than I do which makes me not perfect even though I think I have all those 23 skills maxed out twice in a row. *cough* I do have a life outside my laptop's monitor, but I will save up my secrets for later discussing *gasp*.
Feel free to edit my messages anytime soon. :alopro:
 
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