The Power Modifier Concept

The Power Modifier Gauge
Some games have a charging mechanic to make specific skills be stronger. I am wanting this to apply to the whole game but not just a simple charge mechanic. This mechanic is based off the concept of momentum and is symbolized with this picture of a power gauge.XIV alpha had something similar but it worked differently.

Rules of The Power Modifier:
The idea is this will apply to all weaponskills you activate in the game.
The weaponskill will not fire until you release the button.
The longer you hold the key/button, the more accuracy drops, the more cost is associated, and the more max damage output you can do.
Think of the maximum power like a guaranteed critical if it lands.

The Mechanics of The Power Modifier Gauge

• Low Charge- If you want to cast with high accuracy,lower cost,lower durations, lower potency,lower damage you tap the skill button/key.
• Moderate Charge- If you want to cast with moderate accuracy,moderate cost,moderate durations, moderate potency,moderate damage you press the skill button/key and hold it for one second.
• High Charge- If you want to cast with lowest accuracy,highest cost,longest durations, highest potency,max damage you press the skill button/key and hold it for 1.5 seconds.

Extended Explanation of How The Power Modifier Processes Mechanics

• The Low Charge activates whatever your base skill effects are and cast them with the standard cost and potency of that skill when they land.
• The Moderate Charge activates whatever your base skill effects are and cast them with additional 25% potency bonus that affects that skill when they land.
• The High Charge activates whatever your base skill effects are and cast them with an additional 50% potency bonus that affects that skill when they land.

http://i.imgur.com/bhAjkRt.jpg

Obviously, for this to work. Some kind of UI will have to exist to support it so you can watch your meter if you do not have good muscle memory.

• Option 1: An actual gauge in the UI is implemented that exist around or beside the normal Health, TP, and Magic Point resource bars.
• Option 2: A glow is applied to the weapon to signify at what point you are charged to green, yellow, or red.
• Option 3: A number text showing a percentage that rise of falls over each skill on the hotbars and certain percentages tell you what you are currently charged to.

The Cast Modifier Gauge

Rules Of The Cast Modifier Gauge
The idea is this will apply to all spells/abilities you cast in the game.
The spell/ability will not fire until you release the button.
The longer you hold the key/button, the tier raises from tier 1 though whatever highest tier is.
The idea is that more power adds longer cast time.

The Mechanics of The Cast Modifier Gauge
See the picture below. This modifier creates a tiered charging gauge to minimize ability and spell bloat. The Magic Modifier UI icon will change colors and icons depending on the spell or ability used. For instance, if you use it to cast Thunder, the icon will be lightning blue, the icon will brighten as the number inside shows what tier you are currently at.


http://i.imgur.com/GmxG984.jpg

I'd rather not see this used for every skill in the game. At that point you have no balance (against GCD rotations) or prioritization in its use apart from whatever "cost" it adds. (If MP/TP, I could see this working for BLM, but being lackluster or just outright annoying for everyone else, and mechanics-breaking if usable by healers, while probably just annoying when used as a consistent crutch.)

I see a charge system as being useful for solving a number of things, such as:
- Button Bloat (Thunder I, II, and III could all just be different charge lengths)
- The Grit/Oath annoyance (not a copy of WAR's ability stance swaps, but of variable length as to be swappable in as little as 60% of a GCD, much like Meditation)
- A few particular abilities whose jobs have unique need or synergy for/with the timing and efficiency a charge system could give (e.g. Clemency, if it were a serious heal; allowing PLD a fair bit of control despite having only one real heal)

I welcome the idea of a Charge system and could similarly see Channels being used, but a charge system for every attack would disrupt almost all the intricacies of pacing we have right now. I'm not saying that ultimately the product wouldn't somehow be better, but until I see some illustration (not literal pictures, but numerous rotational descriptions) as to how it would pan out in play, I'd be against the idea.

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As not to be purely critical though, let me toss out a thought of my own. You mentioned "this mechanic is based off the concept of momentum", but I don't really sense any momentum in something that stops and holds to couch its punches. Quite the opposite. What would feel like momentum to me, though, might be a sort of retake on combo system. This could be as simple as different combos having different effects, some having a reduced recast specifically for the next in their combo chain while others just add the normal potency and/or additional effect. Or it could even replace the primary function of combos by causing combos to create momentum, with whatever bonuses that involves, while the separate combo abilities are now better able to stand on their own otherwise.

That idea's not something that, by itself, I'd want to consider introducing into the game as is, either, but it is certainly food for thought.

The whole point is to not have prioritization in it's use. It adds a level of performance choice rather than just stat number solely. I don't consider it annoying, it's a guaranteed critical hit for users with an accuracy vs power risk reward. When you play any good sports videogame, the actual tactile pressing of keys determines the accuracy of the shot. One point I want to make is this is not a charge system, a charge system has a guaranteed power advantage by holding it down longer. Just as a guitarist can choose to hold a note longer or lightly and briskly play notes for speed alterations, so to this concept works.

A tier selector like you mentioned would work too, however that wouldn't change the dynamics of how a skill is cast only that you cast different skills, basically a charge button.

It is based off momentum.
If I swing a bat fast or tap a light swing I might be more accurate hitting a fast ball but it would not travel as far.
If I use a bit more strength, it would be a little less accurate but travel further.
If I use all my strength, I would be way less accurate but when I hit the ball it will travel max possible distance.

Now the meta is cast your heart out but you don't really have any control over how your skills are cast minus stats and gear, you cast the same way as X other <insertclasshere>. This adds a dynamic with momentum where as in you might all draw from the same skill pools, but the cast style is determined by the user.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sandpark

The whole point is to not have prioritization in it's use. It adds a level of performance choice rather than just stat number solely. I don't consider it annoying, it's a guaranteed critical hit for users with an accuracy vs power risk reward. When you play any good sports videogame, the actual tactile pressing of keys determines the accuracy of the shot. One point I want to make is this is not a charge system, a charge system has a guaranteed power advantage by holding it down longer. Just as a guitarist can choose to hold a note longer or lightly and briskly play notes for speed alterations, so to this concept works.

A tier selector like you mentioned would work too, however that wouldn't change the dynamics of how a skill is cast only that you cast different skills, basically a charge button.

It is based off momentum.
If I swing a bat fast or tap a light swing I might be more accurate hitting a fast ball but it would not travel as far.
If I use a bit more strength, it would be a little less accurate but travel further.
If I use all my strength, I would be way less accurate but when I hit the ball it will travel max possible distance.

Now the meta is cast your heart out but you don't really have any control over how your skills are cast minus stats and gear, you cast the same way as X other <insertclasshere>. This adds a dynamic with momentum where as in you might all draw from the same skill pools, but the cast style is determined by the user.

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Regardless of whether individual skills or events are intentionally prioritized via interaction with other systems or if every skill gets equal treatment and access to the power modifier mechanic, both will end up playing in an particular optimal fashion unless you intentionally set up each jobs' skills to create multiple rotations of equal viability (albeit where viability may include a lower theoretical output at a lower skill floor and options in line with such balances). The prior just tends to require more thought and adaptation. The other follows very simple rules, such as maximizing windows. Given that you're using a flat, rather than percentile, charge time, especially, it already will favor particular abilities (longer casts, on whose original cast time it has a smaller proportionate effect, and stronger abilities in general on which less rotational damage over time is wasted), and will be nerfed on speed-based classes. If your Dragon Kick / Twin Snakes will either run 2 seconds late or 3 seconds early, one can and will now make up for that by adding 1.5 seconds each to his ToD or True Strike and Demolish, perfecting his DK's or TS's uptime. Why? Because you're only increasing potency. Therefore it should only be used on the skills with maximum potency. Anywhere else, especially in the case of a Monk running at a 2.15 GCD or less, will lose some 75% of a GCD to extend a skill's damage by 50%. If not for the per-execute range of a Monk's skills, that would always be a loss.

Charging up a Twin Snakes or Dragon Kick would give you 70 or 75 extra potency at the cost of 75% of, say, a 145+ modified skill-potency per second rotation (here including DK/TS effects on AAs and oGCDs, but otherwise only weaponskills). Give or take its aid or harm in perfecting windows, that's still almost certainly going to be a loss, and absolutely will be a loss compared to alternative uses for that time. But 50% of a Demolish is 210 bonus potency. Unless it really thrashes a lucrative window, that will be worth it.

And then there's the matter of Accuracy. At 1.5 seconds to charge 50% additional damage, that may already be costly enough. It's not scaling with the actual cast, after all, so that it's worth only 85 potency on a Fire, but worth 150 on a Fire IV, for the same time spent. Moreover, what you're asking for is that people now stat into something otherwise unnecessary, bonus Accuracy, for the mere opportunity to use a new option reliably.

Consider also: you can't pre-charge, (i.e. charge without a target for the skill), so you can't use this to instantly nail an add with a 150% damage attack the moment it spawns. You also can't get an extra 50% of a GCD, effectively, into a given CD window (Raging Strikes, etc.). Granted, if one could do those things they would be obligatory unless balanced otherwise or more in conflict with weaponskill or Spell resource/buff/vuln windows than they could produce in bonus damage.

Rage of Halone had this in 1.0. If you took damage while it was charging, it would increase the potency when the charge was done.

Edited my OP adding a new gauge for abilities and spells.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sandpark

Edited my OP adding a new gauge for abilities and spells.

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The charge-based Fire line is the edit, yeah?

Good for combating button bloat.

Definitely a logical choice, except where spells in the element series already have the same cast times, e.g. Fire 2 and 4 (or on any use of Swiftcast or Thundercloud, if you use the same system on the Thunder line). Granted, in changes to Enochian can fix the prior issue of overlap. Swiftcast would be likely be the more awkward issue. Those changes would have to be for the better on their own merit, though. I imagine there are quite a few possible to Enochian changes the community would accept as an improvement, however, so that shouldn't be too difficult; forcing a specific cast on Swiftcast, or changing Flare to a follow-up oGCD, etc., to deal with their all sharing an instant cast, would again be the more problematic area. Thundercloud can easily just always cast Thunder III effect, as anyone would when able.

I'd recommend the option to place the graphic on the "Fire" spell (and/or "Thunder" or "Aero") itself, progressively expanding a wreath of flame around the Spell slot while a disc or radial graphic shows charge towards the next tier, while the center shows the number that will be released. Letting go will launch the most recently ascended level at the end of its tier time as not to possibly waste cast time. (Still requires timing to the half-second as not to use a tier too high, which might be a bit uncomfortable for some.)

Sorry if I misunderstood and you meant for the spell tiers to have no relation to our current ones.

I was thinking of the wreath thing too but couldn't find a good way to show that in my graphical illustrations. I think SE could make a radial graph if they did this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sandpark

I was thinking of the wreath thing too but couldn't find a good way to show that in my graphical illustrations. I think SE could make a radial graph if they did this.

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I got to ask though, does that really end up being a universal charge mechanic at that point, or just a way to avoid button bloat? And I'm still not sure what fix you imagine for cast-time overlap among different (current iteration) tiers of the given element, especially under the effects of Swiftcast.

I'll be honest, I see no use for a universal charge mechanic, but I certainly do for solutions to bloat, such as your charge system or dynamic slots to handle combos or tiered element lines. But they're going to have some initial weaknesses to hammer out, such as the above.

There is no need for swiftcast after this. But if you think there is, swiftcast can have a second button used in conjunction with the original key to swiftcast a spell. Imo no big damage spell should have a 0 cast option anyways.