Auto-attack

[Xzen]

Auto attack is a step backwards while the rest of the genre is moving forwards with more of an action style of combat. It doesn't really make a lot of sense.

[Linnear]

Auto attack is a step backwards while the rest of the genre is moving forwards with more of an action style of combat. It doesn't really make a lot of sense.

Care to bless us with an example of the genre moving away from this? Also manually implementing commands has been around since pong so no it is NOT a step backwards. AA is newer and allows for more advances tactics at the higher end of the game, and by higher end I don't mean being rank 50 and farming mobs, I mean actual encounters, (which still don't exist...) Like I said before numerous times, just saying AA is a step in the past does not make it true. At the very least try to provide an argument for your ideas.

[Dreamer]

Care to bless us with an example of the genre moving away from this? Also manually implementing commands has been around since pong so no it is NOT a step backwards. AA is newer and allows for more advances tactics at the higher end of the game, and by higher end I don't mean being rank 50 and farming mobs, I mean actual encounters, (which still don't exist...) Like I said before numerous times, just saying AA is a step in the past does not make it true. At the very least try to provide an argument for your ideas.

There's a reason why offline games don't use this mechanic. It's simply boring. The only reason it is popular in MMOs is because it helps compensate for ping times. How much fun do you think the combat in Elder Scrolls would be if instead of having manual control your character just swung once per second automatically?

I wouldn't say AA is a step backwards, but it's definitely not an ideal solution. The sooner the genre moves towards more real-time combat, the better. SWTOR isn't using it, neither is GW2 (the auto-attack there is more like a toggle for any ability rather than what we're referring to here). DDO, which has one of the better combat systems in MMOs, doesn't use it even though the combat is still semi-turn-based. One of the more interesting titles coming out soon, The Secret World, doesn't use auto-attack.

The sooner this mechanic goes the way of the dodo, the better. Hence why I'm rather agitated they're rebuilding their combat system around it.

[gifthorse]

There's a reason why offline games don't use this mechanic. It's simply boring. The only reason it is popular in MMOs is because it helps compensate for ping times. How much fun do you think the combat in Elder Scrolls would be if instead of having manual control your character just swung once per second automatically?

I wouldn't say AA is a step backwards, but it's definitely not an ideal solution. The sooner the genre moves towards more real-time combat, the better. SWTOR isn't using it, neither is GW2 (the auto-attack there is more like a toggle for any ability rather than what we're referring to here). DDO, which has one of the better combat systems in MMOs, doesn't use it even though the combat is still semi-turn-based. One of the more interesting titles coming out soon, The Secret World, doesn't use auto-attack.

The sooner this mechanic goes the way of the dodo, the better. Hence why I'm rather agitated they're rebuilding their combat system around it.

Exactly. It's just sad that they think spamming actions was a necessary evil of the original system. It isn't. Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, TERA, Blade & Soul, DCUO, basically every next-gen MMO has active combat. If FFXIV thinks it can compete with auto-attack... well they're right. They can always compete in the special olypmics.

[Xzen]

Exactly. It's just sad that they think spamming actions was a necessary evil of the original system. It isn't. Guild Wars 2, SWTOR, TERA, Blade & Soul, DCUO, basically every next-gen MMO has active combat. If FFXIV thinks it can compete with auto-attack... well they're right. They can always compete in the special olypmics.

Thats why I think combat like we see in the FFXIII Versus trailers would be the new way to do combat in MMOs today. Although I don't know if their current game engine could be adapted to make combat like that in FFXIV.

[Naqaj]

Thats why I think combat like we see in the FFXIII Versus trailers would be the new way to do combat in MMOs today. Although I don't know if their current game engine could be adapted to make combat like that in FFXIV.

Doesn't XIV share the same engine with XIII and Versus?

[Boricua]

Doesn't XIV share the same engine with XIII and Versus?

I would say yes, in terms of the ATB gauge is now the Stamina bar, but you can't really queue commands outside of the cumbersome battle regimens. In other words you can't do:

Spirit Dart > Fire II > Sleep

all against the same mob. Honestly that wouldn't be too bad to implement FFXIII's auto-attack system where you hit 'auto' and commands are automatically placed onto Stamina bar (that a mob is vulnerable to), stacked.