Auto-attack

[Reika]

^----------------- Blowing smoke.

[Hitoriki]

There is no extra strategy added to the game by manually button-smashing your basic attacks. Therefore, automating the process couldn't really hurt. Though I hope such a change would accompany various other modifications to mold the battle system into something more instantaneous.

Choosing your action and then waiting for it to happen is just... stupid. Unless you're actually casting a spell.

QFT. Auto attack definitely would not hurt. I would love it as its a pain having to go back to a basic attack every time you do something. Having it be automated would be much better.

[EpicDaze]

The auto-attack is final fantasy. I am disappointed that SE felt the need to change the Final Fantasy template that has been around since I started playing FF1. I feel SE has insulted and abandoned the FF purests in the interest in making the game playable by all ages and skill levels (lack there of) in the persuit of the all mighty dollar.

[Teknoman]

I'm not really biased towards either side...but how does the statement "Auto-attack is final fantasy" make any sense? Unless you were being sarcastic and that flew over my head...no FF game aside from XI and XII has had a normal 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.

[Teknoman]

Alot of people who didnt like the menu/traditional turn based combat of other Final Fantasy titles, seemed to really like the FFXII system...so maybe thats why they are taking that route? Either way, i'm sure it wont be similar to XI or XII in the least bit, since no FF battle system is exactly alike and they seem to be trying to make it a fast auto attack system. They just need to implement other features in battle to make them stand apart from the rest.

Whats funny is that alot of people were actually clamoring for some sort of auto attack early on.

[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.