[dev1022] Auto-attack system questions and discussion

[xneonobodyx]

yeah auto attack would make the game boring in my opinion. this system involves the player in combat, where you can move around the battlefield (dodge certain skills) and manually attack from different angles. All an auto function will do is make people point click (auto-run and let game spam normal attacks while they chat/ watch tv or surf internet) doesnt soudn very involving to me...

[Maat]

I agree with this, but 6k guild marks can be hard to get. Especially if you keep missing the day they're offering leves for your class.

I agree that the new options for different battle actions was very innovative and it would be a shame to see it go. But you also have to look at how the auto attack feature was able to set the base for new gear, abilities, skills, and waepons in FFXI. Not to mention how the auto attack can be better regulated.

I also believe that the auto attack feature will help with lack luster battle animations and deal with spamming. It would be a good decision to maybe integrate the two ( battle actions and auto attack) by having different auto attack selections each having there own delay.

[Galamantyl]

LOL. That what I said. But I was much wordier. Anyway some examples might be ...

• A Thaumaurge sets his auto-action to to Slow when he's in a party, but changes it to Poison when he's playing solo.
• A Conjurer sets his auto-action to Cure when he's is a party, but changes it to Fire when playing solo.
• A Gladiator set his auto-action to Provoke when he's in a party, but changes it to Guard when playing solo.

You should be able to toggle those as auto-action, yes. I agree. But those aren't really the best examples. Slow has too long a recast time, and cure is situational whenever HP is needed.

99.999% of the time, auto-action would be used for 0-cost immediate actions, like regular attacks (spirit dart, light swing, etc.,), but that's not to say you couldn't use it with an action that has a cost. Especially now since mp regeneration pretty much makes every spell free to cast.

[Delmontyb]

I definitely find that spamming attacks gets rather boring after a while...it was interesting at the start but later on it gets dull. It might be ok if there were more useful weapon skills or skills in general that may or may not use tp to break up the monotony.

For example on my lancer 60% of the time I am using the normal attack, 30% a weapon skill and 10% some sort of buff/debuff. If they made the normal attack auto then that frees up a lot of time to chat or whatever but then without some more skills that fill out the time frame battle will seem a bit more dull. I just will not know what to do with the extra time after a while but I guess that is why the battle system is being re-hauled.

If I end up playing for 15 minutes it's not so bad, but when I start to have long battles, the thrill is gone so to say. Plus I am unable to talk with anyone while doing it so there are periods where I would like to respond or talk, but can't, because if I do I'll die. :S

As for the battle system in itself, I really hope that Yoshi-P and crew come up with a fun and engaging solution. I don't want a dull battle system with auto attack, I want a fun battle system, with it, and that's what I'm hoping for.

[Madrox]

Auto attack ruins the other "attacks" each class gets that you purchase with marks. If they add auto attack I hope they don't do away with the flexibility of things like close shot, heavy shot, far shot, heavy slash, heavy swing etc...

A lot of people don't know they exist, and they think all they have for options is "light attack" which isn't the case. If people started using the other optional "standard attacks" you can purchase with marks, they wouldn't be asking for auto attack.

They are attacks that come at a stamina cost greater than "light swing" but have additional effects like generating more TP for the player, reducing the monsters TP each swing, increasing enmity and hitting multiple targets.

These are "standard attacks" that are not TP moves, so if used correctly should make most of the rants about "all I do is push 1 button anyway" moot.

Go buy your class skills, and start using them.

QFT

I don't honestly want to see Auto-Attack, I haven't even been enjoying myself in-game as much ever since the possibility was brought up. Chatting should be done for tactics before-hand, and if needed in middle of attacking it needs to be worked around(like during skills).

If they want to do something, maybe figure out another alternative for the battle system..

[Betelgeuzah]

I agree that the new options for different battle actions was very innovative and it would be a shame to see it go. But you also have to look at how the auto attack feature was able to set the base for new gear, abilities, skills, and waepons in FFXI. Not to mention how the auto attack can be better regulated.

I also believe that the auto attack feature will help with lack luster battle animations and deal with spamming.

I don't see how exactly auto-attack feature would somehow affect battle animations. These kind of improvements can be implemented without auto-attack as well.

FFXI had also very uninvolving gameplay (which admittedly got better as you gained more levels, even though even then it was partly due to failure of the game mechanics), and I don't think the excuse of "the developers can regulate the combat system better" is good enough to bring it back and make the combat of XIV less involving as the result.

If auto-attack comes with some other changes that retain the depth and involving gameplay from before, which also make it so that with these other changes having manual input would be detrimental to the game, I could see why it is being implemented. I do not think that making us spam less attacks without making it so we can be involved in combat in some other ways would be an acceptable solution.

However, I have gained some trust in the new development team and am eager to hear their reasoning for this change, if not sooner, then later.

[Gath]

The only bad thing about Auto-Attack is lazy people who decide to ALT+TAB while attacking a mob, then, since they're not paying attention, wipe the party because they might want to incapacitate the mob (THIS IS AN EXAMPLE). They sleep it, he attacks, they all die.

[Irishfae]

I am for auto-attack. And by auto-attack I mean, you attack using your short range weapon. (I haven’t played with long range yet at all, so I could be missing something, my apologies upfront)

I have a fairly selfish reason for auto-attack. Button mashing hurts after a while, and I get plenty of the mashing from my other non-MMO games.

After reading the prior posts I like the idea of having a on/off toggle. I would love it on while solo playing and off while party playing. I see party playing as requiring collaboration and auto-attack just doesn't fit in.

As for the stamina issue, there could always be a guard option to hold the attack.

And for those of you making the claim that wanting to be able to chat while fighting is lam..etc.., this is a MMO and one of the points it to be playing with other people, and establishing in game ‘relationships.’ Auto-attack helps to free up some time to communicate with others. But that is my take on things.

[Syxilor]

The only bad thing about Auto-Attack is lazy people who decide to ALT+TAB while attacking a mob, then, since they're not paying attention, wipe the party because they might want to incapacitate the mob (THIS IS AN EXAMPLE). They sleep it, he attacks, they all die.

This would be an absolute horrible implementation of auto attack. I am all for auto attack, but please make it nothing like FFXI where you do not do anything but run a macro once a minute as a DD.

[Malakhim]

Well to make an anecdotal argument...

FFXII and FFXIII both had an auto-attack, and people threw a fit about it.

Also, I've been playing some more FFXIV lately as my pugilist(started a new character), and I've rarely had a moment when I'm "spamming" anything. I'm usually going through my entire action bar alternating between heavy strike, light strike, concussive blow, haymaker, featherfoot, etc. I'm constantly moving around my enemy to position myself behind it to make sure I can score the most crit hits as well as dodging certain attacks like a puk's somersault or dodo breath.

I'm pretty engaged, and I enjoy it.