[dev1022] Auto-attack system questions and discussion

[Sorel]

Best solution: Toggle auto-action.

You pick an action and toggle it to automatically execute when stamina is available. Activating another action will override the next action in the auto-action sequence and reserve stamina for it accordingly.

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.

[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.

[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.

[Skeeter]

I would welcome auto attack. They would have to rework other things to make it work. Spamming light attack to build up TP is not exactly exciting, gets kinda tedious.

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

Only read OP, going to post, then go back and read, but I see two forms of implementation here.

Auto-attack is a toggle for on/off in the Options menu and with some kind of keyboard or gamepad shortcut. By having it on, whatever 0 TP attack skill you choose at the start of combat (or switch to during combat) becomes your Auto-Attack. And it doesn't spam the Stamina bar, so it will attack, allow for time to replenish the stamina bar, then attack again. This would allow other stamina actions to be used, allow the player to type without feeling like they're doing nothing for the battle, and when the player is ready to take control of their stamina, they toggle off AutoAttack and do the spammy thing they do.

Second implementation which would require some overhaul: Keep the stamina bar, make it regen slower. Choosing a 0 TP attack becomes your auto attack until another ability is chosen. Its attack speed is based on the old amount of stamina it used to consume. So Broad Swing auto attack would be slower than the standard attack. Slow would reduce auto attack speed. Haste / Speed Surge would increase auto attack speed.

In regards to voice chat, it may be a nice option to implement in-game, but I don't see the majority of players using it, even if they have mics. I'm only basing this off of Steam games where voice chat is built in and only four to five out of twenty players will talk. And from Xbox Live, playing a non-FPS game, you may have three out of eight players willing to use their mics.