Quote:
Originally Posted by Kreugen  Most of what's new about VG combat comes from having seperate offensive and defensive targets. It is most notciable for healer classes, all of which have a number of abilities meant to be using offensively at the same time they are healing, making them far and away the most unique and interesting classes to play. For example, a level 12 cleric can debuff a mobs damage and gain mana with melee attacks. |
Not to nitpick, but it's not THAT different from EQ2 approach with implied targeting (something that is toggable in LotrO too) and buffs like the inquisitor one that gives a chance to proc power taps from melee attacks (and you can even buff another char with that, while still gaining power for yourself). I personally find EQ2 healers with their AA trees the best healer implementation I've played.
So if setting defensive and offensive target is what makes the difference in VG, I'd say it's a pretty limited difference.
I liked instead the idea behind "casting while moving at reduced speed", which I find more unique.
In beta I played a sorcerer and it was quite fun to kite mobs, but at the same time overly trivial, just as in EQ1.
I think all devs from all games are hard pressed finding something really innovative, at least in a fantasy setting, that's concerning player abilities, because let's face it: till today EQ1 is still the game that gave players the most freedom of action. Exploitable? Yeah. Fun? Hell, yes!
Every other game started by forbidding players to do various things, including WoW, EQ2 (at launch it was even too much) and possibly others.
As of today, aside from the carpal tunnel syndrome it induced, I'm still looking for a MMO class that gives the same open-ended gameplay as the EQ1 bard (to mention the most blatant example), but I doubt I'll ever see it again.
