110104-little-additions-to-make-combat-better

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So I'm playing the Archeage beta today (Needed a break from Wildstar.) and I noticed I immediately don't like the game.  The movement feels like crap and everything in the world feels generic.  It has tab target combat which I don't like after GW2 and Wildstar.
 
However the combat has one saving grace.  A combo system similar to Aion.  I loved the combo system in Aion and Archeage feels almost the same.  You unlock effects based on the status of your enemy and also if you use a linking combo ability shortly after the combo starter.So for instance if I charge and then use my triple slice attack.  If I use it fast enough after the charge it also hits the enemy with a short knockdown.  If I just use triple slice by itself it's only damage.
 
I think WS combat could add a ton of depth by allowing certain abilities to be used in succession to provide different effects.  But not to force a pigeonholed build.  So for instance on a stalker adding more damage as part of a combo for impale would be a bad idea maybe instead add a utility combo.  Add damage as a combo for a less powerful attack to make it more attractive so less people use impale.
 
I'm not a game designer and I really don't have the time now to think of more examples but I think it's a good start and a creative mind could come up with a lot of possibilities.
 
Feel free to agree or disagree and post examples to maybe help illustrate that this may be a good addition to the game.	
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			Damn not even one comment.  Everyone thinks combat is perfect the way it is?   o.O   It's good but I feel it lacks depth.  Apparently I'm the only one.  lol	
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Nope I agree with you. But I already post too much in this accursed place, can't frequent every nice thread. ;)
Also it's one of those posts where many people probably don't see much to add.
"Yeah combos would be cool" is about all I can say too. :P	
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Personally, I really hate combo systems in anything outside of Street Fighter or the fighting genre as a whole.
 
Cable Online is excellent example of a MMO taking the combo system TOO FAR! lol.
 
However!
 
Your suggestion does have some merit, even though I think it would be an extremely slippery slope to walk in trying to balance usefulness without as you mentioned, "pigeon-holing" the player into a specific spec for maximum effectiveness.
 
Adding little "extras" in combat to give it depth is a grand idea.
 
I just think it would be extremely difficult to make it feel worthwhile and be useful, without tipping the scales to OP / pigeon-holing certain rotations/specs.
 
I also don't think we would see anything like this before the first expansion pack for the game. It's entirely too complex of an issue to just throw out in a monthly content patch.
 
Still, it's something interesting we could look forward to =)	
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Sort of this.  I think I was kind of over combo systems in FFXIV:ARR.  They tend to put you into a rotation mindset.  Hell, that's more casual than FFXI, where you were literally using skills character to character to generate combos.
 
However... that's not how it has to be.
 
It could work that a lot more moves link off other moves, crits, and the like.  Then you're not in a rotation, you're always looking for something to string together.  I'm thinking specifically of things like Warrior's Augmented Blade.  Abilities that increase the power of the next ability.  Imagine if every class had moves like that which can proc off things like crits.  So you're firing a spell, you crit, this thing lights up.  You immediately switch out of whatever you use for a rotation, hit that ability, and fire the biggest attack you have available.
 
I'm kind of wary about making changes to the combat (since it's so good in this game), but that might add some of the quick linking without setting you too deeply into a rotation mentality.	
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			I think WildStar's combat is fine. This game seems more about how well you handle yourself defensively and survivability as a whole. Everything needs to be quick. It's not about "cool" offense. It's more get your licks in and get out.	
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I say no.
I already feel I do a combo system. I call it my rotation. I already have an ability that sits until a proc goes off to be used. The rest do not need to chain. It would end with cookie cutter classes and rotations. My DK's Frost rotation will forever be stuck with me. It is like the Konami code, or Sega MK blood code.
Wildstar's combat is fine.	
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I think WildStar's combat is fine. This game seems more about how well you handle yourself defensively and survivability as a whole. Everything needs to be quick. It's not about "cool" offense. It's more get your licks in and get out.
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			The thing I want to make combat better is on the NPC side.1) I want a clear and noticeable progression in abilities/attack patterns. Example:In City of Heroes there were a lot of 1-50 enemy groups. They remained interesting because they steadily developed and got more elaborate attacks. The Council started with basic armor and uniforms, attacked with pistols, rifles, and knives, and were fine for the level you saw them at. As you leveled you faced soldiers with heavier weapons, more elaborate armor, and a healthy mix of officers or the results of the Council's bio modification programs. Same foe, fundamentally different tactics and a steadily developing playstyle.In Wildstar, a pumera is a pumera is a pumera. I face the same 2-3 telegraphs when I see them on Farside or Wilderrun as I do in Celestion or Deradune. Bigger hits and more lethality in those telegraphs ends up not mattering, because once I master the timing and spacing to avoid, I never find out they've 'gotten tougher'2) I want sentient enemies to have at least a head fake toward cooperation. Example:In City of Heroes (again) if you were fighting a group, if you had gotten some of them down and injured another heavily, a lot of times the injured guy would turn into a 'runner' and go looking for help. If he found friends, that group would aggro too and rightly so. If they found no one and yet managed to get away without you seeing them, they'd be able to heal up and come back.In Wildstar, once I master the aggro ranges and spacing, I'm fighting each distinct group like they're on an island. Sure I can screw up, and sure there are patrols, but it ends up being disheartening to kill guys 15 feet in front of their friends WHILE THEY"RE LOOKING RIGHT AT ME.Corollary to both those points, there are no units with enhanced perception/aggro ranges. Once I learn the approximate formula for aggro range vs level differential, it's consistent across pretty much the entire game, all enemy groups, all level ranges. Used to be in CoH you had to do a quick scan of every group, because some had snipers who could see you across the room. If you stood in the wrong place, or fought the group next to them, the sniper's group would aggro even without a runner going to them. In Wildstar, I want things fighting at Spellslinger ranges. I want more than 2-3 varieties of group in an area. I want to have to worry about the others in the vicinity if I'm not careful at both the beginning and end of fights.All these things would make for a more varied and strategic encounter system.	
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