Feedback:User/Morcotulcon/Changing Precision with a different mechanic for Critical-hits

Introduction
One of the main problems of MMORPGs combat is when critical-hits happens. Let's make everything clear to understand about critical-hits in MMORPGs. What people like about critical-hits is the fact that they are unpredictable and spontaneous, something that relates to the luck factor in combat. Nothing more, nothing less.

Althought people like to have luck in combat, there are other ways to do it instead of the randomness and probability of happening that the MMORPG genre adopted, which is something a player can't control. On top of that it's a system that is probably impossible to balance, since there are always players that learn how to manipulate that randomness in their favour, which is something that not every player can do, and since it's something that will always be a headache for the devellopers.

Related to Guild Wars 2 is the main problem that comes with Precision, from which it increases the probability of doing critical-hit and the effects that come with them, but it will still be random, it will always be a headache for devellopers to balance and will most probably be manipulated by some math-addicted players.

Critical-hits Mechanic
So, my propposal for Critical-hits is something that a lot of players have already mensioned: having a different mechanic in how players do critical-hits. There are a lot of opinions about that but the main reason is always the same, to have the ability of controlling how to do critical-hits. In my particular case, the idea is:
 * Take the idea of FPS Headshots and make something simillar for critical-hits, having a place in the characters that is harder to hit, but when hit it's a critical-hit.

I'm not really shure how it works, but a lot of FPS players say that there is a little box in the head that makes it possible to do headshots when you hit that area. So, how about doing a little box, or a specifi and tiny spot in the character (in the neck or in the heart) that makes it really hard but possible for a player to do critical-hits?!

Changing Precision
If we want to have the previous idea implemented we have to change how Precision works. Now we have: We can change it into:
 * Precision = %Critical-hits and effects caused by them.
 * Precision = Critical-hits damage and effects caused by them.

Purposes and Conclusions

 * Critical Hits

When playing FPS games, you still get some unpredictable and spontaneous results, even when you know when to shot. You always know that you have to shot at the head, but since it's harder to do, when it happens it's spontaneous and unpredictable, just like a critical-hit in mmorpgs. The difference is that you have the skill to make it happen more times if you're used to the game, but it will always be difficult (unless you use external programs of course lol), and in MMORPGs it's just a matter of numbers and randomness that can be manipulated (but not by everyone). SO, if making the possibility of doing critical-hits as something you can control and is difficult to do, but you can get the skills to make it happen more times by playing the game and have fun, than you will have your unpredictability every time it happens. You're trying to do critical-hits, but if you can make them or not depends on yourself and, still, in luck. Bad players do it less, but everyone can get better if they get used to playing that kind of gameplay.


 * Precision

Since players already can control how they do critical hits, what changes is how much damage we want critical-hits to do. Since in my idea of doing critical-hits becomes a harder spot to hit, the damage of the critical-hits won't be enough to balance with all the damage that Power might give (and Power will have some effect in critical-hits too, but not that much because only the normal hits are higher in this case), so the addition of the effects caused by the critical-hits should still be affected too.

The only problem this can bring, is the fact that if it's hard to implement in the kind of game that Arena.net is doing. But if a player or a mob can already be an obstacle and be hit instead of the player/mob behind it, than that means that there is already a system that can make my idea a possible one.

In my opinion, testing different approaches in how critical-hits are done should be something important and must be done before releasing the game. Once you have launched the game, it won't be easy to change it again so soon. Morcotulcon 01:42, 20 April 2011 (UTC)