Feedback:User/Guild Wars 3 perhaps/Blindness Revamp
Blindness Revamp | |
|---|---|
| User | Guild Wars 3 perhaps |
| Categories | Mechanics |
I don't like being under the effects of Blindness any more than the next person. However, if it's going to be included in the game, then it should at least be effective. As it stands now, it's largely a useless condition; a waste, a throw-away.
Here's why:
- From the skill description on GW2 wiki:
- "Blind is a non-stacking condition that causes the target's next attack to miss."
Looking at it from the opposite direction, this means the target's next attack will cause the Blind condition to end; and that's any attack.
So what will happen in practice? The player under the effect of Blind will simply use their weapon slot #1 skill to end it. That attack will miss as a result of the Blind condition, but it will also cause Blind to be removed from the player. In other words, the counter to being Blind is to activate a skill which has near-instantaneous activation and near-instantaneous recharge. Whatever loss of damage potential will result from causing that one attack to miss will be inconsequential because the weapon slot #1 skill is the spammable skill for all professions. If the player only lands 9 out of 10 spams of this skill in 10 seconds or less because they were forced to miss once due to Blindness, then Blind is being rendered practically useless.
Making blind apply to more than just the next attack - the next 3 attacks, for example - isn't really much of a solution, either. Then the player just spams weapon slot #1 three times and the Blind is removed. Blind then becomes more of a poorly-designed annoyance than a truly useful condition.
To be truly functional, it needs to be redesigned so the Blind condition can not be countered so easily. The simplest solution is to return to its orgins in GW1 and make Blind a timed condition which causes attacks to have a X% chance to miss. If you want to balance it a bit so Blind isn't quite to overpowered (a complaint from GW1), then tie the two variations together. Blind will last X seconds and cause attacks to have a X% chance to miss. With each attack that misses, there is a Y% chance that Blind will end; even if it hasn't run its full duration yet.
Alternately, with each attack that hits while under the effect of Blind, the player's chance of ending Blind with their next attack improves. The rationale for this is if you're blind but manage to connect with your target, you now have a better idea of where they're located using your other senses (sound, tactile, kinetics, etc.). This makes it more likely you'll manage to hit your target with your next attack since now you have a little better idea of the distance and direction to your target. An example:
- When first inflicted with the Blind condition, let's assume the chance-to-miss with the each attack is 75% and the base chance to end the condition prematurely is 50% with each attack.
- Beating the odds, the blinded player manages to connect with their target on their first attack. This counts as a hit. However, they failed in their roll to end Blind prematurely.
- Since the player did hit their target despite being blind, now the chance to end the condition improves to 60%.
- The player swings a second time but misses by failing their to hit roll. However, they do succeed in their roll to end Blind prematurely.
- Blind is now removed from the player.
Thank you for reading.
Guild Wars 3 perhaps 00:31, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
Update[edit]
It was pointed out on the Discussion tab that my original suggestion would still not prevent the spamming of weapon skill #1 in an effort to remove this condition. Several contributors to the discussion have made excellent suggestions for alternate redesigns of this condition; be sure to check it out.
