Feedback:User/Kuby8388/Expanding Mechanics

Expanding Mechanics
User	Kuby8388
Categories	Mechanics

Username Correction: Kuby8388

[LAST UPDATED: 11:58AM PST - 20 JUNE, 2012]

Overview: The Starting Issue

When GW2 came out, the one thing that stood out was definitely the dynamic events. It was no question that that was a step in the right direction for MMOs.

But after 5 years or so in development, people are starting to wonder whether there is more to this game than simply having its quest model taken in the right direction, and then leaving the rest of the gameplay to just being 'mediocre'. Is this game capable of really revolutionizing the MMO gaming industry? - This question, leads to my answer as well as my suggestion.

Yes, GW2 IS capable of doing so I strongly believe it - but it needs a breakthrough from its "combat system model". The dynamic event was a great foundation for the game, but now it's time to be working on that second step.

Why I Picked Combat Mechanics Specifically

No matter what MMOs I've played, it's always been about the contents. However, at a point of any MMO like WoW, no matter how much more little unique contents that you got - people get bored of the idea. Sort of like watching a horror film - after watching it too many times, it no longer is scary anymore.

But take playing sports as an example. How come playing that same game never gets old? - Because the game is about "Mechanics". That is what hooks a player from playing any game. It is fun. Contents gets boring after awhile, but good mechanics is always 'fun'.

http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-colin-johanson-on-how-arenanet-measures-success

A simple and dull combat mechanics exists in GW2 vastly agreed by players that I've talked to in forums.

Why Combat Mechanics Is Not Good Enough in GW2

The whole fundamental concepts of GW2 is built around its dynamic events. I understand you guys probably already know that *hint- the Dynamic Events in WvW being implemented atm.

But slow down Anet Devs. - Seriously, take a deep breath from rushing to make more contents for the game. Ask yourselves, are my contents "paired with" just a repetition of the same 'boring mechanics'? - If so, then there's a huge issue here to be dealt with first.

Honestly, the content is the only thing that is holding this game up, and IMO that sounds awful like GW2 is already on a life-support machine, if content runs out then the game is done. It makes it look like a one trick pony.

Which comes to the point of this entire post right here - is to state my sincere feedback of GW2:

" Adding Dynamic Contents is the right step forward - but having the same idea of mechanics to go along with these contents over and over again, is starting kill the contents faster than you can make them. "

(Take a pause and think about if I'm right or wrong. Then keep on reading if you wish, because I don't want to waste your time if you think what I'm saying is untrue).

Expanding Mechanics to Change the Whole Grasp on Contents

Glad I still have you with me here. Sorry if my words are sometimes overly repetitive talking about a point. I have a stubborn personality by nature - I tell it as it is, that's all.

Getting back to the point here which is what I mean by 'expanding mechanics to change the whole grasp on contents'....

The easy way to explain this is that: currently, the combat mechanics model in GW2 has been designed to be very flexible - (don't need to worry about aiming a lot of your skill shots, PVP & PVE combats are capable of being designed separately from each other, and the only mechanics you have to learn for positioning in this game is one dodge). Because the combat has been designed so simply versatile, you are like in the dough stage of baking.

[You may take the following questions and put them into suggestions statements, because that's what they are also. I just felt like it was easier for me to input them this way]

Is it possible to add "another" dodge if you want to, is it possible to add knock-backs to auto-attacks, or is it possible to start ranking dynamic events and saying 'the hard ones, you must manually aim? - Yes, yes, and yes! They all are very possible at the moment (NOTE: I do realize you guys do consider two things here: 1) would people want this change, 2) new combat features can be extremely risky). Yes, but so can this be asked about skill traits. [It is never easy to make decisions during a time of (gaming) 'revolution', as many would like to call that as your goal in making GW2]

The reason why I'm pushing you guys to 'expand' combat mechanics in every suggestion post that I've made-to-date, is for the following reasons:

• A game who's combat mechanics is without depth or range is bound to make its content suffer. 80% of thetime when your content is suffering, it has to do with the lack of 'fun' your combat is bringing (ie. I can be doing dungeons or events or PVP, but if the combat is not fun neither will any of these three be "fun"). The Combat "Experience" in a game is 'absolutely a HUGE DETERMINING FACTOR' to how long the fun in a content last (combat experience also includes gameplay of course, such as the skill systems.

I've come known more games with good combat system succeed with a basic skill system - than games with a terrible combat system succeed with a complex skill system. It is extremely difficult to compensate a poor combat experience with anything else in the game. You can lose the most fun in a game out of a bad combat experience especially with having an overall "dull" combat mechanics.

• The most common fun gameplay in a game is 'brawling' combat. There's tons of gamers who loves street fighter, super smash brawl, little fighter 2( if you guys remember/know that game, it's very old now), and etc. With expanding combat mechanics, you can rarely go wrong with adding combat features that supports brawling.

• I think it is extremely fun in an MMO when I'm able see mechanics from other genres. I love the idea of making this game sort of like an FPS, and sort of like an RTS - in fact, that was the other half of my reason for buying this game (the first half being, of course, dynamic events). Just would love to see more of them both- the FPS and RTS genres mechanics be implemented into GW2. As long as there is questing, dungeons, customizable gears and characters, no matter what type of FPS & RTS or other genre mechanics the game has, it will still be an MMO to me.

Hope this games turns out not short of what its mechanics are capable of. But I'm sure the experience that we are having now and of what is to come will be an unforgettable fun memory.

Sincerely,

Kuby.

20 June 2012