Rift has a boring combat system...

Abrraham

Hello folks,

 

I really love the content of Rift, there is a lot to do in endgame and I really like the opportunities you have while leveling up your character. World is quite open and has a dynamic touch. Basically, this game is great....unfortunately not great enough for me because it has the worst combat system on the AAA market (personal opinion). 

Are you feeling the same as me? I think combat feels very passive as if I wouldn't be fighting. Sometimes I see damage digits and I'm wondering why, especially in PvP.

What would have Rift been like with a more innovative combat system? Perhaps with the combat system of Tera? But well, even SW:TOR feels much more active and action oriented than Rift does.

Zolb

I also found it very boring, nothing like EQ2, my main problem is the vast majority of skills are on the same global cool down, the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

It has nothing to do with it being a non action style of MMO either, EQ2 is 1 of my all time fav MMO games along with SWG.

TheDarkrayne

Originally posted by Zolb

the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

You know you can do this in EQ2's built in macro system as well don't you?

Abrraham

Originally posted by DMKano

I disagree - Rift is not an action combat MMO like Tera/GW2/AoC or Neverwinter. It has the traditional MMORPG combat like WoW, EQ, etc...

I find Rifts combat pretty engaging when compared to other traditional combat MMORPGs. I especially love the combat mechanics of Harbinger - melee mage ftw! 

Oh and Rift IMO has the best class system, the flexibility is amazing. Have a boss that is too tough for my harbinger, switch to my elemntalist pet - no problems.

36 classes I love it.

 

I love the class system as well, what I don't like is the passivity of the combat system. I don't know why but it feels passive to me. I try to find out why. Perhaps the long gcd and animations are the reason that I'm feeling out of fight even compared to SW:TOR? Or is it the responsivity I don't like?

TheDarkrayne

Originally posted by DMKano

Originally posted by Zolb

I also found it very boring, nothing like EQ2, my main problem is the vast majority of skills are on the same global cool down, the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

It has nothing to do with it being a non action style of MMO either, EQ2 is 1 of my all time fav MMO games along with SWG.

Many Players macro skills via their keyboards or 3rd party programs in all games.

I've been running single button macros in every MMORPG since EQ1. The fact that Trion acknowledged this and built their own in game macro system is awesome.

I run Nostromo and a Logitech programmable keyboard, I use macros on both - TSW, GW2, NW yes even action games i macro in.

Anything that saves my hands/wrists from repetitive motion injury is priceless to me.

So thank you Trion for this

This is exactly right. It's just what experienced players do whether the system is build in or not. It makes no sense not to.

Doogiehowser

Call me old school but  after playing all the action combat MMOS i still find myself spending a lot more time in games like Wow, Rift, EQ2 and AIon.

znaiika

This is the main reason I don't play Rift, that, and invisible walls.

Zolb

Originally posted by Vannor

Originally posted by Zolb

the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

You know you can do this in EQ2's built in macro system as well don't you?

Yes of course i know, and we used to have people in our guild who did it, however i always found i could DPS or hold agro as a tank much better to use my own rotations.

As i said though, my biggest gripe with the game is the fact that the vast majority of the skills were on the same global cool down, the game in its self is good, i just did not like the combat very much, like the soul system, i like it and the idea behind it, reminded me a little of SWG system, but whats the point in having all those skills available to you (in rift) if again the vast majority are not used, either because its duplicated in another tree or because 10 other things are all on the same cool down.

TheDarkrayne

Originally posted by Zolb

Originally posted by Vannor

Originally posted by Zolb

the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

You know you can do this in EQ2's built in macro system as well don't you?

Yes of course i know, and we used to have people in our guild who did it, however i always found i could DPS or hold agro as a tank much better to use my own rotations.

As i said though, my biggest gripe with the game is the fact that the vast majority of the skills were on the same global cool down, the game in its self is good, i just did not like the combat very much, like the soul system, i like it and the idea behind it, reminded me a little of SWG system, but whats the point in having all those skills available to you (in rift) if again the vast majority are not used, either because its duplicated in another tree or because 10 other things are all on the same cool down.

Well many skills are meant to replace others.. because of how the soul system works. Like if you go deep into the shaman cleric roots and focus on elemental damage passives then you eventually get an elemental non-cooldown attack that is to be used instead of the, earlier, physical damage one. They both do the same base damage but are different damage types, which you will want to use is determined by your many other choices in the souls or by the stats on your items. It's about options. Not all shamans will use the same skills. Some, if paired with the justicar soul, might choose not to use any of the shaman's standard attacks and use the justicar one instead because it provides some healing due to the effects of the skill 'salvation' and it being a native life damage justicar skill; it heals for more because it's a justicar ability. Options.

[Deleted User]

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TheDarkrayne

Originally posted by ZedTheRock
Not only is the combat amazingly boring but the animations are some of the worst I have ever seen in an MMO.  I mean the 2H swing animations are so plain, boring and uninspiring that it hurts the game so much.  Sometimes the animations doesnt even plkay only the sound plays, you hear a woosh but not actual swing.  Its bad, beyond bad and thats a shame because the class system is pretty epic.

I agree about the 2H. I hated most of the 2H animations but remade my melee cleric as a Bahmi, because they have the best 2H animations. Much better animations than the smaller races. Kinda swing it around with one hand.

evilastro

Originally posted by Vannor

Originally posted by Zolb

the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

You know you can do this in EQ2's built in macro system as well don't you?

Yeah you can. Most tab target games allow it, or can be forced with plugins.

EQ2 felt like it had more meaningful situational spells for me though.

bubaluba

Good game with boring combat. Rift combat is something like--Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam!-------Boom!!!!!!! AND AGAIN THE SAME

TheDarkrayne

Originally posted by evilastro

Originally posted by Vannor

Originally posted by Zolb

the fact you can macro every skill you need in to 1 or 2 big macro's says it all.

You know you can do this in EQ2's built in macro system as well don't you?

Yeah you can. Most tab target games allow it, or can be forced with plugins.

EQ2 felt like it had more meaningful situational spells for me though.

I dunno.. I mean. On my Harbinger right now I use this set up: Withering Vine, Main DPS Macro, AOE Macro, Blade Rush, Radiant Spores, Phase Step, Flicker, Heal/Protection Macro, Rift Tomb, Distracting Slash and Glaring Fetters.

That's 11 key binds and I use them all regularly. Yeh, you can put your DPS rotations on 1 or 2 buttons.. but there's still plenty of other things I need to press.

Abrraham

I tried again but I just can't get into it due to its combat, guess I have to wait for another big release  

crusher143

Its because animations and graphics of spell using are mostly poor. If Iam playing a mage and cast something I want to feel the power. Now in Rift for example the fireball looks ok then you get something like it would be in WoW pyroblast (sorry but I dont know the name in English for it, its Zunderstoß in German T_T). It does 3 times the damage of your normal fireball and has a huge ass casttime and CD without proc. Now what do you get when you cast it ? Its 3 times smaller than the fireball lol and it doesnt even have a real sound.

You know WoW graphics are dated but when you cast something, even heals you always get flashy spells animations. This really does connect yourself to your toon and you feel the power of the spell. But not only that, in PvP I always can tell you whats going on, not so in Rift or SWTOR. SWTOR also have this problem, if someone heals you see nothing and its also boring to play a healer because of this.

Thats where WoW is king, flashy spell graphics and fluid gameplay. Not even ONE goddamn MMO managed it yet to have such a fluid gameplay like WoW and I dont mean by FPS.

Either camera sucks, there are delay lags when you cast something or whatever.

Devs always thinking that its the content why ppls go back to WoW, I really dont think so. I could wait for content in a new game and be even satisfied with 1 BG for a long time like I was in WoW with WSG but the core of the game must be good. I mean the animations, spell graphics, combat must look and feel good and the controls / camera must be fluid especially in a PvP game.

If it doesnt have this I dont care how much content it has, it just fails.

Professor78

It sounds like you prefer the action mmo's better.

I think of Rift of a more tactical/planning based combat system. Some roles can make the combat seem 'Boring' but you have a choice to mix things up and experiment.

I find healer role best as it is more action packed and keeps you on your toes.

arctarus

I agree that wow have some of the best combat animations in mmo. The responds, the impact , the spells is personally to me, top notch.

Rift is a nice, game, and like OP, i cant get into it , and one of them is the combat system.

Hope they, like Bizz, relook into their combat once in a while.

 

 

 

gaeanprayer

Rift's combat is horribly boring. Until I had a friend to play with I'd pop in for crafting dailies and ignore it otherwise, 50+ is a grind made painful by the combat. But I don't necessarily think that's Rift's fault. I get bored of the combat in pretty much every MMO. It doesn't matter how exciting it is initially, or how pretty the spells are, once you've done it for hours and days and weeks, it all becomes stale.

I think the problem is the focus on combat, which makes it redundant. The answer, for me at least, is to incorporate other elements of progression that add value to quests rather than simply killing. Think of your favorite fantasy movie; the quest was rarely to kill the monsters, they were simply in the way of a more meaningful goal.

Bladestrom

+1. it comes down to story telling and the ability of the game to tell a compelling story imo, and the ability of hte player to engage their imagination (rather than just seeing everything as an xp mechanic)  If the player is not engaged then all the gimics or gaming mechanics will never change this.

 

 

Shadanwolf

Op...boring is one word to use

 

I would say the developers were lazy and incompetent when they turn out a product like Rift and its combat.

The CONQUEST feature is another a classic example.