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[Preview] Elder Scrolls Online: Combat is Deeper than Expected
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
While my usual MO is to get stabby as a stealthy assassin type in MMOs and RPGs, during my run in the recent press beta for The Elder Scrolls Online, I made a Nord Sorcerer this time around to try something different and bring some freshness to the experience. I've played destructive mages before, and in fact, that's my second choice in terms of classes, but not for a while. I prefer third-person MMO combat to first person, so I found myself fighting while in third a lot, but I did do some switching around. Were I playing a melee class, I think I'd stick to first person most of the time, but as a mage with some AOE, I think I liked the extra vision more. Your mileage is going to vary, but I'm happy the option exists.
Read more of Christina Gonzalez's Elder Scrolls Online: Combat is Deeper Than Expected.
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Comments
Currently playing:
Rift
Played:
SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
World of Warcraft, AoC
So your saying ESO is not a clone of a clone?
Was more fun when it was called 'Kingdoms of Amalur'
This new version is just watered down... same story and same combat just slower paced and a bit more clunky.
Seriously.
Thinking it felt a lot like KoA also.
From the videos I have seen... combat is not that deep. The light attack, heavy attack, block, interrupt and dodge is very very standard with most Console games. Heck the ALL of the Spiderman games have it :P
While DCUOs combat is very very active... it is like playing Street Fighter as a super hero. While TESO should not go that far.... some variety would be nice. I saw the Angry Joe review ( I like him, but I hate him, because he flip flops more than a politician at times) and I agree that if there is no weight or collision between NPCs and PCs... then that could make combat feel... blah.
In Elder Scroll games there was no pushing through an enemy, you had to go around him. And each hit felt like an impact.
I wish the game would have been better... I still have hope, but it isn't likely as it is set to be released in a month and a half from now... so... there won't be any drastic changes.
And I even bought the Imperial Edition.
sorry, but 6 skills are deeper than you expected?
what did you expect, to have 3 active skills?
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
I love Neverwinter, BUT, you are rooted in combat.
In ESO you can slash and run or sling magic or arrows.
It's a game. Not real life.
Not all who wander are lost...
I have to agree that devs were most likely making combat slow to prolong the game but without knowing it they also made combat MUCH better so long there is some depth there and not just a pile of HP's.
I do agree with stuff like being able to sneak past instead of having to fight everything,i doubt that is the case in dungeons but don't know.
Personally i see a wanky Ai but only watched early videos.
the whole game to me looks maybe as little like Syrim as to be expected but more like NwN designed to run cheap.
One well two things i do not like,one the INSTANT choice of ANY class.I also do not like ACTION combat in a rpg especially if it has depth,you end up fumbling on hot keys more than enjoying the combat.I seriously don't understand the logic,you need a hand for moving arrows,you need a hand for the mouse,how do you select all the depth of choices?
I think simple,there really is no depth,you have 4 choices,swing,block,block special dodge,not anymore depth than say a fps but w/o the fps designed maps.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
No, combat is NOT deeper than expected.
And yes, it IS slow.
Combat altogether is clumsy, detached and has a horrible feeling about it.
What about you stop constantly picking out the things people criticize the most about the game and tell them in a "feature" that it isn't so?!
sorry guy.. but not everyone agrees with you. to some this game's combat is some of the best in the genre.
Because they don't share your assessment of it, nor your extremely jaded view that everything new is bad. Seriously, I don't think I've seen a single positive post from you. Ever. And definitely not one about this game. In fact, if I didn't know any better I'd swear you were hired by one of Zenimax's competitors to bash the game.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
#IStandWithVic
It's ok that not everyone agrees with me. And i'm happy for the people who like the game and have found something with hopefully some depth and substance after years with just crap titles released.
IF they would have pulled the combat off right, i would LOVE it. With the right tuning it would be a killer. But the way it is executed now is poor on too many levels and the animations don't help either. Perhaps we can thank consoles for that, i dont know.
But i'm rather getting sick of for EVERY POINT OF CRITIC people raise on the forum and that gets discussed in reasonable manner, there appears a column, feature, article 2-3 days later telling them that it isn't so. As if we are dummies. Way to shove your pro-industry propaganda onto the readers when you can't leave a point without having to release a counter-"article."
In your opinion.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
aaahh.. I understand now. But i think it goes both ways.. sometimes they support the positive view/sometimes negative.
I am going to have to cry foul here a bit about Everquest.
I played a druid mostly.
As a druid I had duration spells I could mem and apply and then drop them and fill my bar quickly with other active spells. You could further expand your memorized spells by spending AA's later in the game's lifespan. So basically you could have thorn damage + increased strength + see invis + spirit of wolf + regen + inscreased health and armor all at the same time plus be able to cast 10 different active spells.
Add to that abilities like bandage, forage, tracking....all extremely useful. Then we get into item clicking abilities and passives. With a large amount of items you could click them for a spell effect. On top of all this there were also potions in the game.
Basically the amount of complexity and fun in original EQ and it's expansions has probably not been matched by any game since.
Now I am not saying that we still need that much complexity in a game. It can be dialed back alot as seen in Guildwars 2 and still get a good amount of flexibility. However I am still a fan of having lots of control and focused gameplay where you can gimp your character in certain areas and make it uber powerful in others if you choose.
Here's to hoping the top end of Elder Scrolls Online is complex and engaging in a similar fashion to EQ or Guildwars 2, but with a little more class interdependence than Guildwars 2 did.
Your doing it wrong, all I can say.
How many people long for that "past, simpler, and better world," I wonder, without ever recognizing the truth that perhaps it was they who were simpler and better, and not the world about them?
R.A.Salvatore
After the first betas i kept reading all the negative posts about this game, how bad it was etc. Then this weekend i got to actually play it.
Combat its more challenging then i have seen in years, i can't remember the last time i died to 2 normal mobs (same level as me) in a mmo. I have also seen some videos of combat and general gameplay and let me tell you, they don't give a hint about the game. In some the people playing are just running and attacking the target all the time, like rushing to something and it seems like the combat sucks, well it doesn't. You have to block at the right times, use the right CC, be aware of what is arround you. There is no penalty for whatever choices you make regarding class/armor/weapon. Bow attack's timing is a little off, but then again its a beta.
Crafting is also amazing, so many combinations, so many materials... so little time to explore the system better.
You are also encouraged to do what you want, as there are bits of the game (trying to avoid spoilers) where you don't have to do anything to progress. I mean, your main quest stops there and you can go do whatever you want and after a while (after you get a certain level) it will continue.
I played for like 8h yesterday and today and it keeps getting better (the first couple hours are just an intro to the game systems, like a tutorial). This is not the dumbed down mmo we are getting used to see these days. i really hope it doesn't change when it comes out.
forgot to say: melee combat seems slow and clunky because its animations are not very polished yet, the same happens with staffs and arrows. If you click too fast after you have attacked, your character will do like half the animation and then stop (and doesn't hit).
Its annoying but after you get the timing you don't notice it anymore.
People who think number of skills equals depth of combat have no imagination. They probably also think a song is more complex simply because it has more instruments.