TSW has a very special place in my heart. Superb atmosphere, stellar writing, mostly great voice acting. Personalizing your character through the massive clothing options is second to none.
Still, I wish they had made the game more traditional in terms of mechanics. Its steep learning curve will always be the reason I think it did not fare well with the public despite so many positives.
I still play it every now and then when they have an event. But at this stage the game simply is what the game is. The loyal, if relatively small, fanbase would foam at the mouth if FC implemented an SWG 'New Game Experience' type system. Basically dumbed it down to where casuals would be attracted.
And that really is a shame in my opinion, but because what TSW does well it does better than any game on the market, but most gamers will never see it.
It has long been a wish of mine that they would release a second, optional version on unique servers with more typical MMORPG mechanics. I can easily see it becoming my main game again if that occurred.
I really like the ability wheel and how you can pick abilities that have great synergy. And because you can use passives from any weapon, this also allows a great variety in decks. This is my favourite part of TSW's combat system. Tweaking and tinkering with ability decks.
My main gripes however with combat though are :
1. Boring execution. Not sure if its because of the use of builders/finishers, but generally it feels very spammy and apart from avoiding a few telegraphed attacks you do not use all skills much in PVE. And even in the situation that actually calls for it, it is still all visually similar. Combat lacks feedback mostly.
Dodging, while a cool idea, is quite unnecessary most of the time in PVE. If you are already strafing, you easily walk outside telegraphed attacks.
In short, combat looks bland and became repetitive fast for me (no matter what deck).
2. They boast about horizontal progression. Which could be said about the ability wheel. But the skill system is just vertical progression. I mean, good luck in the next zone if you didn't raise your talisman skills and didn't obtain better gear. Because of how combat works, there is also not really a way to avoid this and survive against more difficult mobs by dodging and strafing. Just like in any other tab based MMO's, many skills home in on you and bad gear will mean you stand no chance against those harder hitting mobs.
It's interesting comparing TSW with Neverwinter. Say what you like about Cryptic, but (apart from STO ground combat) they've always done pretty well with their combat systems, it's always been their saving grace; they just make fun, engaging combat and do it regularly. They get that "core" aspect right, and that's always kept their head above water.
On the other hand, TSW is in every other respect a million times better than any Cryptic MMO (apart from the glorious and sadly-missed City of Heroes), but its combat is for shit.
It just doesn't synergize much in practice (I mean, it does in terms of numbers, actives and passives, exploiting conditions, etc., but it doesn't feel synergistic), it feels floaty, there's no great distinction between abilities and no meaning and weight to the abilities. No oomph, no punch, poor fx (both visual and audio), poor animations. Neverwinter, on the other hand, has bags of oomph, the abilities are well defined, they chain well together, there are "layers" to them (at-wills, encounters, dailies). It just feels fun to play.
The only good thing about TSW's combat is the ability to move and fire abilities at the same time, but most action MMOs can do that now (and even the occasional rooted ability wouldn't be too much of a problem in a context where most abilities can be fired off at will while moving).
So the result: people hang on, enjoy the thing the game does well, and hold their noses at the things the game does poorly. Both Neverwinter and TSW are games that people do this with, but for the opposite reasons.
But if you get both aspects right (like for example WoW did, at least in the early days) - if you get the core combat engaging and fun to use, and you build a world around it that's engaging and fun to be in, fun to quest in.
I'm just waiting for Perfect World to buy TSW from Funcom so it can really get the treatment it deserves! /s
I don't know how they developed such an amazing game with such a horrid combat system. Blows my mind...
I don't know anything about Perfect World. What makes you propose that they would be able to improve combat?
In my opinion the best fantasy based MMORPG combat system ever created was already created by Funcom for Age of Conan. I'm always left confused by how they could create such an engaging combat system in one game and totally drop the ball on their next game.
I'm just waiting for Perfect World to buy TSW from Funcom so it can really get the treatment it deserves! /s
I don't know how they developed such an amazing game with such a horrid combat system. Blows my mind...
LOL, The last thing TSW needs is to be bought out by Perfect World. Do you really think changing the loot system to be lock-box based and making PVP pay to win is what TSW needs? Perfect World did little to help the Cryptic MMOs get any better. Personally I would rather see the game die then have Perfect World buy out TSW from Funcom and ruin its memory by heavily monitizing it.
"Sean (Murray) saying MP will be in the game is not remotely close to evidence that at the point of purchase people thought there was MP in the game." - SEANMCAD
One of the seemingly small but important things about Age of Conan's system is part of the "telegraphing" (in AoC's case the mob's defense stance) was by the mob's head so as a player you were actually looking up and watching the fight not staring at the ground all the time.
One of the problems with hotbar rotation combat is you spend all the time looking at the hotbar and not at the cool looking mobs.
Well I appreciated the improvements that was, better skill descriptions meant a lot to me and less trash mobs early on was a great improvement too. Its far from perfect but pretty good quality of life improvements for me.
Whatever numbers you pull out about subscription numbers or active players HAS zero to do with combat feedback.
The feedback about combat is just over-exaggarated into extreme and it somehow lives its own life in this website AND NOWHERE ELSE.
I actually think the combat is among the best among MMORPG. It's extremely fluid
...
That's an interesting point of view. I don't think I've seen this before when talking about The Secret World.
I thought it was a general consciousness that TSW had the worst combat of this generation MMOs.
You need to get out more. The echo chamber here certainly rings loudly with "worst combat ever!", but that attitude is by no means a consensus even in this forum.
I loved all and everything about the game, yet i never could get into the combat....
not so much the execution, but with only 7 abbilities it felt way to much like hack and slash witouth tactical and strategical depth... Way to repetitive with repetition of the same buttons time after time.. Espescially when compared to GW2 or even neverwinter combat it fell short by miles
my question is, how much did the combat improve?
Both those games you mentioned GW2 and NW have the same boring limited skill ability restrictions why would you pick them lol? If you want to talk about in depth combat with no skill restrictions you have to throw all those "Action" combat MMO's in the dumpster and go back quite a few years.
Whatever numbers you pull out about subscription numbers or active players HAS zero to do with combat feedback.
The feedback about combat is just over-exaggarated into extreme and it somehow lives its own life in this website AND NOWHERE ELSE.
I actually think the combat is among the best among MMORPG. It's extremely fluid
...
That's an interesting point of view. I don't think I've seen this before when talking about The Secret World.
I thought it was a general consciousness that TSW had the worst combat of this generation MMOs.
You'd have to be a major fanboi of the game to say TSW has the best combat....It was flat out awful, oen of the worst I'd ever played....ANimations were terrible too.....Even AoC, TSWs predecesor, had way better combat.....
I loved all and everything about the game, yet i never could get into the combat....
not so much the execution, but with only 7 abbilities it felt way to much like hack and slash witouth tactical and strategical depth... Way to repetitive with repetition of the same buttons time after time.. Espescially when compared to GW2 or even neverwinter combat it fell short by miles
my question is, how much did the combat improve?
It never changed they redid some animations was all
Any graphical, audio, or gameplay restrictions not seen in other mmos but found in FFXIV can be blamed on one thing. PS3
Comments
TSW has a very special place in my heart. Superb atmosphere, stellar writing, mostly great voice acting. Personalizing your character through the massive clothing options is second to none.
Still, I wish they had made the game more traditional in terms of mechanics. Its steep learning curve will always be the reason I think it did not fare well with the public despite so many positives.
I still play it every now and then when they have an event. But at this stage the game simply is what the game is. The loyal, if relatively small, fanbase would foam at the mouth if FC implemented an SWG 'New Game Experience' type system. Basically dumbed it down to where casuals would be attracted.
And that really is a shame in my opinion, but because what TSW does well it does better than any game on the market, but most gamers will never see it.
I'm just waiting for Perfect World to buy TSW from Funcom so it can really get the treatment it deserves! /s
I don't know how they developed such an amazing game with such a horrid combat system. Blows my mind...
Now, which one of you will adorn me today?
I really like the ability wheel and how you can pick abilities that have great synergy. And because you can use passives from any weapon, this also allows a great variety in decks. This is my favourite part of TSW's combat system. Tweaking and tinkering with ability decks.
My main gripes however with combat though are :
1. Boring execution. Not sure if its because of the use of builders/finishers, but generally it feels very spammy and apart from avoiding a few telegraphed attacks you do not use all skills much in PVE. And even in the situation that actually calls for it, it is still all visually similar. Combat lacks feedback mostly.
Dodging, while a cool idea, is quite unnecessary most of the time in PVE. If you are already strafing, you easily walk outside telegraphed attacks.
In short, combat looks bland and became repetitive fast for me (no matter what deck).
2. They boast about horizontal progression. Which could be said about the ability wheel. But the skill system is just vertical progression. I mean, good luck in the next zone if you didn't raise your talisman skills and didn't obtain better gear. Because of how combat works, there is also not really a way to avoid this and survive against more difficult mobs by dodging and strafing. Just like in any other tab based MMO's, many skills home in on you and bad gear will mean you stand no chance against those harder hitting mobs.
On the other hand, TSW is in every other respect a million times better than any Cryptic MMO (apart from the glorious and sadly-missed City of Heroes), but its combat is for shit.
It just doesn't synergize much in practice (I mean, it does in terms of numbers, actives and passives, exploiting conditions, etc., but it doesn't feel synergistic), it feels floaty, there's no great distinction between abilities and no meaning and weight to the abilities. No oomph, no punch, poor fx (both visual and audio), poor animations. Neverwinter, on the other hand, has bags of oomph, the abilities are well defined, they chain well together, there are "layers" to them (at-wills, encounters, dailies). It just feels fun to play.
The only good thing about TSW's combat is the ability to move and fire abilities at the same time, but most action MMOs can do that now (and even the occasional rooted ability wouldn't be too much of a problem in a context where most abilities can be fired off at will while moving).
So the result: people hang on, enjoy the thing the game does well, and hold their noses at the things the game does poorly. Both Neverwinter and TSW are games that people do this with, but for the opposite reasons.
But if you get both aspects right (like for example WoW did, at least in the early days) - if you get the core combat engaging and fun to use, and you build a world around it that's engaging and fun to be in, fun to quest in.
THEN, then you have a hit on your hands.
In my opinion the best fantasy based MMORPG combat system ever created was already created by Funcom for Age of Conan. I'm always left confused by how they could create such an engaging combat system in one game and totally drop the ball on their next game.
One of the seemingly small but important things about Age of Conan's system is part of the "telegraphing" (in AoC's case the mob's defense stance) was by the mob's head so as a player you were actually looking up and watching the fight not staring at the ground all the time.
One of the problems with hotbar rotation combat is you spend all the time looking at the hotbar and not at the cool looking mobs.
Chi puo dir com'egli arde é in picciol fuoco.
He who can describe the flame does not burn.
Petrarch
That's an interesting point of view.
I don't think I've seen this before when talking about The Secret World.
I thought it was a general consciousness that TSW had the worst combat of this generation MMOs.
Any graphical, audio, or gameplay restrictions not seen in other mmos but found in FFXIV can be blamed on one thing.
PS3