active-combat
Latest
The Nexus Telegraph: Everyone's got active combat, and so does WildStar
WildStar is launching with active combat, but let's be totally honest about something: The whole telegraph system is not exactly as special now as it might have seemed, say, three years ago. Guild Wars 2 has active combat. Ditto TERA, ditto DC Universe Online. The Secret World makes use of telegraphs all over the place (which kind of feels like a kludge, but so does most of the game's combat system, so there). Even Final Fantasy XIV -- a game I have noted on many occasions as having a much slower and more tactical combat pace -- makes heavy use of telegraph mechanics. And The Elder Scrolls Online is certainly launching with a more active combat system, to boot. There's more to WildStar than telegraph markers, though. So it's time to talk about what the game actually does in terms of combat that's interesting and novel. We've been told that the active combat of the game is a big deal, but is it actually revolutionary, an evolution, or just another thing?
Camelot Unchained dishes out details on alpha testing, combat, and player interaction
So, are you a backer of Camelot Unchained? Are you wondering when you'll be able to get your hands on the game in a playable form? The earliest build will be available to players in August, but just what will that early alpha contain? In an interview with Eurogamer, Mark Jacobs has stated that at a bare minimum, players should be able to get large-scale battles going in the game. Progression will be there but will not be fully tuned or adjusted, and the earliest stages of building systems will be present. But what will that large-scale combat look like? In an interview posted today by Keen and Graev, the game's development team confirmed that the game will be avoiding an action-based engine, since it's not in keeping with the old-school ethos of the design. The interview also discusses the social features in the game, including a chat client that will allow players to talk even if they're not in the game. We'll know in August how many of these early concepts make it into testing and whether they work out on the road to release.
Take a gander at Black Desert's combat in a new trailer
It's been about a month since the upcoming sandbox title Black Desert talked about its approach to melding action combat with a sandbox environment. At the time, all anyone could do was speculate on how that would look in action, but as of today you can catch a glimpse of it in full force. Embedded just past the cut is a minute-long trailer showcasing several individuals and monsters locked in vicious combat. It's important to keep in mind that this is only an early trailer and may not be indicative of the final game, nor is there yet any word on the game being released in the US. That having been said, the trailer certainly looks like quite a ride, with plenty of dodging, rolling, and flying projectiles all about. Even if you haven't been interested in the game up until now, you might want to take a look. [Thanks to Tor for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Do you like the increasing trend of active combat in MMOs?
Back in the day, combat in MMOs was nice and sedate. You had a weapon, the other guy had a weapon, and you both walked up and hit one another with weapons until one of you died. To ensure that you succeeded at that goal, you had huge bars of abilities filled with various tricks to make the other guy die a little more than you did. It was a bit passive, is what we're getting at. Recent MMOs have been swinging to the other extreme, with players having a handful of abilities and a mandate to dance around the screen like a hyperactive rabbit. Titles like WildStar and The Elder Scrolls Online are previewing themselves partly on the strength of active combat. Do you like the increasing trend of active combat in MMOs? Or do you wish that we could go back to more sedate combat systems, possibly with those darn kids getting off our lawns in the process? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Black Desert interview talks active combat and the big picture
Black Desert is not a game that can be faulted for lack of ambition. A recent interview with the design staff helps show off just how big the game aims to be, which includes territory control, building relationships with NPCs, and an open-world housing system with a limited number of houses. It also discusses the game's combat, which is meant to be realistic active combat with an emphasis on skill and momentum. The game's combat system will include combat on foot or while mounted, with mounted combat having several obvious advantages -- charging while mounted can be incredibly damaging, and you have an easier time knocking down targets on foot. Combat is meant to be slightly loose rather than forcing characters to have perfect timing, but the emphasis is on "realistic" combat over a string of abilities. For more details, take a look at the full interview (scroll down to see the English version).
The Daily Grind: What game makes the best use of positioning in combat?
Guild Wars 2, The Secret World, and WildStar all have something in common: They all ask characters to jump around. Or roll around or dash around or just generally get out of clearly marked fields that indicate Something Bad Happens Here. Unlike some older games, none of these titles allows you to just fight by staying in place and swinging until your opponent drops. Of course, positioning has always played a role in MMO combat. Final Fantasy XI had Bards splitting effects between party regions and Rangers jockeying for the ideal range. World of Warcraft loves having damage fields in raid fights. TERA pretty much expects all players to be moving constantly. Then you have Star Trek Online's ship combat, where damage is almost entirely based on where you hit consistently. So what game do you think makes the best use of positioning in combat? Is it a system that would work in other games, or is it unique to one setting? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
