Character/Camera controls for hybrid combat

BreakeR

This is my proposal for a character controller that is suitable for action combat while still maintaining the comfort and responsiveness of a generic third person controller. The key mechanic is that holding down the right mouse button allows action abilities to be aimed like a third person shooter, locked to facing the direction the camera is pointing. The most important point is that when not aiming, the player should be able to seamlessly transition between running to any direction. This is to say that backpedaling and strafing should be avoided at all costs in normal movement mode because of how stiff it makes character controllers feel.

Action Combat Mode (3rd person shooter controller)

Active when right mouse button is held down
Character always faces camera forward
Aiming crosshair (player optional)

W -> Run away from camera
S -> Backpedal toward camera
A -> Strafe left
D -> Strafe right

Free Movement Mode (generic 3rd person controller)

Left mouse drag to orbit camera
Character faces keyboard input direction

W -> Run facing away from camera
S -> Run facing toward camera
A -> Run facing right of camera
D -> Run facing left of camera

A notable feature of this setup is that camera control is split between left click drag and right click drag, such that the player has the freedom to orbit the camera either with or without repositioning the character's facing direction.

Mouse Camera Control

Left Click Drag  -> Orbits camera around character
Right Click Drag -> Orbits camera around character and snaps character to face camera forward

HalcyonDays

I agree!

I played New World when it first dropped. I played through all of the bugs. Inventory locks. Gold locks. Still gave it a good go! Thought to myself "I really hope the camera isn't locked to the mouse" in AoC and went to google it.

You summed up my hopeful expectations of camera / mouse movement to a T. I want to be able to position the camera and run so it's not causing crazy motion blur or stress on the mouse hand. Not to mention that my wife gets motion sickness from watching me play New World because the camera is almost never stationary. She got me into Warcraft and I beta tested Everquest way back when. Was hoping for a game she could get into.

I downloaded Black Desert today. Heard great things. First thing was the camera is locked to the mouse. Really set me back a bit in wanting to play this game. I'm going to play with settings and give it a go since AoC wont be around for quite some time.

I like the idea of enabling other abilities but you would need to be able to reassign or macro it for others who don't want that style of aiming. (I will personally tab target / mouse click to target mobs).

Sort of a deal breaker depending on how they handle it.

I'm not a fan of active blocking for tanks either (I've played 90% tank role in my MMO career, using spells as blocks I suppose. More worried about call-outs, positioning, and doing mechanics myself) but I suppose that's a different thread.