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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Spells: Cast Speed vs Progression
maouw
Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
You can generally put spells into two groups:
I don't mind if my 10min cd spells take a bit longer to cast - because they are usually pretty epic spells so it makes sense.
But I don't like my bread-and-butter spells forcing me to stand still for 2 seconds every 5 steps I take.
So I'd prefer if the latter were minimalistic and simple and not fancy (in terms of cast animation time)
HOWEVER
What about when you first learn a new spell?
When I consider the experience of picking up new spells - the first time you learn a spell is a moment where you are mesmerised by the newness of the spell - which conflicts with minimalistic and simple design, so I can understand the desire for a spell to be fancy at the beginning of its use.
This has implications for the progression of a spell:
Can we have spells that are fancy when we first acquire them, but they progress to minimal and simple spells as we get stronger?
Augments? Spell Experience?
- PogChamp once every 10 minute spells
- Bread butter, low cooldown spells
I don't mind if my 10min cd spells take a bit longer to cast - because they are usually pretty epic spells so it makes sense.
But I don't like my bread-and-butter spells forcing me to stand still for 2 seconds every 5 steps I take.
So I'd prefer if the latter were minimalistic and simple and not fancy (in terms of cast animation time)
HOWEVER
What about when you first learn a new spell?
When I consider the experience of picking up new spells - the first time you learn a spell is a moment where you are mesmerised by the newness of the spell - which conflicts with minimalistic and simple design, so I can understand the desire for a spell to be fancy at the beginning of its use.
This has implications for the progression of a spell:
Can we have spells that are fancy when we first acquire them, but they progress to minimal and simple spells as we get stronger?
Augments? Spell Experience?
I wish I were deep and tragic
0
Comments
Here is some example information, but I have not seen details on cast times, CDs or "Rotations"
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Mage
My intuition is that mages will have to stand still to cast most things, but who knows?
This is my personal feedback, shared to help the game thrive in its niche.
Adds an endgame activity and further incentive to very deeply explore the world.
Same with a legendary assassin about stealth or bards about their instrument and so on.
Although idk if thats too much considering we already have augments and ability to invest more deeply into spells.
Stance 1: casting speed -50%, damage -25%, interruptchance on hit +25% (lower cast, less dmg, higher chance of being interrupted)
Stance 2: casting speed +50% , damage +25%, interruptchance on hit -25% (longer cast, more dmg, lower chance of being interrupted)
You can always cancel the stance, but that would then set it on a cd.
I feel like that thing sounds super exciting in theory, but when you get your second or third character leveled up, the notion of needing to collect half a dozen 'things' seems like an extra annoyance barring the player for jumping into endgame content. Especially when you take into context the time of travel if you have to do a 'world tour' to get them. One thing i have always wanted more of, is end game customization of spells and effects. Like, unlocking a secret tome to make your fire spells blue or something (thats just a broad example, I know color of spells is often important in game design for ability recognition)
Oh, I didn't think about tying it to questing - that would be a different take and definitely something all arcane classes would aim for. But I'm not really interested in cooldowns or mana cost here, I'm more thinking about the fluidity of how long it takes to perform a cast animation when you're on the move.
@Damokles
That's an interesting idea - but stance 1 would need more bonuses otherwise nobody would use it (unless interruptchance became a priority stat for arcane classes)
I imagine it more like a total DoT class, where you really rely on all that ticking DoT damage, then switch into the other stance after reaching that point, where you can keep up the stack without letting it deteriorate.
Example:
A Mage with a burn DoT, it can stack up to 20 times and keeps the latest duration. You use the first stance to stack the DoT, then switch over into the heavy hitter stance, where you weave the DoT into the rotation to keep it up.
This makes me wonder:
Does anyone happen to know how new spells/skills are 'acquired'?
Will it be like WoW, when you level-up: then "poof" you fantastimagically just 'know' how to cast X-spell or perform X-skill?
Or will their be Class trainers (at nearby nodes perhaps), who we'll have to train with to understand how to properly use/perform the new spells & skills?
Steven Sharif is my James Halliday (Anorak)
“That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die.”
-HPL
I don't know if they have ever mentioned trainers. Current, you get skill points that you can use to buy and upgrade skills. Once you buy a skill with a skill point, you have it.
It might be nice if this was tied to trainers though. You get skill points as you level and have to go to a trainer to spend them.
Also I like how WoW does casting spells. Most cast times are less than a second, lasting about the time of your global cooldown timer. I don't think I'd be ok with everyone running around not having pause to cast things, even if its just a really short cast time.
Ah! That absolutely makes sense. Thank you.
And I also like the idea of have some adept NPC to interact with as well. It would help to make Verra feel more alive. And less: stats/points/numbers.
Steven Sharif is my James Halliday (Anorak)
“That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die.”
-HPL
What du you mean, not leveling 64 classes? :-)
Yeah! Spell proficiency!
idk, it just makes sense to me that the more you do something, the better you get at doing it and the more used to the spell you become.
For adept NPC/job instructors - I've had a good experience and a bad experience.
Buying skills is weird. My bad experience was in Outward where there were specific NPCs you would buy skills from on the otherside of the world. I wouldn't mind it if the skills were much better than what you have access to in your hometown - but they were pretty lacklustre and I felt I'd wasted my time travelling there to be disappointed at my options (exorbitant prices too... did I say buying skills was weird?)
My favourite experience has been Maplestory's job instructors - who send you on a quest to prove you are worthy to advance your class, and doing so unlocks a full package of skill options to tinker with.
I am confused by this? It didn't seem like what you were suggesting was something that changed and needed to be chased? As in if your third character gets capped on week three or year three, its still a chore?
I see quite a few people making multiple capped characters by sheer virtue of how professions work? Nobody is going to be breeding my mounts but me!! .... wait ....