Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
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.
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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.
Comments
That was a super interesting video. It makes me think the lack of DPS meters, inability to inspect characters and other similar design decisions are actually a lot more important and impactful than I originally thought.
Ill take you right into it. Will you be ok without cruthes?
Especially since the common defense is "It'S a CrUtCh" where it's some slippery slope argument that if one person uses it it'll force everyone to use it.
Go look at how wildly different pro WoW Arena player's UIs are...some might want a range finder b/c that's what works best for them and what their goals are in game while some might never need one. Everyone plays a little different b/c everyone's skills are a little different and the inclusion of a range finder isn't likely going to be the defining reason @George Black loses to @Tacualeon and vice-versa
Since this is hybrid combat i would say there is not really need for display of distance. Look, if u will have fun with the game, you will get used to it either way.
Only if you promise me that you will never get discouraged
Ah, you mean those lines on the court we use to judge distance in basketball, or the way we sight in guns to hit flat at a certain distance? Not to mention scopes with yard reticles. Skilled players are actually quite precise in how they measure and play in a game to be the best they can be. Regardless of whether I agree with the op post or not, I don't think it's unreasonable to figure out a good way to help people play as well as they can.
Read the comic here!
When I place down my AoE, like Hallowed Ground, I don't need numbers to help me direct where it should go.
Numbers do help to maximize efficient use of abilities , what if you get to close trying use a aoe ability and get chain pulled in the enemy group and killed and as a healer of the group you cause your side to lose for that mistake. There is a case for numbers for that reason as that will cause frustration with groups of players.
The game should be designed such that I can figure that out without numbers.
Sometimes we make mistakes. And then we learn from mistakes.
This is what I meant by the "slippery slope" argument and it really doesn't stand up if you look at something as modular as WoW and see how drastically different UIs are.
Whether it's in the form of numbers, colors, or just figuring it out why not let that choice be on the individual player? If you don't need it don't use it
Hell, I ran Mythic raids w/ nearly all of my actionbars hidden b/c I prefer a very minimal screen while others in my guild were using at a UI that looked like a stock ticker had a baby w/ a Japanese popup site
Outside of any friends you might be playing with that might think the same way you do. Mistakes are going to be less tolerable in a game that puts big inference on winning. You may not care about winning put your going to get absolutely crushed by those that do care.
Steven seems to want a fairly clean and streamlined UI.
And Steven also does not appear to like number displays.
But, we are sharing what we like and don't like.
We don't have to agree.
It's OK for you to like something that I don't.
You like to keep bringing up what Steven said like its the holy scripture or something. So what he says things , but if majority of people don't like his idea , he will change it. Nothing is set in stone as many people here have told you.
It's not about what I like vs what you don't like.
Even if Steven does prefer a hyper minimal UI Intrepid can't ignore that some people are colorblind so numeric elements such as health/mana and range trackers are simply necessary from an accessibility standpoint.
It's also weird how there's a sliver of the community that is so terrified of basic UI elements being used as a "crutch" that they seem to forget that the entire point of crutches is to allow those that need them to perform tasks others might view as basic. (I'm not saying this about you specifically, you just happen to be very active for the moment)
As a real life example, my wife needs glasses, but if I wore them they'd just get in my way. Exact same thing w/ a range finder where some people might need one but it'd just get in my way...the range finder isn't why I would win or lose a fight and it's addition would have no noticeable effect on those that don't want one.
How is a range tracker necessary for accessibility? And you say a sliver of the community is terrified of basic UI elements but you've been arguing with just Dygz for a while and you're the most passionate one (perhaps terrified of not having UI elements you have grown accustomed to). I don't really care too much, but prefer no range tracker personally. You can't just hyperbolically compare it to wearing freaking glasses though lol.
Since when did "Having fun" equate to "Making the best decision possible based on all available data"?
Take a risk, it won't hurt! Even if you die and get exp debt, you just have to have MORE FUN by adventuring and earning off the debt.
I try to look it at like this: Say you come upon an adventurer who has been killing mobs for some time, If you're presented with all possible information, distance to target, health of target, mana of target, armor type, weaknesses, class, gear level, etc., the choices you are likely to take are already changed by the presence of the information alone. Without it, you may have charged in bravely to be destroyed by this god-tier player, or avoided a vagabond for fear of losing what little you had gained so far.
Why are your options limited? Because you know your odds of beating this individual without casting so much as a spell. Playing a Game is all about making a series of interesting decisions, based on how you feel and what you want in the moment, not some automation to get the highest digital score.
ALSO, as a main healer for some time, distance being shown is not an issue for healing. If you can't heal a target, it's because they are out of range. You have a mini-map, you are aware of the battlefield, and your friends have icons above their heads. You're also likely coordinated, at least after a few attempts, and have stack points for players. Not having the exact information allows you to be more creative in how each group plays, rather than meta slaves bemoaning the constant state of the game.
That being said, my experiences may be different from yours, though I do feel information overload has become the norm in MMORPGs, and I'm glad to see this giving away. It's a game, lets get back to basics, and let's have some fun.
Colorblindness? Like I very literally just said?
Most games will gray out or make red an ability that's out of range but the option of a numerical one like what OP suggested could be used to increase accessibility. Almost like...I d'know...glasses which is why I wasn't being hyperbolic.
I also said that I run a very minimal UI to the point of even hiding the majority of my action bars. A range finder isn't something I would personally find useful, but it doesn't mean others wouldn't and I've been around the community long enough that too few people point out legitimate accessibility reasons for some of these suggestions, most notable whenever controllers are suggested, which is why I ensure to make myself heard in these types of threads.
I also tire of the same exact "I don't want to be forced to use X" argument going against literally every UI suggestion which is why I repeatedly pointed out that there are many different types of WoW UIs and none of the tools are necessary to play the game at the highest level. The only "necessary" tools in WoW are related to raids and I strongly doubt that AoC's will be remotely close to that level of complexity.
TBF I've seen both types of players as far back as the earlier days of D&D...the only reason this looks new for MMO players is b/c it's only relatively recently that MMOs (and monitor size) can handle the desired crunch of meganerds
We don't know what Intrepid's plan for colorblind accessibility is. If range is simply graying an ability out it might still not be easy to tell the difference between it and an icon in color depending on the type of colorblindness one has...a number on the other hand just works.
I'm more than happy to hear other solutions and come to a middle ground on things, but the consistent "No" or "Steven said..." that's stated in most of these types of threads leaves little room for that conversation and it's not my job to post compromises to my own ideas while others in the thread simply dig their heels in
Even in this thread no one has presented a valid argument for why a range indicator would be degenerate to the game...even in Classic WoW where newer Hunters used them to juggle melee and gun range the finder was never the reason I would lose a fight. Those that don't want it lose literally nothing by it being a toggle
Noob
Was a tongue in cheek post. You lack a sense a humour. At least noobs know how to laugh.
Lame
You’re the reason God created the middle finger.
I love to shop but I will never buy your bull.
People need to look at a number to make sure they dont waste their CD.
Little do they know their opponent also does the same.
Clearly these people would prefer to have themselves and their opponents look at the distance number and count down the moment to button mash, rather than look at their character models and/or their opponents character models.
The ones that like to analyze data to become good at combat, like some short of weakling side character in a story, and then there are the ones that know how to fight, get shit done, like the cool characters of the story.
One thing to keep in mine that the few people talking on the forums is nothing to the tidal wave of wow players Asmongold is hyping up on this game and all the demands for such things.
WoW Players use Addons and DPS Meters. I have used DPS Meters but Addons to explain what Bosses are doing, what moves to use and when to cleanse targets are little else other than cheats. These same people with these cheats would not allow me to raid with them unless I used said addons too. It is the difference between a DPS Meter and a Comprehensive Combat Tracker. A Comprehensive Combat Tracker is like an Aim Bot in FPS. I used to watch Asmongold until I saw Asmongold raid. We would be better off without gamers that require Comprehensive Combat Trackers to be competitive.