While watching the recently released gameplay pre-alpha video, I began wondering, if the developers revealed (or would care to share) their ideas about the flow of the combat. Yes, I have heard the general statements about moving effortlessly from melee to range, making it fun etc. etc. What I mean - are we gonna see defined and functional ROLES in combat? Will the combat be paper-rock-scissors based, or just hammer against anvil (hammer)? Because so far i just see DPS in the anounced classes (long range dps, close combat dps, tactical dps, anti-tank dps), with the exception of apothecary and weirdboy, but the comments for their combat role are not very promissing. Imagine 200 vs. 200 vs. 200 vs. 200 players fight with just the dps. That will just turn out to "who has moar dakka, wins" result, without much variability over time. This, imho, wont hold the players for long. And that is what I have seen in the short game footage so far. Bolter boom boom, granade, chainsword chops. I hope its because the pre-alpha demonstrator. What we need, in my opinion, is this: 1) relatively long time to kill (TTK) (much longer than 10s; no one-shots) - otherwise big fights will turn to respawn-run-die immersion breaking slaughter-fests 2) defined roles in squad based combat - dps, suppresion, debuffing, combat heals, combat engineer repairs... 3) working longtime hard CC with some medium-available possibility to cancel or purge it - imho of duration at least TTK, or TTKx2 - otherwise numbers+dps >> all skill or carefully planned tactics 4) some damage resists (physical, elemental, void, warp, chaos...) based on equiped items (purity seals, battle honors...) would allow for more in-depth combat tactics I know that Miguel promissed working systems to play with in EC, and I hope deep combat system with various subsystems will be the major one. Because combat is what we will be doing most of the time. I really dont care much about the graphics (its important for my first gaming session in a game, or maybe when you see the zone for the first time, but when you see it the 100th time...), but deep, tactical, variable combat with group cooperation is much more important in the long term. Have I omitted some important facts, have I missed some already announced info? Enlighten me!!
I don't know about that, but it sounds a lot like you are wanting more of a traditional trinity type action bar MMO experience, which is not what Eternal Crusade is about. If that's not what you were getting at then I apologize but when you start mentioning Crowd Control and Resistance stats it sounds a lot like WAR or WoW to me. I do agree that Apothecaries need to be explained in a little more detail though as I can't seem to really figure out their role on the battlefield from what little info we have available to us.
And as Valerius said, definitely take a look into Space Marine and Planetside 2 as that's our best bet to pull a representational experience from.
I hate long TTK. I hate traditional MMOs. I wish this forum had a sig function, because I'd put that in my sig for all to see and know. Warfare is about moar dakka. Whoever has the most guns, tanks, and aircraft usually wins (assuming a relatively even tech and competency level). Can't get around that fact. If you have long TTKs, then you end up having more specialized wargear that levels steeply, and thus there are no tactics, it's just throw the faction leaders at the enemy and watch them kill everything and anything. Only the highest leveled players have a shot at doing anything. And that's infuriating.
The problem with such a high TTK is it turns every game into a "shield wall" scenario. What I mean by that is that each side is just charging buffs and heals until one side runs out of power or can't keep up and then dps is effective. They want this to be a "skill" based TPS MMO. My view on that has emphasis on "aiming", "timing", and "rapid decision making". I'm not sure the high TTK allows room for those qualities to shine effectively. I mean, in traditional MMORPG battles alot can be said for a groups ability to coordinate buffs, heals, priority of targets, and all that. But I'm thinking they want the brutal reality of 40k to be represented. Every weapon has the capability to end you quickly. Even power armor is ineffective versus a melta gun. This isn't a traditional MMORPG. This is war. War is hell. And war is not heal buff battles.
however, strategy should be a part of it--however that fact is kind of unavoidable...if you decide to attack a tank with a weaker tank armed with anti infantry weapons and shoot at it, and the other tank has auto-cannons, and you use the weaker tank as a distraction while infantry with rocket launchers or mines or a 40k C4 equivilant go up behind the bigger tank and take it out, thats strategy. No getting around that--you cant make that not possible, intentionally or otherwise, in an FPS. (however, you CAN encourage it...which is what should happen.)
Of course. That seems to be organically born from the type of game EC will be. With classes come AV/AP guns and you have to account for everything otherwise your offensive or defense will get slaughtered.
