User:Blue Phoenix

Blue Phoenix 01:51, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

Feedback (Closed Beta 3)

Note - all of this feedback comes from the outside looking in. I was not in the beta. All suggestions are in regard to obvious issues identified from spectating videos of the beta.

Usability

Trait Interface

The windows for a major trait line could be more user friendly. I'd prefer to see something in the window other than a block of icons. It'd be great if there could be icons to distinguish traits apart, at least by generalized categories. The more important part of fixing the usability of this window communicating the relevant information to the player. A simple vertical list showing "icon | trait name | description" would be my ideal solution.

Skill Selection Interface

This concern is similar to that of the Trait Interface. Everything is laid out like a list of icons in a Windows OS and the information that's important to the user, like the skill name and description is hidden. The layout seen in the CB3 would appeal to experienced players who have the descriptions and skill names memorized. I believe there should be a layout following the standard of "icon | skill name | description" in a vertical list format for skills; such a layout communicates all relevant information without a player having to spend time selecting each icon with their mouse.

Keyboard Controls

This is hearsay, and I'm taking players words for it. During the beta movement and skill activation was difficult to pull off together. I don't know exactly what would be helpful for this having not participated in the beta, but several people have mentioned that keybinding with modifiers would have greatly assisted them.

Combat

Large Scale Bosses

Based on what's been available via beta videos, large bosses seem very static and combat with them seems fairly cyclical. Several bosses are completely stuck in place, which isn't always bad when there are other large bosses that do have movement. For bosses that don't move, that fact combined with the large health pool and limited amounts of mechanics results in a a battle that feels long and cyclical. There's a lot of potential solutions to make combat with these large bosses more dynamic and these solutions can vary from boss to boss.

• Give bosses movement (conventional movement, move boss' rooted location periodically)
• Add player impacting mechanics (Conditions, pulls/pushes/stuns)
• Add boss impacting mechanics that the player can cause (stuns, vulnerable spots/phases, interrupts on powerful abilities, invincibility phases)

Maybe these type of mechanics exist for bosses already, it just seems lacking from beta footage.

Warrior

Tactics Trait Line

Every Minor trait has to do with reviving allies, and this worries me in that it could set the wrong kind of expectation. I understand that people will be downed, however ideally that is something that should be occurring with infrequency making the usefulness of these all the minor traits infrequent meaning the trait line comes across as not useful while actively in combat. The major traits usefulness is very subjective, but I don't find them very appealing for damage/control in the tactics line. Though for support yes, some are interesting.