Decide where AoE hits

I think that it would be nice if we could place where we want our caster spells to hit. I know that they probly couldn't be implemented(?) until gw2.

example: I have an enemy targeted and he is running around, so if i just cast meteor shower on him the rocks will fall where he was standing. If I wanted to cast where he is running to I would click and hold on my skill bar and just drag ms to where i want it to cast. It would work kind of like flagging your heros.

Thoughts?

Would be hard and unnecessary to implement, and would make it far too easy to counter skills like Shadow Form and Spell Breaker.

/notsigned

I'm positive this is one of the reasons for GW2.

Something like click skill, pointer changes to 'select location', click.

I think this is something more for a strategy game than an online rpg.

- Ganni

Sounds like an annoying interface to me

It used to be this way. It was changed for a reason.

/Not signed.

you can choose where to hit

a Tank Warrior always marks the spot (much like the X in I.Jones movie)

you can calculated where your meteor shower showers actually, with experience and careful calculation, i would say, for a warrior thats charging at you, 1.5 inch approximately before he reaches you, my ele can do that in AB, kill unsuspectiing warrior, but not for pve monsters, cos they like to run.

Another thing you can do is, cast and then run to where the meteor shower is. works well for me cos the melee monsters will mostly follow and gets knock down, works well on berserking monsters in EOTN. cos they like to charge at you, even the priest, auroch and shaman. not good for ice imps. the meteor shower need to be cast not far away from you so you can safely runs towards it, again this need careful calculation. usually 1 inch before melee reaches you. sneaking up on them to cast meteor shower is usually a waste of energy as they will be knock down probably once (50%) chance and the rest of the metoer would be wasted.

another way to do is, target melee with some skill, you have to call target on this target, when all your heros and hench is killing this melee, you switch target and meteor shower the monk(healer), by which time, the melee will be half dead, and your heros and hench's slow reaction by now will be charging towards the monk(healer), and this is when you fireball/immolate your melee enemy to death. approximately 2 fireballs usually. The heros and hench slow reactions will probably not react in time to come back to attack the previous melee target, they will usually kill the healer first, by which time you can target the next target, and if not mistaken, they usually comes in pack of 5-6 (with exception) and you are already down with 3 and thats 3 more to go without a healer. If you have either Olias/Master of Whisper/Livia as MM with you, you would have 3 more minions to fight with you. off course this works as a group of 8 with heros and hench and you as the elementalist.

practice, its quite fun when you have master it.

/notsigned. I don't want to do more stuff.

Thanks for the feedback. I didnt know that the interface used to be something like this. And I'm sure they changed it for a reason.

signed ... people which don't sign this are either too blind to see the improvement of the cast system by this or are either too lazy just to click 1 time more, before they start casting the spell....


To chosse SELF, where the aoE should be casted gives the player much better possibilities of strategic combat...then just to cast seplls there, where the target stands...which makes all AoE's in the game a joke...when you can't just cast them whenever you want, because you need ever first an enemy target in your near ...when the real target IS the Area around YOU...

thas why those Spells are called AoE's ..because they have no special enemy targets..they affect simple the area around you and damage anything, what is in this area....

How AoE Spells should work in GW imo and hopefully at least later in GW2, show older MMORPG's, like Ragnarok Online ...

There when you cast your AoE..the player chooses FIRST the spot, where AoE should be casted ..and then the spell gets casted.... thats just only 1 silly click more...

Giving Eles thias ability to manually select the spot of where the aoE should be casted would heavily increase the strategic usage of Elementalists, because they can they also be used, like similar trappers...

get to a place with a tight walkthrough, where monsters have to go through for example. ..get to a safe spot and wait..till the monsters come and then cast the aoE into the tight area when all monsters come, right so, that the cast will be finished and the AoE starts damaging ,when all mosnters are in the tight place...thats TACTICAL USAGE of AoE ...and not just only stupidly pressign of Skill Bar Buttons and casting aoe's to fixed spots, where targets stand in the moment of finishing the cast...


We play here a fantasy MMO Game, that requires both in PvE and in PvP especially tactical thinking and strategy...to win.... we play here not only a game, thats alll about only stupidly button smahing which results in senseless bloody massacres only, where you need not to waste on 1 Second of your life on ever thinking what your doing >.>

So the gameplay could imo really need and improvement of the gameplay, espcially for the fight system, including the cast system for AoE's giving them a strategic touch....

We play Guild "Wars" ...

and fighting in Wars is everything all about STRATEGY ...

Only real disadvantage I can see is that nagging wammos will get even more annoying after the caster fails to predict where the frantically kiting enemy tank's gonna be in three seconds. I kinda like the way it is now -- knock them down, maybe even cripple or slow them somehow, then I spray them with a bunch of little burning bits or a few big burning meteors. :P There's still plenty of thought behind it without turning the game into FF:T. :P

Dunno... I can see where it'd be useful, if almost as time-consuming as the cast was in the first place (3-5 seconds is a long time in the heat of battle!), but I kinda like the way it is now. With a tank that has decent aggro management and/or anyone who can slow an enemy somehow, this isn't necessary.

I kind of agree with that, though this would still be soo nice to have.
The OP actually suggests to keep the area on foe system and add a location choosing system along side that.
With both that actually saves me work and time, it means I can spam away on the melee coming towards me, and when I want to hit a group I don't have to TAB through foes to find the one standing in the center.
It would make ele's sooo much more fun to play.

(Can't find that English Lion picture... )
He is right, an (A)rea (O)f (E)ffect and is not the same as (A)rea (O)f (F)oe.

Right. I was thinking if you want to just cast on a foe, then hit the skill, just like it is now. If you want to target a certain area on the ground, then click the skill and drag it to where you want its effect to be. This way you aren't wasting time if you are in a rush (someone used a wammo example) but if you have the time, you can use it to your advantage, instead of casting and just hoping the guy stops when the aoe hits.

3-5 seconds to drag a skill from your skill bar to the screen?!

I think you need to turn the sensitivity on your mouse wayyyyyy up. It would only take maybe 1 sec to do this. And you still have the option to just cast on foe.

Area of Effect according to Guild Wars Wiki AoE

If theres no target how do you triger the skill? it would then have become a trap.

If one learn how to body block, there's pretty much no where a foe can run away to after you cast the AoE skill. Also corners are very good place to group your foes before you AoE them.

Just something to think about.

Umm... that is the point of the suggestion.


Anyway, /notsigned. This sort of stuff works in real time strategy games like WarCraft 3 and Diablo where you have the camera angle to do so, but in this game it would be too tedious and very difficult due to the interface. Also the game play is very fast paced and having to click where a skill is cast after you cast it takes away valuable seconds that could be used doing something else in the fight.

How is it any different than having to click on someones name to heal them?

And to all the people saying it would be to hard to implement....... let the designers worry about that. not the players. Also, I dont understand what you mean by the camera angle is not right. Guild Wars has a lot more camera freedom than any RTS (except Sup. Comm.....maybe). I have my camera angled to look down on me usually, so I can see as much of the battle as possible.

And if you didn't feel like using this control, you wouldn't have to, just as stated in my above posts.

you seem to me, as if you never have played any other MMO...then Guild Wars ...or you are just a bit small minded..sry to say that... how about simple casting it ...click and cast ... there is absolutely no need for AoE's to have foes in your near to target them, only to be able to cast your spells....because AoE Spells have NO direct enemy targets...the target is when the AREA, where the Spell should do damage..


@Hawk

I lol'ed

As if anyone can do something within 1 Second, that is of more importance, than it needs to click ONCE more to set the place where the AoE should be casted.

The stuff you talk about the camera angle is bullshit....the camera play of GW is good enough for this...you can easily turn the camera whenever you want around with the right mouse button being hold....

Al this not signed stuff here comes imo really simple only from people...which are too lazy to click ONCE more, just for having an improves AoE System, that would give the game more and better strategic gameplay options...
I can't really understand it, how to not sign this idea...then just being to lazy to click 1 signel time more ....

clicking twice instead of ones is ya such hard work *sarcasm* we could break all us our fingers..if we would be able to click twice to set AoE self ... *rolleyes*

/not signed

I'm for this. Being able to choose where a spell will be cast I think would make the game a lot more interesting. Being able to accurately judge where to cast a spell would be something one could develop through thought and strategy. It would be fun to try and determine where to best location to cast a spell will be. Where will enemies be in 5 seconds? What are the chances that they would go there? Things like this, I believe, would make combat with AoE spells much more entertaining and thoughtful. Sure one may sacrifice one second or so to plan out where to cast a spell, but it will pay off because one is capable of developing more of a plan than just cast this spell on this target.

One thing which could be done to appeal to both groups would to have a button one could press while casting an AoE spell which would enable one to choose the location which it will be cast. Otherwise, the spell will act as it normal function is and just target a player. This would enable to strategist to choose locations for their spells, while still allowing those who just want to choose a target to have their wish. I would be very pleased if something like this appeared in Guild Wars 2.

LOL. And I'm thinking of a one click cast also. Click. Hold. Drag. Let go.

This would leave it open for the instant cast for people who dont want to drag. I'm sure GW team could put in some sort of code that says "if not held for xx time skill is cast on target foe. or if not moved from xx location(skillbar) cast on target foe."

It's another layer of skill in the game. I'd support it in GW2.

Its called targetting a creature and pressing fire!

Oh! So you think that I started this thread because I would like to see a change to the game that makes it work the exact same way that it does now? Your post is so insightful! I'm going to go edit my opening post so that it is just a quote of what you said......... that is such a good idea. Hang on a sec while I go shout to the world that you blessed my thread with your words of wisdom.

If you don't have anything to say, say nothing.

Everyone else, thanks for the input.

Typical Phoenix Tears post. Full of flaming and insulting people who disagree with you (calling people lazy, ignorant of other MMOs, etc). Stuff like that is childish and does not improve your arguement. I'm not reading this thread anymore, so if you want to flame me again, save your breath. I won't read it.

/notsigned

also @pheonix tears
improved how?
AoE already got nerfed and its okay as it is, leave it

uhm, i think you missunderstood me a bit ... AoE's were not improved yet ...this idea of making AoE's selfsetable by the players Should improve AoE Spells first...

Its absolutely untypical and annoying, that players can't set for themself, where they want to cast their AoE..that AoE get more or less placed by the enemy itself and that is stupid...

because a clever enemy naturally sacrifices hisself...to protect by running away, before the AoE starts... by the moving of the enemy changes the targeted enemy indirect, where the AoE wil be spelled and thats a System what is in the end no "AoE" ...its more like ..."AotEn" ..for "Area of targeted Enemy" and not "Area of Effect".

This thread's idea is for making out of these Wannabe-AoE's (AotEn) really AoE's, which work like AoE's should work...being setable by the player thats cast the spell...and not vise versa ...
=========

@Hawk

I lol'ed *g*

shows me only, that I was right with people being only too lazy to click once more, fearign to break fingers and to end up finger crippled rofl...iotherwise you could bring us here a better argument, why you are against this idea

Lol...don't get emo.... taking being called as lazy as an insult rofl XD

Should I say you, what is really childish ?
Being against something and having only 1 absolutely WEAK argument, that can be considered as joke reason...
really...who isn't able or willing just to click ONCE more (thats a matter of really only 1 seconds or lesser, once you got experienced with the change) can be imo only lazy...or fears maybe something else that will change through this here...

also not all what you've quoted there from me was meant to YOU
Thiss Stuff:

was meant to pumpkin pie

and now stop being emo and give me a better argument, why you are again this here...which is believeable XD

Camera Play in GW is good enough for it...and in GW2 it might become even better (i hope)...and clicking twice to set an AoE to a place costs no insane amount of time...thats done within an eyeclose and open up really.

Your 3rd reason, that this is used in full strategy games doesn't forbid, that such strategic elements can also be used in MMORPG's ...

Ragnarok Online is the best example .. is RO a strategic game now ? NO!!!
Everyone who knows RO, will know..what the signers here want with that chance...peopel hwich played there a Mage Class Chara...click skill...quick search an area and click immediately again..cast begins....all really no insane time consuming thing ....

Actually its "if you have nothing nice to say, dont say anything at all". You're little phrase didnt make sense because I obviously did have something to say, whether it be 6 words or 100.

But since I wasnt trolling and you felt the need to have a complete go at me, lets get into it....

....Your basic idea is that you want to cast spells where you "think" the creature or enemy is running or going to be once your spell has charged up and casts.

By the time you cast a long spell which can take (for example) 3 seconds, that person may have ran past the position or have gone in the offer direction. Not to mention positioning and circle and trying to time it right.

The current system actually fixes that by auto targeting your enemy and tracking them. It will cast in the location their at once the spell has finished charging up, which is actually more efficient then what your suggesting.

How would you suggest this works for spells like flare? That you have to point the curser at your enemy like a FPS and hopefully hit them!

I've played a caster for years now as my primary and the current system is actually really user friendly for casters, because most times even if your not looking at a target you will hit them.

Plus if you dont like casting spells which are prawn to missing then use enchantments which will always hit their targets. Setting them on fire, or knocking them down or causing some degen or backfire.

We dont need it and it would also over complicated controlling nukers. I played WoW where you have to point the curser where you want it to cast and you have to be looking at your target to attack them. While it works, its alot more complicated and frustrating at times.

GWs has a far more friendly interface for targetting and castin, even if it is simpler (IMO). Was that a better, more indepth explanation or is there more anger you want to let out on me?

But primarily im even less signed because you trolled me in your own thread for absolutely no reason and Im not going to support a suggestion where the OP'er tears into people when they only said about 6 words and said nothing wrong.

3-5 seconds to predict, click, drag, release, and then cast? Sounds about right to me. Most of that time was figuring in casting times of most AoE spells, TBH, but you get my point.

No I don't play any other MMORPG, noted it many times in my other posts, no need to guess. I ONLY PLAY GUILD WARS, because its the most beautiful game. is that a problem?

The AoE skills as it is now NEED A DIRECT ENEMY TARGET or you can't cast them. Changing them to have no target will make it become a Trap. If you make it so that you can cast the spell first then click on the target, that is basically taking away casting time. Beside if someone play a caster long enough, they should be able to control their area of effect skill nicely by now. or else, I don't know what to say, only doubt that if they should be playing caster at all.

Edit: not forgetting the AoE control skill, this is where skill chaining comes into effect, deep freeze your foe help reducing them running around.

It would make casters have more work to do, but I could imagine like Elementalists being able to charge up a skill, such as, cast Meteor Shower, and then be able to choose where to plant it, such as, it's "charged," you can run around and then unleash it whenever you want, wherever. Of course, you couldn't use other skills in the due process.

Would increase strategy element, but also would slow down the game play, in my opinion. Being able to choose a spot where in this game, time matters like the ultimate handi-cap, so choosing would be a downfall. During those split seconds of choosing where you place it, you get spiked hard, etc. Making you pause to have to move around, or cast other spells to save yourself. That sort of thing.

It'd be interesting to see it implimented another way, but not for GW1.

pretty easy, single target spells would work the old way, aoe spells would hit where you klick with your mouse but if you klick on your enemy it would autotarget your enemy and track him the old way, problem solved
/signed

Five words: "Sword of the New World."
Five more words: "SotNW has manual AoE targeting."
Once again, five words: "It is a better system."

You have a circle indicating the area of effect, you click where you want it and bam! Need I say more? Oh yes...

/signed

You come up with something you think is a better idea and ill come troll you in that thread. Hows that?

You didn't sign for personal reasons. So your opinion doesn't matter anyway

Thats the point Fried! We dont need the targetting system fixed, there is nothing wrong with it. Why would I suggest a "better idea"?

And I was originally againt your suggestion for that very reason, but you felt the need to troll my few words, so I explained myself as you requested. But I'm also not signing your idea because you have a major attitude.

You're also not very good at making sense, because you say I /notsign for person reasons?

1) I didnt like the idea.
2) You were rude to me.

Those are two very personal reasons! You're obviously just trying to find someone to troll to make yourself feel superiour. Dont use me because your not very good at it.

no reason to sign now. it's a little too late in the game to really matter. unless it's added as a possible test for GW2.

-it's not like it makes a real difference(PvE) wise. you drop a bomb, monsters haul ass quick.

-you drop a snare, then a bomb...it's a little more effective.

unless you know EXACTLY where/how monsters are gonna scatter to...it'll be harder to be accurate on your AoE placement. the target system works fine. that is wht the ']' key is for (if I remember right)