Not quite a GW2 thread...

... does anyone else remember during one of the GW2 interviews they mentioned skills that would act differently based on what you were doing?

The reason I ask is this... now we have skills that are acting differently under conditions:

Flame Djinn's Haste: decreased duration to 8..14 seconds; increased recharge to 20 seconds; the skill now recharges 50% faster if you damage a foe with it.

Siphon Speed: increased recharge to 30 seconds; decreased duration to 5..15 seconds; this skill now recharges 50% faster if cast on a moving foe.

I know this is likely a reach, but is this the beginning of things to come I have to wonder... and is GW being used as a initial testing ground for the concept?

Feel free to bring on the cats, but I thought that what seems to be more than a coincidence was worth pointing out...

I though the exact same thing reading the update. Makes it more action oriented,I like it.

I think they meant more like, the skill will function differently if you are jumping, swimming, climbing, etc... Skills functioning differently depending on what you hit already exist, and are therefore, not really new.

What I imagined, and what was stated in the interview, would be that the way the skill turned out depending more on what your character was doing at the time and less what the given situation was. An example stated was that a sword attack if normally used would simply deal more damage to the opponent, whereas if you were crouching while you used the skill it would cripple their movement.

We've had these situational skills for a long time now, such as many of the Warrior ones: Bull's Strike, Bull's Charge and Protector's Strike are just a few. It's not much new.

^ That's how I understood it. I still would not doubt, however, that MSecorsky is correct in thinking that they are experimenting with GW for GW2 ideas. I imagine the final results in GW2 will be extremely different though.

I'm half expecting to soon see skills changes that include variable effects if you're running, or something like Shields Up! having an increased effect if you're standing still.

this would separate the random button-smashing newbs from the pros-- this is a great idea imo

i wish they left the flame djinn haste skill alone it got nerfed once before why again?

Interesting, but I hope they still add skill descriptions in GW2 would be a pain to try to figure it out.

I agree that I like the concept of those 2 new versions of the skill.
I'm glad a.net is really thinking outside the box for new ways to design skills (1 energy blood magic for example).