1. More skill shortcuts (not just 8). Since the skills are based of the 1-8 keys, I recommend the developers should allow one or two more skills to be armed during missions using the xtra # keys available (There are two more # keys not being utilized, 9 & 0). It's a huge downer to have so many skills but with very limited access to them during game play. For example, in neverwinter nights you can arm all f1-f12 keys and you can hit a shift button bring up completely different set of memorized spells/skills for f1-f12 and thats on top of 3rd set of 12 shortcut spell/ability keys (thats 36 programmable slots for powers/spells). I’m not saying you need that many but at least one or two more would be really great for this particular game.
2. Allow skills changes in the middle of missions by using rest periods. This would be similar to setting up camp so you would not be able to do this in the middle of battle or when enemies are xtremely close by or when you in a timed mission (This is also an idea from similar games). This would give character more flexibility with skills in mid mission. There have been quite a few times we have gotten into mid mission and found that we did not properly prepare for a new type of enemy (no problem if you can rest and change your skills). It’s not unrealistic to camp just outside of enemy lines and prepare properly for the attack after observing the enemy (This is very logical).
3. Some of the character/enemy special abilities, spells, etc, when used need a little more eye candy graphics during battle. For instance, if I am fighting a white dragon, it would really neat to see an actually ice breath weapon come out of dragons mouth and hit the party in cone shaped arch (not just physical attack/movements with some glowing skin?). Or if I used a fireball for an elementatlist for example, I actually see fireball fly out from the caster’s location and explode into a radius effect around the targeted area engulfing the enemy in fire. There are quite a few character/enemy attacks that I expect to see more visuals during battle but quite often I just see damage numbers popping up telling me the enemy took damage. This isn’t a huge problem- the games graphics make up for this in other areas (in fact there are some really awesome graphics in the game- especially for characters and scenery), however; it would be a very nice additive for the battle portion of the game to have a tad bit more visual flash. When you get a new spelllike skill, you get excited and use it, then visually nothing much happens but damage numbers (It kinda puts damper on the games spirit a tad bit). If you look at other RPG games, they invest quite a bit more in attack power/spell visuals in battle making all that work getting the new powers worth it.
We really appreciate the work the programmers have put into this game already. We just want to help with the future development of one of the best RPG games on the market….

Jarrod…