Combat AMA with Lead Combat Designer Kevin Stocker

jetah · March 2013

Here are the questions and answers to the Neverwinter AMA with Lead Combat Designer Kevin Stocker as cryptic_crucial. Also staring Grant Allen Combat Designer as Cryptic_LordAzrael. URL="http://www.reddit.com/r/Neverwinter/comments/1b01hp/iama_lead_combat_designer_kevin_stocker_for/"]LINK[/URL

Questions are quotes with answers indented then quotes. There are some questions within answers which are indented further.

Dardove wrote:

According to someone on this subreddit said that the red circles are both for attacks from enemies and from other players. Is this true and if so, why not give them different colors so players know which are which?

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

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Red splats are meant to be a thing to avoid.
The player based one was likely Conduit of Ice, which was bugged for the beta event.
In it's correct behavior (in PvP) allies of the control wizard do not see the splat, but the person who Conduit of Ice is on, as well as his allies can see the splat.

Wayem wrote:

Hello and thank you for this AMA.
Are you satisfied with the aggro system ? Is there any development this way ?
And will the Cleric self heal have a boost ? At the moment Clerics can heal their team mates but are allways behind in health.

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Still tinkering with the aggro system. There was a time when Clerics could never pull aggro, and it made things a bit less hectic for them than we'd like. In the beta event they were pulling way way too much aggro though, that will certainly be fixed.
Regarding Cleric self heals, they will likely remain fairly minor for the Cleric. This is to help balance the fact that Clerics don't need to use as many health potions as other classes. Before the self heal reduction, Clerics would pretty much always have more gold than all other classes.
It was also creating situations where Clerics would just self heal tank through encounters.
So as unfortunate as the reduction is, it does make you a more concerned with taking damage in combat, which hopefully leads to a more satisfying experience at the end of the day.

ranncore wrote:

It should be re-worded to say, "+50% in healing to other targets" instead of "-50% to self heals." Also, it seemed to be performing more like -75%.

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

This power had a subtle bug to it. It was also reducing the effect of healing buffs. /:
As far as rewording goes, that is an excellent point and something I'd love to update, but is a bigger task than it sounds.
But! Always feels better to have a boost than a reduction, so it will happen at some point.

Dardove wrote:

Given the limited slots for powers, is there any chance we can get builds like Champion Online has? So that we can have different set-ups ready for different situations. Just keep in the same limits you have now for changing powers that you have for switching to a different build. Any power you switch out can't be on cooldown and any power you switch to has the 10 second cooldown. The builds will just allow for easier switching to adjust to a different situation, like going from soloing to in a group, or trash mobs to boss fights.

cryptic_crucial wrote:

Cool idea!

reeight wrote:

Are you thinking about making mobs tougher in general world & trash dungeon? I can understand levels 1-15 being a cake walk; you want to get people learning & interested about the game. But almost all mobs save a few outside boss are easy to solo. Even in the level 30+ maps, like the pirate one, I can still take on a group solo with out issues, unless a 2nd pack shows up.
I'm not the only one complaining about this. TIA

cryptic_crucial wrote:

The difficulty of the early game has been changing recently. It will probably get some more minor tweaks before launch. Right now the end of the game is pretty hard, so you it's going to get a lot more challenging as you progress.

SkumbagAce wrote:

How do you feel about Clerics role and healing in PVP? Are you satisfied with how Clerics are in their current position as a healer with heavy AoE damage?

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Hi, this is Grant Allen, one of the other combat designers.
Overall pretty happy with the spot the Cleric is in. In D&D Clerics are more than just heal bots, and I think we've addressed that pretty well.
Given the nature of the game, we didn't want them healing so well that other players would not bother avoiding damage on their own. This also meant that we could up their damage and let players enjoy a more aggressive healer type.

ranncore wrote:

Hey Azrael, I still owe you one for pwning me in PvP. Are you gonna hop back in and get stomped, or what?

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Well, will be back in to do more stomping.

nepumuk wrote:

Is combat based around the trinity roles of tank, control/damage and healing? And is every role supposed to be equally important?
In beta weekends 2 and 3, even the non self-healing of a Devoted Cleric around level 16-36, felt very weak compared to potions. Therefore I am wondering if it might be intended that heals in general are supposed to only play a minor role in combat?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

The trinity plays a different role in Neverwinter. This is something that has changed a lot over development, and in the end it just wasn't as fun to have a 'dedicated healer.' Being a game based around action combat, having a class that focuses entirely on healing or entirely on aggro management wasn't as fun. The Guardian Fighter still controls the battle and takes a bunch of damage for his team, it is just done in a different way than in more traditional MMOs.

acnoj wrote:

Does that mean you can complete the high end content without a tank or without a healer? XD

cryptic_crucial wrote:

That sounds pretty difficult. Our in house playtests of the end game content are always with 1 of each class. There is a pretty big void when you double up, but it is conceivable that someone finds a strategy that doesn't include a tank or healer.

jaspor wrote:

I did a bit of PvP over the weekend, and it was a lot of fun, though at times it did seem like certain classes were dominating. How are you handling class balance in PvP? Would you consider having a single ability perform differently between PvE and PvP?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

We have played a ton of PVP internally. Basically, the flavor of the week changes a lot even in house. Initially a lot of people say "the Wizard is OP! He can CC me for so long!" But this is only until the Rogue or GWF start doing their job and going to disrupt him. I feel we're in a great spot right now where everyone has an important job to do in PVP combat.

donrtowery wrote:

I noticed while playing a guardian fighter that I was having a very difficult time holding aggro while my wifes cleric was healing me. Are there any issues with clerics generating more threat than they should be? Or possibly that the guardian fighter is not generating as much threat with their taunt and other abilities as they should be?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

This has been a focus recently. The Cleric is generating too much aggro in general. We think we have it to a much better spot now, as healing aggro has been reduced greatly.

reeight wrote:

So far, I think NwO has some of the best combat of the many MMOs I've played; just enough choices with still having rich strategy. Thanks!
Targeting is a bit tricky in crowded fights; any thoughts on how to improve that please? I like it once you lock on, it stays locked when the target moves (helpful in boss fights). But sometimes I see just a bunch of stuff, & don't know where & who to aim. Confusing playing PvP against 3 dwarfs & 2 humans, & you can't find the dwarven cleric to CC...

cryptic_crucial wrote:

I'm glad you're enjoying it!
We are always working on improving the 'chaotic' feeling in some of our bigger fights and PVP.
It is actually pretty important that the group itself controls the chaos of combat. If you're being overrun, it should feel like you're being overrun. The Wizard should be saving his Daily for a situation like this. It is pretty important to take care of threats within encounters before they get too chaotic.
In PVP it's a totally viable tactic to hide behind the Guardian Fighter, making yourself difficult to target

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Not the most convenient thing to do, but if you hold left CTRL you will keep your camera centered on your target.

AbsintheCube wrote:

How did you get so handsome?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

Years of hard work.

TheMurphh wrote:

Why is it that in combat you stay in place where as everything else in game has to do with movement?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

Because the game is about movement - We want attacks to be more committed and feel more deliberate. If you can ice skate around while swinging your sword, the game would be less about movement.
Every class has a way to break them out of their attacks, though. For instance the Trickster Rogue can roll at any time during his animation to dash away from danger.

Dardove wrote:

There is at least one Trickster Rogue power, which is duelist's flurry. Once you start the flurry portion, you are stuck in place until it completes. It has been a source of frustration of both me and another person I played with. I would love to be able to stop it mid-attack so I can move away from danger.

cryptic_crucial wrote:

Duelist's Flurry is kind of a special case. In that power, you have a long time commitment for the beginning of the combo with the payoff being the flurry of attacks. At the point you start to flurry, you've kind of gone past the point of no return. This is the exception to the rule.

Holyyangel492 wrote:

Will you allow us to have more spells to use in later dates or are yo going to keep it like it is where we only have like 10(i think)?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

As the game grows post launch that's always a place we could take it. For now, we feel that the number of powers you have at your disposal during combat is just right.

supjeremiah wrote:

I've had problems not getting combat advantage on targets knocked down with the GWF skill "Takedown." Could you test to see why this isn't always working?

As I understand it, you do more damage when you have combat advantage. You gain combat advantage from many different sources. The most common being your positioning. If you're behind a mob, or flanking it (you and another person on either side) you gain advantage and do more damage. Other ways to gain advantage include your target being controlled in some way (stunned, dazed, prone, knockdown, etc), or using a skill.

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Currently you do not gain combat advantage over targets just because they are controlled. (Poor target is suffering enough as it is!)
Some skills such as the Trickster Rogues's Dazing Strike do have this behavior though, and they call it out in the power.

Xenks wrote:

Why are the circles created by wizard spells like whatever that ice storm thing is red in group play? It's counter intuitive and there's nothing but experience to tell you to expect it. Lots of dodging out of friendly aoe.
Why does Lurker's Assault turn my screen white? It's nice and flashy, but the downside of everything, most notably the aforementioned red circles, harder to see is enormous and quite frankly frustrating.

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Wizard skill was bugged, and has since been fixed.
Lurkers Assault will get looked at to make it more friendly.

TemetN wrote:

Auto aim removes the ability to aim in between multiple people, and minimizes the use of targeting reticule, why did you choose to use this system, and is there any possibility of a change?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

The auto aim functionality is pretty minor. It really just assists you in staying on your target if you're a little off, which can be difficult with a bunch of enemies running around.

TemetN wrote:

That's actually interesting, as I feel that it is perhaps the single most significant piece of the combat system (in that it disables player choice as to what they're attacking, leaving you with only positioning and skill order). Given that it's considered a relatively innocuous function, would it be possible to remove it? Or at least add a disable feature.

azuredrake wrote:

How does it disable player choice? You can still change targets by mousing over a different target, can't you?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

That's correct. It is only slightly sticky to the target you're looking at, but you can pull the mouse away to another target fairly easily.

Suma3da wrote:

The sticky targeting can be kinda annoying when you're trying to line up a narrow cone AoE between 2 targets only to have it miss due to the auto-correction. Don't suppose there's an override key that I missed? A button to hold down to disable the sticky targeting during a specific attack I mean.

cryptic_crucial wrote:

We've disable the sticky targeting for AOE powers. You should be able to line up AOEs however you want. It really only affects single target ranged powers.

Magai wrote:

Will there be anything to prevent stun-locking by rogues and wizards in PvP, like PvP related feats or click trinkets?

ryptic_crucial wrote:

The Wizard's control powers are greatly diminished in PVP, but just as useful. As any PVPer would understand
Though, any class can dodge attacks with roll even in PVP, which will negate the control effect.

Snorri83 wrote:

Hi, i'm a european HoT founder, i would like to ask if we gonna have multiclassing? Can we have Chill stacks visible like the Arcana's one for the control Wizards?
thank you for answers!

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

The trouble with chill stacks is that they build up on a target, not on yourself, so can't make something nice and visible directly on your character.
With that said, targets with chill stacks on them do have their get encased in ice based on how many stacks.

Barfhelmet wrote:

The GWF encounter power reaping strike seems to have a very poor heal associated with it, any chance of getting it looked at?
Also, why does constitution give damage resistance ignored for the GWF? It seems to devalue strength and takes away from what the GWF needs, more defenses.

Cryptic_LordAzrael wrote:

Reaping strike does not have a heal normally. Did you perhaps have some life steal gear equipped?
Regarding Con giving armor pen, that was a special addition to GWF because Con is one of their special stats, and needed a bit more oomph than just health.

ranncore wrote:

What's your reasoning behind not giving the Cleric class a resurrection spell? Are end-game dungeons really going to be easy enough that resurrection won't be needed, or are they going to be hard enough to require store-bought rez scrolls?

cryptic_crucial wrote:

When we playtest the dungeons in house we don't use any store-bought items

AkhlisRO wrote:

I would like to ask how the PVP/Combat will be influenced in late game. PVP is very important for me as a hardcore player and yes... PVP is very important for me. Any PVP future plans? Hope you guys can keep the game balanced and fun as it is now ♥

cryptic_crucial wrote:

You can earn PVP specific gear all the way through the end game. The higher end stuff all has set bonuses and stats that are specially tailored to PVP.
I'm a pretty hard core PVPer as well and this is a part of the game that I hold close to my heart

sominator · March 2013

Awesome work! Stickied!

ambisinisterr · March 2013

Indeed! Kudos!

I wish this was up last night when I read it >.>

kwsapphire · March 2013

This is great, thank you so much for posting!

Originally Posted by cryptic_crucial
That sounds pretty difficult. Our in house playtests of the end game content are always with 1 of each class. There is a pretty big void when you double up, but it is conceivable that someone finds a strategy that doesn't include a tank or healer.

Challenge accepted. Repeat Offenders, assemble!

poststalker · March 2013

Given the nature of the game, we didn't want them healing so well that other players would not bother avoiding damage on their own.

They really think by not making cleric heal bots it will encourage others to play better? I take it Mr. Allen has never played an MMO before. Most people will stand in the fire, scream at the cleric for not being able to keep them alive and ragequit. :P

Not saying I don't agree, but his perception may be a little left of reality.

gertona2 · March 2013

kwsapphire wrote: »

This is great, thank you so much for posting!

Challenge accepted. Repeat Offenders, assemble!

I for one would love to try out either aggroswap-kiting or chainstealth+dodge groups, maybe a combo of those. It worked in many World of Warcraft dungeons, and that had hard trinity, so why not here where the trinity is supposedly not as stong with more of a GW2 style of dodge and avoiding to minimize damage.

neoxro · March 2013

I see my name here

Great night by the way.
(AkhlisRo)

Combat AMA with Lead Combat Designer Kevin Stocker

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