there are 2 ways to fix the “problem” u think there is, change locomotion and make it easier for u to hit them, or completely rework the way u heal, making it a game where u point and hold down trigger the whole time, taking any skill out of it, or the better option of just finding a group that will listen when u tell them to stop so u can heal them, then keep moving
Okay, so in general I think I’d like to avoid statements in feedback thread calling people ‘lazy’, and also please refrain from stating what ‘the intent’ is of a class or feature unless you’re directly quoting something we’ve said in the past, otherwise it’s really just your interpretation of what we’ve said.
I think really you are all talking about two different issues here:
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Is aiming and the travel time of the shot intended to be part of the difficulty of the Musketeer class, including while healing?
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Is it too difficult to heal people who are teleporting around all over the place, and should we do anything to assist people with that challenge or reduce it?
For 1), yes, it is an intended part of the class difficulty. When compared to the Ranger, the Musketeer has an easier time on the aiming front because they can fire in a straight line, and their orbs explode so you don’t have to necessarily hit the target directly, you just have to get fairly close. At the same time, that easier aiming difficulty is balanced by the fact that the Musketeer has a lot more to manage in terms of in-battle decision making and general awareness of what’s going on, since they have to keep track of not only their current enemy target but also their allies as well in a way that Rangers do not. But yeah, that’s all stuff we’ve taken into account when designing the class.
For 2), I think it’s important here to realize that you’re all having a discussion using fairly outdated information. The Musketeer that you will play in the next Alpha test has undergone some pretty major changes. Not only do you now have the ability to reliably know when your orbs will be available for healing, but your bread-and-butter healing orbs (that is, the ones you should be using for the majority of your healing output and have the fastest cooldowns) are ones that focus on pre-mitigating damage instead of rapid response (that is, your Renew and Shield orbs). What that means is that most of the time when you’re trying to heal someone, it’s going to be during a time when they aren’t rapidly teleporting around trying to run away from something, or get out of an AoE attack, etc. In addition to that, you now have the healing turret which provides a nice steady stream of healing to the target in range lowest in health.
I’d also point out that you have the “blue line” which shows up and shows you when someone is getting ready to teleport, and where they are going to. Of course that line will probably only give you a few moments of warning, but I could see a simple adjustment that you could make being telling your party members “Hey, unless it’s an absolute emergency, when you go to teleport just pause for a second before you let go of the button because that way I’ll have a better idea of where you’re going.” Keep in mind in previous tests that blue line was not working properly and wasn’t very useful, but that has been fixed for the next test.
And finally, I do think that communication is intended to be key. I don’t really want a situation where OrbusVR dungeon runs become current-WoW style zerg fests where everyone queues up, silently rushes through the dungeon ignoring as many mechanics as possible, and then just leaves and that’s it. You are going to have to communicate, not just for healing but for many of the boss mechanics as well. It’s designed to be a core part of the game. Does that mean you should constantly have to shout “Stay where you are so I can heal you!!!”, no. But does it mean that there will be some mechanics where people have to know “okay there is this part coming up where you all need to group up on me after you take this damage so my Lifewell orb can help us get through the next part?” Yes.
So I guess in summary, aiming is part of the intended difficulty. But there are also a lot of things that have changed about the class that you all haven’t even played yet that should reduce some of that burden. There’s not really much that’s productive about arguing about a class you haven’t even actually played yet just based on my descriptions, so let’s wait until after the next test and then if you think the difficulty of healing is still way too high, I’d be happy to hear that feedback.
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I can understand the current point of view based on the musketeer from the previous test. If you had bad rng and got a healing orb just before a party member was about to die, trying to shoot it fast and accurate was tough. I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read the battlefield and be able to take the time to select the right orb and have time to aim. Should be a great change!
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thnks for clearing all that up
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Thanks for the feedback!
I was going to mention the fact that teleportation movement will show where people will be going as a counterbalance to my points, but as I haven’t had experience with it yet wasn’t able to make comments on it.
The point about the turret and the AoE of the orbs are good points. I think I wasn’t fully aware of the AoE blast of the orb shots when shooting heals during the last testing I was playing it. With that said, if I shot at the feet of someone (or near them) this would hit them as well? Is there an exact distance on the explosion you could give?
Looking forward to trying it out again in the next testplay! I usually never play healer but I suspect there will be a huge shortage, as always, when the game drops so I’d love to be of some use.
And thank you again about mentioning the “lazy” part. I don’t think he quite understood what I was saying. My point still required you to aim and shoot, but helped counterbalance teleportation timing. Since you’re fully aware of this and balancing around that as being the skill plateau then I look forward to seeing it worked with going forward!
And of course I don’t mean to criticize, just when you have these Pre-Alpha games that people are VERY excited about many people won’t question anything perceived as a possible issue or problem going forward and shoot others down for even daring to question, so was attempting to raise some concerns that I was positive you’d have answers for anyways.
Yep, in fact when I heal I tend to aim for the ground near them rather than directly at them, as I think I’m more likely to succeed that way. It’s about a 3 meter range (1.5 meter radius from the impact point) currently, and if they’re anywhere in that range at all they get the full benefit.
Also I didn’t mention this as well, but another neat thing about the Musketeer is that you can fire any orb (including healing orbs) at your turret when it’s deployed, which will sacrifice the turret but greatly increase (10x) the range of the orb – so if you need to heal a big damage spike and are in a hurry, that’s a great way to make sure that you don’t really need to worry about missing anyone.
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That turret mechanic is definitely one of the most interesting aspects of the class at the moment. I look forward to using it in the next test!
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Yep, I used that during the first alpha test when we had a group to take on the world boss. I’d be on the cliff shooting at the boss, and every 5-10 seconds or so I’d throw my turret down in the group and shoot it with a healing orb (when I had one).
I’m looking forward to the reworked musketeer and hoping I can make up for not being involved in the last test.
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We’re all expecting legendary things out of you. Don’t disappoint us.
No pressure at all… right?
Had a lot of fun with the Musketeer class this test. Never cared to play a healer until now, just way too much fun.
Also I take back what I said about the aim-assist. It’s definitely unneeded and was far easier to see where people were going with the teleportation mechanic. And unlike other MMOs where people outside the tank just expect to be healed you have people actually take initiative to call out and make it easier to take a heal shot.
All in all loved the class and definitely going to be the first one I level up.
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Thanks for following up with your thoughts. Glad to hear it!
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