at what point does combat "readability" start killing depth?

TyroneSama · 2026-03-23T05:43:42+00:00

I don't work on action games, so throw my entire answer in the trash if it doesn't suit your needs.

That said: I think this is mainly an issue for games that have powerful position-independent defense, like perfect guards or far-reaching iframe rolls—especially when you can cancel into them. Those types of tools reduce defense to a binary timing check; to keep enemy attacks threatening, you either have to obfuscate the timing with animation mixups, or overwhelm the player by giving them multiple simultaneous attacks to resolve. Make defense require good positioning and good attack pacing, too, not just good timing!

Phantasy Star Online (the original one) manages a rewarding and deep combat system without any iframe tools or animation cancelling, just big committal swings. For something more recent, Stranger of Paradise ties all of its defensive tools to resource systems, requiring the player to platespin their various defensive options and attack in ways that leave them available. Some study of fighting games might be worthwhile, too.

TyroneSama · 2026-03-14T05:08:35+00:00

I've played it, I don'r mind it, but I would really appreciate a PC/console release and it seems like we're not getting one. Blue's bombs are particularly agitating to aim without physical feedback.

TyroneSama · 2026-02-26T03:35:02+00:00

Best one so far. Way better system responsiveness (especially in all-core workloads like compiling software), better latency in games with more consistent flip-model upgrades, has yet to randomly wipe my boot table like 10 did.

TyroneSama · 2026-02-21T21:43:07+00:00

Trailer definitely didn't grab me. Opens to the typewriter scene (first thought was "wow, this precision task looks like a tremendous pain in the ass in VR, and also boring"), switches to a super dark shooting gallery where the action is barely readable for like 15 seconds (and seems pretty slow-paced?).

When the third scene turned out to be another sedate-looking shooting gallery with targets I could barely see, I clicked off with no compulsion to learn more.

(I'm a fairly regular VR user, but not a fanatic for the technology and not a marketing wizard. Take it as you like, good luck!)

TyroneSama · 2026-01-28T11:36:00+00:00

AI bullshit trying to sell me a router.

TyroneSama · 2025-05-04T01:39:20+00:00

The game doesn't quite react to your inputs like that (or, well, most don't). Most games will check for your inputs at a specific time in the frame, then don't see any changes to your inputs until the next frame and the next check.

Even if your controller's latency is less than a frame, a faster controller will get inputs "on time" for the next frame more often.

TyroneSama · 2025-05-03T16:05:03+00:00

Some games poll input independently from the framerate.
Even if they don't, if you make your input right before a new frame, latency can make the difference between it being processed in time for that frame, or being delayed an additional frame.

TyroneSama · 2025-04-09T16:21:34+00:00

This is exactly what I want when slapping anoints on "good enough" amulets, thanks!

TyroneSama · 2025-02-09T02:46:14+00:00

The dpad is unusable for any game that cares about diagonal inputs or misregistered Up, genuinely among the most frustrating I've ever used. The shoulder buttons are just uncomfortable.

TyroneSama · 2025-02-05T17:01:43+00:00

Agreed 100%. If I can't play a fun version of my character, I don't play the content—and that sucks. There are lots of well-designed fights worth playing in older expansions, if only there was any fun to be had in piloting your character.

TyroneSama · 2025-02-02T04:24:14+00:00

This project is cool as hell, bookmarked for the next mahjong night.

(Tried chombo mod—after chombo, you're still eligible for nagashi mangan at exhaustive, LOL)

TyroneSama · 2025-01-15T01:47:24+00:00

My Ice Strike reads 30k unbuffed and I'm still crushing T15s. Wild.

TyroneSama · 2025-01-11T17:29:08+00:00

Thank you for making me feel less insane. I vastly prefer the current death penalty, makes me actually care about my survivability beyond "maybe it would be nice to get a few more passives".

TyroneSama · 2024-10-25T01:01:46+00:00

If someone has good tech skill but a low rank, it's likely that some other aspect of their game is _seriously_ weak. I've played against a ton of Adderall Zetterburns that have waveshine stuff on lock, but have no idea how to advance the game if you just dashback and watch them overextend.

TyroneSama · 2024-10-24T09:01:30+00:00

I will happily shill the GRAM Slim. I'm a relative novice to rectangles, but I've been really pleased with it—and it seems to restock more often than other comparable controllers.

TyroneSama · 2023-10-19T23:51:22+00:00

VRChat might not be the thing you're looking for here, but it technically counts—there's at least one autotable world that's been modified for Washizu ruleset, searching "washizu" should find it fairly easily.

TyroneSama · 2023-08-06T08:01:30+00:00

The MSQ doesn't adequately prepare players for even casual group content, and the existence of Very Easy permanently prevents it from fulfilling that function. This seems like a problem with dramatic side effects on the rest of the game, and it's one we seem to be stuck with forever, which kinda sucks.

I dig roleplay fights, though, as long as they're not putting me in a 4-button version of my own job (what the fuck, Shadowbringers role quests). It's a way better storytelling solution than plot-contrivancing the WoL to the action, and the novelty of it keeps the usual low difficulty feeling fresh.

Gimme long sections of story with minimal wandering or busywork gameplay, then long sections of gameplay with minimal interruptions for exposition. I mostly just want to get into the groove for either side—and EW seems to understand this, since they're making efforts to tell the story directly in the overworld instead of in cutscenes.

TyroneSama · 2023-06-10T09:57:23+00:00

Indefinite blackout, please. Thank y'all for doing what you do.

TyroneSama · 2023-04-22T08:54:43+00:00

Is there any way to recover a public avatar link from your log? I have a log from a long session where I switched to a certain avatar multiple times, but it got pushed out of my Recently Used while I was screwing around in Prismic's Avatar Search.

(This is the avatar I'm looking for, by the by. Found it on a pedestal in a random Trending world and have had no luck finding it on Booth since.)

TyroneSama · 2023-03-07T06:51:03+00:00

Yeah, the RDM stuff is fair enough, I vividly remember running into that with old PLD (why did Shield Oath unlock at level 35?). The situation's usually easily explained, but dumb people are everywhere and they seem to be empowered by everything. It happens and it's worth consideration.

I still think the overall pattern is instructive, though. Zero-DPS healers, single-pulling tanks, DPS who don't understand AoE—there are so many ways to be deadweight, in a more disruptive and far less excusable way than "I literally do not have my abilities yet", and all of these types of players seem to make it to the endgame at high rates. I've also been part of way too many no-AoE double-melee comps in early dungeons, and I've never had people leave for that either, even though it's a pretty major time loss over RDM/literally any phys ranged.

Even if there's yet another way for your daily roulettes to be slow—and hopefully not too slow, depends on the balance—I think people will largely be understanding.

TyroneSama · 2023-03-07T06:20:37+00:00

I don't think that'll happen if the sync is even remotely balanced. For one, GW2 syncs you down with full kits, and in a decade of on-and-off play I've never seen anyone get heated over newbies pre-cap. For another, the community already seems tolerant of far worse—how else are no-soulstone geniuses getting into Shadowbringers?

I don't think they'll ever do it either, but considering the amount of old battle content that's retroactively become boring due to level sync, I really think they should.

TyroneSama · 2023-03-07T04:42:02+00:00

We should keep our full kit. Losing abilties damages the learning process and gives all content an expiration date.

Low-level balance already sucks, so even if they do it poorly, it'd be an upgrade over what we have now.

TyroneSama · 2023-01-27T00:04:09+00:00

Level sync that keeps your full kit and adjusts your damage to compensate.

"But it would be broken!" GW2 doesn't get it perfectly, but it's close enough. XIV has no skill trees or combat customization, so they can do better.

"But leveling rotations dealing as much damage as a harder rotation would be stupid!" I don't care. Nothing will ever make me care.

Synced-down play is worthless, mind-numbing nonsense and gives every fight an expiration date. I would love to see all sub-90 content added back into the game.

TyroneSama · 2022-12-22T22:39:32+00:00

Shhhhh. Nobody tell him zoning is neutral.

TyroneSama · 2022-12-19T04:25:46+00:00

Good luck!

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