In combat duration discoverability

#1

This came up in this thread but I thought it worth its own topic as it’s too important to be overlooked.

Currently there’s no way to discover how In Combat duration works. I mean you can’t even see it when not in combat as the timer is inactive. Once in combat the timer starts but normally you are too busy not dying to pay it much attention.

In theory you can tell how long the duration is by just noting when it starts and stops. But this is very hard to do accurately, to more than e.g. a half second accuracy. This therefore makes it hard to see what effect items have to reduce the duration. It’s only when VIT changes by 20 or more it becomes really noticeable.

This is a major flaw in the game, as normally it’s possible to immediately see how abilities impact the game. You increase your DEF you take less damage. You increase your SPD you go faster. ATT and DEX boost your weapon damage/speed, VIT and WIS boost your HP/MP regen.

Wismod is more complex, and varies by class, but you can see its effects directly in the info for your equipped ability, as you e.g. swap out different WIS items. You can similarly see how DEF affects IC damage threshold (and you can easily see its effects as you notice what it takes to put you In Combat).

What I would suggest is add the time to the popup panel so it is visible even when you are not in-combat. This means you can check it any time. You can see when it changes due to VIT items, VIT boosts from abilities and consumables. I.e. only a small change, especially as the code to draw something there is already in the game, just inactive when not In Combat.

#2

An extra string of text with a dynamic symbol for duration sounds much easier to impement. It could go right above/below the damage threshold in the IC tooltip.

#3

A really bad idea: add anime speed lines overlay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7cs11HaqEA) while in combat at the edges of the screen (of course could be toggled in settings)

crapposting aside, you bring up a really good point but I have no other ideas at this point in time

#4

Well, for always on, so not in the popup, I would add a cooldown indicator. Your ability has one but that is of marginal use as it’s fixed; you have a t5 cloak it has a 6 second cooldown. Even if you can’t count to 6 you quickly learn how long it is until you can use it again. For any given item, which is often your preferred item for that class, the cooldown is the same every time,

But IC cooldown can and does vary. As you level your char then max your VIT. As you swap in and out VIT boosting gear. Even on the fly as you drink a VIT boost or someone uses a Sandstone Seal.

Add to that the way IC stacks, so multiple hits can keep you in IC for longer, and when you will exit it is impossible to predict. All you can do is back off and wait as long as is needed. So it needs an in-game indicator, one you can check at any time without mousing over the icon way over there.

How? Change the IC indicator, the sword icon, so it has more than just On and Off states. Have it e.g. change colour over the time of your IC duration. Or have it empty like a gauge.

#5

If time and effort are limitless, I’d like to see the gold outline on the health bar disappear from right to left as the duration counts down. I don’t look over at the right side panel while I’m in-combat. The health bar below my character is much easier to keep track of.

#6

That works but it would be pretty hard to see in the heat of battle, next to the also moving HP bar, unless they made it so big it obscured more of actual gameplay. I suspect something like that was tried and rejected in testing.

#7

I propose a status effect called Resting to indicate OOC

#8

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