The down side to tab healing is that you dont get to see any of the actual content, youre just starring at health bars. In aimed healing, you actually have to know where everyone is, so you'd better be looking around.
I do prefer the classic "tab-targeting" for healing, although I do not mind the dual target system, offensive and defensive targets.
The aiming is too unreliable to use for me, which makes it boring to heal. Terra type where you based healing on people moving into circles/picking up items, I finds annoying too. It felt like I had to teach everyone in the group how to heal; since they had to pick up the items themselve, or move into the cirles!
I do prefer the classic "tab-targeting" for healing, although I do not mind the dual target system, offensive and defensive targets. The aiming is too unreliable to use for me, which makes it boring to heal. Terra type where you based healing on people moving into circles/picking up items, I finds annoying too. It felt like I had to teach everyone in the group how to heal; since they had to pick up the items themselve, or move into the cirles!
Ive played some AoC, and the priest of mitra I found had an aoe healing system, but its burst healing and it centers around the caster, so you literally have to be in the fray of things. The downside of that is, it limits people to having to stick together instead on letting them position themselves how they want.
My favourite system is the AoC one, which is more AoE/aimed. I find the GW2 system ok, but never really feel like a "healer" per se. That said, I really dislike the "traditional" select-target-and-heal that so many others appear to enjoy.
Originally posted by birdycephon The down side to tab healing is that you dont get to see any of the actual content, youre just starring at health bars. In aimed healing, you actually have to know where everyone is, so you'd better be looking around.
I agree. Tab target healing "seems" fun until you try a game like TERA and realize how awesome it is to actually be able to see the fight and be a part of it. Tab target healing forces you to focus so hard on the UI that you miss the entire game.
Originally posted by Nikopol
Definitely tab-target healing.
That's not meaning I tab-target to heal (you can click, F1-F6 etc.), but that I like the way healing is done in tab-target games. I find those are the games with a lot of options as to how I do my healing: Target select and heal, AOE heals and protective spells, cast-on-target shields, buffs, Heal-Over-Time spells, etc...
What I like is having to make a lot of hard decisions while healing. Sometimes you make a really close call and go "Ooops, I think I did the wrong thing there", and the encounter begins to make you pay for that mistake slowly, you can't get on top of the damage being done and try to hold on with tooth and nail. I just love that!
As for aim-to-heal; I don't care for "aiming right" when healing; to me that's not what's fun about healing. And that kind of gameplay usually comes with less options on how you do your healing, so that's another downside.
Funny I'm the exact opposite with nearly everything you said. I don't want too many options, in fact I don't want too many skills, period. TERA had a good mix with about 25 skills - enough that you have a good variety of things to play with, but not an overload of 40 or so like WoW and SWTOR did. You had real choices and variety that was fun, not gimmicky things like "stack this HoT 5 times for maximum effect" or things that don't require any player skill at all like "stack a lot of crit and you'll get defensive shields popping up all over the place". There's a lot of needless complexity in tab target healing that is there for no good reason at all other than a poor attempt at making it seem more fun and skill based. It should be how well can I keep a guy alive by choosing the right skills for the right time, positioning myself properly, and avoiding attacks - not how well can I stack the right stats ahead of the fight and learn my complex rotation that fits my skill build.
You still have important decisions to make and tooth and nail scenarios where the shit hits the fan but good gameplay can help you overcome it. It's just far far more fun because you actually see and are a part of that tooth and nail fight, instead of the UI version of it.
As for aiming, I do find it quite fun. It's aiming, it's also positioning yourself correctly, moving around during the fight, battle awareness. It makes it much more exciting instead of staring at the UI all night and it adds an extra layer of skill in there which is a lot of fun.
Originally posted by birdycephon The down side to tab healing is that you dont get to see any of the actual content, youre just starring at health bars. In aimed healing, you actually have to know where everyone is, so you'd better be looking around.
I agree. Tab target healing "seems" fun until you try a game like TERA and realize how awesome it is to actually be able to see the fight and be a part of it. Tab target healing forces you to focus so hard on the UI that you miss the entire game.
I would have to disagree, it might be like that for WoW in raiding, (though I doubt it as you have to be mindfull of a lot of things the boss is doing and avoid them) but in arena you have to be constantly aware of where your teammates and opponents are.
I suppose the answer should be just as simple. Use all target methods. Forgive me for brevity buy my phone powered off and dumped my first response.
Really healing can be over simplistic, and combat can be chaotic, whether your focusing just on support or trying to heal while engaging combat, healing diversity serves you best.
By allowing tab target heals, even in a game with aimed and action combat, you allow players to contribute healing while actively fighting.
Also healing methods can vary from eachother by degree a cheap full heal may require you to touch them directly, or an AoE heal may only work in a large semi circle in front of you, but a continuous stream of weak heals may be tab targeted.
By allowing full diversity of heals you allow for more strategy and tactics. Eliminating any of them greatly reduces the variety and depth of healing gameplay.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if they get angry, they'll be a mile away... and barefoot.
I like GW1 and Vanguard's double target system. Those two were fun and, as many have said, the GW1 monk was awesome. I also liked Vanguard's disciple. Really fun healer class. I have played lots of healers, and staring at health bars does indeed get old. I didn't like GW2 because there was no healer, but that's more of the "break the trinity" design then an actual method of healing.
Vanguard and WAR got it right with defensive target/offesive target . Dual targeting made healing much better. ToT is ok as well but still preferred dual targeting.
Yup Vanguard got it 100% right, duel targeting is genius,GW2 is a mess. I think the op was hoping that Gw2 and his themepark poll would win out lol.
The down side to tab healing is that you dont get to see any of the actual content, youre just starring at health bars. In aimed healing, you actually have to know where everyone is, so you'd better be looking around.
Tell that to a Vanguard healer especially a disciple plus Vanguard has duel targeting.
I really like the EQ/WoW healing. I think it adds an extra element to the game that is just fun. As much as I like GW2, I miss having a dedicated healer at times (and likewise BEING a dedicated healer).
Surprisingly, Warhammer had a pretty good healing system, since healers could move while casting and had two targets: one for friendly players and one for enemy players...similar to WoW's 'focus' bar. It allows another variable to combat and raised the skill cap. Sadly that was one of the few things warhammer did right.
Classic eq/wow healing combined with defensive/offensive targets like warhammer. To the poster saying that changes to healing were needed because people avoided to play healers for not being "fun" enough - no,most people don't play healers (or tanks )because they dislike being responsible for the rest of the party and because healer is the first to get blame in case something goes wrong. Gw2 lack of healer class was one of the worse things about the game and aoe type of healing is not good enough when you want to heal a person in particular.
Hated healing in TERA, but loved it in Neverwinter. The UI and responsiveness really are a notch above any other action MMO.
To be honest though, I usually play healers who heal primarily through DPS or passive means. Like Fury or Mystic in EQ2, Disciple in Vanguard, Shadowpriest in WoW (before it got nerfed to just support) and Chloromancer in Rift. Which might explain why I enjoy the Neverwinter cleric and the build I have setup.
If there is one thing Neverwinter got right, it was combat. I know some people want rows and rows of abilities (90% of which are useless or used very sparingly). But I prefer having a few core abilities that work differently in different situations. Makes it far more responsive and strategic.
I really only like to play healers in online games, I enjoy the satisfaction of keeping a group alive when all hell breaks loose or by getting in that perfect heal at the right moment to save a life.
I loved Vanguard's style of offensive and defensive targets, and in particular the disciple healer. I have had a fool around on neverwiner and while I am enjoying the cleric class I have found dungeons can be a bit hit or miss. If you're playing with good players that will jump out of melee when their health dips to make targeting easier the system works well. But if everyone is grouped you tend to have to reply more on aoe heals, and them hitting the mobs and getting the healing that way from your debuff. In this sense I felt very out of control over health pools. Saying that there are ways to get around this by saving you tab abilities charges (I forget what its called) for aoe, in particular the knockback/aoe heal.
I think that it would be lovely to have a game where you could perhaps switch between modes. So healing debuffs and more damage mouse over for light damage or farm content, and then maybe a target system for other situations.
I just can't imagine a raid with 10 or more people and trying to mouse over, you'd end up just aoe healing constantly. However, WoW uses tab target, and in some content you can get away with just pretty much targeting people and aoeing, so is either really all that different?
At the 29 second if the video cannot load here for some reasons.
Sona from LOL, W skill. I know, it is not an mmo, but have to think out of the box, right? trololololo
Intelligent healing is pretty common these days, and works well. Wow shaman chain healing, Disc atonement healing. As they favour the target with the lowest health. However, as a healer I would hate to just have buttons "Heal lowest hp a lot" "heal 3 lowest in group a moderate amount". Seems to make it would take a lot of the fun away of saving lives.
imo Intelligent healing is part of an arsenal of spells, but, as the only option would just take away what I enjoy most about healing
From what I'm reading most of you haven't played much in a game like TERA or played it at all, so I'm not sure why you're voting in a poll if you can't comment on all three choices. Go play a 60 Priest in TERA and then come back and comment. Don't bother with Neverwinter it sucks.
I predominantly play as a healer as I enjoy it more than DPS or tanking. I by far prefer the system in tab target (though I use F1-F6 and click on people if faster). Healing in TERA was a nightmare and trying to get people to either pick up orbs or aim correctly (while they are jumping around like crazy) was not fun. GW2 was by far the worst. I tried to make a pseudo healer in that game and finally had to quit because it was awful...the only fun I had in that game was when I switched out of a healer role completely to a pure DPS.
I think heal mechanics could use a bit of a boost, but aiming is not it...and let's be honest GW2 is not a healing mechanic it just forces everyone into a DPS role with battle ready bandages.
I like sticky target healing, preferably with a UI for dedicated healing (like Whammy in WoW).
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Originally posted by Leiloni From what I'm reading most of you haven't played much in a game like TERA or played it at all, so I'm not sure why you're voting in a poll if you can't comment on all three choices. Go play a 60 Priest in TERA and then come back and comment. Don't bother with Neverwinter it sucks.
I've played Tera a lot and i actually like the priest and how you heal but i prefer Vanguard system, it's as simple as that. If you can't except that other prefer something different than yourself then it's your problem. I also like the bear shammy in AOC but i still prefer Vanguards duel targeting especially when playing my disciple.
Asking people to go play a 60 priest doesn't mean people are going to change their minds, some people prefer tab targeting healing and with Vanguard it also has duel targeting.
Comments
I do prefer the classic "tab-targeting" for healing, although I do not mind the dual target system, offensive and defensive targets.
The aiming is too unreliable to use for me, which makes it boring to heal. Terra type where you based healing on people moving into circles/picking up items, I finds annoying too. It felt like I had to teach everyone in the group how to heal; since they had to pick up the items themselve, or move into the cirles!
--
Leemeg.
Ive played some AoC, and the priest of mitra I found had an aoe healing system, but its burst healing and it centers around the caster, so you literally have to be in the fray of things. The downside of that is, it limits people to having to stick together instead on letting them position themselves how they want.I agree. Tab target healing "seems" fun until you try a game like TERA and realize how awesome it is to actually be able to see the fight and be a part of it. Tab target healing forces you to focus so hard on the UI that you miss the entire game.
Funny I'm the exact opposite with nearly everything you said. I don't want too many options, in fact I don't want too many skills, period. TERA had a good mix with about 25 skills - enough that you have a good variety of things to play with, but not an overload of 40 or so like WoW and SWTOR did. You had real choices and variety that was fun, not gimmicky things like "stack this HoT 5 times for maximum effect" or things that don't require any player skill at all like "stack a lot of crit and you'll get defensive shields popping up all over the place". There's a lot of needless complexity in tab target healing that is there for no good reason at all other than a poor attempt at making it seem more fun and skill based. It should be how well can I keep a guy alive by choosing the right skills for the right time, positioning myself properly, and avoiding attacks - not how well can I stack the right stats ahead of the fight and learn my complex rotation that fits my skill build.
You still have important decisions to make and tooth and nail scenarios where the shit hits the fan but good gameplay can help you overcome it. It's just far far more fun because you actually see and are a part of that tooth and nail fight, instead of the UI version of it.
As for aiming, I do find it quite fun. It's aiming, it's also positioning yourself correctly, moving around during the fight, battle awareness. It makes it much more exciting instead of staring at the UI all night and it adds an extra layer of skill in there which is a lot of fun.
I would have to disagree, it might be like that for WoW in raiding, (though I doubt it as you have to be mindfull of a lot of things the boss is doing and avoid them) but in arena you have to be constantly aware of where your teammates and opponents are.
Really healing can be over simplistic, and combat can be chaotic, whether your focusing just on support or trying to heal while engaging combat, healing diversity serves you best.
By allowing tab target heals, even in a game with aimed and action combat, you allow players to contribute healing while actively fighting.
Also healing methods can vary from eachother by degree a cheap full heal may require you to touch them directly, or an AoE heal may only work in a large semi circle in front of you, but a continuous stream of weak heals may be tab targeted.
By allowing full diversity of heals you allow for more strategy and tactics. Eliminating any of them greatly reduces the variety and depth of healing gameplay.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, if they get angry, they'll be a mile away... and barefoot.
Can add another to the poll?
"Intelligent Healing" aka press a button to heal the most injured person with no targeting. It cannot get any simpler and friendly than that.
Case in point:
http://youtu.be/DGdAppORdtY?t=29s
At the 29 second if the video cannot load here for some reasons.
Sona from LOL, W skill. I know, it is not an mmo, but have to think out of the box, right? trololololo
The possibility of the universe collapsing into a singularity is higher than the birth of a perfect MMORPG.
Yup Vanguard got it 100% right, duel targeting is genius,GW2 is a mess. I think the op was hoping that Gw2 and his themepark poll would win out lol.
Tell that to a Vanguard healer especially a disciple plus Vanguard has duel targeting.I really like the EQ/WoW healing. I think it adds an extra element to the game that is just fun. As much as I like GW2, I miss having a dedicated healer at times (and likewise BEING a dedicated healer).
Surprisingly, Warhammer had a pretty good healing system, since healers could move while casting and had two targets: one for friendly players and one for enemy players...similar to WoW's 'focus' bar. It allows another variable to combat and raised the skill cap. Sadly that was one of the few things warhammer did right.
Classic eq/wow healing combined with defensive/offensive targets like warhammer.
To the poster saying that changes to healing were needed because people avoided to play healers for not being "fun" enough - no,most people don't play healers (or tanks )because they dislike being responsible for the rest of the party and because healer is the first to get blame in case something goes wrong.
Gw2 lack of healer class was one of the worse things about the game and aoe type of healing is not good enough when you want to heal a person in particular.
Hated healing in TERA, but loved it in Neverwinter. The UI and responsiveness really are a notch above any other action MMO.
To be honest though, I usually play healers who heal primarily through DPS or passive means. Like Fury or Mystic in EQ2, Disciple in Vanguard, Shadowpriest in WoW (before it got nerfed to just support) and Chloromancer in Rift. Which might explain why I enjoy the Neverwinter cleric and the build I have setup.
If there is one thing Neverwinter got right, it was combat. I know some people want rows and rows of abilities (90% of which are useless or used very sparingly). But I prefer having a few core abilities that work differently in different situations. Makes it far more responsive and strategic.
Most other games just turn into macro-fests.
EQ2 fury already has a nuke that does a heal like this. Heals the person in the group / raid with the lowest health. So its already in a MMO.
I really only like to play healers in online games, I enjoy the satisfaction of keeping a group alive when all hell breaks loose or by getting in that perfect heal at the right moment to save a life.
I loved Vanguard's style of offensive and defensive targets, and in particular the disciple healer. I have had a fool around on neverwiner and while I am enjoying the cleric class I have found dungeons can be a bit hit or miss. If you're playing with good players that will jump out of melee when their health dips to make targeting easier the system works well. But if everyone is grouped you tend to have to reply more on aoe heals, and them hitting the mobs and getting the healing that way from your debuff. In this sense I felt very out of control over health pools. Saying that there are ways to get around this by saving you tab abilities charges (I forget what its called) for aoe, in particular the knockback/aoe heal.
I think that it would be lovely to have a game where you could perhaps switch between modes. So healing debuffs and more damage mouse over for light damage or farm content, and then maybe a target system for other situations.
I just can't imagine a raid with 10 or more people and trying to mouse over, you'd end up just aoe healing constantly. However, WoW uses tab target, and in some content you can get away with just pretty much targeting people and aoeing, so is either really all that different?
I will admit, have yet to try Terra
Intelligent healing is pretty common these days, and works well. Wow shaman chain healing, Disc atonement healing. As they favour the target with the lowest health. However, as a healer I would hate to just have buttons "Heal lowest hp a lot" "heal 3 lowest in group a moderate amount". Seems to make it would take a lot of the fun away of saving lives.
imo Intelligent healing is part of an arsenal of spells, but, as the only option would just take away what I enjoy most about healing
I agree with what a few people are saying about Vanguard having the best healing classes. They added an element to EQ/WOW.
GW 1 was nothing like GW2 healing, it was much more like WoW/EQ healing.
I hope EQ Next has a true healing class.
Asdar
I predominantly play as a healer as I enjoy it more than DPS or tanking. I by far prefer the system in tab target (though I use F1-F6 and click on people if faster). Healing in TERA was a nightmare and trying to get people to either pick up orbs or aim correctly (while they are jumping around like crazy) was not fun. GW2 was by far the worst. I tried to make a pseudo healer in that game and finally had to quit because it was awful...the only fun I had in that game was when I switched out of a healer role completely to a pure DPS.
I think heal mechanics could use a bit of a boost, but aiming is not it...and let's be honest GW2 is not a healing mechanic it just forces everyone into a DPS role with battle ready bandages.
I like sticky target healing, preferably with a UI for dedicated healing (like Whammy in WoW).
I've played Tera a lot and i actually like the priest and how you heal but i prefer Vanguard system, it's as simple as that. If you can't except that other prefer something different than yourself then it's your problem. I also like the bear shammy in AOC but i still prefer Vanguards duel targeting especially when playing my disciple.
Asking people to go play a 60 priest doesn't mean people are going to change their minds, some people prefer tab targeting healing and with Vanguard it also has duel targeting.
I prefer aimed healing over grid-targetted healing just as I prefer aiming attacks over tab-target combat.
I still prefer the old fashioned style, but I think it's mostly because I'm used to it.