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Mini-Study: MMO Combat Time Comparison
Cyrosphere
Member Posts: 105
As a part of a small study I’m doing with a group of friends, I’d like to enlist the help of the fine folks lurking these forums.
What I would like is to establish a quantitative comparison of combat times in MMO games. This comparison will focus on SOLO combat times, due to the growing complexity of comparisons when utilizing group combat (group size, buffs, chemistry, etc). Thus, what I would like you to do is select your favorite (or most hated, whatever) MMO, log in a character, and record for me the following:
Game: Self explanatory
Class: Self explanatory. If your game utilizes branching class specialization at particular levels, please note the base and the specialized class both so I know what you’re playing.
Level: Fight an enemy that is the same level as you. If your game uses other difficulty modifiers in addition to the level, please pick an enemy that you would consider to be an 'average' engagement in a normal playsession.
Low Combat Scenario: Time taken to kill enemy using only your most basic auto-attack functionality. If your character dies and is unable to defeat the enemy 1v1, please enter 999 as the time. (If your game utilizes mechanics where there is no auto-attack, like Vindictus, use your most basic attack(s) only)
High Combat Scenario: Time taken to kill enemy using everything you possibly can to kill the enemy quickly. Temporary buffs, all your cooldown skills, burn through your mana like you mean it.
Average Combat Scenario: Time taken to kill enemy using what you would normally do – saving some mana and items for the fight which would normally come after this engagement.
Feel free to do several fights and include all the respective times for a bigger data sample. In general, the more data I get, the better, so if you have multiple characters, or level up and are interested in submitting more data, please do.
It should look something like this:
Game: Rift
Class: Warrior (Destroyer)
Level: 1
LCS: 81 sec, 92 sec, 90 sec
HCS: 10 sec, 11 sec, 10 sec
ACS: 12 sec, 11 sec, 11 sec
Hopefully this results in some interesting stuff to look at, and I'll present my findings in a couple weeks if there's enough feedback. Thanks in advance for your input.
Remember, it has to be fun to be a game. Grinding is a bedroom activity, and the point is definitely not to do my wife as fast as possible.
Comments
May want to modify that, because in games like WoW an at level NPC is a "green" and some DPS classes can one shot it at level 90 with their gear (not even a 3 second kill unbuffed). Only thing they'll see is like a crit, and the creature is dead.
My sis is an Arcane mage, so even at Timeless Isle with level 92 NPCs ("yellows") they're but a snack <10 sec.
Now as a dedicated healer if you want a DPS example (9min marathon @ 26k DPS)...
http://www.wowhead.com/quest=32388#comments:id=1902143
.:| Kevyne@Shandris - Armory |:. - When WoW was #1 - .:| I AM A HOLY PALADIN - Guild Theme |:.
I'm 'between games' at the moment, but I just want to comment here:
Both of the games that would make it to my 'favorites' list (UO:SA, Eve) used freeform character building, rather than class/level system. So if I was still playing either... well, I *could* come up with an answer to the first question by listing the rough 'archetype,' but level would be a total fudge.
This is going to vary greatly by game, certainly, but I would still like to view the time discrepancy between classes/level/scenario. The fact that you can have 3 second kills be just as normal as 9 minute kills is what interests me.
Also, these <10 second snacks according to how much cooldown skill usage? Is it 9 minutes to the mark or a ballpark time?
Like Kevyne-Shandris above mentioned, if level is not a good indicator of challenge, just pick an enemy that you would consider to be an 'average' challenge for you. This condition mainly exists to stop people from taking their max level character to the starting zone and skewing the data.
Remember, it has to be fun to be a game. Grinding is a bedroom activity, and the point is definitely not to do my wife as fast as possible.
If you play WoW and seriously think that this is the case that demonstrates a startling lack of of observation.
NPCs within a 2 level range of your level always appear yellow. Above that is orange, red etc and below that is green and grey.
RIFT was a *crushing* disappointment; a shallow, loveless, generic MMO the likes of which hasn't been seen in a P2P format since, well, forever.
Eagerly awaiting: World of Darkness, ArcheAge.