Not enough room for skill abilities

pranasars

"The game wasn't designed to have multiple action bars."

This is a very bold statement:) Perhaps, developers tried to figure out one time, why WoW is so successful? Because World of Warcraft is almost the only one game in which you do not fight against the User Interface but just the game's world. Imagine my disappointment when I can't add a skill to the ability bar because of no room there and no option to extend it ). I also tried to install LUI, but I have transparent health, mana & energy bars what looks not good and irritates me if I have some errors. I have spent about one hour to configure it and fix it but with no success (even reinstalled the add-on). Then, I found the solution on a forum - install bandit interface xD What a wonderful workaround xD I also wanted to bind a key shortcut eg: alt-9. It turns out I can bind only alt or only 9 but not the combination. I can't treat ESO as my main MMO until developers understand the phenomenon of WoW mechanics. From some reasons I do not want to play WoW but I have a good alternative - ArcheAge.

XxCaLxX

Hey. It isn't for everyone but Combat in ESO blows other MMO's away. Play it enough and you'll see. There's no point in have 60 skill slots on screen in ESO.

kirgeo

"The game wasn't designed to have multiple action bars."
Wasn't the game designed to work on both PC and Consoles. This was one of the first things decided on?

Brrrofski

I like it mainly because you have to think about what you want from a build. I like choices that make people feel different.

perfiction

12 skills and non-cooldown casting combined with weaving are the core elements of ESO combat. Sure, it has its flaws (wonky animations being the biggest one) but I like this system. If you looked for WoW-like experience I guess ESO is not for you.

phaneub17_ESO

Same developers made Diablo 3 and that has roughly the same number of ability slots as ESO minus the weapon swapping.

Mythreindeer

No thanks to more skill slots.

12 is plenty. I can't stand UIs that cover the entire bottom of the screen with icons you never use. Tedious and unbecoming.

pranasars

XxCaLxX wrote: »

Hey. It isn't for everyone but Combat in ESO blows other MMO's away.

It is not bad - I agree. Anyway, it is still not better than in WoW, what is already an achievement itself

XxCaLxX wrote: »

Play it enough and you'll see. There's no point in have 60 skill slots on screen in ESO.

Yes mate, I am going to try it out and give this game a chance.
So what to do, if I have more skills than available slots on the bar? Does it mean that this bar is a kind of build? Reduced-space bar forces me to pick only some skills and I can't use all of them simultaneously, can I?

Gythral

Even those games with screens full of skills - how many do you actaully use - 10ish with maybe 5 more getting used once in a blue moon ???

perfiction

pranasars wrote: »

So what to do, if I have more skills than available slots on the bar? Does it mean that this bar is a kind of build? Reduced-space bar forces me to pick only some skills and I can't use all of them simultaneously, can I?

You can always swap out your skills out of combat, so yes, skills are important part of a build. You will most likely use different skills for solo gameplay (to focus more of sustain and self healing), different skills in group content (to maximize your damage, because you have a healer in group to buff you up and keep you alive) etc.

zvavi

Notice that if currently you have only 6 slots, that's because at level 15 you will get a second bar for another 6.

pranasars

zvavi wrote: »

Notice that if currently you have only 6 slots, that's because at level 15 you will get a second bar for another 6.

You have more than 12 abilities available in the game, but only 12 you can use at a time? So, simply saying 12 slots bar is your build. Am I right?

Gythral wrote: »

Even those games with screens full of skills - how many do you actaully use - 10ish with maybe 5 more getting used once in a blue moon ???

To be sincere mate, in WoW I think I had been using 15-20 skills actively, including macro skills created in game.

Gythral

Dont remeber ever using more than 3 'skill' keys in WOW (or even using the skills ui) - just macro'd everything!

Jeffrey530

I doubt WoW is so successful simply because you can use more abilities in it lol, and don't assume a game will be better if it is a carbon copy of another. Funny how many of wow players claim they leave that game for some 'reason' and try to make another game identical to that.

Magdalina

ESO != WoW. For people who love WoW combat, there's, well, WoW. Personally, combat was second biggest thing (after graphics) that turned me away from WoW XD 1936716583 skills all over my screen and auto light attack/block/whatever...wth is that? I'll take ESO fluid combat over that any day, makes me actually feel I'm actively engaged in a fight. Of course, to each their own, but calling ESO bad just because it's not like WoW couldn't be further from truth. For a lot of us here, ESO is GOOD precisely because it's not like WoW.

BlueRaven

It’s designed for consoles as well as PCs, in fact PlayStation made a live action commercial featuring it.

https://youtu.be/VK03aVJekGg

So unless you can figure out how to add more buttons on a console controller...

Elsonso

As I recall, the game wasn't originally designed with the expectation that both bars would be used in the same combat, like they are. That seems like a player adaptation to only 5 actions.

AlnilamE

I don't know about WoW players, but I only have 5 fingers on each hand, and my right hand is on the mouse.

So the 1-5 + ulti set-up allows for more fluid play. I can move and fire skills off at the same time.

GW2 does 1-0 and it's very annoying. Though their skills have longer cooldowns.

I can't imagine having even more buttons than that.

BlueRaven

Elsonso wrote: »

As I recall, the game wasn't originally designed with the expectation that both bars would be used in the same combat, like they are. That seems like a player adaptation to only 5 actions.

I think there was an early expectation that players would use only one bar. I think in an early preview about dungeon combat they gave an example of a dps switching bars to tank gear until someone else could revive the main tank in a dungeon.

I know when the game was still very young I had visions of a stealthy bosmer archer with a back bar of a healer.
That setup had to be abandoned, sadly.

pranasars

Magdalina wrote: »

Personally, combat was second biggest thing (after graphics) that turned me away from WoW XD 1936716583 skills all over my screen and auto light attack/block/whatever...wth is that?

Ye, I exactly know what you are saying xD The point is, that you have 80 (100) and now 60 levels to learn up the mechanics. If you level up you will need only skills and macros to smoothly kill other players Eg: this skill-to-unpin like /attack /block /whatever you can simplify to such a form:

#macro name
/attack
/cast "spell name"

That what is still unbeatable in WoW. Customization

Gythral wrote: »

Dont remeber ever using more than 3 'skill' keys in WOW (or even using the skills ui) - just macro'd everything!

It depends on class mate. If you're playing a Rogue, I agree, you do not need more than 12 skills, but anyway, advanced wow players usually fill more than 12 slots and this is called the customization, isn't?
If you're playing Discipline Priest you need more than 12 slots to be effective, good. And I also had Razer Naga with additional 12 buttons on its left side. One of them simulated shift what let me to reach more shortcuts from the keyboard xD That was madness mate but so well done madness xD

nukk3r

The main difference between the two games is that ESO in essentially an ARPG.
Your rotation as a PvE DD is 2 DoTs, a couple of buffs/debuffs, ulti, spammable and an optional execute. You need so few skills to do high DPS, that you have free slots for damage boosting skills that you won't even activate.

Ippokrates

The boss is over there. Can we attack?

MOMENT! I AM PREPARING!!!

Buff 1, buff 2, buff 3, buff 4, buff 5, buff 6...

Now DOTS... 1, 2, 3, 4... Holy Molly buffs run out! Once again. Buff 1...


XD

Ley

I would absolutely hate it if I had to manage more skills than I currently do. Besides, adding additional skill slots would probably require a complete rebalance of all skills.

PigofSteel

I actually like 5 skill bar, i tried WoW and its just cluttered and confusing with so many stuff. Not my cup of tea.

JKorr

kirgeo wrote: »

"The game wasn't designed to have multiple action bars."
Wasn't the game designed to work on both PC and Consoles. This was one of the first things decided on?

The game was originally designed for pc only. Sony intervened, unfortunately..

Xebov

pranasars wrote: »

Perhaps, developers tried to figure out one time, why WoW is so successful?

Blizzard spend half of their development budget on advertising.

WoW, like many other MMOs, uses alot of bars with alot of skills that have cooldowns. You use most of your skills, but have to time them to prevent them on being on longer cooldowns in the wrong moments.
ESO on the other hand limits your skills, but has no cooldowns so its up to you finding a combination that is most effective.

Both systems have their pro and cons, but there is no point in having all games use the exact same concept. Besides that many players realy enjoy ESOs way because you dont end up with half of the screen cluttered in skillbars.

Bradyfjord

In Wow, there are attacks and abilities that are combined into macros for multiple effects at one time.

In ESO you need to consider how your skills interact with your passives/gear/consumables. Some people use alchemy to craft potions they use for certain buffs (on cooldown) for their character build to work.

Like wow, ESO has a lot of nuance to it. If you stick with it, you will find that there is more depth than it seems.

RupzSkooma

XxCaLxX wrote: »

Hey. It isn't for everyone but Combat in ESO blows other MMO's away. Play it enough and you'll see. There's no point in have 60 skill slots on screen in ESO.

I can think of one otherwise really bad MMO that put ESO's combat to shame.

Kiralyn2000

pranasars wrote: »

"The game wasn't designed to have multiple action bars."

This is a very bold statement:) Perhaps, developers tried to figure out one time, why WoW is so successful? Because World of Warcraft is almost the only one game in which you do not fight against the User Interface but just the game's world. Imagine my disappointment when I can't add a skill to the ability bar because of no room there and no option to extend it ).

Yes, WoW has big action bars. So do a bunch of other MMOs.

However, a bunch of MMOs also have limited action bars. It's a valid design concept for the genre, not "fighting against the UI".

Just a different style of game. One you apparently don't enjoy.
(I'd suggest also skipping The Secret World/Secret World Legends, Neverwinter, Guild Wars...)


edit: I'm also pretty sure that "a million action bars" wasn't the reason WoW took off. Casual, accessible, theme-park, etc... are more likely. Lots of action bars was more typical of the genre back in the early days, so that's not something that made WoW different/special.

brassmaster12

I like it. I like being able to only use a small amount of skills. Less cluttered, less confusing. Having to manage possibly 50+ skills is annoying and just not the most thrilling experience imo. I like that you can't use all skills, It makes builds WAY more diverse and allows for fresher playstyles.

Malkiv

pranasars wrote: »

You have more than 12 abilities available in the game, but only 12 you can use at a time? So, simply saying 12 slots bar is your build. Am I right?

This is exactly correct. On PC you have addons like AlphaGear and Dressing Room to help you swap builds while out-of-combat using keybinds, or by using the addon interface. This makes swapping builds very easy to go from a trash aoe setup, so a single-target boss setup. In WoW, for raiding, you kind of put all your macros and abilities on your bar you'll need through the entire raid, including trash pulls. In ESO, for trials, you may want to swap skill/gear builds for each boss, and also have a trash setup. It's not required, but that is part of the modern ESO meta.

I play ESO more like I play an action MOBA, rather than a western MMO. I mean, this game isn't technically an MMO, since there's zone instancing as opposed to everyone on the server being on the same map instance, and a megaserver rather than selectable shards. It's really just an MORPG, but colloquialism trumps nomenclature.