(08-13-2013, 04:24 PM)synaesthetic Wrote: Â ...if Squeenix had put a TERA-style active combat system in ARR...
Thank the Twelve they didn't.
Also, there was nothing fun about circle strafing a mob to death in TERA. People went on and on about how it all different and revolutionary, but in fact it was just as "grindy" (I put "grindy" in quotes because it's used to describe any task that is repeated often in a game that people don't like because there is no real quantifier for the term) as any old school tab-target MMO. The details were different but the result was the same. There's also the issue of having to aim the target reticle, constantly forcing a camera angle that was focused on the mob alone. I prefer the "scene" sort of viewpoint that the third person, reticle free target system provides.
The best online action RPG I've played so far is without a doubt Phantasy Star Online 2. While not a proper MMO they pretty much nailed the action part down without making me feel like I'm playing a shooter.
[youtube]w0IJIdf9XQ4[/youtube]
Zoom to about a minute in.
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Oh yes, so different and revolutionary~ it's still a bunch of high level people surrounding a boss mob and spamming heal/dps moves, while occasionally moving out of the way of area of effect attacks.
Really, the action combat didn't make any /real/ difference in the end, aside from divide low ping players from high ping players