(08-13-2013, 06:02 PM)Naunet Wrote: You can avoid literally every attack a mob does in a game like TERA. Every attack has a "telegraph", even if it's just a very brief lifting of one arm. That is not the case for tab-target games, as most attacks from mobs are completely unavoidable. That pirate punching you in the face? He'll be punching you in the face even if you try to run to one side or behind him. That caster mob spamming fireballs at you? Those fireballs will hit no matter where you go. This turns tab-target combat into a race of "who can do the most damage fast enough", which takes a lot of the control out of the hands of the player.
Which is more than fine by me. Honestly I prefer to have some unavoidable attacks there.
I disagree with the implication that FFXIV in particular is all about who can do damage fast enough. There's plenty of avoidable, telegraphed attacks in the game. And honestly, compared to games like Tera and Guild Wars 2, the system feels more solid to me. In action combat MMOs I feel the burn out a lot quicker. Even that FFXIV and games like it are slower paced, they're appropriately paced.
There is a pacing in there that keeps fights going and engaging even multiple runs in, where in a faster paced, action MMO it feels like it would lend itself better to, well honestly, console games. Even with FFXIV I feel better with a gamepad in my hand than with key-binds and a gaming mouse. Sure, I preform better with such things on games like Guild Wars 2 but the result is a more stressful experience for ultimately no additional return on enjoyment.
But this has nothing to do with the aging of gamers and more to do with simply preferring a different playstyle. You can make heated accusations of 'boring' or 'dull', but these are ultimately subjective. MMOs will always and forever be about appealing to a niche, and that niche is not the same from game to game, nor should it be reflective on the game's quality what particular appeal it is leaning towards - but rather that it does so effectively.
However, more to the subject of the thread: Roleplayers will decide on an individual level what sort of games appeal to them - not on a culture based level. Action MMOs, Traditional MMOs, all of it is irrelevant, really. If someone is in love with the story and lore of a game, and has a penchant for roleplaying there will be some.
