Upcoming Change to Skills: Global Cool-Down

[Cinco]

Pocket Legends will soon support a global 'cool-down' for all Skills.

This means that you will no longer be able to execute all of your skills at exactly the same time. (i.e. no more "Skill Spamming") All of your characters' skills will have a brief cool-down period after any skill is executed.

One important result of this is better Client performance. Due to the fact that we will no longer have every player on-screen firing off all of their abilities in the exact same fraction of a second - Clients will be able to run significantly faster in combat.

Another important result is a reduction in overall damage. Since you have to wait a tiny bit after executing a Skill before firing any of your other Skills, it should make sense that you will experience a reduction in your characters' overall DPS.

We have no specific data to share about the cool-down periods at this time. We are testing this new system for its impact on fun-factor and will iterate on the Skills and game-balance until it feels right.

However - I can say right now that PVP feels a lot better with this system in-place. We're not one-shotting each other with all of our Skills anymore... like we used to in the first half-second of combat... We like this, but we realize that some of you may not.

Feel free to post your thoughts and questions in this thread. I hope to be able to answer some of them before the change is ready for release. (And, as always, entertaining predictions of doom, gloom and economic ruination are most definitely welcome


Smiles and good cheer,

- Cinco


Testing Update (3.10.2011) - played (PVE only) with global cool-down times at ~0.50 seconds quite a bit this morning. Overall the combat requires significantly more skill and more strategy. As far as I'm concerned that's a really, really good thing! Right now I'm considering increases to player damage (all classes)... but it's not certain. We still have a lot more multiplayer testing to do (to discern how much damage a well-geared group can do now that we have GCD).

[Physiologic]

Cool-down on skills, check. What about potion cool-down?

This seems suggested simply because of PvP (a very small percentage of the community plays PvP). If brought over to PvE, that's a lot of unhappy people doing farming runs and XP grinding runs. Granted, it'll make runs tougher but they will still be much slower than before. And I'll probably hate that for the next elite level cap Is it possible to have this feature only in PvP and not PvE?

edit(i posted this on page 7 but ill post it here again):
Cinco, I think that you should create some sort of poll.

If a) A majority of players say YES to PvE cool-down and b) Cool-down will reduce lag experienced by many users from skill mashing, then yes go along with the plan.

If a) A majority of players say NO to PvE cool-down and b) Only a small % of users experience lag from skill mashing, then only limit cool-downs to PvP.

I don't see why a complete overhaul on PL's battle system is necessary because of the iPad's inherent design flaw to use all skills at once in PvP. PvP should only be fixed - PvE shouldn't be affected at all.

How much of the total population in Pocket Legends PvP? How many PvE games do you see versus PvP games?

[Parasyte]

That sounds good. One quick question tho, will it be like if you have 5 people in your group you will get to use 1 move then someone else gets to use a move? Or will it be the samething but just longer cool-down periods?

[Ellyidol]

Sounds fair. Removes the difference between multiple skill mashing from tablets vs smaller devices.

I have a slight feeling nothing is gonna change for birds, since most need to differentiate skill orders vs a different opponent. But for bears, Uh oh.

Also, does this mean overall game speed will be reduced? Or is the in-between skill cooldown just enough to prevent multiple skills at once?

[Kossi]

ok. now if this is going to work, you guys should increase the range of all str weapons due to kiting

[Ellyidol]

ok. now if this is going to work, you guys should increase the range of all str weapons due to kiting

Or add a skill that bears can use to help with beckon pulling.

Tbh, the only window we have to let out all our slashes as a nuke is in between beckon and stomp combo. With these changes, I'm not sure if it will be possible anymore, therefore there goes our killing combo.

[Echelong]

Why not apply this to pvp only and leave pve as it is right now? This could make runs a lot longer than they are now and therefore less enjoyable. I just had a flashback when Blizzard put a global cooldown on Shaman shock spells. It wasn't fun.

[KingFu]

Finally! I cant wait for this! It won't only make PvE more fun, but will have PvP require a little more of a skill factor. Before (mainly with archer) it was who could whip out their combo first. I'm half and half with Phys on the only in PvP part though. I think PvE would be a lot more fun, but then again, it would have it's down sides (IE mages not being able to heal appropriately, tanks not being able to group up and stun mobs as easily, archers not being able to set up cruel blast as easily) It'd definitely give PvE a more challenging side, but it would also make it a lot harder for the classes to do their jobs. Any idea to be able to cope the two?

[Physiologic]

I like the fact that it makes the game harder. But I realize, that in the long run, if Bandit Hideout runs go from 3 minutes and 30 seconds to 6-7 minutes, I might not like to farm anymore, that's all.

[Sanatorium]

Awww what about Combos, will the cool down affect them in any way?
Also for potion cool down, noooo... don't please, even when you spam health pots and health skills you STILL get mob'd down.
Leave the pots how they are, they're great.

[Kossi]

im indifferent on PvE, but i want to see how PvP will change

[Lesrider]

This does not sound fun for pve. How would you even get combos to work?

[Zerious]

I don't like this, I would honestly, full-heartedly, prefer to lag out on my ipod than play slower. But that's just one opinion... Although the idea for pvp is intriguing...

[KingFu]

This does not sound fun for pve. How would you even get combos to work?

As I said, cruel blast would be nearly impossible to set up depending on the time. I am concerned about how it'll play out with mages healing, and tanks grouping together enemies.

[Kossi]

As I said, cruel blast would be nearly impossible to set up depending on the time. I am concerned about how it'll play out with mages healing, and tanks grouping together enemies.

im sure they have something planned

[Lesrider]

If it takes too long to get through a run in this game, it will scare away casual players. Only the hardcore will put in the time. One of PL's greatest assets is that you can pick up and play for 15 minutes, or you can play for hours. If 15 minutes doesn't get you far, it may scare some people off.

[Echelong]

I like the fact that it makes the game harder. But I realize, that in the long run, if Bandit Hideout runs go from 3 minutes and 30 seconds to 6-7 minutes, I might not like to farm anymore, that's all.

This is what I am afraid off. This would turn fun hours of farming into tedious long runs that would make players quit. I agree with the devs on applying it to pvp though.

[Tiliana]

Regarding PVE, will the bosses still be spamming their skills as fast as they normally do? If so, then we are put at a severe disadvantage. We won't be able to heal as fast as we are getting hit. With the type of armor mages have, we will be massacred. I like a challenge, but It will be like fighting against M.Bison's unstoppable sliding toe kick.

[Moogerfooger]

Love the game, and this may help the PvP experience, but would destroy PvE and would decrease the fun factor (and my personal interest and what I consider fun in the game, fwiw) to almost nil. If I am reading this right, this would totally affect combos and game play to a painful crawl. I understand the desire to draw out gameplay, but there has got to be a better solution.

PvP...maybe. PvE...no, no and no.

0.02.

[noobmigo]

I have one question.
Does that mean:
(a) All of the skillls have same C-D, just you cannot press all of the skills at the same time
(b) All of the skills have the current C-D, just you cannot presss all of the skills at the same time.
or (c) All of the skills have current C-D, except that everytime you press a skill, the C-D for everything resets.

If it is C, I'm going to think about only going with one buff.
Anyway, wonderful idea devs, it's just going to take some getting used to.