Thoughts on GCD as it is at present...

[BlazeMystic]

I thought I'd create a thread to find out what people think about GCD since it's release on 14th April.

I hadn't really played much of PL until today and once or twice last week and although at first I was unhappy about GCD, I think that it's actually pretty good and I can see that it was a much needed change.

I am still not 100% used to it yet - partly because I keep changing my skill map and I can never seem to remember where any of my skills are - which reminds me that my old skill layout was not well suited for GCD and so now that I've changed it I think I have now found a better layout. I just need to memorize it! :)

I still spend a lot of time looking at my skill layout - but that could be for the reason I mentioned above and I still sometimes feel that skills don't fire off as quickly as before and I find myself pressing them again once or twice before it appears to register.

I like the fact that I can now see what is going on and who is doing what, as before I never really could tell what my mage was doing as everyone was nuking everything all at the same time. Before it felt like a mad rush to spam all skills and to see who get in there first, but now it doesn't feel that way. it also doesn't feel particularly slow either.

I have to think more about what skills I am going to use and also to be more aware of the other team members - so that is surely a positive change.

What are your thoughts...

[Hayabusaz]

I agree with you .

[Junside]

It feels perfect as it is presently in effect. I think they discretely shortened it again.

[Aerospacegod]

Skills should cost more if we use them less, no point in having 25+ mana regen if you never run out with 15.

[azulflame]

@aero, I have 20 regen on my mage and I can still spam to run out of mane (especially with mana shield on in gurgox's room)

and yes, they did shorten it.

[pastrychef]

I've gotten used to it in its current configuration much the same way that inmates manage to get used to life in jail. Game play still isn't what it used to be and I still hate GCD.

[Mathuyama]

I agree with you .

lol you just wanted to increase your postcounter.^^

[Slush]

I like it a lot as it is in pve, it requires a bit more skill now, which I like. It's a different story for pvp though, even Cinco posted once about his mage is owning hid bird in pvp. The gcd in pvp just adds to the already long list of negative pvp points.

[BlazeMystic]

Yes I agree, I think the GCD has worked out rather well and yes I agree it seems faster...

I figured that there hasn't been many replies for a number of reasons:
1. GCD has worked out well and there is no longer anything to comment about - devs have worked hard to get the balance right and I believe that it's pretty spot on now.
2. People have just adjusted to it now.
3. Or controversially, is that because PL almost plays like how it was before GCD was introduced in the first place I wonder?
4. People are suffering from burnout due to all the recent discussion about it ;)

And to by the way, do you like my new signature? - it's brilliant, thanks Ladylove! :)

[pastrychef]

Yes I agree, I think the GCD has worked out rather well and yes I agree it seems faster...

I figured that there hasn't been many replies for a number of reasons:
1. GCD has worked out well and there is no longer anything to comment about - devs have worked hard to get the balance right and I believe that it's pretty spot on now.
2. People have just adjusted to it now.
3. Or controversially, is that because PL almost plays like how it was before GCD was introduced in the first place I wonder?
4. People are suffering from burnout due to all the recent discussion about it ;)

And to by the way, do you like my new signature? - it's brilliant, thanks Ladylove! :)

1. No. I disagree. It still doesn't play like it used to.
2. Probably. But that doesn't make it good.
3. Not to me it doesn't.
4. I don't know.

Signature is cool.

[NeoQueen]

I've gotten used to it in its current configuration much the same way that inmates manage to get used to life in jail. Game play still isn't what it used to be and I still hate GCD.

I'm with the chef. GCD and I will always be enemies, but I have gotten somewhat used to it. Maybe it is due to my dislike that I notice how different it still is from pre-GCD gameplay. I still feel the skills sometimes don't register and that it looks ready when it isn't, and as many like to point out, I never liked whack-a-mole. I maintain that if u introduced it, then had to lower the amount of time it applied for, u were probably better off without it in the first place.

[Wolfling]

i agree with slush. i enjoy playing pl just as much now that ive gotten used to gcd as i used to. however i will say that while i enjoy playing with my bear alot more, i have a harder time playing with my mage now. i believe that this is because gcd actually helps my tank dish out a constant stream of damage if timed correctly. unfortunately its not as great on my mage because mages, at least pure int "glass cannons" like mine, need the nuke ability alot more than my tank, for the simple reason that all a boss has to do is look in my direction and my mage dies. the nukes used to somewhat counter their horrible armor situation. now i rarely play her because i die more and more frequently. it is akin to declawing a cat.

i do think that the gcd almost forces people to work together, which is something that has been gone from pl for a long while. i like that aspect of it quite a bit.

[Rubicon]

Is it only me? It seems since GCD was implemented my bear dosent stay on his target anymore. Ill auto-target an enemy and then my bear will just wander away, sometimes he will return to the target and sometimes he just wanders off and stands there while the rest of the party is fighting. Ive been playing for over six months now and my bear is lvl 55, so I get the game mechanics. This is really bugging me lately. Is it GCD related somehow?

[Wolfling]

now that you mention it, that does happen to me sometimes. i just thought it was me but i wonder if that happens to alot of bears now...?

[BlazeMystic]

Yes actually I have noticed that as well on my mage and sometimes I even freeze on the spot. I still think the skills could register more quickly and yes I also agree that playing as a mage is harder now. My poor old enchantress has died a few more times than usual. :(

[adwin]

It's a great concept, but it was "server load" was just a pretext. Who cares about load when you're on a cloud host?
Furthermore, I never button mashed, but with GCD, I button mash more than ever, since you can't wait for the skill to light up. That's 0.25s lost in pure reaction time, added to the GCD. Either add a skill queue, or lose the GCD all together. This is seriously getting to me.
As much as I liked PL before, the GCD, as it is now, is good enough for me to stop playing, and I know quite a few players who have stopped playing altogether because of it.