New Ability Bar Cooldown effect

[darthtoph]

I have no problem with the way it is now personally. One thing I don't quite understand are the people complaining about headaches and nausea. A game with explosions, blaster fire zipping by, glowsticks whipping around and through the air all very often in your face as well as many scenarios forcing you to constantly look around to see what is going on and think about your positioning and the thing that gave you a headache or borderline seizure was the GCD effect? It's not a blinding strobe light. Some people are a little too dramatic. If you are honestly having issues from something like that I would seriously (and I do mean this sincerely) log off and make an appointment with your doctor. I played for hours with no problems.

 

You just answered your own question. Most of the "explosions, blaster fire zipping by, glowsticks whipping around" are all - as stated by you - "in your face" while the GUI and hotbars are part of your peripheral vision (also known as side vision). There is a big medical difference between having stuff flash in your face and having four - 4 - hotbars flash and bombard you every 1.5 seconds from both left, right and bottom part of your screen. It's a visual disturbance that can easily cause migraines, seizures and at worst, even the loss of sight.

 

Look up the word aura or google "peripheral vision" and "flashing lights."

 

I would also like to point out the following about peripheral vision, taken from the Wikipedia entry:

 

Peripheral vision: Functions

 

The main functions of peripheral vision are[1]:

* recognition of well-known structures and forms with no need to focus by the foveal line of sight.

* identification of similar forms and movements (Gestalt psychology laws)

* delivery of sensations which form the background of detailed visual perception.

 

The current UI fail at all that and more. Having all four hotbars flash every 1.5 seconds does not help one recognize well-known shapes and forms (why pretty much every MMO out there utilizes circular/clockwise faders and/or numeric countdowns and offer a clear distinction between lit and greyed out icons). Nor does it allow for the identification of similar forms and movements as all we got now are a lot of flashing + a cluster**** of different shades of greyed out icons.

 

If you're a one trick ponny/1-button class or non-melee and don't trigger abilities nonstop then all the power to you. But to every serious PvPer out there and/or melee user who is constantly using his or hers instant action abilities you're pretty much screwed by the new UI. To make things worse, a blue CD fader over blue icons (if you're Republic) doesn't help (how hard is it to use any other color than red and blue, say yellow?) and neither does the fact that the icons no longer are lit as soon as the GCD is over. They gradually fade back to being lit AFTER the GCD is over and if you're serious about PvP or use abilities nonstop you actually never get to the point where the icons are lit during combat. Again, all you percieve is a cluster**** of greyed out icons flashing every 1.5 seconds and if that ain't gamebreaking then I don't know what gamebreaking is.

 

As things are now, the only way to tell abilitiess apart is by studying your keybind text. That may be fine and dandy if you play at resolutions of 800x600 but not when your resolution is 2K/HD.

Edited February 8, 2012 by darthtoph

[Ushela]

If i an unable to determine if I have enough force to cast a skill by just glancing at the skill icon quickly there is a problem.

 

Currently...lets say Shock cost 50 force and i have 100 force available. I cast some random ability which cast 25 force leaving me 75 force to use and the GCD triggers-BLACKENING OUT SHOCK UNTIL THE GCD IS OVER- then shock lights up (after a DELAY) and it represents i have the force available to use it. What did we just learn? That AFTER the GCD is over the game will tell me i have the resources to use shock. The game will NOT tell me shock is ready to go during the GCD so the "skill queue" is now pointless.

 

NOW..lets say I use a random ability taking me down to 10 force and the GCD triggers BLACKINING OUT SHOCK UNTIL THE GCD IS OVER. After the GCD is over- shock is still black and i know i dont have the force to use it. What did we just learn? That I have to wait till GCD is over before the game lets me know i dont have the resources to use a skill. THE EXACT SAME PROCEDURE AS IF I HAVE ENOUGH FORCE TO USE THE SPELL.

 

 

So what have we learned? That I ALWAYS have to wait for GCD to be over with before the game will show me I have the resources OR NOT to use a skill. And how does this relate to the "skill queue system"? It renders it absolutely POINTLESS, and turns the game into nearly "turn based combat".

Edited February 8, 2012 by Ushela

[Kinrain]

Well, dozens and dozens of people, me included, are getting headaches, feeling dizzy, and nauseated since last patch.

 

Logic would dictate that the UI is the cause.

 

They drank coffee on the Titanic, so logically that caused it to sink.

[Jurat]

You guys must have super bright monitors or sensitive eyesight... because i didn't even notice this effect until i saw this post. And, i have one of the bright 120hz monitors with ability bars on 3 sides of the screen. Personally, i don't see what the big deal is...

[Wartunkar]

If i an unable to determine if I have enough force to cast a skill by just glancing at the skill icon quickly there is a problem.

 

Currently...lets say Shock cost 50 force and i have 100 force available. I cast some random ability which cast 25 force leaving me 75 force to use and the GCD triggers-BLACKENING OUT SHOCK UNTIL THE GCD IS OVER- then shock lights up (after a DELAY) and it represents i have the force available to use it. What did we just learn? That AFTER the GCD is over the game will tell me i have the resources to use shock. The game will NOT tell me shock is ready to go during the GCD so the "skill queue" is now pointless.

 

NOW..lets say I use a random ability taking me down to 10 force and the GCD triggers BLACKINING OUT SHOCK UNTIL THE GCD IS OVER. After the GCD is over- shock is still black and i know i dont have the force to use it. What did we just learn? That I have to wait till GCD is over before the game lets me know i dont have the resources to use a skill.

 

 

So what have we learned? That I ALWAYS have to wait for GCD to be over with before the game will show me I have the resources OR NOT to use a skill. And how does this relate to the "skill queue system"? It renders it absolutely POINTLESS, and turns the game into nearly "turn based combat".

 

Right on .. It seems to me that the new ui is just FUNDAMENTALLY flawed .. Of course the flashes are annoying, but this is a flaw of astronomical proportions - it removes your control gf your rotation, and leaves you to randomly press buttons, hoping abilities have enough resources !

[Tropheus]

Please put the ability bar back . This new one is horrendous and it is actually harder to tell what is on CD and what is not. Please fix it.

[SabersAtDawn]

I am not a fan of the new system, they really need to leave stuff on GCD ungrayed as it was before and have the longer CD stuff greyed (because some of the timers are so long you cant see the decending bar even though it is unavailable.

 

Right now you have to look carefully at the keybind text on the button to work out what you will have enough rage to use when the GCD is finished.

 

flashing didn't really effect me much.

[Ritterific]

I don't like the new cooldown effects implemented in the 1.1.2 patch. I play a sentinel and as such, I try to have my GCD up at all times. So, the way it is now, all of my icons are pretty much grayed out all the time.

 

It's very difficult to line up which ability I want to use next because everything looks the same, on GCD or a longer cooldown. I had to get used to the previous iteration of the cooldown effect when it first came out, but I much prefer it to the current one. Yes, something about it did seem just a little off, but at least I knew that an ability would be ready once the GCD is up.

 

If I had to choose between the 1.1.1 cooldown effect and the 1.1.2 cooldown effect, I'd take the one from 1.1.1 in a heartbeat. The current cooldown effect actually makes it harder for me to play the game as I feel sometimes I'm guessing what will be ready and what is really on a cooldown.

[Ghaiana]

You guys must have super bright monitors or sensitive eyesight... because i didn't even notice this effect until i saw this post. And, i have one of the bright 120hz monitors with ability bars on 3 sides of the screen. Personally, i don't see what the big deal is...

 

I'm with you and also with the guy who wondered how with all the visual effects already in the game, just this effect would cause seizures, headaches and the persons who say that you should watch the fight not the action bars.

 

But anything different from what people are used to will cause complaints anyway. BW should do best to leave this a few weeks and then see how many complaints really remain. Maybe the can later fix this, by making the global cooldown customizable. If they change it back now, other people will start to moan, if they change it to the first patch people will start to moan, if they change it otherwise, people will also start to complain again.

[Philnoob]

I would not fancy being a patient of those 2 doctor owners of BW.

[Iskallt]

If i an unable to determine if I have enough force to cast a skill by just glancing at the skill icon quickly there is a problem.

 

Currently...lets say Shock cost 50 force and i have 100 force available. I cast some random ability which cast 25 force leaving me 75 force to use and the GCD triggers-BLACKENING OUT SHOCK UNTIL THE GCD IS OVER- then shock lights up (after a DELAY) and it represents i have the force available to use it. What did we just learn? That AFTER the GCD is over the game will tell me i have the resources to use shock. The game will NOT tell me shock is ready to go during the GCD so the "skill queue" is now pointless.

 

NOW..lets say I use a random ability taking me down to 10 force and the GCD triggers BLACKINING OUT SHOCK UNTIL THE GCD IS OVER. After the GCD is over- shock is still black and i know i dont have the force to use it. What did we just learn? That I have to wait till GCD is over before the game lets me know i dont have the resources to use a skill. THE EXACT SAME PROCEDURE AS IF I HAVE ENOUGH FORCE TO USE THE SPELL.

 

 

So what have we learned? That I ALWAYS have to wait for GCD to be over with before the game will show me I have the resources OR NOT to use a skill. And how does this relate to the "skill queue system"? It renders it absolutely POINTLESS, and turns the game into nearly "turn based combat".

 

Words out of my mouth

[sw_dragon]

How can they continue to make such horrible game design choices? I just dont understand

[SabersAtDawn]

I normally choose my next ability during the gcd, and at the current time the flashing affects my ability to plan ahead.

 

^ this. we need to be able to see what abilities will be available at the end of the GCD, right now you can do it by looking at the keybind text but this is much harder than it was.

 

Did BW even play test this new system? 5 mins playing the old system back to back with the new would have shown them it was a backward step.

[Philnoob]

How can they continue to make such horrible game design choices? I just dont understand

 

Inexperience at MMO's.. plus they choose not to listen to the most experienced people in MMO's

 

 

US!

[MJHoyle]

I'm getting very irritated by people saying stuff like "if you're having seizures over a game you should go see a doctor." Dennō Senshi Porygon, an episode of Pokemon which was aired in Japan in 1997, caused many viewers to suffer blurred vision, headaches, dizziness and nausea, and even a few people had seizures, blindness, convulsions, and lost consciousness due to excessive strobe effects. Over 685 children were taken to hospital by ambulance, but most recovered in the ambulance and only a small fraction of the treated children were actually diagnosed as suffering photosensitive epilepsy.

 

If this game is causing people to suffer with mild to severe symptoms that may or may not indicate they suffer photosensitive epilepsy, then this needs to be addressed seriously. Seeing a doctor can't fix what the game is causing, unless you're trying to say that only people who aren't photosensitive can only play this game. It's going to cause a lot of people to have to quit playing if that's the case.

Edited February 8, 2012 by MJHoyle

[HeavensDemise]

I really like the new look and have zero issues with seeing what abilities are ready and available for use. I play a sentinel,marauder and sniper and I really can't see what the issue is. Edited February 8, 2012 by HeavensDemise

[SabersAtDawn]

for those struggling to see what will be available at the end of GCD (specially for rage users), the keybind on the toolbar will be brighter for those skills that will be available at the end of the GCD, it's a pain of a work around, but it's all we have untill they do something about the new system.

[Taixads]

Huge step in the right direction, having the flash lets me know when my GCD is up so I don't have to stare at my bars endlessly to know when I can use my next ability.

 

Love it, just need to add bar space, let us move all our bars to the bottom of the screen and resize them.

 

Some sort of HUD or proc notification onscreen option would be golden as well, spent HOURS back in WoW with PowerAuras getting everything just right so I could just outright hide my ability bars and just play with what's on screen instead.

 

To those complaining that they can't tell if an ability is usable, you should know that based on your resource bar and the ability's CD (which is more clearly visible now, especially for long CD abilities)... maybe you should stop posting on the forums and start playing your character more. Try playing WITHOUT staring at the bottom of the screen and focus more on your positioning. You'll see that the flash helps quite a bit for this.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Taixads

[Eszi]

I think that the cd thing was the best as it was after launch. Right now, the flashing is just annoying.

[StrikeOfLight]

"The British Health and Safety Executive recommend that a net flash rate for a bank of strobe lights does not exceed 5 flashes per second, at which only 5% of photosensitive epileptics are at risk."

 

If your getting 5 GCDs per second then your obviously not playing the same game as me.

 

There is no way that the current ability bar process could cause a siezure in even the worst sufferers of (Grand Mal) Epilepsy and to suggest otherwise greatly undermines your alleged 'trained medical opinion.

 

The effect is not a strobe, simple as that.

 

Hmmm. Well. It's my theory. No way for me to be sure what is actually going on.

 

It might be worsened by having it on three out of four sides of the peripheral vision.

 

Facts are that some people are getting mildly sick. Don't know what else to say.

[MJHoyle]

"The British Health and Safety Executive recommend that a net flash rate for a bank of strobe lights does not exceed 5 flashes per second, at which only 5% of photosensitive epileptics are at risk."

 

If your getting 5 GCDs per second then your obviously not playing the same game as me.

 

There is no way that the current ability bar process could cause a siezure in even the worst sufferers of (Grand Mal) Epilepsy and to suggest otherwise greatly undermines your alleged 'trained medical opinion.

 

The effect is not a strobe, simple as that.

 

That does not stop people from suffering nausea, headaches and eyestrain from just a few minutes of playing because of the flashing, and one person has confirmed they had a seizure whilst playing with the new GCD effects. You could say that staring at a screen which flashes from green to red every 1.5 seconds won't cause people to suffer just because it's not flashing at 5 flashes per second. It would still make you nauseus, headachy, and hurt your eyes after staring at that non-stop for 10 minutes.

 

Huge step in the right direction, having the flash lets me know when my GCD is up so I don't have to stare at my bars endlessly to know when I can use my next ability.

 

Love it, just need to add bar space, let us move all our bars to the bottom of the screen and resize them.

 

Some sort of HUD or proc notification onscreen option would be golden as well, spent HOURS back in WoW with PowerAuras getting everything just right so I could just outright hide my ability bars and just play with what's on screen instead.

 

To those complaining that they can't tell if an ability is usable, you should know that based on your resource bar and the ability's CD (which is more clearly visible now, especially for long CD abilities)... maybe you should stop posting on the forums and start playing your character more. Try playing WITHOUT staring at the bottom of the screen and focus more on your positioning. You'll see that the flash helps quite a bit for this.

 

Seriously, how the hell is this more clearly visible? All I see is lines of blue and silver pouring down with greyed-out abilities behind them, and because of the brightness of the blue and silver I can't even spot the abilities that are lit up until it's too late. It wouldn't have been so bad had it not been so bright and didn't refresh the GCD of all abilities including the ones that aren't on a GCD.

Edited February 8, 2012 by MJHoyle

[Sheridyn]

New cooldown effect is absolutely atrocious, needs reverting ASAP. Who on earth thought that having 40 skill icons flash bright blue every 1.5 seconds was a good idea?

[Varteras]

You just answered your own question. Most of the "explosions, blaster fire zipping by, glowsticks whipping around" are all - as stated by you - "in your face" while the GUI and hotbars are part of your peripheral vision (also known as side vision). There is a big medical difference between having stuff flash in your face and having four - 4 - hotbars flash and bombard you every 1.5 seconds from both left, right and bottom part of your screen. It's a visual disturbance that can easily cause migraines, seizures and at worst, even the loss of sight.

 

Look up the word aura or google "peripheral vision" and "flashing lights."

 

I would also like to point out the following about peripheral vision, taken from the Wikipedia entry:

 

Peripheral vision: Functions

 

The main functions of peripheral vision are[1]:

* recognition of well-known structures and forms with no need to focus by the foveal line of sight.

* identification of similar forms and movements (Gestalt psychology laws)

* delivery of sensations which form the background of detailed visual perception.

 

The current UI fail at all that and more. Having all four hotbars flash every 1.5 seconds does not help one recognize well-known shapes and forms (why pretty much every MMO out there utilizes circular/clockwise faders and/or numeric countdowns and offer a clear distinction between lit and greyed out icons). Nor does it allow for the identification of similar forms and movements as all we got now are a lot of flashing + a cluster**** of different shades of greyed out icons.

 

If you're a one trick ponny/1-button class or non-melee and don't trigger abilities nonstop then all the power to you. But to every serious PvPer out there and/or melee user who is constantly using his or hers instant action abilities you're pretty much screwed by the new UI. To make things worse, a blue CD fader over blue icons (if you're Republic) doesn't help (how hard is it to use any other color than red and blue, say yellow?) and neither does the fact that the icons no longer are lit as soon as the GCD is over. They gradually fade back to being lit AFTER the GCD is over and if you're serious about PvP or use abilities nonstop you actually never get to the point where the icons are lit during combat. Again, all you percieve is a cluster**** of greyed out icons flashing every 1.5 seconds and if that ain't gamebreaking then I don't know what gamebreaking is.

 

As things are now, the only way to tell abilitiess apart is by studying your keybind text. That may be fine and dandy if you play at resolutions of 800x600 but not when your resolution is 2K/HD.

 

As I said in a post I made afterwards that I already suffer from frequent migraines and photosensitivity. Yet despite peripheral and direct stimulations coming from my hotbar after playing for hours I have yet to experience any negative effects. I'm not saying that no one here is experiencing these issues. What I am doubting are the mass amounts of people who seemed to be fine before but now are experiencing these issues when someone like me who already had prior issues with peripheral stimulations and direct photosensitivity has been completely fine with it. I get the sense that a lot of people here are just riding the complain train. For those who are actually experiencing it I would, as I said, recommend speaking to a doctor. If I'm not having these issues but they are they may want to make certain there isn't a greater reason for it.

[Tal-N]

If you are having problems recognising the icons with the faded effect then you really do have a problem with your eyesight. My wife is anything but the avid gamer and she has no problems with the new graphics on the hotkey bar at all, and she's a clicker too!

[Taixads]

Sounds to me like:

 

Keyboard turners, those who don't have to constantly stare at their bars to see where to click next every few seconds either love, appreciate, or at least don't mind the feature because it allows us to keep our eyes on our positioning and still know when the GCD is up so we can keep chaining our abilities without delay.

 

Clickers who stare at the bar endlessly hate it because it blocks out the shiny icons.

 

Learn to mouse turn with keybindings? It was better in every way even before the UI change.