Ability Delay -- Character Responsiveness (This will make or break SW:TOR)

[samdbtto]

I've posted a video response to the link on the very start of this page, showing that you actually CAN queue skills on seperate targets without a problem.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzP0xjNLyX4

 

Hopefully the OP and original video poster will respond to this

 

As I say in the video, animations are borked, but the core global cooldown isn't.

 

The casted ability doesn't seem to have a long animation, so there is no delay. I think the problem is the animation and i have posted a video showing the same thing but a long animation stops the qued instant ability from being cast. Regardless of gcd the dmg is delayed by at least 1 sec.

 

Edit: the video is on the previous page.

Edited December 27, 2011 by samdbtto

[ajjw]

I've posted a video response to the link on the very start of this page, showing that you actually CAN queue skills on seperate targets without a problem.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzP0xjNLyX4

 

Hopefully the OP and original video poster will respond to this

 

As I say in the video, animations are borked, but the core global cooldown isn't.

This example works because the Animation.Length <= Cast.Time. The problems arise when Animation.Length > Cast.Time, as you get unintended delay before you can cast anything else (equal to Animation.Length - Cast.Time).

[samdbtto]

This example works because the Animation.Length <= Cast.Time. The problems arise when Animation.Length > Cast.Time, as you get unintended delay before you can cast anything else (equal to Animation.Length - Cast.Time).

 

You explained it better than me =)

[Sanchpanza]

The casted ability doesn't seem to have a long animation, so there is no delay. I think the problem is the animation and i have posted a video showing the same thing but a long animation stops the qued instant ability from being cast.

 

Edit: the video is on the previous page.

 

Yes, but neither did the ability on the WoW video at the start.

 

Most of the abilities that have long animations are channeled abilities, ie, Force Lightning, or the warriors 3 hit combo, or the bounty hunters Unload abilities. Most things that have an activation time are actually instant cast once the activation time is up.

 

Stuff that's off the global cooldown will sometimes interrupt animations and sometimes not, but I find that the skill still works and does damage, you just don't see the animation. Like retalliation for the warrior.

[Unseenhands]

Sanch, I'm impressed with your video response, but it does seem like you've chosen skills that work correctly - the problem is there are many that don't.

 

At the end of your video, you acknowledge that other animations run long and then, say, your lightning is doing damage, but not showing.

 

I guess I'm wondering if it actually IS doing damage - as without a combat log I cannot tell.

 

For instance, I'm playing a Jedi Knight and I hit Riposte (which I thought was an off the GCD skill) if the animation doesn't show, do I do the Riposte damage? Or, alternately, if the animation for the skill I'm already using stops in order to do the riposte animation, does the damage from the first skill continue (as I suppose it should.)

 

Speed up animations to finish in all these situations (first just to match the cast times, then in order to drop an interrupt or something) would MAYBE look a little weird, but ... just look at how fast Yoda fights in Ep 2.

[Squirtile]

100% support, I played WoW arena for a long time and the ability lag is close to unbearable in this game.

The worst thing that happens to me is on my sniper - I am casting snipe, and then right as it finished I go to cast ambush.

The cast bar for ambush comes up, finishes, and...nothing happens. So I've just wasted a few critical seconds sitting behind my cover doing nothing while the enemy was beating me to death.

[YzenDanek]

I've posted a video response to the link on the very start of this page, showing that you actually CAN queue skills on seperate targets without a problem.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzP0xjNLyX4

 

Hopefully the OP and original video poster will respond to this

 

As I say in the video, animations are borked, but the core global cooldown isn't.

 

Abilities all have their own varied animation length, and some of them don't finish in time to let you do that, while some do. Yet other animations, including triggered ones, can block an attempt to use an ability until they finish.

 

It's incredibly inconsistent.

 

It's a mess.

[ajjw]

Yes, but neither did the ability on the WoW video at the start.

 

Most of the abilities that have long animations are channeled abilities, ie, Force Lightning, or the warriors 3 hit combo, or the bounty hunters Unload abilities. Most things that have an activation time are actually instant cast once the activation time is up.

 

Stuff that's off the global cooldown will sometimes interrupt animations and sometimes not, but I find that the skill still works and does damage, you just don't see the animation. Like retalliation for the warrior.

The difference is that in WoW, if an animation is still playing when you cast a new skill, the old animation is "clipped" by that of the new skill (ie the old one stops, new one plays).

 

In SWTOR, if an animation is still playing, you cannot cast a new skill until it ends. Period. Even if the cast time has finished and the UI says you CAN cast a new skill.

 

It sucks.

Edited December 27, 2011 by ajjw

[Perderedeus]

They definitely need to make a pass over every ability and tune things, tighten it up. Some abilities are out of whack in terms of activation time versus GCD, triggering GCD/cooldown, or corresponding to channeling bars, etc, etc.

 

A popular example... a Trooper's Mortar Volley is cast, the channeling begins, the animation begins, and the first round eventually fires about halfway through channeling. The next round fires near the end of channeling. The third and final round follows well after the channeling bar is depleted and gone. That's... bizarre.

 

I've noticed this with other abilities too, but this is one that always sticks out for me.

[samdbtto]

Yes, but neither did the ability on the WoW video at the start.

 

Most of the abilities that have long animations are channeled abilities, ie, Force Lightning, or the warriors 3 hit combo, or the bounty hunters Unload abilities. Most things that have an activation time are actually instant cast once the activation time is up.

 

Stuff that's off the global cooldown will sometimes interrupt animations and sometimes not, but I find that the skill still works and does damage, you just don't see the animation. Like retalliation for the warrior.

 

Dunno if you watched the video but you CANNOT que up abilities on separate targets without delay between abilities, with long animations. See video

 

Edited December 27, 2011 by samdbtto

[Lagtastic]

Yes I think it is an animation issue as well. Same PC I can login to another MMO and skill transition is flawless. Logoff and login to SWTOR, and have issues chaining together skills. This will be a serious challenge trying to do 16man operations at a high level.

[soliddew]

This. It absolutely must be fixed.

[Technosoft]

Not sure if this infomation is useful to this current topic but check,

 

Character panel > Drop down box > Force > Activation Speed.

 

I'm not sure how this stat works, but from reading the tool tip, this could shed some light on the delay issues?

 

I currently have 0.0% on this stat, but maybe its something to investigate?

 

( i too don't like the current delay with skills as it stands )

 

[ajjw]

Not sure if this infomation is useful to this current topic but check,

 

Character panel > Drop down box > Force > Activation Speed.

 

I'm not sure how this stat works, but from reading the tool tip, this could shed some light on the delay issues?

 

I currently have 0.0% on this stat, but maybe its something to investigate?

 

( i too don't like the current delay with skills as it stands )

 

Edit: That's your Alacrity rating - As you get gear with Alacrity, your cast times are quicker. Not related to this issue, though. In fact, would make it even worse I imagine. As Alacrity increases, the unintended delay will also increase.

Edited December 27, 2011 by ajjw

[Leilei]

Yes - Right now, the game waits for the previous animation to finish before letting another ability go through.

 

It's a stupid design.

 

IE the animation from your previous skill is still playing when you try to use your off-GCD skill, so it doesn't go through :-/

 

ITs not really stupid design for everyone thouhg.

 

I know people who prefer city of heroes combat over world of warcrafts.

 

SWTOR is more like city of heroes.

 

Its more..how should I say this...Looking ahead vs looking whats happening right now if you will.

[Sanchpanza]

I don't think I've encountered any skills so far that have a longer animation time than the casting/global cooldown.

 

The only thing I can think of is with the warrior, where you try to use retribution in the middle of another skill. I'll see if I can capture a video of this happening and see if damage is indicated.

[ajjw]

ITs not really stupid design for everyone thouhg.

 

I know people who prefer city of heroes combat over world of warcrafts.

 

SWTOR is more like city of heroes.

 

Its more..how should I say this...Looking ahead vs looking whats happening right now if you will.

The current system is not intended. Looking ahead is irrelevant when there is unintended delays involved.

 

As I mentioned above, this will become MUCH more apparent when people start stacking Alacrity gear at lv 50.

 

If you have a skill with a 2s cast, 2.5s animation - Right now you wait 0.5s after the cast before you can cast again.

 

With enough Alacrity to reduce the cast to 1.5s, YOU'LL BE WAITING 1 WHOLE SECOND TO CAST AGAIN!

 

With the current system, Alacrity actually HURTS you. The current system is not intended.

[Unseenhands]

Today started Imperial Agent. Using the sniper skill, from level 1, the cast time ends and you can't use another skill until the laser hits the target. Just an example.

[Ryzerion]

here's another perfect example of me trying to get off an ability after a channeled ability and losing a global cooldown and my footing

 

 

lmfao

[Xadre]

The people that raise this issue do have a point, several times when I have used an instant ability and then tried to execute a 3 second cast for example, the animation has begun but the actual attack is not executing.. which leaves me hanging for a few seconds.

Some might not think a few seconds is a lot, but it sure is, especially as everything you do is manual, there is no auto attack.. a few seconds lost can be a lot of damage.

[pezit]

I dislike WoW a lot yet the OP is absolutely correct in that this is extremely well made in WoW and absolutely horrid in SW:ToR, it really needs to be changed for the better. I actually think WoWs animations looks absolutely ridiculously bad for the most part though so I hope that SW:ToR can keep its decent animations while still fixing this issue.

 

In short, love the game but this is indeed a huge deal and in need of a change/fix.

Edited December 27, 2011 by pezit

[Nephrahim]

The people that raise this issue do have a point, several times when I have used an instant ability and then tried to execute a 3 second cast for example, the animation has begun but the actual attack is not executing.. which leaves me hanging for a few seconds.

Some might not think a few seconds is a lot, but it sure is, especially as everything you do is manual, there is no auto attack.. a few seconds lost can be a lot of damage.

 

In games, tenths of seconds can seem like an enterntiy. Ask someone who raided in WoW what it was like when their screen would freeze dude to lag for even half a second.

 

End of the world.

[Arkimor]

lmfao

 

Yeah, that video made my night that much better.

[ajjw]

In games, tenths of seconds can seem like an enterntiy. Ask someone who raided in WoW what it was like when their screen would freeze dude to lag for even half a second.

 

End of the world.

Quoted for truth.

[Arkimor]

In games, tenths of seconds can seem like an enterntiy. Ask someone who raided in WoW what it was like when their screen would freeze dude to lag for even half a second.

 

End of the world.

 

Much like racing, people underestimate the impact that tenth's of seconds have in games like these.