Thread 723972210

assuming the same class design & identity, would an mmo like wow be more fun if it had action combat?

Yes like New world

no

It depends on who you ask. In my opinion no, it is not better at all. Tab targeting requires a certain type of skill that captivated players over decades. Action MMOs require a totally different skill more similar to fighting games. It's a completely different mindset even if it has the MMO skin on it.

This is like asking "what if the new DMC was actually a reskinned Street Fighter, would it be better?", and the answer is no.

The numbers also prove that most people dislike action MMOs. WoW and OSRS are the most popular MMOs of all time and both of them favor something akin to tab targeting.

>>723972210 (OP)
Action combat would require some kind of mechanical skill which is a no no for WoW boomer audience.

It would be more fun if it wasn't an mmo.

>>723972289
The worst part of New World is the lack of classes, having the core combat experience revolve around 3 abilities x2 via weapon swapping is so lame. Add to that, the crafting system is garbage which is kind of hilarious because the harvesting is so good.

>>723972413
Action probably also doesn't work well with larger parties so you'd be limited to like 3-5 man dungeons and maybe 10 man raids. Maybe an action/tab target hybrid would be viable

wow almost added an over the shoulder cam when it was trying to be a tablet game in wod/legion

>>723972210 (OP)
I always liked tab target combat. It's chill, for slow grinding it's cool. Now modern WoW is very far from that vibe so it could go full action combat with no problem.
>>723972413
Numbers don't prove shit, there are hundreds of factors that come into play for popularity.

>>723973554
>Maybe an action/tab target hybrid would be viable
Isn't that kinda what tab targeting already is? There's always skills that are more "action" than "tab targeted"

>>723972210 (OP)
No because it will have shitty story, shitty retard boy errand quests and MUH BALANCE

>>723973840
and when you use a skill it automatically targets the closest enemy so it’s already hybrid

>>723972210 (OP)
MMO players don't want to think or have to execute mechanics. They just want to repeat the exact same simple actions over and over again. The more braindead the MMO the better

Modern tab targeting already has all the pros of action combat with none of the cons

People need to remember that 2025 tab targeting has nothing to do with what it was in 2006

>action combat
As in MOBA combat with skill shots or first-person shooters with projectiles and hitscan weapons?

>>723975074
Even worse, they want gacha/genshin impact combat aka nu-dark souls/nu-botw

>>723972210 (OP)
This has been tried multiple times, and the trendline is clear. The more action combat elements you add, the weaker the class distinctions become in reality. Prime examples are tera and Guild Wars 2 at launch.

Tera tried to retain the holy trinity and put more emphasis on timing-based dodging, parrying, ect. Guild Wars 2 tried something similar, but tried to null out the tank-dps-healer trinity, only to discover that setup is a load-bearing component to the class-based MMO's multiplayer endgame content formula.

When distilled down to the very essence, MMO "skill" is precision execution of individual role/class mechanics with a modifier of rote memorization of how to mitigate/defeat encounter mechanics/modifiers. This is fundamentally at odds with Action Combat's improvisation-based essence.

Action Combat in an MMO would be min-maxed to remove all elements that make it interesting, smashing it down to merely an additional set of movement mechanics tied to encounter mechanics.