Multi-Tasking:
Obstacles presented to the player within massively multiplayer role-playing games often require them to multitask. In popular role-playing games such as EQ, VG & soon to be Pantheon, many classes require intense multitasking abilities in order to excel at their role.
How good are your in-game multitasking abilities and which classes do you think are the toughest to master?
Castwell said:
I would say I'm pretty good at multi-tasking, but thats mostly from 2 boxing on a raid when we were short clerics. As for which are the hardest, clerics have to stay focused on healing, main tanks have to focus on keeping agro, so I would say either of those
Nice!
Healing and Tanking definitely have their challenges. If I was to choose I would probably say CC due to the need for multiple mob lock downs, situational awareness (this is mainly the same for all classes) plus all of the refresh timers you need to keep track of but even Dps has its challenges, mainly trying to put out as much damage as possible while rotating the correct abilities and doing it all without ending up dead! lol
I guess all classes would have a pretty good claim to the title when you think about it :)
When I first read the title, I was thinking leading a raid, while eatting pizza, watching Netflix, and explaining card interaction for MTGO to my wife....you know, Multi-tasking.
I just hope I'm not intensely mashing buttons while intensely multi-tasking in Pantheon. Multi-tasking is fine, through watching cooldowns, situational/fight awareness, CC timers on mobs etc, but I hope I don't have to smash the 1 key every second at all times while doing those things.
I loved the feel of EQ. When you were in a good group, grinding levels or AA, you could easily chat (via keyboard back then) and be fairly relaxed as you weren't playing whack-a-mole with your UI, but when the proverbial feces impacted the oscillating air current distribution device - you puckered up real quick. While I loved the slow back and forth of group banter, it was those hectic moments that made the game so amazing. Having beastlords, and their pets, tanking mobs while the MT had two or three on them and the CC player juggling 4 or 5 others really showed you your characters true potential and the players real abilities. I am looking forward to that type of gameplay again.
Fairly good at multi-tasking, like 2 or 3 things to keep track of. Playing a mage in EQ1 I was forced to keep track of elemental while at the same time being a caster/DPS person in a group and on the outside, wanting to be the first person to OT the add with said elemental while still casting on the main target, to allow the others some time to acknowledge and respond to the add in a more robust way. But yes, everyone needed to shut up and pay attention when serious things were going on.
Some things that irked me, was a few times in a plane heading to a raid target and a mini-boss was engaged, and 2 minutes into the fight, then the BST would walk over and say, "would you please summon armor and weapons for my pet?" while his warder was attacking the mini-boss. I felt that was a bit, out of place. I said, dude- ask me before, ok?
Alternatively, also regarding multi-taskng some of the pleasing examples have been when we were older and geared up and heading through the warrens to do some questing in stonebrunt (I asked to stop at the prince along the way for Miranda, some of them did not know Miranda) and an appropriately aged person came running past us yelling "TFAAAOOOM!", stopped when the saw us and spun around looking in the distance. We knew without being told,that the person was being polite and not wanting to endanger us, stopped and stood to take the death lest she pass on the aggro to us from zoning. She then quietly said " get out, train" . and it was because she tried to say "train"- well, we took care of it, made sure there was no remaining aggro and gave her some money and stuffed her pockets with some nice stat food that she had never seen (the druid was quite the chef) before and we went on through leaving her there to continue her hunts, with some buffs, too (she was a ranger).
That kind of in game multi-tasking and raid/quest related multi-tasking yes I can do and its fun. In EQ1 there was a Dragon Raid, in a later expansion that made you have to touch a roaming monster to prevent a death from a contracted sickness. It as fun, people running around, sometimes two after one, and one would get it, you would panic a little as the disease/curse started to take over and tried to find another- at the other end! can you run to it in time!- that was fun, even with the deaths if they occured.
Rallyd said:
I just hope I'm not intensely mashing buttons while intensely multi-tasking in Pantheon. Multi-tasking is fine, through watching cooldowns, situational/fight awareness, CC timers on mobs etc, but I hope I don't have to smash the 1 key every second at all times while doing those things.
Not at all, unless you choose to mash buttons intensely and if you did choose to do that I wouldn;t hold it against you mate! ;) lol
This is not a question of how we are going to secretly make you all go insane with multitasking, there is no negative to be had here, it's just an interactive question with a few points, nothing more. :)
Medawky said:
I loved the feel of EQ. When you were in a good group, grinding levels or AA, you could easily chat (via keyboard back then) and be fairly relaxed as you weren't playing whack-a-mole with your UI, but when the proverbial feces impacted the oscillating air current distribution device - you puckered up real quick. While I loved the slow back and forth of group banter, it was those hectic moments that made the game so amazing. Having beastlords, and their pets, tanking mobs while the MT had two or three on them and the CC player juggling 4 or 5 others really showed you your characters true potential and the players real abilities. I am looking forward to that type of gameplay again.
Hahaha good explanation mate! :)
Valith said:
I always feel that when lots of things are going on it really put you in the moment - heightened awareness. It is when things are routine and slow paced that I tend to make more mistakes, like late heals..
This is very true for me also!
When I am relaxing and talking I make more mistakes than when I am alert and active :)
Manouk said:
Fairly good at multi-tasking, like 2 or 3 things to keep track of. Playing a mage in EQ1 I was forced to keep track of elemental while at the same time being a caster/DPS person in a group and on the outside, wanting to be the first person to OT the add with said elemental while still casting on the main target, to allow the others some time to acknowledge and respond to the add in a more robust way. But yes, everyone needed to shut up and pay attention when serious things were going on.
Some things that irked me, was a few times in a plane heading to a raid target and a mini-boss was engaged, and 2 minutes into the fight, then the BST would walk over and say, "would you please summon armor and weapons for my pet?" while his warder was attacking the mini-boss. I felt that was a bit, out of place. I said, dude- ask me before, ok?
Alternatively, also regarding multi-taskng some of the pleasing examples have been when we were older and geared up and heading through the warrens to do some questing in stonebrunt (I asked to stop at the prince along the way for Miranda, some of them did not know Miranda) and an appropriately aged person came running past us yelling "TFAAAOOOM!", stopped when the saw us and spun around looking in the distance. We knew without being told,that the person was being polite and not wanting to endanger us, stopped and stood to take the death lest she pass on the aggro to us from zoning. She then quietly said " get out, train" . and it was because she tried to say "train"- well, we took care of it, made sure there was no remaining aggro and gave her some money and stuffed her pockets with some nice stat food that she had never seen (the druid was quite the chef) before and we went on through leaving her there to continue her hunts, with some buffs, too (she was a ranger).
That kind of in game multi-tasking and raid/quest related multi-tasking yes I can do and its fun. In EQ1 there was a Dragon Raid, in a later expansion that made you have to touch a roaming monster to prevent a death from a contracted sickness. It as fun, people running around, sometimes two after one, and one would get it, you would panic a little as the disease/curse started to take over and tried to find another- at the other end! can you run to it in time!- that was fun, even with the deaths if they occured.
There are certainly different types of multitasking and a right place and wrong place to ask people of things lol
Some of the most fun I've ever had gaming was playing a bard in EQ. Twisting songs, swapping weapons and instruments, changing up the twist as the situation demands. The EQ bard was poetry in motion. It had an answer for everything. When you get to where your reaction to any situation becomes reflex, you really feel like you're in the zone. Zen and the Art of the Bard. But damned if it wasn't murder on the hands!
I would love to see complex class mechanics in Pantheon. Maybe not to the point of giving us carpel tunnel syndrome, but certainly more interesting than a lot of MMOs these days that only give you a few abilities to work with. I've read a lot of comments over the years from people saying they hate having dozens of icons all over their screen. They prefer simplicity. Now, nothing against simplicity. It has its place. But in an MMO I love when my class is complex enough (and I know my class well enough) to be able to counter whatever craziness happens in battle. When the unexpected happens if my class doesn't have the answer, I would expect someone in my group to have a spell or ability that can turn the tide in our favor if they're quick enough and attentive enough to make use of it before we lose control of the fight. If our only choices are damaging abilities and healing abilities then I'll go looking for a game with deeper class mechanics and more utility.
It's more than just taking advantage of the player's situational awareness in combat mechanics. It's making each class fun to play for those of us who aren't button mashers. Fact paced, action packed combat isn't as interesting to me as slower, more methodical combat. I much prefer having a lot to do during battle, and having split-second choices to make. I also enjoy swapping out spells to maximize the group's efficiency between fights. Think EQ shaman. They were always casting, non-stop. Poor shammies never got a moment's rest! While the shaman and bard maybe be extreme examples, I think every class should have some degree of complexity and maintenance involved for those who want to utilize their role to the fullest.
A good game should expect you to be able to multitask to some extent. It should trust that you're smart enough to figure out the subtleties of your class/role. If the game doesn't ask much of the player, can the player really expect much from the game? I've seen a trend in MMOs in recent years that I can only define as a dumbing down of the genre. Most MMOs (not all, but most) are too simple, too easy and practically hand you everything on a silver platter. They tell you where to go, what to do, and how to do it. They're so determined to hold your hand every step of the way that they now have cross server pickup RAIDS! Situational awareness, for the most part, boils down to not standing in the fire, or dodging the 5-second telegraphed attack. Gone are the days when you had to think on your feet -- react to the situation or find yourself naked at the bank! One wrong move could spell disaster. The world was harsh and unforgiving, and you had to know what you're doing if you wanted to survive. That isn't the case anymore. You barely even have to pay attention in most modern MMOs. I honestly find that a little insulting. I expect more from a game, and I wish it would expect more from me.
I hope that didn't stray too far from the OP's question. :P
I think for me, it has really depended on the encounter rather than the actual class. Don't get me wrong, I agree a lot with what other members have said regarding tanks and healers, and they will typically have to multitask a bit more, juggling aggro, and deciding who to heal and when, but there have been plenty of encounters where it is just as important to watch counterspells, positioning, cleanses, curse removal and etc as a dps class in a fight where the tank just needs to sit there with his sword and board while the healers just need to worry about keeping him up.
Encounters that have a lot of creatures that can pop your dps are typically harder on tanks. Healers struggle more on encounters where the tanks and dps are taking both single target spikes, and AoE damage. DPS can struggle on fights where there is a lot of movement and you need to burn the mob at the same time.
I think some of my most mechanical encounters as a DPS main in VG were actually when I was on my own. When im trying to solo some crazy 6 dot in an area with lots of mob pathing and quick respawns, or trying to kite around a bunch of 4-5 dots for 20 min straight. Pushing your limits as a dps can teach you a lot about positioning and how much more you might be able to do in raid/group situations.
Multi-Tasking
I prefer a game similar to EQ1 - Knowing when to assist properly (Giving the tank time to build agro). Setting a group up for success by buffing prior to pulls. Classes knowing when to root, snare, CC mobs and groups moving around properly to get away from danger. Healers and support classes knowing when to slow, heal, debuff. So I would prefer a game that was more knowledge based because you know all your abilities and when to use them properly in different situations.
vs
A game like EQ2 - Once you figured out the combo system, and your DPS rotation you pretty much learned your class. The game had a lot of the old EQ1 mechanics with slows, AOE, CC, etc but most of the time my groups just plowed through things by strong arming the encounter. I found this to be true in WoW and other games like AA as well. I couldn't believe how bad people were at grouping. As soon as the tank would look in the direction of a mob the DPS would go full out on their DPS rotations. People didn't even know the basics of when and how to assist.
So for me I'd prefer we learn how to use our abilities and be forced into becoming good players who know when and how to play their class/abilities. I want a game that allows me to relax while playing not constantly be spamming 20 hotkeys.
Multi-tasking to me is when you are a puller and you manage your spawn rotation badly and happen to get a bad pull. You bring 4 mobs vs. the 2 you planned on and when you arrive at the camp everyone reacts to the situation. Ranger snares the 1st mob out of the 4 before arriving to the camp, a druid is paying attention and roots the second mob while the enchanter memorizes the 3rd and the main tank grabs agro on the 4th. The DPS in the group burn down the 4th mob as quickly as possible. The main tank picks up the 1st mob after it finally shows up while the healer tries to manage his mana to get through the encounter with everyone alive and all mobs eventually dead before the next respawn which happens right on top of the groups location.