Melee Attack Range Validation

[Gol Tink]

.Anyone that has tried to play a purely melee character in PvP has probably noticed an annoying little 'bug' that has been around since the Alpha; the range detection when attacking a moving target is god awful. Buff clerics have probably noticed it as well. If you are trying to attack/buff a moving target you *must* be ahead of them for the attack to actually go through. If you are the smallest bit behind the target, the attack will almost always fail.

It is my belief that this is not an intended mechanic, and is due to some disconnect in the tic time of the server checking player locations, and the range validation checking where everyone involved in an attack is. This needs to be fixed ASAP, or melee PvP will continue to be the twitch-based cluster fudge that it is.

Huge portions of the Fighter mechanics, the parts that are clearly designed to balance us against mobile characters, are effectively gated by how fast you are able to run. If I can run faster than you, then I can stay slightly ahead of you and get attacks off. If I am the same speed as you, I am screwed, because chances are I will always be behind you *but still in melee range* and my attacks won't go off.

This makes speed the most important stat for any melee PvP player, not because we need to be able to close the gap, which is an entirely valid reason, but so that we can bypass a broken system that cannot possibly be intentional. If I am literally running so close behind you that model collision detection is kicking in, I should be able to reliably hit you. Especially with a spear that has an increased range on it.

I would really love to hear from a developer whether or not this behavior is intentional, and if it is, what their reasoning behind it is.

To be clear, I am not talking about occasions where a target is fast enough to run out of melee range and avoid attacks that way. Both combatants are in melee range the entire time, both running in the same direction at the same speed. Something is not working correctly in those cases. I would be glad to demonstrate what I mean with a video if anyone thinks it might help.

[Giorgo]

Gol Tink wrote:

I would really love to hear from a developer whether or not this behavior is intentional, and if it is, what their reasoning behind it is.

Wrong place to ask Gol Tink; the devs have all but abandoned this forum months ago. You are better off asking on the GW forums where you might get a developer response. :)

[Gol Tink]

I actually posted over there as well, but I know that some people don't visit those forums, and I would still like to hear if those people have found that this is an issue.

[Giorgo]

Did not see your post there, good to know. I am also interested in finding out the reply to your questions. :)

[Savage Grace]

I tried using a spear, once, but it broke my bow string.

[Capitalocracy]

Thanks for the tip, Tink. I was having trouble healing someone last night running right behind them.

[Gol Tink]

I made a video showing what I mean

[Traianus Decius Aureus]

FYI, this affects PVE as well as PVP. You don't see it as much in PVE unless you are tackling a T2 escalation were you may end up with some people kiting.

[Gol Tink]

Oh, for sure, Phyllain and I hate it in PvE as well. Chasing down Mordant Spire while people kite them around is horrible. But at least those move in a predictable fashion. It is really easy to cut them off. That isn't the case in a PvP fight where one person is sprinting away from the other.

[DeciusBrutus]

Most people are much more predictable than they think they are. But there's a major difference between knowing what someone is about to do and being able to do something about it.

[Gol Phyllain]

Thanks again Decius for adding absolutely nothing to a conversation about game mechanics.

[Neadenil Edam]

Agree this needs fixing.

PvE you can just get aggro so its not a huge issue. Once mobs are resetting they are immune anyway. However the only option PvP players have is crowd control tactics and they are erratic to use at best.