Here's some combat footage from the beta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxoFNntiQNQ&hd=1

Disclaimer: Please don't mistake this for TSW-fanboyism.  In fact, I hated TSW at first.

The first time I stepped into The Secret World, I immediately disliked everything about it. I'm not sure why, but this game doesn't give a good first impression. Maybe it's a symptom of the EA and Funcom logos scarring the surface of the game's skin like a festering rash. Maybe it's the unusual approach to the GUI or the strange limitations for active quests. Possibly even the modern horror-fantasy setting made me feel uncomfortable and out of place. Whatever it is, that first impression almost ruined the whole game for me.

However, after reading a discussion about character builds and theory-crafting, I decided to give TSW another chance. I'm glad I did.

Anyway, check out the combat footage and judge for yourself.  The animations aren't great, but the combat isn't as bad as many people are saying.

combat looks really swtor-ie

I most admit that it looks better in that video than when I played it.  Either they have been working on the animations or the more likely it looks good because you were moving the entire time.   I love the game but the combat and the animations are going to be a dealbreaker for me I'm afraid.  I'm shallow I know ;(.

Why do you move around so much when you fight?  Does that help at all?

Originally posted by WellzyC

combat looks really swtor-ie

Lol, no it doesn't.  SWTOR's combat looks way better than this, and I'm no fan of SWTOR.  At least SWTOR, if nothing else, has great-looking animations.  

I dunno, that video didn't do much to make me think the combat in TSW is any better than what I've already decided it is based on the amount of time I've played.

Originally posted by Vhaln

Why do you move around so much when you fight?  Does that help at all?

only helps avoiding on those large attacks you see.. basically the white circles are charge up attacks and hit hard so you need to move out of the hit zone.. other than that I move a lot just to keep from getting bored

Originally posted by Vhaln

Why do you move around so much when you fight?  Does that help at all?

cause you can?

Usually moving around helps negate some of the damage of melee based mobs, especially if you combine it with movement slowdown skills that you got equipped, or if you want the mobs nicely piled up within your AoE cone of damage.

Originally posted by Vhaln

Why do you move around so much when you fight?  Does that help at all?

So that you don't take as much damage.

Moving around does make the combat look better, but I think that's because it gives the impression that movement matters.  That is, a more involved combat system, as opposed to just standing toe-to-toe doing a rotation.   I'm asking though, because I'm wondering if maybe it mattered more than I'd realized. 

Originally posted by Vhaln

Why do you move around so much when you fight?  Does that help at all?

Some attacks affect a cone-area in front of you, that's why I keep walking backwards, to pull the mobs in front of me and into the cone.

Like others mentioned, you can move to avoid bigger attacks.  It became natural for me to constantly move, rather than stay in one place and get pummled.

Originally posted by Vhaln

Moving around does make the combat look better, but I think that's because it gives the impression that movement matters.  That is, a more involved combat system, as opposed to just standing toe-to-toe doing a rotation.   I'm asking though, because I'm wondering if maybe it mattered more than I'd realized. 

If he just stood there against that big mech, he would have died. You are supposed to avoid attacks not just the big one but the little ones too.

Originally posted by Chopsticks

If he just stood there against that big mech, he would have died. You are supposed to avoid attacks not just the big one but the little ones too.

Felt like I was getting hit just the same, no matter how I tried to move.  Maybe I was just lagging, I dunno.

Originally posted by Beyorn

I most admit that it looks better in that video than when I played it.  Either they have been working on the animations or the more likely it looks good because you were moving the entire time.   I love the game but the combat and the animations are going to be a dealbreaker for me I'm afraid.  I'm shallow I know ;(.

It really depends on what weapons you chose.  Elementalism and Shotguns are really polished.  Pistols and Blades were recently added to the game, and I imagine they will be much more polished before release.

I think most weapons are good, except for Blades, Pistols, and Chaos.  I currently won't use any of those three weapons because of how piss poor the animations are right now.

Originally posted by RebelScum99

Originally posted by WellzyC

combat looks really swtor-ie

Lol, no it doesn't.  SWTOR's combat looks way better than this, and I'm no fan of SWTOR.  At least SWTOR, if nothing else, has great-looking animations.  

I dunno, that video didn't do much to make me think the combat in TSW is any better than what I've already decided it is based on the amount of time I've played.

lol, I don't know about that.

Junkyard looks great.  They did nice lighting there.  One of the better environments I've seen.

Camera FOV seems a bit odd, like it's wide angle with a bit of fish-eye effect.

The one thing I see with combat is that movement feels slow.  Most of the animations looked reasonable.  If they'd speed movement by 25 to 50%, I think it would look more fluid.  Maybe it's just me... it just felt sluggish and not very crisp (responsive) watching the video.

Cool to see it, thanks for the vid!

Originally posted by Vhaln

Originally posted by Chopsticks

If he just stood there against that big mech, he would have died. You are supposed to avoid attacks not just the big one but the little ones too.

Felt like I was getting hit just the same, no matter how I tried to move.  Maybe I was just lagging, I dunno.

Another reason is to try and break your enemy's Line of Sight.  If you're standing behind them, then their targeted abilities will fail to cast.

Originally posted by XAPGames

Junkyard looks great.  They did nice lighting there.  One of the better environments I've seen.

 

Camera FOV seems a bit odd, like it's wide angle with a bit of fish-eye effect.

 

The one thing I see with combat is that movement feels slow.  Most of the animations looked reasonable.  If they'd speed movement by 25 to 50%, I think it would look more fluid.  Maybe it's just me... it just felt sluggish and not very crisp (responsive) watching the video.

 

Cool to see it, thanks for the vid!

I agree with you on the slow movement.  After a while, you get used to it.  I think TSW's combat would benefit from dodging like you find in GW2.  I find myself double-tapping directional keys in all games ever since I played GW2.

Not sure if it makes a noticeable difference, but I disabled the motion blur in TSW.  Otherwise I have everything maxed out.

And there are some great environments in TSW, most areas anyway.  Some areas still need polish, but otherwise really great stuff.

eek.. the combat in that video looks awful, imho. So far I haven't been impressed by the combat in this game at all. The customization isn't bad, but it doesn't feel particularly good either. I do prefer it to the old talent tree system, though. Maybe the game gets better later, but the only thing I liked about TSW were the non-standard quests that lead you on scavenger hunts around the world. I wish there were more of those, and I really don't like that they still have kill quests like as seen in the video.

Powerless animations and combat in yet another game... i'll pass.

I like the look of the junkyard area though.