I'ld have to side with ShelLuser on this one. I'm completely "meh" towards the update. Sure you get to dual wield, there are some new blocks, some nifty arrows, but most of the content seems arbitrary to me. Instead of building onto what is already there, they are completely changing the dynamics of many things. Even though 1.9 is due to officially release in the nearish future, we won't see it here on EMC for awhile. Lots of work for the powers that be to do to... configure it to EMC, and A LOT on their plate already. *coughempirescough*
Which reminds me... You mentioned quite a few times how "button mashing" could also bring in some ways to apply a strategy in your gameplay and how the new features stray away from it. I've been a little skeptic about that myself, but because I hardly play PvP I also have no way to comment. So a few weeks back I played "Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm" on my PS3 where the combat is roughly based around button mashing (combat is mostly done using 3 keys). Obviously its not comparable to Minecraft, but its definitely a good example on how you can apply strategy to 'button mashing'. There really is more to it than merely hitting a button as fast as you can. And with that in mind I now really think different about your previous comments.
Boring and broken? I'd say that about the current PvP. Literally all you do is spam, use a bow, and use potions/apples. At least the new PvP allows you to use tools as weapons that have their own upsides and downsides. Plus, new potions and arrows are sweet. But, again, mojang has said that the changes are never final and will change again. Here are the current cooldown stats: http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Damage#Attack_cooldown Plus, if Aikar wanted, he could adjust the attack speed attribute (Please don't) on weapons. New 'Attack Speed' attribute, generic.attackSpeed, measuring fully-charged attacks per second. Base is 4.0, meaning the bar refills in 0.25s. Swords, pickaxes, and shovels have a modifier of -2.75, resulting in a value of 1.25 (bar refilling in 0.8s). Axes have a modifier of -3.2, resulting in a value of 0.8 (bar refilling in 1.25s). The haste effect increases the attack speed by 10%, while mining fatigue decreases it by 10%.
That is actually an interesting comment. How about a /ps setting? "Combat setting: 1.8 / 1.9", to give people a choice in the matter? Sounds like the best of both worlds; two versions rolled into one (I'm sure there are also dozens of caveats)
Sorry, can't cut the long quote because of the stupid mobile version. Anyways, PvP is not mashing. It's not just inundating yourself with potions. It takes some skill. That's why some people do better than other even when the weaker are using potions.
No, all you do is bow spam and use potions/gapples. A player's opinion of PvP depends on how they play and the community they're active in. If a person only PvPs on servers like (looking at my server list) EMC, Hyp***l, and Mine***x, their opinion is going to be different than a person that's active in other PvP communities. The "spam, use a bow, and use potions/gapples" and Shell's "button-mashing" mentality resides primarily on these type of servers: survival, minigame, and non-competitive. If you go over to the other side of pvp, the competitive one, on servers that are PvP-oriented, the overall opinion is a lot different. On actual PvP servers people don't just "spam, use a bow, and use potions/gapples." There is more to pvp than running in, clicking, bow spamming, and chugging pots.Trying to understand the opinion of the other side is like trying to make sense of the way of life of an entirely different planet. It's just not going to happen.
I find all of your opinions about the combat changes interesting... I don't PvP competitively, yet I don't just go on all guns ablaze mashing and spamming my way to victory. PenguinDJ is correct that there is a different mentality for everyone on the subject. Now when I PvP during something like factions or a UHC match I tend to let my traps kill my foes or bring out my trusty bow. I resort to mêlée combat rarely unless I must. So these combat changes don't affect me that much except that I can use more than flaming arrows now. But I can see where you are all coming from. Just remember combat never stays exactly the same forever. A quick edit. This is a good time to mention that I'm planning a PvP contest for EMC. Date will be determined at a well later date.
I am pleased with the cool-down settings on all weapons/tools. It goes well with the hunger mechanic IMO. I don't ever PvP and I don't actually care about it. Until the mechanic has been tested by the millions of Minecraft players rather than just bitched about incessantly without actually using them I give no value to any side of the argument. I avoid most "discussions" that are more or less flame wars and speculation. I do wish the focus would be on improving matters with crafting and building. We need more use for our clay, as mentioned above. I am STILL waiting for the damn birds, bugs, fish, underwater biomes, etc. promised by Jeb_ years ago... I can't wait for Dragon Tombs on EMC as they have been hyped for years now. I know the difficulty in programming, and I am not saying this to be derogatory. I have great faith in Aikar and his developers. If DT is released before I give up on gaming all together, I will try them out. Otherwise, I will just be coming to the forums on occasion as always.
I totally agree. They completely left in the corner crafting and building. I'm still waiting for vertical slabs, a crafting recipe book, stone stairs, all kinds of prismarine stairs and slabs, chairs, tables, logs with bark on all 6 sides ecc... Things ALREADY did in modded WAY BACK! There's where my question pops up: "If these could be done in modded, why don't you add these things in vanilla?" For how much i like minecraft and this update I feel that redstone engineers and builders are completely left out, with their good suggestions If Mojang did some sort of "Mini-Bountiful Updates" it would certainly receive more content feedback than specializing in only one thing, honestly.
I used one of the snapshots to PvP on a private server. Shields are overpowered. You can block anything. The cool down time is stupid, why should you have to wait to press a button that allows you to defend yourself? PvP fights last minutes. I was not able to kill this person and vice versa because of the shields. I want to know if Mojang plays their game and knows that 1.9 will kill it.
Again, I see the all-or-nothing, black-and-white responses towards Minecraft 1.9, with death being seemly dominant... Everyone makes mistakes, and Mojang definitely made some when developing 1.9. Rather than endlessly complaining about a human thing, try to teach a lesson to learn from the mistakes. What are some things players and/or developers can learn from this 520+ day endeavor? To answer this thread's question, yes I'm basically ready whenever 1.9 drops to EMC.
The thing I can't wait is the new arrows, As a person who loves bows as much as EMC I think the new arrows would change the whole game for me positively. I am so hipped about opening my 1.9 arrow shop when 1.9 comes out I hope all the other features of 1.9 make Minecraft more better.
To be honest I don't see what all the hype for new arrows is about. The only one that seems to be remotely interesting, to me at least, is the Spectral Arrow. The buff arrows have nearly no practical use. The effects are so short that you'd have to shoot a teammate/yourself every few seconds. It'd be more worth it to just drink normal potions. The debuff arrows are only a little better. Maybe you could poison or slow someone to delay their escape or deal an extra half a heart, but I just don't see how these things are as game-changing and amazing as everyone says. But I do agree the Spectral Arrow has some cool uses. If a person's running and hiding, just shoot them with a Spectral Arrow and they can't hide anymore, or shoot them in a long distance bow fight so they'll be easily visible.
I do need to agree that the buff arrows are so pointless that pointless doesn't even began to describe it. But not all of them are, the Arrow of healing would deal extra damage to undead mobs and would heal the ally and it's more exact than a splash potion of healing.
The buff arrows are more of team-support arrows. If you see your teammate taking a beating, you can shoot him with a strength or a healing arrow to even up the fight. Sure your teammate could use potions, but then they would be wasting precious time that could be used to kill the opponent. Splash potions could effect your enemy too.
But that would mean that Mojang actually took PvP into consideration while making this update... and surely that can't be the case?
I'm super excited about the healing arrow: I picture in my mind a holy trinity (Tank, healer, dps) taking down Resik in Dragon Tombs......
