Q u o t e: You play the Barbiarian at all? If so, you remember using Frenzy? Anything that gets into range when you are spamming your attacks, and you just lay into it. If you want to target one out of them, you can pick one particular monster, and click directly on it. What the hell is so hard about that?
Oh sure, but how about the early part of the game where you don't have access to much AOE?
Even a Wizard aiming a magic missile would be a b!tch to do... unless you used the mouse for targetting.
But yeah, guess you don't seem to realize that since you're already using the mouse for targetting adding in movement would not only help you control your character better, but free four of your fingers for essential hotkeys as well.
Q u o t e: Next, I would also like to see if they can keep you moving and attacking in isometric like they do in first person shooters. I imagine it would be harder, as a character running backward in iso would look bad if not done right, but it would be awesome - especially for the shooters and mages. Backpeddling and shooting in iso isn't a first, but with Blizz at the helm - may be the best.
Yeah, but you can't "run and shoot", there's the cast time.
And if Blizzard ever added a "run and shoot" skill it would be entirely possible to control with the mouse, just have the character keep running in the direction toward your movement click while you cast spells.
Q u o t e: Anyway, Bash, think about it. Using the mouse for movement and attacking was avoided in many games for a D4MN GOOD REASON.
Yea, and that "good reason" is that it's a 3D game and a separate set of controls for movement from your vision (360 degrees) is required otherwise the game would be unplayable.
It's also the most logical and comfortable set of controls, just like the mouse for movement/targeting and other hand for hotkeys is for D3.
Q u o t e: Using the mouse for movement doesn't give you any real advantage on the skill usage either. I have a mouse with like... i don't know... 200 buttons for every skill in the game. The mose move and attack method can't realistically react any faster in practice.
If you had a mouse with at least 6 separate buttons aside from the left and right click, you might be right.
But guess what?
Most people don't have that kind of ridiculous crap.
For most people, having movement controlled by the WASD would limit their ability to cast different spells through hotkeys.
Yes, they can still manage, but it would be cumbersome and not the best control scheme.
Once again:
Q u o t e: It's a developers' duty not to include as many control schemes as possible, but only as many as they feel are the best ways to play the game.
If they simply included as many poor control schemes as possible simply for the sake of having options, many people who play the game will see these as VALID and equally responsive alternatives to the main one.
With their reasoning falling under "why would the developers' include this control setup if they didn't fully support it", many would feel frustrated if they felt these controls weren't responsive.
And thus bringing us full circle to Bashiok's quote about how WOW users went for the WASD setup first, what would happen if they knew that a WASD control scheme was available?
They'd definitely use it, most probably even forsaking the mouse setup before even trying it.
