PvP game design

[Vllad]

This is one of my central questions.
Can you make it fun, fast and skillful WITHOUT requiring aiming?
The problem I have with aiming is that you are no longer "role playing". That is, how good of a marksman your dwarf is should be based on the character's skill with the rifle, not your skill with the mouse. If we're using your skill with the mouse, then it's not a pure RPG anymore.

Aiming can be adjusted. The problem is people have their minds stuck with what they know instead of being creative.

Aiming doesn't have to impacted at all about whose mouse is faster just because that is how FPS games are today.

For example: Reticle controls like Planetside. Lets say for a second that reticle controls are different for different spells. The reticle can be controlled by how much skill you have or what kind of spells you are casting.

In a skill based game you make people make choices. You can either cast big bombing spells but the sacrifice is good reticle controls. You can sacrifice the damage for faster or longer reticle control. Think of the sniper in Planetside.

You can also have dissapation or increase of energy the longer a shot travels. You can do all kinds of things in an aiming world to prevent the pure FPS twitch fighting.

Their is a consistant theme on games that use aiming methods over auto targeting. Auto targeting games require zergs to win and Aiming targeting games require strategies to win.

I know where you are going with the set up piece. You are saying the same thing I am about a skill based game. A skill based game with the ability to respec as often as you like fixes that.

The problem with your set up piece is it could create scenario's that are to slow. Two groups run into each other and can't do anything because niether is set up correctly. They both run away and nothing happens. I see more running then fighting if you don't have access to things.

Vllad