[Complaint] Firebrand skill icons need to be reworked

[Ashantara.8731]

Dear devs,

 

I just recently started to look deeper into the Firebrand elite spec. I bet it is a lot of fun to play, since it uses mechanics similar to the Engineer.

 

However, unlike the Engineer's, the Firebrand's skill icons say nothing about the skill. That makes them completely unintuitive. I am always losing time reading up what the skill does before I can use it, because the icons are really badly designed in that regard.

 

**Could we please get an overhaul of the Firebrand's skill icons?** It's all washy, bright and blue/white/purple/red-ish, and you cannot make out what it is supposed to depict, really. There is zero information stored in those images, and many look very much alike.

 

I am a highly intuitive player with a very strong visual-oriented memory. But my processor (a.k.a. the brain) can't store information that it cannot make sense of (i.e., no connection between "what I see" and "what it does").

[infrequentia.3465]

all gaurdian skills are bright and blue.

 

but i think you mean the mantra utility skills?

 

cause every single mantra skill including mesmer have such kind of icons where you can't tell what it does.

you are however supposed to read what a skill does and the icons are different enough to tell wich does what

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> all gaurdian skills are bright and blue.

 

Not like this. The old ones are anything but washy look-alikes. Their design is clean, crisp and unique, and the images are significantly representative to what the skill does so that you can memorize them easily.

 

> but i think you mean the mantra utility skills?

 

No, I was foremost referring to the Tomes' skill bars. They are a mess in design, completely unintuitive.

[Voltekka.2375]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> > all gaurdian skills are bright and blue.

>

> Not like this. The old ones are anything but washy look-alikes. Their design is clean, crisp and unique, and the images are significantly representative to what the skill does so that you can memorize them easily.

>

> > but i think you mean the mantra utility skills?

>

> No, I was foremost referring to the Tomes' skill bars. They are a mess in design, completely unintuitive.

 

How are the tomw skill bars a mess? Every tome skill has a description. Press f1, voila! You can see what 1-5 skills do. Press f2, the same happens with the healing skills from f2, the same with f3. And, moreover, once you use tomes 2-3 times each, you will remember what each skill does by memory. Unless you mean something else?

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

> @"Voltekka.2375" said:

> > @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > > @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> > > all gaurdian skills are bright and blue.

> >

> > Not like this. The old ones are anything but washy look-alikes. Their design is clean, crisp and unique, and the images are significantly representative to what the skill does so that you can memorize them easily.

> >

> > > but i think you mean the mantra utility skills?

> >

> > No, I was foremost referring to the Tomes' skill bars. They are a mess in design, completely unintuitive.

>

> How are the tomw skill bars a mess? Every tome skill has a description. Press f1, voila! You can see what 1-5 skills do. Press f2, the same happens with the healing skills from f2, the same with f3. And, moreover, once you use tomes 2-3 times each, you will remember what each skill does by memory. Unless you mean something else?

 

What the OP mean (pretty clearly, to my reading) is that the *icons* aren't indicative enough of *what the skill does*. Nothing about the text, this is about pure visual queues.

[TheNecrosanct.4028]

> @"Tanner Blackfeather.6509" said:

> > @"Voltekka.2375" said:

> > > @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > > > @"infrequentia.3465" said:

> > > > all gaurdian skills are bright and blue.

> > >

> > > Not like this. The old ones are anything but washy look-alikes. Their design is clean, crisp and unique, and the images are significantly representative to what the skill does so that you can memorize them easily.

> > >

> > > > but i think you mean the mantra utility skills?

> > >

> > > No, I was foremost referring to the Tomes' skill bars. They are a mess in design, completely unintuitive.

> >

> > How are the tomw skill bars a mess? Every tome skill has a description. Press f1, voila! You can see what 1-5 skills do. Press f2, the same happens with the healing skills from f2, the same with f3. And, moreover, once you use tomes 2-3 times each, you will remember what each skill does by memory. Unless you mean something else?

>

> What the OP mean (pretty clearly, to my reading) is that the *icons* aren't indicative enough of *what the skill does*. Nothing about the text, this is about pure visual queues.

 

Which would only be a problem if you don't have a memory to store the information you read when hovering your cursor over said skills. After a few uses, you will remember what each skill does and you don't have to read their descriptions anymore, which eliminates the problem. Only if you don't bother to remember the skills or hardly ever use Firebrand will the problem persist. The first is not a game design problem, and the second hardly merits changing anything. It's basically saying "I hardly ever ride a bike, but I want them to be designed the way I prefer it, just in case I might one day get on one." But if OP starts using Firebrand more regularly, the problem should go away on its own.

[FrizzFreston.5290]

The tome skills are all very similar. Out of the top of my head:

 

1. auto attack

2. PBAoE

3. CC/support

4. big pulse AoE DoT or Support overTime

5. Unique buffing skill

 

Ofcourse all tied to their respective virtues.

First tome is burning oriented, with 3 being a pull

Second is healing/condi removal

Third is protection/damage mitigation

 

I can agree that the amount of skills is very overwhelming at first (definitely the biggest problem) and the icons arent helping as much as they can. But definitely not as big of a deal youre making it, but in certain cases those skill icons could be clearer.

 

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"FrizzFreston.5290" said:

> The tome skills are all very similar. Out of the top of my head:

>

> [...]

>

> Ofcourse all tied to their respective virtues.

> [...]

 

What does this have to do with my complaint about the skill icons? I still want replacements so that I do not have to learn by number instead of icon.

 

I have stopped playing Firebrand because of this, it is giving me a headache (especially in WvW where I have to be as quick as possible when casting support).

[FrizzFreston.5290]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"FrizzFreston.5290" said:

> > The tome skills are all very similar. Out of the top of my head:

> >

> > [...]

> >

> > Ofcourse all tied to their respective virtues.

> > [...]

>

> What does this have to do with my complaint about the skill icons? I still want replacements so that I do not have to learn by number instead of icon.

>

> I have stopped playing Firebrand because of this, it is giving me a headache (especially in WvW where I have to be as quick as possible when casting support).

 

Just saying, thats how I (try to) remember them. I thought it could be helpful to those who find it harder. I also have a very visual memory and certainly have my troubles still. And while it is definitely a good idea to update the skill icons.(which I also said but you didnt quote) If they never do or if it will take a while to make, any additional memory tips and tricks certainly can help. Well only to those willing to accept said help anyway.

[Martimus.6027]

Is it REALLY this difficult to remember:

 

F1 do hurt stuff

 

F2 do heal stuff

 

F3 do protect stuff.......?

 

Come on....

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"Martimus.6027" said:

> Is it REALLY this difficult to remember:

>

> F1 do hurt stuff

>

> F2 do heal stuff

>

> F3 do protect stuff.......?

>

> Come on....

 

Are you guys pulling my leg? I know which tome covers what category. (_insert facepalm_)

 

I have a feeling you are deliberately "not understanding" what I am saying, so I have to ask _you_: How difficult can it be? I am talking about the actual skills and their exact effects and how the icons are providing zero information about/reference to them. This isn't school where you need to study numbers, this is a game where things should be intuitive - and those skill icons are not. (I don't know how else to explain it, I believe I already did well for a non-native of the English language.)

[Martimus.6027]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"Martimus.6027" said:

> > Is it REALLY this difficult to remember:

> >

> > F1 do hurt stuff

> >

> > F2 do heal stuff

> >

> > F3 do protect stuff.......?

> >

> > Come on....

>

> Are you guys pulling my leg? I know which tome covers what category. (_insert facepalm_)

>

> I have a feeling you are deliberately "not understanding" what I am saying, so I have to ask _you_: How difficult can it be? I am talking about the actual skills and their exact effects and how the icons are providing zero information about/reference to them. This isn't school where you need to study numbers, this is a game where things should be intuitive - and those skill icons are not. (I don't know how else to explain it, I believe I already did well for a non-native of the English language.)

 

How are they unintuitive? Do you want giant book icons that have a "Fist", "Cross" and "Shield" icon on them? What is your suggestions to make them more 'intuitive?"