DEV Blog 1 – Introducing Action Mode



Date posted : 20th May 2016

Greetings, Riders! I am Seok Hoon, the Project Director of the Riders of Icarus development team. All the feedback that you had sent us in Closed Beta 2 has kept us very busy! Camera & Control mode improvements, Familiar Sprint, Frame improvements, optimization, and many other features are in the works for Closed Beta 3.

Riders of Icarus is our take on the classic MMORPG, so the game has a targeted keyboard/mouse control system that suits this genre. But, throughout Closed Beta 1 and Closed Beta 2, we saw feedback from Riders that they wanted a non-targeted action control system. In fact, we originally wanted to implement the new control system in Closed Beta 2, but unfortunately it had to be delayed. In Closed Beta 3, we are going to be able to introduce Action Mode.

MECHANICS AND FUNCTIONALITY Action Mode is a control system that borrows from a non-targeted system. In Action Mode, you will be able to rotate the camera simply by moving the mouse. There's no need to target; instead, you aim at your target with the crosshair in the center of the screen, then click left and right mouse buttons to use your attack skills.

The simple and easy Action Mode control is perfect for aerial combat. When using the lance it will play like a hack and slash game, and when using the crossbow, it will play like a shooter game. We also recommend Riders try out this mode when playing melee classes.

Standard Mode is the traditional MMORPG control system that was provided in Closed Beta 1 and Closed Beta 2. You can target using a mouse click or the tab key, and then utilize the keyboard keys to use your attack skills. It's much more precise when compared to Action Mode, so this mode is recommended for the Priests who are responsible for the lives of party members, and Wizards who have many ranged skills and area of effect skills.

ACTIVATING ACTION MODE You can toggle between the modes with the "Insert" key at any time during the game. In Action Mode, your screen will be locked to your mouse and the mouse will dictate the camera movement. When you need the mouse, you can activate your mouse cursor while holding the "Alt" key.



We recommend placing skills with short cooldown and combo skills in Action Mode in Hotkeys 1 and 2 on the skill bar. This way, you will be able to use more skills easily as you will have follow-up skills that come after the combo skills.

To use a skill on yourself or the party member, you can use "Ctrl" + "1 - 5" keys to select party members in Action Mode.

DEVELOPING ACTION MODE The biggest challenge for us was bringing the thrilling action of the non-target systems despite the fact Riders of Icarus uses the traditional MMORPG target system. Even now, we are constantly exploring and testing different ways to improve Action Mode, including a Lock-On feature that will help with crossbow targeting. In Open Beta, we plan on bringing a highly polished control mode that allows usage of skills even without a target, the Lock-On feature, and other improvements.

As developers, your feedback is incredibly valuable to help us improve the game and develop the features that you want. We look forward to your comments on the Action Mode feature and we hope you enjoy Closed Beta 3!