is Elden Ring actually a good game? Does it require constant keyboard mashing? I realize of course you have to move around using the mouse and keyboard- but is it totally required that you must block and dodge and roll around the screen like a moron the entire combat?
I prefer the combat like in Grim Dawn where there is dodging and blocking but you can get by without it at first and get used to playing and then once you are good at the game you can introduce dodging and blocking if you feel like. I actually refunded The Witcher III because I could not be bothered to do the blocking and dodging and rolling around BS, and it felt like it was defiantly going to be necessary based on the tutorial and first part of the game. I don't mind special attacks and cool downs; I really just don't like all the extra defensive stuff, especially when they are basically required to win certain combat encounters. The rolling around is especially goofy and off-putting. Combat often turns into just rolling around like a clown back and forth, its the opposite of immersive and looks ghey as hell.
If you dislike dodge rolling so much you refunded a game over it I have a strong suspicion that you're not going to like Elden Ring. Sure you can just try and avoid attacks by running away or equipping a big-ass shield and blocking your enemy's attacks (and you can easily retalliate from a block with a single press of a button instead of attacking normally). There's also the issue of how there's bosses who stall their attacks to lure you into doding early to catch you when you're off guard, which requires a better timing of your defenses. There is the option to learn every single attack of every single boss to dance around their attacks, but that requires an amount of time and 'tism that few people have patience for.
Honestly I haven't played Grim Dawn, so if you want a better opinion you might want to ask in the dedicated Elden Ring thread for a comparison.
Hatred of dodge rolling is just a meme that was downloaded into the consciousness of normies and now everybody think they hate it even though they have no clue what it is, as his post demonstrates.
Everybody knows what "it is", its not like it is some complicated game mechanism that takes deep understanding. Do you think you are special for understanding the complexities of Mario Brothers jumping on top of the magic mushrooms? Its an action game that children reflexively understand the mechanics and strategy behind with almost no thought. I did not even know there was a 'meme' about dodge rolling, it just looks so obviously out of place in any RPG where muscular knights in full plate armor are swinging enormous hammers and halberds while rolling back and forth over and over again like they are cirque du soleil performers in tights.
Its not that I don't like dodge rolling. I don't like dodging at all-- even just side to side dodging. I don't like being responsible for blocking with my shield either. If you play with mouse and keyboard you already have your hand on the WASD keys and then your other hand on the mouse with a left-click attack and usually some sort of a right click special attack or maybe healing, or special ability. Then you might have cool down attacks on the number keys and toggle run with the shift key. You will also often have a jump key and a crouch, and a block and or parry key, so to then have to fucking dodge side to side with the Q and E keys and then maybe also a roll dodge by holding down the middle mouse button while pressing a movement key in the correct direction while considering if you want maybe block instead or run or use cool downs, its all just fucking too much bullshit and its not fun, it sucks. We are up to like 17-18 keys I just described. That is not fun.
Its like some sort of game to teach typing skills or something, it includes most the keys on the keyboard. That is fucking terrible game design to be mashing nearly all the keys on the keyboard. Maybe there should be some cool tripping moves? Stick out your foot and trip them? I mean there are maybe 3 or 4 unused keys. Perhaps taunting by sticking your tongue out? Every key should be put to use, the more the better I say.
But in reality this type of game design sucks. You may enjoy doing it, but you are wrong and have the incorrect opinion and poor taste. Its terrible game design that does not allow actual enjoyment of the game. Less is often more. Like strip down your fucking game into less but more impactful decisions that allows a balance of stress with the ability to still sometimes enjoy what is happening on the screen. Who cares about the graphics if you are just concentrating on typing all the time? The actual correct and right way to design an action RPG, which is still supposed to be an RPG after all, is to not make it 100% player skill based, but instead make those shitty, mundane blocking and dodging skills non-player skill based and instead based off the ability of the character the person playing the game has taken partial control over.
edit: lol @ all the butthurt gen-Z adderall addicts. I realize most of them can't really relate since they play all their 'old skool rpgs' like dragon age 2 on walmart TV's using controllers while sitting on their smelly fart couches.
