[GAMEPLAY] Hammer Slam targeting change is a step back in gameplay

Rook's hammer smash has always been targeted only.  However, I do agree that hammer smash should become ground targeted for leading purposes.

No, brent, it was ground targeted in beta 1.

I think I liked it better when it could target a location.  Against high level competitive players it might become difficult or impossible to land the full hit on them without a snare of some kind, but I think that's okay.

Why was there so much controversy about this?  It was definately unit-targetted in Beta 1.  I tested it.  Maybe it acted differently on different computers?  All I know is that I could not target the ground for that attack.

Although, I think ground targetting would be an improvement.  Unlike what Innociv is saying about how they should be able to miss, I think this way because it would be easier to hit.  You can't hit anything with the Hammer Slam these days because all you have to do is walk away from where you were standing.  If it was ground targetted, it would be easier to hit people and you would be able to manipulate AoE better for taking out large groups of creeps.

It most certainly was not unit targeted in the first beta.

Rook was perfect in beta 1 - best part of beta 1. Haven`t taken him out for a spin yet in beta 1a.

*If* I were to change anything with him, I might increase subtly his Hammer Slam recharge time (increasing it... the Rook was brutal).

It most certainly was not unit targeted, but due to fast spell speed and high AoE, it was very hard to miss. It could however be done.

I think that the damage nerf to be much more in line with the other Demigod's nuking skills means that it should now be a tradeoff, accuracy (it's not really a big hit) against AoE.

It was unit targeted.  At least it was meant to be in beta 1 and I sure recall it being that way when I tested it.

It was unit targeted, but it didn't follow the units around. If the unit moved at all, it wouldn't hit it.

in my opinion it should be unit targetted to that degree that if you click on an enemy demigod while being out of range he will slam the position where the enemy is at the moment you begin to cast (I think thats how it is now), but it should also be possible to click on the ground to be able to hit moving enemy demigods.

It was NOT unit targeted in beta1 FFS.    Ugh.  You could click on people but doing so really just clicked on where they where standing/behind them.

TheBigOne, that would be sort of odd to want since that makes it easier for someone to get out of the way, but okay.

Also, the Hammer Slams activation time was increased in 1a.  With the lack of ground targeting it's pretty imposible to hit with.  And frankly doesn't hardly seem worth the 900 damage now.  In the 1.5sec, or 2sec, or whatever, you're better off doing normal attacks.  It seems like just a creep killing AOE ability now, no longer dual-function. :/

I like the long delay if it had ground targeting and high damage, because then it takes skill.

uhuh..  And if the target moved before you reached them it'd hit where you clicked.  Also, you could click on the ground and it'd hit the ground.

It was ground-targeted.

That's like saying the AoE's in DotA are unit-targeted because you can set the center of them on a unit.

But if there was no unit there, he wouldn't move up to it to swing his hammer.  He would only execute the swing if it was on a unit.  Trying to execute the swing on the ground did nothing.  You "could" hit only the ground if the units moved before you got there, but you couldn't initiate the swing on open ground.

Don't think AOE but rather splash.  The hammer isn't an AOE effect.  It is a single unit effect that has splash damage to units near it.

Uhm.. if you just clicked the ground with no unit there, yes, he swing his hammer and hit the ground, hitting the ground.

No, he wouldn't.  It was very annoying, because I was always missing units and having to click multiple times to actually get him to target something.  If you clicked on ground that did not have a unit standing there, he would not swing.

But yes.  It did target the ground under the unit, not the unit itself.  However, as you had to click on a unit to use the attack, it is technically unit-targetted the way I see it.  Epic breakdown of communication, lol.

It's labeled as a unit-targeted ability in the Beta 1 files as far as I can tell, and I seem to recall that as well. That said, I'd approve of the new slam being made ground targetable.