You do realize that dodging is an active combat skill. TERA's dodge is a hot bar ability. Pretty much everything he listed would be considered things that need a skill bar slot in other MMOs.

Ok so why wasnt "jumping" included?

Because jumping doesn't have an ingame effect of invincibility frames or making an attack lose it's tracking while dodging does.

Jumping can give you an advantage if you go los, ...same as strafing.so...no.

It doesn't instantly do that though. Dodging does. It is a very distinct difference. If a projectile is in the air and you run or jump behind something, that projectile is still going to hit you in this game. With a dodge it will not. Thus dodging plays a distinct roll in the combat. Oh and dodging also breaks you out of roots.

I think the skills we have is a great number. You make meaningful decisions about what you take in to battle and you feel the pros and cons of those decisions. To get one function you do without another. This is alleviated to some extent with the second weapon bar, but it still retains the feeling for the most part.

you're completely misunderstanding the point

The discussion we were having was active, bindable abillities in eso..which is 5+1 x2

Dodging, blocking and left/right hand abillities are not part of the skill system.

And they would be in other games. That is the point. You have 10+ skills already (as they would be in other games), they just aren't all on the skill bar.

I think we can all agree the thread is about hotbar slots, we all agree we can all jump and dodge, but the agrument isn't really about "we can't do enough things" as it is "We want more class and other skill-line ability slots". If you read my other posts, I was in no way complaining about the game or the combat, I just want more slots for spells available. I want more dammaging abilities, more combat enhancing choices. I love the movement aspects of the UI and the block, heavy/light attack concept is nothing short of genius on Bethsada's part. My overall point is that everyone could benefit from at least 2 more slots, and any cons are severly outweighed by what that could bring to the game. Even if you like the # of slots as is, it doesn't really justify that the game couldn't benefit with more complex builds available to players. Also everyone is voicing opinions and so everyone is entitled to one, but truly is there any reason why we shouldn't have a few more slots to play with? That is the question we are tossing around here and not "why don't you just settle, they put a lot of stuff in here already, just play it the way it is." I love the game the way it is, this is just a player preference that I am tossing around casually in hope that it gets down wind to the ESO team. I think it says a lot if the only thing I can suggest is a few more UI slots. Many games have come and gone with actual problems pre launch, ESO's gameplay is fun, innovative, and active. I am just saying, more spells can only add to this system with minimal, if any, reprocussion.

I think you have made some excellent points. When i first jumped into beta i was taken aback from alot of their design decisions. I had to take a step back and try to see what they were going for. Personally im ok with what they have come up with so far. Is there room for improvement, sure there is. As long as they keep to their intended goals im onboard.

Considering any class can do anything, they kind of have to restrict your active abilities so that every player can't do everything at once.
Along with keeping your focus on the game instead of the hotbars, their design seems very pointed.
Like other people have said, I'm sure the system will be improved on as time goes on, observations of the current system in real-time are made, and new ideas are had by the game makers.
I don't believe the answer to this will simply be "adding more skills slots," but what do I know?

Thank you, and I am going to play regardless as well, but what got me thinking was this video of Entropy Rising on the Public test server here is a link http://www.twitch.tv/erlexx/c/3825902

They run a DPS meter, 3 casters, and one Nightblade dual wielder. If you watch it, at about 41:00 minutes, the NB asks how he is doing. He was 3% below the healer, and about 20% lower than the tank and other DPS. They had already established that the Nightblade build was a single target damage build and so it wouldn't compare to AOE casters and a DK tank with AOE in a PvE veteran dungeon. Then the unnerving part, when they suggest how he fix it. They said quote in so many words " You could make a haste build on one bar and then have a whirlwind build on the other" just for PvE trash. They also didn't seem too confidant in the suggestion, and it was apparent that the slotting and weapon swap was favoring the casters heavily, as the Templar healer swapped during combat and edged the NB by 3% on the meter, while healing the party. Entropy Rising apparently has a very selective method for choosing it's members so the Nightblade player was on par skill wise, its just based on this video, the gameplay within, and my personal experience last beta weekend, melee DPS/SUPPORT builds are left wanting more spell slots, and I bet a majority of people who don't mind swapping are caster/ranged/tank based characters who don't see the need for anything to be changed. There are a few exceptions either way but overall it looks like what it looks like in the endgame content of the vid.

There are design reasons to force the player to select only some of their character's abilities (although, more often than not it's a limitation of their engine).

Still, 5 seems awfully low. Even the original EQ had 8 (not including mundane actions). It's less than any MMO I can recall (some weren't really memorable)

has anyone explained why we have so few active slots?

-loudent2

Post no longer fits the convo after merge.

No it is not because of consoles. The choice was made long before consoles were even considered and FFXIV that is on the console has no issue with more skill slots.

I will totally agree on this I need 7 skills and 1 ultimant

NW is fine with 5 (+ 1 extra) to. Its ok for actionbased mmo. But i agree: Could be more slots.

/edit: forgot the q wheel for items to use.

It's more likely they are just trying to avoid "ability bloat" that games like WOW have, where you have over 100 action bar slots.

Long before announced. Who knows how long they've been considering them. FF is a totally different kind of game.

I feel its to force people to really think about rotation/skills they want to use. Really bring out the skill in people

Actually there was an article that talked about it. They were not considering it until Sony came to them requesting the game be on the PS4. The article made it seem as if Sony had to pretty much beg for it. They through in xbox just to cover the major consoles.

I think the current number of skill slots is fine as it is. It will force me to make tradeoffs. Think ahead. Not a bad thing.

Who cares? They are still things you need to do in combat. They are still key binds that you need to activate.

Yes. The game has been balanced around the current number. The skills have been designed based on the current number.

I agree, an earlier post I made mentioned a passive cap on "# of skills slotted from whatever tree" passives. Is this a reason why they did it or a reason why we should accept it? Just saying, it still doesn't mean that it can't be altered, and my overall point is it adds a lot of benefit to add a few more slots, compared to the downside, player choice which has been effected in a negative way, IMO. Maybe I was thrown off when the heading on the announcement said "PLAY HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY" in caps lock and I just didn't even see a 5 slot hotbar coming. Sure I had expectations, and this game surpassed them all, until I hit level 16 and I didn't want to waste skill points to unlock spells that didn't fit in my bar. It is not a major issue, and this is the best MMO I have ever played so far. I could just use more of a good thing. 2 slots would allow enough of a toolbox for me to feel like my build was "finished". Anyone else get this feeling as well?