Level 6 Bard - Zoom issues

[Isey]

Hi Fabulous Bards -

I am a crappy bard. This is the first bard I have ever made, and my first character on p1999 (so no twinkage). However, I am willing to learn and practice.

I like the solo ability of the bard, but honestly, I chose bard because I prefer to group (and pull in groups, and I know Bards can even tank group content while leveling).

My Bard kiting is weaker than <insert something witty here> but mostly because I can't zoom out far enough with the mouse-wheel to see how close the mobs are, and I can't use the mouse to look behind me without changing directions. Fully zoomed out is pretty much my hit box and I tried changing things in the .ini file, all options, etc.

Any clue? Would be helpful for me to be able to actually see the mobs I am trying to get in a circle to learn if I am doing it right or not =)

Thanks!

[zanderklocke]

You won't be able to see mobs behind you while zooming around with mouse scroll unless you somewhat face the mobs.

Once you see them behind you, you're right, they'd be in your hitbox range. Mouse scroll doesn't go too far out.

[falkun]

F9x2, camera should be at your character's back, slightly above the head. Now ALT+UP or ALT+DOWN to pan the camera vertically. Insert/Delete to pan the camera horizontally (closer/farther from your character). I'm doing all these from memory, so hopefully they are correct.

[Videri]

Shift+T opens the non-functional Titles window, but also turns the camera around like a rear-view mirror. You can then hold right click and drag the camera to look around.

[Beckoning]

You should check out Quom's and Suif's videos. They're really good and can get you into kiting. Make sure you play in a 4:3 resolution like 800 x 600.

[Qtip]

Get your kite gathered up tight by running in a circle. Then keep going closier and closier until you see your dot hitting mobs. Once you get some big pulls just looking at your pull will lag you out and get you killed.

Also best to start kiting around lvl 18 on bard.

[Isey]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the tips - I'm only level 9 so going to hold off but lots of great insight here!!

[Loiterius]

Old school bard leveling a new Bard on P99 right now...

My way is a bit different than most.

With the zoom level there is no easy way to see the mobs, that is true. However, there is a way to do it without pressing 'F9'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMKk4VKIf70

The way a Bard taught me way back when is to utilize the right mouse button while you run. You want to have your "A" and "D" set to strafe, not turn.

You'll want to press "W" + "A" or "D" depending on the direction of your turn. (You can also auto run)

While you are doing that, you want to hold the right mouse button down and begin to move it to towards the left or right of the screen to turn. When I'm in the middle of my turn, I actually pull the mouse down to the bottom right corner of my screen. This causes the camera to be directly above me so I'm looking down on the top of my head.

When you are tight enough in your circle you'll see the mobs pop up in the bottom corner of your screen.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but I utilize it to group different speed mobs. Once you have the groove you can typically know your sweet spot.

However, beware if you have frame rate issues: this can be certain doom.

The other ways may be easier, but I always found myself getting squashed when I tried the 'F9' or Title angles.

Happy hunting!

- Loit Ering -

[brecon]

If you prever grouping, then why even bother learning to AOE kite at this point?

Besides leveling, the only point of AOE kiting is to farm drops from specific zones. There are plenty of other solo bard tactics for xping in downtime, including fear kiting, charming, chant kiting, and mez/melee.

In groups you learn how to really play a bard. Bards are a very tough class because you basicallly need to know the abilities of every other class to make sure that you are optimizing the group. You also need to have good situational awareness, and know the dynamics of your spells very well. A great bard can do almost anything solo until mobs summon that can't be feared, and in a group can really be a lifesafer in many many ways. The amount of times I've charmed a mob because the tank was low hp and the CH wouldn't land in time...you get it.

So stick to grouping! Learn other tricks! If you really want to invest time in AOE kiting, the above advice is all good.