is Ranged melee any good?

[olepi]

the launcher graphics work ok, even with effects turned down for an OP battle it was still pretty watching DT drop artillery on the attackers

There are ZERO graphics for rifles and pistols that I have seen. There is a small flash at the muzzle, and sometimes a small pop sound. That is it. Very dull and plain. I just want to see a tracer round every now and then.

Or, lets have elemental magic do a small poof sound, with no graphics

Olepi

[sehracii]

There are ZERO graphics for rifles and pistols that I have seen.

Ranged graphic effects improve with the users level.

[kipestia]

While I agree that's how it works in RL, I don't see how that would make the game more interesting.

If you want a skill where your goal is to kill before the target closes the distance, then you can do elemental magic. Why repeat the experience with ranged?

Currently, the run-and-gun method is unique in the game. If you want a mobile fighting style, its your only option.

Why remove it and replace it with a fight style we already have?

Because there are similar skills already with enough differences to matter, like 2H and 1H melee. Why have both? Because one person might prefer one over the other. 2H might do more damage, which one person might perfer, while dual-wield provides the best spell-interrupting or attracting mob aggro.

I'm not specifically saying I want it to be just like elemental magic...

this is game. virtual reality. if something does not happen on screen, it only means that devs have not put proper graphics (animation) in game. most certainly it does not mean that action you taking is impossible.

what he was implying was the possibility that because the devs had not put in the proper animation, that the feature was not meant to ever have an animation, because the feature was never meant to be implemented that way. *shrug* running while shooting is a more challenging animation to do, especially if you're firing backwards. although... doesn't the melee animation work above-waist while you can continue to walk forwards/backwards/sideways? in which case it's not that hard.
how about a cowardly "over the shoulder" shooting animation above-waist? :> or perhaps spinning around quickly while running backwards briefly to fire and spinning back forwards... I guess it's more an issue of what actually makes sense visually.