The Problem
Double jumping to initiate Skyward Ascent is really clunky. Sometimes it triggers when you don’t mean for it to when you try to jump on uneven terrain. Sometimes you just want to make a short hop onto a pillar to get at that chest or node, not get launched 40 yards away from it. Sometimes you want horizontal speed over vertical ascent. Sometimes you want a DEscent, not an Ascent.
The worst part of starting a dragon riding race is usually the beginning, and I think that’s poor design. So what can be done?
The Proposal
Instead of double tapping, a better launch mechanic would be a tap and hold system. The longer you hold down space bar, the greater the ascent you make. I think it would not just feel better to use, but it would also allow better control on just how far you want to launch yourself.
Implementation
What I imagine is to hold down the space bar and see the ballistic “throw” arrow to show your trajectory and the magnitude of your ascent. The arrow would start small and grow to the current full ascent over a second or two. The mouse wheel allows control over the arrow, allowing players to keep the arrow small for a short hop, but also initiate a full-power quick-launch, adding an element of skill for power users.
In addition to controlling how large your ascent will be, mouse movement would allow you to control pitch. Sometimes you’d rather take off at something closer to Surge Forward. Sometimes, especially in race launches, you actually want to launch yourself downwards. This would be an intuitive way give players that freedom of movement.
A Running Start
But players don’t always take off from a standstill! If the player is moving, take-off still works the same way. The angle could default to a lower trajectory, whereas a standing launch would default to being more vertical, but the hold-and-release mechanic would still function the same. Crucially, if you are moving and become airborne, whether because of a dip in the ground or because you ran off a ledge, the launch animation would still continue uninterrupted, though perhaps at ~75% of maximum power.
Flair and Engagement
Visually, a crouch animation could be used to make the ascent feel more impactful and interactive. As you hold down the space bar, you and/or your mount would visually prepare themselves to make the leap. As a returning player whose return was largely influence by the joyful freedom of dragon riding last expansion, I think a press-hold-release interface with a compelling animation would maximize simplicity, precision, and player agency and would elevate what I consider to be the best-designed part of WoW in its current form.
Tag
If the devs insist on keeping a double jump, please just make it a regular double jump and allow the player to use Skyward Ascent / Surge Forward / Whirling Zoom (or whatever it’s called) manually during that.
Cheers