So I'm playing with Show Attack Damage on right now... And I'm not terribly happy with that choice of mine. It's helping me to see when and how I'm hitting them baddies (using a cutter, so seeing the halved number does well for telling me when I've gotten the secondary hit off, and that it only does half as much as the first), and it's letting me see how my one weapon compares to my others. But that's really all it does.
How much damage do mobs take when a box explodes next to them? Wait - those eight MechaKnights chasing me around are all shocking and killing each other? Is that damage keyed off their sparks, or their sword swings? And are they taking more damage than those Silkwings are healing? What about that really sick looking gun my party member is using? It sounds like it packs a punch, but is it actually better than my Cyrotech?
At the moment, all of these questions can only be answered by trial and error, test and see. *Which Is Fine*. Repeated for emphasis, I feel that that's an okay, even good way of doing things. It seems to me to be in line with what we are all looking for in this game -- smooth, fluid gameplay, uninterrupted by that damn 'My numbers are bigger!' trip.
But then why is there even a Show Attack Damage option? If you're not going in for the pound, why are you wasting my time with the penny?
I'd really like to see this option either be expanded to show all the damage monsters take from any source, or be rid of entirely. Perhaps replaced with a less-accurate visual system akin to the player's half-bars falling out of our heads? I feel like that would be more UI work than either adding more numbers, or getting rid of them entirely, so nuts to it. But anyway.
Thoughts?
"I'd really like to see this option either be expanded to show all the damage monsters take from any source, or be rid of entirely."
Uh, seriously, you can turn it off so you can personally be rid of it entirely.