*This'll probly be a big one... grab a snack... most numbers are not facts but examples, i.e. you may or may not get 20,000 exp for killing 30 large demons. hope you understood that mess, and the one that follows...*
I've played lots of MUDs but BIYG is the only one with such a fast combat system. now, a fight between a level one and a bear cub (for example) should NOT last an hour, but it also shouldn't be the blink-of-an-eye thing it is now... in my opinion, at least. the best combat system i've seen so far, like i said, was in a game called Dragonrealms. It's pay to play, but has a 30 day trial, so if you want you can see what i'm talkin about...
to start, the number of mobs you must kill. it's harder to kill whatever you're up against (if it's near your level) but gives more rewards per kill. this would make more sense to me, because it seems more realistic for a player to be killing four or five goblins versus 30 large demons for their 20000 exp. upping the reward per kill would ensure that the time it takes to level is relatively the same. i think this makes kills feel like more of an accomplishment and make skills more useful.
also, when a character performs an action (attack, use <skill>, etc.) there are visible indications of roundtimes. if it will take 5 seconds to do something, it says 'RT: 5 sec' and (don't think this can be done with IYG yet...) shows 5 bars in the imput box counting down, dissappearing with each second. players know how much time they have before the next action.
now, the real combat stuff. NO AUTOATTACK, since it is much more in-depth than the current system. where to begin? multiple types of attack, nearly all useable with any weapon but not all necessarily effective with the weapon. for example, SLASHing with a sword would be effective, while BASHing with a club would work well. but minimal damage would be inflicted by someone BASHing with a katana. the purpose of these are twofold: for the cosmetic fun of using multiple attack types, and the challenge of using the correct combos to balance your character. that i should explain in a different paragraph... but the purpose is to add a more 'strategic' feel than a 'spam' feel, which i notice a lot in the low levels i've been in.
**official 45-min mark** ***man i'm gonna have to write a summary too***
Different weapons; swords, clubs, halberds, daggers, or even bare fists; have two main catagories. first is the type of damage, i.e. slashing or blunt, and second is the weight class. Dragonrealms (DR) has fists/brawling, light, medium, heavy, and two handed, with seperate catagories for ranged weapons. the type affects the attacks that will work for damage, and the weight class affects balance and roundtime. the heavier it is, the longer it takes to attack with it and more base damage it delivers. (reduced time with vig for heavier types and increase damage for light weapons with dex)
Wow, this is getting LONG... ok, next up is balance. using commands that flow well together give you better balance and therefore an advantage. you slash your sword, then sweep it low, then draw it up again, slashing the opponent with three attacks that keep you balanced. new players to the MUD often slash, slash, slash, slash, and end up terribly balanced. this bit is probly something advanced and hard to add, something to pop in to spice combat up a bit and make it more challenging and fun.
**52 minute mark**
this post has to be cut short i'm afraid, for the purpose of proofreading and giving my head a short rest. these ideas are a combination of what I've seen in DR and what I wanted to see changed, some good things about it and my own ideas. criticize, praise, build on, flame, and generally let your opinion be heard on all this. Some assebly required, proofreading not included.
just wait for version 1.1 where i proofread and clean it up!
|