Depth of Combat

[Fourtcoer]

Genesis is a very rich game. It's why we love it.

However, that is not the initial impression most new players will get when logging on to the game.

Today's players are accustomed to having options to influence combat from the earliest levels. I think today's player, logging on to Genesis for the first time, will, upon seeing that they have to kill a bunch of rabbits by typing "kill rabbit" and sitting back and waiting for the outcome, will conclude (incorrectly) that Genesis is not a game of any depth or interest. There is no way for the new player to influence the outcome of a battle once engaged. That is not acceptable to today's gamer. If I were coming to Genesis to the first time now in 2010, I don't think I'd judge it favorably and keep playing, based on what I would see after playing the game for a half hour (even though in 1995 I would have been completely impressed.) Even most other MUDs these days have evolved beyond the one-command combat model.

This inability to influence the outcome of battle lasts for a long time, and doesn't change until the player advances enough to have guild specials and access to a wide variety of herbs and items.

What I would see is the addition of a few command-triggered combat skills/spells that are available to everyone. These would be add a lot more depth to combat for newbies, and also remain as situationally useful utility commands for the more advanced player (some guilds might train these abilities to higher levels).

I would suggest one defensive utility and one offensive utility.

feint: a defensive command that when triggered, allows you to attempt to evade the next incoming standard attack. Feinting locks out all other specials during its cooldown. Perhaps if you are wearing a shield, you have a chance to deflect a blow that you fail to feint. This would lockout the use of other specials for its cooldown while you maneuvered to perform the feint, but could be situationally useful for a variety of people who are put in a position of having to tank something that is just a bit beyond their capacity to tank.

strike: a basic combat attack that delivers a unique ability depending on the weapon used (introduces newbies to the concept of selecting between weapon types (including missiles). At higher levels in guilds, unique affects may accompany a strike. Most warrior guilds could train this higher, and could use it as a utility for bleeding effects and such depending on their weapon type.

Additionally, I think it should be possible to learn very minor spells throughout the game that are not guild-related, including at least one spell that can be learned in the tutorial area, so that if spell abilities are trained they do not seem like a waste of money. Learning these minor spells, I think, would be quest rewards, and those with highly trained spellcasting skills (as layman or occ casters) get enhanced benefits from these general spells, while to untrained casters they act as very minor utilities.

[Amberlee]

This.. i support 110%

[Tarax the Terrible]

You bring up a very interesting and valid point from the perspective that many of us have forgotten about.
Nice work. I also agree.

Also if the rabbits ran and you had to hunt and block it would add depth.

I had an idea on the previous forum for "skill perks" wasn't that popular, but perhaps you could cherry pick a few of the ideas from that if they could apply for what we want to achieve here.

I would like to see more things like this be based on your skills.

For the likes of weapon skills active abilities could be added like mini specials.
Anyone could try them but the gurus would be successful more often.
Even if it was just once per fight it would liven up basic weapon skills.
Such as club skill you can try a hammer blow, chance to knock down opponent, attack armour, chance to smash a piece of armour.
Sword users try a pommel strike, chance to stun, cleave some extra damage.
Once per fight and on a recovery timer with a little benefit and a tactical choice.

Defence skill you could try and focus all out on defence and get a boost for less attacks per round.
Parry could try extra parrying or letting the opponent strikes through for a short time to get an extra counter attack a riposte.

You get the idea. Something to liven up the standard combat.
Not indented to be very powerful compared to true combat specials more of a little seasoning to the sauce.
But maybe interacting in such a way that what one person does the other reacts too instead of a new set of triggers to fire at the beginning of every fight.


Other skills like animal handling could allow you to try a call a messenger. (Did the merc dogs disappear?)
Hunting to make traps (What does the hunting skill actually do anyway?)

So someone even with only adventurer level guild skills in something can play about with them a bit a try and do things.


The changes to darkness made me think of this, why could you 100% assist in darkness before and 0% now.
Should we not be using blindfighting skill to make a % chance.
So you could try to assist and if you pass a skill check you do it.
On a cooldown timer before you can try again.
If you really suck at blindfighting you might even attack the wrong side, attack your own team but you probably will not do much damage anyway. And would stop embarrased when the blindness breaks.
For high levels of skill you could tell which direction things move even in darkness and attack a hunted target in darkness. (wel somewhat reliably there would still be skill check you could fail. Not suggesting darkness and blindfighting be tactically as good as infravision. These would be passive perks of the skills.

Maybe not what we need right now is more more more new ideas but throwing them on the pile anway.

And yes, most of the ideas came from playing other games like Dragon Age.

[Kitriana]

i also like this idea a lot.

[Tarax the Terrible]

The ideal of a more globally used bow skill is also possibly relevant here..

http://www.genesismud.org/forums/viewto ... =826#p2474