Depth of Combat
Posted: 26 Apr 2010 22:45
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.
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.
