[MUD-Dev] Balancing Melee vs Ranged Combat in Games Which Model Space

[Zak Jarvis]

> From: Daniel.Harman at barclayscapital.com
> Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 8:02 AM

> Its a simple question really. Does anyone think it is possible to
> balance melee range combat with ranged combat/magic in games where
> spacial issues have impact?

<snip>

Yes, I do think it's possible. Here's the solutions we've come up with
for our combat mechanics.

When we started designing the way that melee, ranged weapons and magic
would interact, it was our primary goal that they each have a very
compelling reason you'd want to do one over the other. We also wanted
magic to be something other than another way to kill things, and in
that regard, I think we'll probably fail some.

However, what we came up with I'm really pretty happy with.

Melee versus ranged is pretty easy. If you have a bow or crossbow,
you're not going to be able to defend yourself very well at all from
attacks, so archery (which is likely to be our only form of ranged
attack) is effectively useless if you aren't protected by other
players or the things you're shooting at can't get to you.

Magic is most useful on magical creatures which often cannot even be
perceived by non-magic users (and hence, they're safe from those
creatures as well). Mages don't toss around fireballs and magic
missiles, but rather channel flows of energy. This means the mechanic
for damaging magical creatures is actually to channel their energy
away from them, or fill them with an opposing energy.

Mages will have some limited abilities to interact in a more
traditional sense but their primary use will be to 'buff' natural
items or cause secondary combat effects (reducing the effectiveness of
armor, causing enemies to drop weapons or become distracted, etc.)

------------------------------------------------------------------
-Zak Jarvis
 http://www.voidmonster.com

"He's a god, he's a man,
 he's a ghost, he's a guru
 They're whispering his name
 through this disappearing land
 But hidden in his coat
 is a red right hand."

 -Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev