[MUD-Dev] weapon choices

[cruise]

Matthew D. Fuller wrote:

> Well, there are further aspects; first strike is worth an awful
> lot.

> I often find minor amusement in a fight going on for dozens of
> seconds after I start it by jamming a dagger (or sword!) into my
> opponent's back.  If the first hint you have that there's going to
> be a fight is your spinal cord being severed, then there's not
> going to be a fight.

Ah, I'm not the only one then :P

> /Realistically/, if you're starting a fight against an
> unsuspecting opponent with a sword or an axe or a mace, they're
> not going to be able to fight by the time they realize what you're
> starting.  Even mid-fight, it just doesn't take very many good
> whacks with a sword to make somebody uninterested in trading
> blows.

> But, that's not too much fun 8-}

That depends on how the combat is structured.

The emphasis in most RPG's today seems to be on whittling away the
opponents HP before they do the same to you. Enemies are made harder
by giving them more health to chew through, rather than better
opponents.

Twisting it round, so the goal of the combat /is to hit the
opponent/ is just as much fun, but removes the annying silliness of
shrugging off ten direct strikes from an axe.

Not to blow my own trumpet too much, but again I point people at my
suggestion for one way of doing this at
http://www.casual-tempest.net/combat/

The intricacies of melee combat, at least the fun ones for a game,
is based on trying to outwit and outthink your opponent as well as
being quicker/stronger/ whatever. Feints, parries, etc. Despite the
obvious potential in such a combat system, I can't think of a single
game that's differed widly from the HP + dmg point style. Except
maybe some pen-and-paper RPG's.

--
[ cruise / casual-tempest.net / transference.org ]
   "quantam sufficit"
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