Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

For combat stuff that doesn't fit into any of the other forums.
User avatar
Rias
DEV
Posts: 2024
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:06 pm
Location: Wandering Temicotli

Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Rias »

I want to shift combat away from heavy reliance on quick resolution through crits and such. As the title states, this is going to involve more getting hit, but less instant death. To this end, expect a lot of combat updates to happen over the next few days.

Part 1:
- Critical hits AKA "crits" have been disabled. (Death will still result from vital hit locations such as head/neck/chest/etc. reaching 100% damage.)
- The base 3 to dodge/block/parry rerolls has been removed. Roundtime of 2 or more now causes penalties to defensive rerolls.
- Defensive rerolls are now reduced by 1 when being attacked by someone who is flanking the target.
- Experience and practice gains from defeating foes have been increased.

I know this is going to be a significant change for people who relied on critical hits in particular - particularly Nightblades. They'll be shifting toward improved capability to focus and aim at lethal hit locations and build up damage on them quickly, while not being instakills. I've been running around with my own Nightblade with the above changes on my test server and have found good success simply aiming at the chest (or occasionally neck/head for targets with torso armor). It certainly still feels viable (those starting rerolls really are nice), though will need further improvements to bring Nightblades back into feeling they're in a good place.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
Acarin
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:49 pm

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Acarin »

Can we expect these further changes soon or are they not a priority?
You reach toward ((DEV Rias)) ... Pull(d225([1]x)):214 vs Mark(d1100):714 = -500 (-222%)
You notice ((DEV Rias)) glance your way, causing you to quickly withdraw your hand from his wool
drawstring pouch (open).
Roundtime: 5 seconds.
User avatar
Rias
DEV
Posts: 2024
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:06 pm
Location: Wandering Temicotli

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Rias »

As stated in the original post:
Rias wrote: Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:00 am To this end, expect a lot of combat updates to happen over the next few days.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
User avatar
Rias
DEV
Posts: 2024
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:06 pm
Location: Wandering Temicotli

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Rias »

========== Mechanics Updates

Several weapons - mostly twohanders and hand-and-a-half - have had their damage factors lowered a bit. There are no longer any standard weapons with a damage factor of 1 or higher.

The "no standard weapons with a damage factor of 1 or higher" means they won't be able to lucky-one-hit-kill anymore on creatures that have 100 or more hitpoints on their vital hit locations - which most humans and all PCs do. Most of the powerful towhanders now have a DF of .9, meaning on a 100% endroll they'd do 90 damage.

========== Personal experience and thoughts

Aiming for a specific vital hit location in order to stack damage over multiple attacks to a mortal wound is the way to go. I've been playing around with a Nightblade, Marauder, and Dreadnought against like- and slightly-above-my-skill mobs. I've been taking a lot more hits, but have yet to die or really feel I was in mortal peril. Not enough time and data for a serious appraisal of the changes yet, but so far I think combat is feeling a lot more interesting, with actually trading blows more often. Auto-battle is effective against most things, I toss my circles and feints and other maneuvers in manually when I want to, I come back home after a foray with scratches and scrapes and occasionally a bleeder. It's a thing of beauty. I'm enjoying it a lot more so far, and feel much more like a warrior.

May need to look into infirmary fees, with the more frequent wounds I'm getting now.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
User avatar
Irylia
Posts: 274
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:20 pm

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Irylia »

One of my concerns with this is that aim is still really unreliable at low-levels so I'm not sure I like the fact that it seems so vital for this new combat system. It's understandable that aim isn't perfect at low levels, but I want to make sure that's playing into your testing too. I racked up quite a few injuries trying out the new methods earlier and using aim didn't seem to do much at all (granted that character's skill is still sub-100). Are there plans to adjust things so aim is more reliable at lower skills, maybe conditionally if what you're fighting is of reasonable skill match?
User avatar
Rias
DEV
Posts: 2024
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:06 pm
Location: Wandering Temicotli

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Rias »

Good point. I'm considering reworking how the aim calculation works to be based more on attacker skill vs target skill.

I may also just put more frail creatures in lower-skill areas.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
User avatar
Rias
DEV
Posts: 2024
Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:06 pm
Location: Wandering Temicotli

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Rias »

On the subject of aim:

- Characters who have selected Agility as their Primary Attribute now receive +10% to their chance to target a preferred hit location (see the aim command).
- New ability: Combat Precision (ALL) (Tier bonuses: Due, Ngt, Rng)

Combat Precision can be picked up in your local town barracks, or the general training guild areas for members of the Warrior or Adventurer guilds.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
Acarin
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:49 pm

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Acarin »

For aiming, I'm wondering how difficult it would be to specify a narrower range of body parts (particularly with smaller weapons but probably all) on a failure to target the intended location. I mean that it doesn't entirely make sense, at least to me, that I aim at the head and hit a leg, for instance. Maybe some sort of system where aiming for the head will hit the head on a success, neck or chest on a small failure and random at higher failures. If you fail as lower skills tend to do, at least you would be stacking damage around the intended location and have a subset of areas that you're more likely to hit.
You reach toward ((DEV Rias)) ... Pull(d225([1]x)):214 vs Mark(d1100):714 = -500 (-222%)
You notice ((DEV Rias)) glance your way, causing you to quickly withdraw your hand from his wool
drawstring pouch (open).
Roundtime: 5 seconds.
Acarin
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2020 10:49 pm

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by Acarin »

The only vital location I seem to be able to reliably hit is chest on lowered skilled opponents even with +35% aim (agility plus new ability). I assume chest is easier than head is easier than neck... but they all have the same health, correct? So why are the other hit locations so much more difficult to aim at? Chest determines armor level so it actually easier to armor up the head than chest without penalties. Just trying to understand why aiming at anywhere other than the chest is less enabled right now.

I assume eyes are lower health and being a lot harder to hit makes sense... I've never seen them hit before as far as I can recall and no luck after around 20-30 aimed shots at the left or right eye. I know you can target them but Is this location actually able to be hit? Since targeting is clearly intended to be more important now, just wondering if it's actually functioning.
You reach toward ((DEV Rias)) ... Pull(d225([1]x)):214 vs Mark(d1100):714 = -500 (-222%)
You notice ((DEV Rias)) glance your way, causing you to quickly withdraw your hand from his wool
drawstring pouch (open).
Roundtime: 5 seconds.
User avatar
nobody
Posts: 501
Joined: Wed Jun 17, 2020 7:43 am
Contact:

Re: Combat Updates: More getting hit, less instant death

Post by nobody »

I have gotten many, many eye shots. Only randomly though, for what that's worth.
Post Reply