Combat: Cover

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Prism
Posts: 105
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Combat: Cover

Post by Prism »

So, we've had some discussion now and then about ranged combat, and how it feels like it's lacking a little something.

Now-- I know that design priority for ranged combat is that we'll always be driven inevitably toward the melee engagement. As is often quoted, "When the orcs closed the gap-- even Legolas pulled out the knives to cut them to ribbons."

I agree with this mentality, really. Ranged combat is fun, but there are often circumstances and rooms that don't adequately make for the best ranged engagements from a situational environmental context.

That said, I still think ranged combat could use a little love. And my thought process for this is twofold; First, and most importantly, I've an idea for a new combat position that might help breathe a bit more life into the ranged style.


Combat: Cover

Combat: Engage prioritizes keeping oneself in the engaged melee position. Being up in someone's face, blade to blade, settling your score with the strength of your arm.

Combat: Avoid prioritizes dextrous movement. You backpedal and wheel away from your enemies to keep a gap between you large enough to either escape, or toss a quick knife, fire a quick shot, or gain better footing.

Combat: Cover prioritizes using environmental features to both protect oneself from melee combatants, and gain stronger position to make ranged attacks.

What does this look like in practice?

Firstly, in my mind, one can't simply have combat: cover toggled on at all times. You'd have to manually move to that position upon entry to a room, or every time you remove yourself, or are removed from, that position.

When in Combat: Cover position, you gain the following benefits.
-+1 reroll to stealth actions
-+1reroll to ranged attack actions.
+1 Reroll to dodging ranged attacks (because they're behind cover)
+10% Bonus to aiming ranged attacks
-+5 balance (non-regenerating, just adds 5 balance upon entry to cover)

When within Combat: Cover position, you're unable to take the following actions
-No stalking
-No circling
-No feinting
-3 travel RT is incurred when one exits combat: cover, so one can't just sprint away cartoon style when exposed.

How Combat: Cover extends the ranged loop:
-Melee combatants must first engage you before they are able to attack you. This isn't a roll; when a melee attacker would attack someone in position: cover, they would be met with the message, "You flush <target> out of their cover and move to engage!".
-When flushed out of cover, the individual formerly in the covered position takes on 3 travel RT, is automatically switched to the engaged position, and must then choose to either stand their ground or move to combat: avoid.
-Once flushed out of cover, one can't return to the combat: cover position unless there no enemies currently attempting to engage them and they are under no RT.
-Ranged combatants who are both i position: cover can fire at each other. Ranged combatants can still attack each other in general, so long as they are visible to one another.

So what does this look like in practice? Parties will henceforth be referred to as hunter (person in combat cover) and prey (person trying to engage)

1) hunter Enters room, hidden or unhidden
2) Hunter Inputs Combat cover, and is greeted with the message, "You move into a covered position/you move toward some nearby cover."
3) Hunter Waits for prey. When prey enters the room, or if the hunter was already hidden when prey entered, hunter then takes aim and fires.
4) If hunter is hidden, prey rolls perception as usual to try to trace attacks. Continues until he spots hunter.
5) Upon contact, pray moves to engage hunter. Hunter is flushed out of cover, and inflicted with 3 travel RT and automatically switched to combat engage-- despite his current combat mode preference.
6) Hunter makes choice: Move to combat avoid to get a few more shots in and retreat, or maintain engaged position with prey.

How is this different from the way things currently are?

It extends the loop. It gives ranged combatants an attempt to feel more specialized and focused-- giving them, essentially, an extra attack or two to fire off from their ranged position before they have to commit to that melee finisher.

Additionally, it makes those few ranged attacks they have the oppurtunity to pop off in the first few seconds feel more substantive and powerful. You'll have more balance, so you're making better rolls. You have a bonus to aiming, so you're more likely to get off that shot you're trying to get off. You have a reroll to your stealth check, so you're a little more likely to stay hidden a little longer. You have a reroll to your ranged attack-- which currently is pretty difficult to come by in the game, and again-- makes that initial ranged volley all the more valuable at expense of your mobility.

It's risk reward. They can't gain balance, they can't stalk their target and follow them between rooms, they can't run away as fast as they'd be able to otherwise. But in exchange, they're giving themselves more ability to do consistent damage in the manner that they're comfortable with. Plus-- when exposed-- they still have the safety net of being able to backpedal and retreat if so desired if they're uncomfortable with going all Legolas and whipping out the shortsword.

This goes doubly so for those already leaning upon stealth mechanics as a strategy to extend the ranged loop. A person who's hidden in cover must first be spotted. Then, they have to be flushed out of cover. Then, a melee attacker can swing at them to their heart's content.

Importantly, there's no way for that ranged combatant to just roll away back into cover and start the loop over again once they've been flushed out. They can't do this unless there's no enemies in the room trying to engage them. Because the melee attackers automatically move them into engage position and there's no roll to attempt to close the distance, there theoretically wouldn't be any irritation of feeling like you can't close the gap.

Nor is there the unfair, unbalanced advantage of ranged combatants being able to circle and feint while their then exposed targets make the advance on them and are stuck in hard RT. If you can't circle or feint while in combat cover, and any movement commands trigger 3 travel RT to simulate moving out of cover before they pop off, this also keeps the ranged combatant from scrambling away before they can ever be touched.

IN SUMMARY

-I feel like what i've suggested here extends the ranged combat loop while maintaining development priority of eventually making combat lean toward the engaged melee duel to the death.

-It gives the ranged combatant an ability to feel more substantively specialized whilst giving melee combatants clear and focused capability of engaging them and pinning them in a corner where they can't scamper away any longer.

-It empowers ranged combatants without stepping on melee combatants. melee combatants can still perfectly do their thing, especially to other melee combatants. But now, ranged combatants have a way to pop off at each other from the back line while the manly men headbutt each other in the front. And those headbutters have a way to headbutt their way to the back line to then headbutt the ranger to death once their melee buddy has been properly concussed into oblivion.

-It creates the admittedly hneat potential for sick longbow sniper duels between sneaky people taking cover on opposite sides of the room.


I know this is a little scatter-brained, but i've been thinking about it a while and wanted to post it. As always, feedback appreciated. Please offer your thoughts, criticisms, posetive, negative, all of it.
"The sky, above the clouds; A rainbow that fate has devoured
I gave up Hope
But I'm not going to be lost tomorrow; Even if it is hell
I'm gonna' crawl. "
Reslior
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2022 10:10 am

Re: Combat: Cover

Post by Reslior »

This is wonderful. I was just thinking of something much more focused to deal with this, an ability that gives rerolls to the hidden roll to fend and special perks for different classes, making combat avoid more powerful for ranged, and giving boosts to ranged offense/defense rerolls while not engaged. This proposal takes it to an I think more proper level of precedence and differentiation. I'd also like to see guarding be a big boon for ranged. Maybe that looks like if you're guarded in cover, you don't break cover until hit. That really encourages a big part of the idea that archers are a support class.
Gorth
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Location: Michigan

Re: Combat: Cover

Post by Gorth »

I'm curious about Rias/Combat Balancers' opinions on this and how it fits the spirit of the game/it's combat systems/plans. I really like it, and I feel like it has remarkable balance and fun potential.
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Prism
Posts: 105
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2019 4:44 pm
Location: SHADGARD, BABEH

Re: Combat: Cover

Post by Prism »

Gorth wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:20 pm I'm curious about Rias/Combat Balancers' opinions on this and how it fits the spirit of the game/it's combat systems/plans. I really like it, and I feel like it has remarkable balance and fun potential.


Without trying to put words inside of anyone else’s mouth, I have been repeatedly teased about this. So I would think it’s been received rather positively by staff and the players alike. So the more important question is…


When do I get to start blowing out skullcaps from behind trees? Soon. Soon my child
"The sky, above the clouds; A rainbow that fate has devoured
I gave up Hope
But I'm not going to be lost tomorrow; Even if it is hell
I'm gonna' crawl. "
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