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Shield usage and action combat
I don't think a melee character trailer has come out but we have some hint about the kind combat.
It seems to have some element of action and not simply, like in old times, a continuous tapping on the same button until your fingers start to bleed and your falanxes fly up up and away with a big pop and a beautiful spinning on themselves. I know, it happened to me. Now I have bionic hands.
BUT, ther's a but that sparkles my curiosity: if you have a shield?
Of course you can't move your character arms in all possible directions so it could be very simplified but even in a version similar to Dark Souls, could you possibly parry or deviate enemy blows with your shield?
Most MMORPG intend shields as a mean for certain stats to rise, such as AC, at best they have some dedicated skill, maybe for stunning, but they are never actually "used". They hang there and somhow end up mitigating the damage you receive.
It would be better, I think, if you could not avoid, for example, full damage from a backstab, or if you just used your shield to parry a blow from an enemy in front of you and can't use it to cover yourself from the blow coming from the flank.
Things like this may seem impractical but in fact, not only they are more realistic, but they should incentivate teamwork, as you would need a fellow tank to cover eachother back and be really impenetrable.
Also, that would make a shield wall of a guild possible to overcome with a little bit of strategy.
It seems to have some element of action and not simply, like in old times, a continuous tapping on the same button until your fingers start to bleed and your falanxes fly up up and away with a big pop and a beautiful spinning on themselves. I know, it happened to me. Now I have bionic hands.
BUT, ther's a but that sparkles my curiosity: if you have a shield?
Of course you can't move your character arms in all possible directions so it could be very simplified but even in a version similar to Dark Souls, could you possibly parry or deviate enemy blows with your shield?
Most MMORPG intend shields as a mean for certain stats to rise, such as AC, at best they have some dedicated skill, maybe for stunning, but they are never actually "used". They hang there and somhow end up mitigating the damage you receive.
It would be better, I think, if you could not avoid, for example, full damage from a backstab, or if you just used your shield to parry a blow from an enemy in front of you and can't use it to cover yourself from the blow coming from the flank.
Things like this may seem impractical but in fact, not only they are more realistic, but they should incentivate teamwork, as you would need a fellow tank to cover eachother back and be really impenetrable.
Also, that would make a shield wall of a guild possible to overcome with a little bit of strategy.
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Maybe it would make sense, maybe it wouldnt. It all depends on the final system
On a side node, you mention "backstabbing" it would/could be fun if you could "sheathe" your shield and then you back would be protected. Meaning when the shield is put away its not just cosmetic, but still a little functional.
But even if this were the case, would the shield use a stamina based system for how many concurrent attacks you can block? Having a weapon slam against it is sure to make that shield arm a bit tired.
That would put player in the mindset of: no stupid battles, only rightful battles where the status of my shield/armour is worth the glory of my node/guild.