[Combat] Shield Mechanics and player physicality.

ArchivedUser

Hello there,

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I am looking to get the opinion of players as to what the role of Shields and tanks will be, and their physicality, in that, will the players be able to run through each other, or will there be meshes that stop people running through each other - and with that I see the role of Tanks / Shields to be to block doorways / gates from other players running through without a challenge, so that in the grand battles that tactics can be employed that include blocking doorways during sieges, or that Tanks can protect mages/healers / Siege equipment.

ArchivedUser

I don't know enough about how sieges will play out to consider if being able to block a doorway will have much of an impact. However, I can see the problem that with that mechanic in the game, some people could 'accidentally go afk in a frequently used doorway'

ArchivedUser

Well we know that during the city Sieges that the attacking players will be focusing specific NPC's to give them an attacking bonus.

As to players blocking doorways, could make it so they only become physical during all forms of PvP (Both flagged as combatants) and PvE then they can be killed.

ArchivedUser

It would be nice if combatants couldn't pass through each other. It always kind of bothered me when games cut out a large portion of tactics because you can just pass right through what you are fighting. Also, I would love to see shield walls. If I'm going to fight on the front line. I want the ability to actually hold that line and not have them pass right through me and waltz over to the squishies.

ArchivedUser

I agree, it would also be nice if Mages can contribute to this idea that it is for the Tank classes to make a physical barrier to stop people coming through, then mages can focus on making magical barriers to halt projectiles and magical spells, as well as making a secondary barrier behind the tank line.

ArchivedUser

Hello

This is very interesting topic ... devs said before that it will be mix of tab target + body collisions + other type of skill targeting ... I love it !!!

I'm old time player of many mmo and I would like to point out Warhammer Online ... it was something that can be explained similar and it worked great (I don't know if it will be the same but from what devs said I assume some parts are going to be similar)

In Warhammer Online it was:
- tab target to use some single target skills and it was usefully
- some skills were AoE and you had to click the area you want to target (ex. point click circle of effect)
- some skills were like that you point direction and use them and if you hit than you hit ... full body and terrain collision apply to them
- and ofc there were body collision so shield wall during defending was 100% viable and working strategy

System worked great and I hope here will be something similar

But if you look at mage combat movie you will see almost all of points I mentioned :P

I hope I helped:D

MooZG

ArchivedUser

I like massive battles, which normally mean the physics demands of player collision are too much for current tech.
There is also the griefing issue where some people just want to disrupt other players.

All that aside, combat without collision just feels empty and unnatural to me.
It is better to work out the issues and find solutions then abandon collision IMO.
Especially if the concept of immersion has any relevance.
Enemies for one are expected to grief the enemy. Friendlies are not.

I suggested formation in another thread long ago.
It could be a way to enable collision skills vs enemies, but not apply collision skills to friendlies.
I still fundamentally believe the loss of collision is too much of a negative to sacrifice though.

ArchivedUser

If there was running in to eachother I'd recommend a one second global stun stumble for the person that was moving in to them. hehe would be funny. For something like this to work though we would have to be able to leap over another player for things such as blocking though.

ArchivedUser

Hope the tank class becomes equally important as tanks where in WARHAMMER ONLINE. Shield wall's, dmg reduction for group and single players, buffs etc.

Not saying that carbon the IB (for example) is the right way but they made a lot right with that tank class in WAR.

ArchivedUser

@Gharok
I'd love to clothesline a runner and watch them backflip :D

ArchivedUser

I'd have it so that when a target is using some kind of shield / collision block skill that becomes the techs main focus, so say, two plays with no collision skills on can bypass each other, but if someone runs through a player using a certain skill then it accounts for that, this would reduce server lag AND make it so you can let people slip through the shield wall, then raise shields to block the next player as the DPS behind the shield wall then take out the person who was allowed to slip through.

We see this in historic combat where they'd pull people into the shield wall to be taken out, to then continue pushing the wall.

ArchivedUser

What if only certain abilities activated collision? Like mage barriers or a warrior raising their shield?
I don't know a thing about game design, hence the question marks.

ArchivedUser

That's exactly what I'm saying, it'd overall reduce the amount of server side load as it'd have to check if two players had made contact.

ArchivedUser

I would like to see physical shape be represented in-game so that rogues and rangers could wall-run, dodge and somersault etc. with warriors having strong parrys and blocks and slower but still useful dodging. Mages will probably have teleports. Blocking should be a better than Tera system if possible.

ArchivedUser

So, basically Mirror's Edge, except more viable?

ArchivedUser

I think it is a tough call to be honest. You could look at a game like For Honour blocking system and I think, whilst that is a very different kind of game, it would be interesting too see that integrated into a MMO combat system.

I would love to see shields being used as a siege block, but realistically if you were holding a shield, would you be able to hold over 3+ people running a door way? Probably not :D

ArchivedUser

I would love to see additional pvp tweeking option. Like lets say your a tank with a shield that push ppl over and that you use then the next spell wich his like a shield bash where you swing your shield at the head of the person in front of you. Lets say that while holding your shield, you also holding like a dagger. That mean then you gonna swing your shield at the head of the person, you gonna do additionnal damage. But the drawback his you are not gonna block has good has no dagger equipped.
Same could go for like a range class, that could hold something also like a dagger, that whenever something get close, you can clip for additionnal damage and like walk away.