Virindi Clown
12-23-2003, 09:03 PM
I've explained this to people already and no one could find anything wrong with it and people liked it and agreed with it. Keep in mind I play a melee myself and I thought of this and want it done. Ok, here goes...
The current problems in PvP balance point to melees being too strong in group fights. Now think for a second, WHY do they dominate group fights with so little effort? They hit too hard on power? Medium power? Even just right above speed? Nope. It's full speed itself and our friend "sticky." Sticky basically does not even do anything on anything above full speed. It is more likely to be harmful than helpful.
If sticky is the problem, shouldn't it be looked at then? Obviously this is not working out. It is almost inescapable at times and melees hit basically just as hard running after you as they will over time wacking away on power, thought not in as large of chunks at once. Even melees do not like it. It can become as inescapable of a death to a melee as someone being attacked. Anyone who has played a melee knows how completely impossible it can be to avoid slamming right back into someone when you lag even unnoticably imbetween moving away from a target in mid-attack, often right into the face of a war spell, and your death. Getting stuck on walls and stairs and things is no fun, either.
There is a simple concept which I believe fixes both of these issues at the same time. Melees should have two attacks.
One is using the normal attack bar. However, there would be NO sticky or charging. The person would have to run in and come within appropriate range of their target on their own. This keeps the melee from ever being "dragged" undesirably and would allow melees to actually apply a good deal of skill, much like mages. You could turn repeat attacks on and off just the same as not to affect PvM, though it would probably be a bad idea to have it on for PvP.
You would charge an attack just the same, only you would have more control over it if you so choose, as would be useful most commonly in a PvP situation. With repeat attacks off, you would have to hit attack and stand in place to wait for it to finish charging up to where the bar is positioned, or hold down attack until you get to the desired amount of power. On full speed this would obviously not be required, and continuous quick pressing or clicking of the attack button while in range of the target would cause immediate quick attacks. Sensitivity for the attack command would have to be turned down some, as you currently cannot really press the button fast enough to do a full speed attack. To charge at all it would actually have to be held down. If the person moves while charging, their attack will stay charged up to that level of power. They can then attack with that much, or stop and charge more until they reach full power or wish to move again to attack. When they are within range of their target for their attack to connect, an attack at that point will go off and the power meter will drop back down to be charged again or for the player to rapidly attack without charging as mentioned before.
With repeat attacks on, everything mentioned before would function the same, but it would automatically continue charging up to the position the bar is at and attacking so long as the character remains standing in place and the target is within range.
If the target moves, the melee must follow and get within range before their attack can go off. It is possible to hit a moving target in this manner, but not repeatedly as with sticky, as you would not be allowed to be running and attacking at the same time. The most anyone could manage would be to very quickly hit attack when they have reached their target as they let off of run, thereby dropping them behind their target. Without the ability to charge, they have no speed bonus while attacking and could not repeatedly gain on a target and attack again with this form of attack, as everyone moves at the same speed almost regardless of their run skill.
For this to work, there would have to be something to indicate when a target is in range. I would suggest that the target shape around whatever is currently selected change to a different and VERY noticable shape, and then back to normal when the melee is no longer within range. If this was not showing and an attack was set off, anything already charged would be lost so people could not just keep attacking until they connect without really trying. This would have to be showing for repeat attacks to function.
This allows for freedom of movement where current damage is not unbalanced and eliminates the problems sticky can cause without warning.
The second attack would just be another button we could press or click on the attack panel with its own power meter that functions with sticky as we know it now. However, instead of having the normal 50% damage mod as full speed currently does on the power meter, it would be lower, probably around 35% (just a random guess), to put it in line with the damage of a phantom weapon against the normal type of tinkered armor we see (around 400 base, which does not need to be very precise because 350 and 450 are not much different in the calculation even after banes), which is CONSIDERABLY less than a weeping weapon, but still fair for a "homing" repeated attack. Phantoms were and are quite survivable in groups.
People could still use this for PvM if they wanted as we know it today. The best thing here would be for the lower mod on full speed to affect only PK attacks, but if that is not possible I'm sure it would be managable to have the same mod against monsters. You would probably just not want to use it.
This fixes the group gank problem and at the same time, gives melees a strategic element which they lack. They can dart in and out of wars without suddenly being run back into their target when breaking a charging attack, and can instantly switch to a "homing" attack for a moving target, though it will not be as effective as fighting it out normally.
I know some people will say this would allow melees to get TOO good so that they could just dodge any war and always come back with a full power hit to kill any mage, but I do not feel that is the case. It would work exactly the same, but you would have to run yourself to the target instead of just pressing attack doing it for you. All that changes is that sticky will no longer be running people into things, like wars, for no reason where it is not needed.
Debuffable weeping weapons is NOT the solution. It does not really change group fights, and is just irritating 1 on 1, not to mention completely crippling to any melee or archer (who are already bad enough off) who happens to be debuffed in that situation.
My idea covers pretty much everything and I've figured out every detail which I have posted right here. Please give me your feedback, as I would greatly appreciate it in an effort to better the game in an area it seems is only going to decline.
The current problems in PvP balance point to melees being too strong in group fights. Now think for a second, WHY do they dominate group fights with so little effort? They hit too hard on power? Medium power? Even just right above speed? Nope. It's full speed itself and our friend "sticky." Sticky basically does not even do anything on anything above full speed. It is more likely to be harmful than helpful.
If sticky is the problem, shouldn't it be looked at then? Obviously this is not working out. It is almost inescapable at times and melees hit basically just as hard running after you as they will over time wacking away on power, thought not in as large of chunks at once. Even melees do not like it. It can become as inescapable of a death to a melee as someone being attacked. Anyone who has played a melee knows how completely impossible it can be to avoid slamming right back into someone when you lag even unnoticably imbetween moving away from a target in mid-attack, often right into the face of a war spell, and your death. Getting stuck on walls and stairs and things is no fun, either.
There is a simple concept which I believe fixes both of these issues at the same time. Melees should have two attacks.
One is using the normal attack bar. However, there would be NO sticky or charging. The person would have to run in and come within appropriate range of their target on their own. This keeps the melee from ever being "dragged" undesirably and would allow melees to actually apply a good deal of skill, much like mages. You could turn repeat attacks on and off just the same as not to affect PvM, though it would probably be a bad idea to have it on for PvP.
You would charge an attack just the same, only you would have more control over it if you so choose, as would be useful most commonly in a PvP situation. With repeat attacks off, you would have to hit attack and stand in place to wait for it to finish charging up to where the bar is positioned, or hold down attack until you get to the desired amount of power. On full speed this would obviously not be required, and continuous quick pressing or clicking of the attack button while in range of the target would cause immediate quick attacks. Sensitivity for the attack command would have to be turned down some, as you currently cannot really press the button fast enough to do a full speed attack. To charge at all it would actually have to be held down. If the person moves while charging, their attack will stay charged up to that level of power. They can then attack with that much, or stop and charge more until they reach full power or wish to move again to attack. When they are within range of their target for their attack to connect, an attack at that point will go off and the power meter will drop back down to be charged again or for the player to rapidly attack without charging as mentioned before.
With repeat attacks on, everything mentioned before would function the same, but it would automatically continue charging up to the position the bar is at and attacking so long as the character remains standing in place and the target is within range.
If the target moves, the melee must follow and get within range before their attack can go off. It is possible to hit a moving target in this manner, but not repeatedly as with sticky, as you would not be allowed to be running and attacking at the same time. The most anyone could manage would be to very quickly hit attack when they have reached their target as they let off of run, thereby dropping them behind their target. Without the ability to charge, they have no speed bonus while attacking and could not repeatedly gain on a target and attack again with this form of attack, as everyone moves at the same speed almost regardless of their run skill.
For this to work, there would have to be something to indicate when a target is in range. I would suggest that the target shape around whatever is currently selected change to a different and VERY noticable shape, and then back to normal when the melee is no longer within range. If this was not showing and an attack was set off, anything already charged would be lost so people could not just keep attacking until they connect without really trying. This would have to be showing for repeat attacks to function.
This allows for freedom of movement where current damage is not unbalanced and eliminates the problems sticky can cause without warning.
The second attack would just be another button we could press or click on the attack panel with its own power meter that functions with sticky as we know it now. However, instead of having the normal 50% damage mod as full speed currently does on the power meter, it would be lower, probably around 35% (just a random guess), to put it in line with the damage of a phantom weapon against the normal type of tinkered armor we see (around 400 base, which does not need to be very precise because 350 and 450 are not much different in the calculation even after banes), which is CONSIDERABLY less than a weeping weapon, but still fair for a "homing" repeated attack. Phantoms were and are quite survivable in groups.
People could still use this for PvM if they wanted as we know it today. The best thing here would be for the lower mod on full speed to affect only PK attacks, but if that is not possible I'm sure it would be managable to have the same mod against monsters. You would probably just not want to use it.
This fixes the group gank problem and at the same time, gives melees a strategic element which they lack. They can dart in and out of wars without suddenly being run back into their target when breaking a charging attack, and can instantly switch to a "homing" attack for a moving target, though it will not be as effective as fighting it out normally.
I know some people will say this would allow melees to get TOO good so that they could just dodge any war and always come back with a full power hit to kill any mage, but I do not feel that is the case. It would work exactly the same, but you would have to run yourself to the target instead of just pressing attack doing it for you. All that changes is that sticky will no longer be running people into things, like wars, for no reason where it is not needed.
Debuffable weeping weapons is NOT the solution. It does not really change group fights, and is just irritating 1 on 1, not to mention completely crippling to any melee or archer (who are already bad enough off) who happens to be debuffed in that situation.
My idea covers pretty much everything and I've figured out every detail which I have posted right here. Please give me your feedback, as I would greatly appreciate it in an effort to better the game in an area it seems is only going to decline.