So, I started a new game, and died to the first NPC that was hostile to me. After realizing there was no way for me to load the game, I decided to try the Arena mode since I figured it would be a good way to practice. I really enjoy the combat; especially subtle details like how you can run into your opponent to prevent them from attacking you, much like a boxing clinch, but I felt like there were some issues that needed addressing to make it less frustrating. What follows are what I felt were the biggest ones.
I instantly got addicted and progressed to the Expert tier. However, this is where I started to have problems, notably with the final opponent. It seems like characters have trouble blocking attacks from some two-handed weapons, even if you're not being side-stepped or flanked; I've had it happen several times where both of us were standing across from one another, not moving. He attacks, I don't attack, and somehow I take damage through the block. My guess is that the halberd's axe head manages to collide with the player mesh because it sticks out slightly from the shaft, even if the shaft gets blocked or parried. I think the block animation should adjust itself to be further out from the character's body when blocking two-handed weapons. I've had this issue with both parrying with another two-handed weapon and blocking with a shield.
Another huge issue I had was with swinging left-to-right instead of right-to-left. You're supposed to move the cursor to your character's left, which makes sense at first. However, this control scheme is very unreliable in a lot of situations; often, the movement of your cursor will result in you executing a whiffed strike. I feel that with the very deliberate pace of the combat, turning your character even for a little bit in a direction you don't want to is a pretty big disadvantage. Not to mention it's not very clear how far you need to move the cursor left to execute the alternate strike. I would suggest, if you're not going to change this aspect of the control scheme, at least implement a directional indicator on the cursor that tells you whether or not you're going to strike left. That way it's easy to tell when you've moved your cursor far enough.
That about covers what I felt were the outstanding issues; what follows is rather subjective (although there is some subjectivity attached to what I mentioned previously anyway).
First, the movement during combat in general. After I got used to the movement by itself, I rather liked it. I like how pressing a directional key makes you take a deliberate step instead of just moving constantly in a direction until you stop pushing the key. However, I had issues with the way movement and attacking go together. Maybe I just need to get good, but I feel like moving and attacking together is kind of unpredictable and not responsive enough. I did get to the final opponent in Expert tier (I have not beaten him yet though, for reasons mentioned previously), so I'd like to think I have a pretty decent handle on the combat. It seems like once you start swinging, it's kind of impossible or near-impossible to move, which seems to be a pretty big issue for slower weapons. It's rather hard to tell, though. I like the deliberateness of the movement, but I feel it could be tweaked to be just a little more responsive. Specifically the amount of inertia your character has could be lowered just a tad.
Another thing is that I feel that the visuals of the game could use more contrast. I have pretty poor eyesight. This doesn't normally interfere with me playing games or using a computer in general, but I find it extremely difficult to spot things in the environment sometimes. Even finding weapons lying on the arena floor was an annoyance for me; the steel seemed to blend in with the grey stone often, unless it landed in such a spot that it cast a noticeable shadow. I would really appreciate a subtle shader effect or glow for items that can go in your inventory. Nothing as obnoxious as that in Deus Ex: HR, for instance, but something that makes things in the environment pop out more.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you guys do to this game in the future. Keep it up!
I instantly got addicted and progressed to the Expert tier. However, this is where I started to have problems, notably with the final opponent. It seems like characters have trouble blocking attacks from some two-handed weapons, even if you're not being side-stepped or flanked; I've had it happen several times where both of us were standing across from one another, not moving. He attacks, I don't attack, and somehow I take damage through the block. My guess is that the halberd's axe head manages to collide with the player mesh because it sticks out slightly from the shaft, even if the shaft gets blocked or parried. I think the block animation should adjust itself to be further out from the character's body when blocking two-handed weapons. I've had this issue with both parrying with another two-handed weapon and blocking with a shield.
Another huge issue I had was with swinging left-to-right instead of right-to-left. You're supposed to move the cursor to your character's left, which makes sense at first. However, this control scheme is very unreliable in a lot of situations; often, the movement of your cursor will result in you executing a whiffed strike. I feel that with the very deliberate pace of the combat, turning your character even for a little bit in a direction you don't want to is a pretty big disadvantage. Not to mention it's not very clear how far you need to move the cursor left to execute the alternate strike. I would suggest, if you're not going to change this aspect of the control scheme, at least implement a directional indicator on the cursor that tells you whether or not you're going to strike left. That way it's easy to tell when you've moved your cursor far enough.
That about covers what I felt were the outstanding issues; what follows is rather subjective (although there is some subjectivity attached to what I mentioned previously anyway).
First, the movement during combat in general. After I got used to the movement by itself, I rather liked it. I like how pressing a directional key makes you take a deliberate step instead of just moving constantly in a direction until you stop pushing the key. However, I had issues with the way movement and attacking go together. Maybe I just need to get good, but I feel like moving and attacking together is kind of unpredictable and not responsive enough. I did get to the final opponent in Expert tier (I have not beaten him yet though, for reasons mentioned previously), so I'd like to think I have a pretty decent handle on the combat. It seems like once you start swinging, it's kind of impossible or near-impossible to move, which seems to be a pretty big issue for slower weapons. It's rather hard to tell, though. I like the deliberateness of the movement, but I feel it could be tweaked to be just a little more responsive. Specifically the amount of inertia your character has could be lowered just a tad.
Another thing is that I feel that the visuals of the game could use more contrast. I have pretty poor eyesight. This doesn't normally interfere with me playing games or using a computer in general, but I find it extremely difficult to spot things in the environment sometimes. Even finding weapons lying on the arena floor was an annoyance for me; the steel seemed to blend in with the grey stone often, unless it landed in such a spot that it cast a noticeable shadow. I would really appreciate a subtle shader effect or glow for items that can go in your inventory. Nothing as obnoxious as that in Deus Ex: HR, for instance, but something that makes things in the environment pop out more.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you guys do to this game in the future. Keep it up!
