Combat and damage.

[jimcrowley]

Hi​

I have just pledged, based on what I consider to be one of the best introductory videos that I have seen on Kickstarter (or anywhere else for that matter!). And, of course, I am also very interested in the subject matter.​

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This has huge potential and looks truly excellent. The combat examples actually look like a real fight, complete with satisfactory, if painful, conclusions.​

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My questions revolve around the nature of combat and whether or not there is any sort of 'damage' model. For a long time the D&D hitpoint system, or something very like it, has been at the heart of the majority of FRPGs. However, I personally find this to be quite mechanical and sterile: I hit my opponent for 5 hps; he hits back for 7, etc etc until one or other gets down to zero and dies. No gradual diminution of abilities as damage is taken and then, take a magic potion (often in the middle of combat!) and everything is completely all right again. I certainly wouldn't want to read a book like that!​

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So, will there be a damage model; will it be possible to target specific body areas for specific effects and how will healing be handled? It looks as if combat is real-time; will it also be pausable. And, do you control a single character and/or a party.​

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Irrespective of the answers, the very best of luck with this project; it deserves to succeed based on what I have already seen.​

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Cheers​

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Jim​

 

[Madoc]

Hi Jim, we all very much agree with hitpoints being a tired mechanic. Originally we went for a stamina based system that entailed such a diminuition of abilities. Gameplay wise this didn't quite work out as we had planned and so we removed it. We are still using a stamina and injury system but to be honest we haven't settled on final mechanics. There will certainly be no instant healing and no hitpoints, tougher opponents will be more resistant to damage of certain types.​

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All damage is locational, some weapons and attacks will allow accurate targeting, and so will powers. Armour will also cover specific body parts rather than confer some kind of defence, different body parts will naturally have different vulnerabilities.​

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You will definitely only control a single character but you may have people fighting alongside you. In some fights you may well need the support.​

 

[jimcrowley]

Excellent. Looking forward to see how this develops.​

 

[Gusmil]

Wish you best of luck cracking an alternative instead of hp bars. I know of a few diffrent ways to come around it, but Im looking forward to see what you guys gonna settle with.

 

[Jamie]

The animation in the combat looks fantastic, is the animation dynamic or is it a bunch of pre made animations that happen depending on the situation in combat? I ask because it just looks so real. Also how do you guys make a game when you are all in diffrent citys.

 

[Madoc]

Hi Jamie,

There are very few actual animations and they are basically only rough guidelines for more dynamic behaviours, many character motions are purely dynamic behaviours with no animation inputs at all.

With great difficulty. That is why we need funding. We put a huge effort into getting things to this stage where we felt comfortable with asking for support with our ambitious project.

 

[dktne]

A nice way to use potions is to have them, as they do realistically, heal one over time. Potions for specific effects beside healing like seeing through the dark or levitation or what have you, ought to work similarly, beginning and releasing effect over time.

 

[Gusmil]

Or you can do the healing way of items or potions Like in Soulbringer, You have to chug it in real time with animation and all.

 

[HarroK]

Well this is great, but how do you control your character? I mean in details. Is it just click and there goes the procedural animation, or do you have to move your mouse like in Die by the Sword?

 

[Zaroua]

What about going in the same general direction that Dwarf Fortress does? A combat system based on real life physics and body structure. Judging from your pitch video, it seems you have the ability/know-how to do this, on top of having an established structure that could support a combat system like this one.

 

[Fibrizzo24]

Hi, this game engine looks so awesome i can't nearly believe it guys. I got one question about battle mechanic.
Will I be able to cut opponents? I mean, when you fight with sword against opponent there is a huge chance that you will cut off his hands. We will be able to cut off heads? or cuts which make the enemy bleed?

 

[Venom]

I am rather interested in finding out if there will be gore in the game. A hulking brute with an ax won't simply beat you down and that's it. He would probably do whatever he can to turn you to inanimate limps of flesh scattered around the landscape. I simply want to know if there will be a possibility of losing limbs if a force is far too much for the armor or current clothing to resist. It could be as simple as detaching segments of a characters body whenever he is stricken with immense force. A very simple and very underused idea. Some RPGs have applied gore to some extent. I will use Skyrim as an example, where decapitation is an available feature.

I wish to use as a standing point the fact that you aspire for realism in this game. Bare flesh cannot hold the blow of a sword without making a disgusting mess, I assure you. Best luck to all!

 

[Valvar]

Indeed, detatchable body parts would be most pleasing! Ehrm, I mean, realistic!

 

[HarroK]

Well irl it's not that easy to cut off a hand or head. Weapons deal huge cuts but that's it

 

[Tony]

Well irl it's not that easy to cut off a hand or head. Weapons deal huge cuts but that's it

Did you not notice the decapitated head in Valvar's avatar? And it was such a clean cut that the sunglasses remained!

All jokes aside, I think that if they add severed limbs or decapitation that it should use the same physics model as the rest of the game. These should only apply if sufficient force is applied to sever a limb or head. And they should only apply to a killing blow. Otherwise they'd have to program in people losing blood, moving with missing limbs and other functionality since not all severed limbs would be instant death (this would look awesome but it is not something that would be easy to program).

 

[Valvar]

Well irl it's not that easy to cut off a hand or head. Weapons deal huge cuts but that's it

I'll see if I can find a source later, but apparently historians have found evidence (in the form of skeletons) from medieval battlefields indicating that some people had both their legs cut off from a single swipe of a broadsword, for example. Which could either mean that bodies are pretty fragile or the old dudes in armour packed a pretty hard punch.

 

[HarroK]

I'm a Mount & Blade huge fan, and was participating in community life, and as u can imagine it had a reeeaal huge amount of holywars about realism and dismemberment in particular. And there were lots of proofs that dismemberment is very unlikely. I would say if engine allows, why not? But only for really hevy strikes, and/or magic spells

 

[Kieran]

We will be releasing an update on how you control your character in combat. We will definitely have blood in our game and almost certainly dismemberment. Weapons will get lodged into other characters as well as shields and possibly other things. This should all work very well with our physics!

 

[Sneil]

I'm a Mount & Blade huge fan, and was participating in community life, and as u can imagine it had a reeeaal huge amount of holywars about realism and dismemberment in particular. And there were lots of proofs that dismemberment is very unlikely. I would say if engine allows, why not? But only for really hevy strikes, and/or magic spells

For humans, sure, you'd have to be an absolute brute of a man yes. But piggy the ogre (so I've read he's been affectionately called) looks to me, realistically speaking were there ever a creature to actually exist, would have no issue removing a limb of a puny human being. I'd say for these type of creatures it is more than "realistically" possible.

We will be releasing an update on how you control your character in combat. We will definitely have blood in our game and almost certainly dismemberment. Weapons will get lodged into other characters as well as shields and possibly other things. This should all work very well with our physics!

Now that is really awesome to hear.

 

[Venom]

We will be releasing an update on how you control your character in combat. We will definitely have blood in our game and almost certainly dismemberment. Weapons will get lodged into other characters as well as shields and possibly other things. This should all work very well with our physics!

I LOVE IT! Can't wait for that update!