Modular weapon variation

[Octo]

Just had a thought that might be worth sharing.
What if they modeled their weapons in modular pieces.
A mace for example, would be made out of a handle, body, and a head.

Say they model 10 of each part and if each part can have a random size/scale (preferably non uniform) that would give you a huge variety of weapons,not only in look but since each piece will have its own weight value you would get a different weight distribution and therefore affect gameplay in a positive direction.

Virtually all the weapons in the world would be unique, and each would behave slightly different...Maybe you prefer a long body and a small head on your maze...you would get a feel for what you like and your weapon would feel much more personal and have real value to you, without the need of weapon stats.

I think it fits the open nature of the game and it's something that can realistically be implemented plus fighting would be even more varied.

If you want to get really creative you could make it so you can pick and mix whatever parts you want from any weapon and give them to a blacksmith to make your own designed hand crafted weapon, that doesn't necessarily fit into any category.

I hope i got the idea across, I think it could lead to exciting possibilities.

 

[Pilluminati]

I bet Madoc is gonna feint from the pressure we've put on him with all these suggestions.

 

[Scarecrow]

Hmm, an interesting idea. Seeing how strongly the game is physics based, this could be quite cool. The different sizes, shapes and weights allows for big varieties in play style, and enemy fighting behavior. It would make every encounter different (to some extent), and it would allow the player to find a weapon that fits their play style perfectly.

 

[Sparrow]

Very interesting idea, would definitely make for some challenging fights if every mob has a random weapon style.

 

[Rob]

Like it.

Also, weapons could break.

E.g. an axe head could come of the shaft, if the weapon is poorly made. This wouldn't make the "axe" useless... it would just mean that you would have to hit the enemy with the shaft. That would make adapting combat style with the lighter weapon interesting - the physics would be different.

You could carry around some weapon fixing equipment in your satchel, for after the combat, e.g. some twine, sticky stuff, nails, etc.? Be inventive. You've got to stick that axe head back on somehow...

 

[Sparrow]

Hah, use your dead enemy's entrails eh?

 

[Rob]

With a horrified eye garnishing the poleaxe spike as an accessory!

 

[Madoc]

We want to use modularity extensively in graphics to add more variation. We'd like to have hundreds of different weapons and armours rather than just a few. We're also considering this for other objects. It's not always useful and the combinations can't be that random but variation is always good. The physics aspect of it is not something we looked into much but we would expect the physical properties to vary in many cases.

 

[Venom]

I hope that "hundreds of different weapons" implies a large variation of weapon types instead of having a very small amount of weapon types with little tweaks in each of the hundreds to make the illusion of having lots of weapons.

 

[Rob]

I hope that "hundreds of different weapons" implies a large variation of weapon types instead of having a very small amount of weapon types with little tweaks in each of the hundreds to make the illusion of having lots of weapons.

Surely both is good?!

I think that the variability of visuals and the number of weapons should be considered as mutually exclusive.

The more weapon types, and indeed the more individual weapons, the better. But, no matter how many weapon classes there are, Madoc's proposition to auto-randomise visual appearances is fantastic!!!

 

[Zervostyrd]

What venom said. Skyrim and Oblivion felt quite hollow without spears, especially when Morrowind had them. Looks like Skyrim will introduce them though with the next DLC (yay!)

Also I think spears were and would be a much more common weapon then say swords and maces.

 

[Rob]

For sure, I too hope that there will be a good array of weapon types. There was a thread somewhere that discussed that, a while back...

I'm looking forward to proper documentation becoming available on such things, in terms of what's been confirmed for the final version. However, at this stage, I think we're a while off getting such documentation. I'm sure that more weapons will be added throughout the development process, so we'll just have to keep our ears to the ground, and keep asking for more!!!

 

[calithlin]

One of my computer science and programming professors always drills into my head that 'simpler is always better' in regards to programming. Modularity I think can do that quite well for weapons. Instead of having to custom test and assign every weapon and applying potentially arbitrary weight/balance etc to the weapon, having it based on properties of its constituent parts is a great alternative -- both saving time and improving realism. Not to mention variability and potentially opening new avenues for customization.

Also great to hear Madoc's already got this idea on the mind!

 

[anthony]

hoping this means two-handed weapons are included?

 

[the0thMonkey]

One of the consequences of the idea of modular weapons that you can assemble is that it might be possible to create an unrealistic weapon that was totally OP. With weapons that are made individually, they are carefully checked for balance before you can use them. This problem will probably not be a big deal, but it might be worth considering.

 

[calithlin]

One of the consequences of the idea of modular weapons that you can assemble is that it might be possible to create an unrealistic weapon that was totally OP. With weapons that are made individually, they are carefully checked for balance before you can use them. This problem will probably not be a big deal, but it might be worth considering.

Well I think we were figuring that you could only assemble like-typed weapon pieces.

Such as, you can't stick a sword blade on the end of a mace shaft -- the pieces just don't connect. The only combinations that would work would be:

sword blade + sword grip + guard + pommel = sword

shaft + mace grip + mace head = mace

pole + end cap + spear head = spear

knife blade + small grip + butt = knife

etc etc. If you go by actual weapon anatomy, none of these pieces really fit together. The only exception I can think of would be putting a halberd head on the end of a pole rather than a spear.

Anyway, if you have these limitations it's easy for the developers to know how to stat each individual weapon piece, because they each contribute something different to their weapon's overall performance (like, the sword grip on a sword always helps with swinging or whatever, so they know to put whatever back-end modifiers on that part of the weapon and not another). Makes it easy to make things balanced.

 

[Kale]

That........ sounds like Vagrant Story.... was that where you were stemming from?

 

[Bibidibop]

We want to use modularity extensively in graphics to add more variation. We'd like to have hundreds of different weapons and armours rather than just a few. We're also considering this for other objects. It's not always useful and the combinations can't be that random but variation is always good. The physics aspect of it is not something we looked into much but we would expect the physical properties to vary in many cases.

Would it be possible to create a system where a model is automatically morphed to reflect statistical changes? For instance, a heavier mace gets a bigger head, which makes it more unwieldy; a longer staff than normal being narrower, and thus possibly weaker.

Will there be famous craftsmen who have recognizable styles, a little similar to how there are different gun manufacturers in Borderlands?

It would be great if the custom clothing system extended to the weapon system, so we could have a twelve foot pole arm topped by a chain connected to a broadsword. That way we could make weapons as crappy or awesome as we can imagine, and afford in-game.

 

[The Urban Spaceman]

so we could have a twelve foot pole arm topped by a chain connected to a broadsword

Heh, can't fault your imagination but I think this falls into midget riding war sheep territory, in other words not gonna happen. I may even have inspiration for my next photoshop mock up

Great to hear most weapons & armour will be unique in both appearance & qualities. Perfect example of SG breaking the mould.

 

[Granville]

Feels like this thread needs to be revived

I'd like to see a version of what bibidibop suggested, but maybe limited a bit. In any case i'd like to see weapons broken down into generic parts not specific to any particular weapon. For example a simple long shaft could be used as a simple staff or in the creation of halberds, spears, war hammers, great axes and so on depending on what blade or end piece you find, or even, if you find something like a scimitar blade, create a naginata.