The Thrill of Battle

Ok so I noted this in my R6 Feedback, and it seemed to get a lot of attention, so I figure it might be a good thread to bring to our brainstorming.

Right now we don't have random card dealing, so I expect to have my abilities be slightly LESS available, as periodically I don't have any dealt. Right now there were no passive bonuses, though I saw what the passive bonuses were. Right now we have very limited gear, and the stat bonuses from the gear were, as promised, very small. So while I know I will have BETTER gear, I don't expect it to make a tremendous difference.

The combat, with 40 ability points to spend, feels like a total novice, the equal of one dark elf, jogging across the landscape trying to lure enemies into a series of duels and ambushes. This is not BAD, but also not the feel that I want the entire game to have. I hope to move beyond that, as my skill, gear, and build quality improve, to be... more badass.

I want to play a hero, capable of taking on two or three of those wandering trash mobs. If they have nothing better to do than wander the fields near a wagon that it took (what, 15 of them?) all of those elves to raid, I should, in my own mind, be able to fight two or three at once. That's the power level of hero who I can believe would be crusading across the land solving problems. When I enter a cave that has twenty bandits in it, or an underground tomb that has thirty skeletons, I don't like the model of proceeding slowly from one single combat to the next. If I was one of those bandits, or the lich who controlled those skeles, I would call for a small group to form up deeper in the structure and patrol outward, finding and overwhelming the intruder. The only way to prevent that would be if the Avatar had either speed, or stealth, or both. I don't see all the lighting and fire and clanging swords being very stealthy, and right now, we are not the speed.

So in my mind, that hero, who could do all of this, who could calmly display the throne of bone in his front yard, who could aspire to kill a dragon, to claim that his actions defend the countryside, who could journey the world questing and righting wrongs, should be able to reach a point where COMMON enemies can be bull rushed, steam rolled, and plowed under.

It is always within the capacity of the game devs to make bigger enemies, marking them out (or not!) as equal to or even superior to the players, but to have everything I fought become a toe to toe slugfest, that felt wrong. It got old.

Now, part of why it got old was the Toe to Toe bit. There was a DISadvantage to moving. Moving used up button clicks and attention that could have been on the combat bar, and risked bumping into another enemy. Once it was two on one, I would lose most fights. So standing still was the preferred method, and I don't like that. I want to see dodging, positioning for advantage, pressing enemies back, running them down. I want to move during combat, and not just as a result of using ability tokens, but using the same keys that make me move OUT of combat. I'm not looking for super arcade action, but something that makes the fight feel dynamic, instead of static.

And of course, the fact that my Avatar would finish each fight depleted and in need of a chance to catch it's breath, so that after looting I would stop and stand there, hoping nothing patrolled over me, kinda broke the limited thrill this combat had.

So as more of the combat system is developed, I want to see movement, I want to feel a sense of power, I want dynamic elements to replace this tank-and-spank method.

Also, I think a broader range of passive abilities would be good.

 

Yes, I do agree with some of what you are saying. The current combat mode is a little static, but it is still in development. I don't delve into a lot of the older forums to search out what the end state is suppose to be. But so far, we just have to sit down and catch our breath before each battle...

 

I did not play much - but I did notice that the "select target" - "Locked" on enemy and allowed you to run out of melee range and come back when you wanted / or cast a spell

While I agree with the sentiment - I don't know if I want to be a "badass" as in being a warden in lotro ... I could fight 30 - 40 monsters at once and with good gear and a little knowhow I would not really be in any danger of dying

I know this is an extreme example but I'm looking for a more tactical experience - one where I do have to think more ... going for a speedrun is not what I'm looking for ...

Although this is a simple game - "Unepic" - I like the approach that it took - the "faster" player was the one that discovered the weakness of the creatures and properly equipped to capitalize on their limitations ... in other words it was based more on player knowledge rather than built in game skills

I'm looking for a challenge more than a badass (although I do like to feel this way in other games)

 

I said combat is the only reason to play, I don't care if it's slow and plodding, or even turn-based. But if it isn't solid it can't be good...only solid things are good.
Nothing without "Quality" can be considered good, that's just a fact.

*These are my oppinions, and so far out of 16 votes I'm the only one who has voted ->
* Only reason to play.