Improving the TES combat system without overhauling it...

[TranquilityLane]

Spears, poles, hell, having the ability to pick up most anything and use it for blunt force damage would be a really fun touch, as in, it starts as a basic item, you put a special enchantment on it, and it takes on a specific animation defined in game by an item ID type.

 

So...If the 'none weapon' item was a pole (Rake, brush, whatever), it'd have an item ID of 1 in the backend and from such, a special enchantment would change it into an equippable item that no longer can be used for it's original purpose (Or both, if you want to get complex)

 

I'd love to be able to pick up a candle stick and smash a random guy over the head.

 

"It was the warrior, in the pantry, with the candle stick!"

[PounceDeLeon]

This could either be truly epic or the worst thing ever but you guys know the Skate games? (Skate, Skate 2, Skate 3) They took the old button pushing mechanics of Tony Hawk and made all the moves based on movements with the analog stick, I think the recent hockey games do this too (but I don't know how well). Anyway, I think sword fighting in games is LONG overdue for an innovation. With a decent lock on a character that switches the control mode over (again this could totally suck or be SUPER awesome, you gain full control over your weapon with the analog stick. You don't wave it around like old games that tried this do like some limp wand, you have moves that you actually learn like in Skate. This is what was awesome about Skate, a starting player who knew how to pull the moves off could do them, your character doesn't advance, the PLAYER does. To parry, you snap the right stick towards the direction a blow is coming from, to make a downwards crushing blow, you bring the weapon to the top position and sweep it downwards, you can disarm with a circular parry, stab by click in the stick, make quick slicing strokes through a zigzag pattern etc. With a bow you pull back and release. Maybe you even have to nock an arrow first. The point is to make the combat actually physical and dynamic not number crunching. Sure, your strength stat will make your blows land harder, and your parry skill will allow your parrying to be quicker and more accurate, but you are ACTUALLY reacting, you miss and you get cut, level 48 vs. goblin or not. This could also solve the old menu mages dilemma. It's so immersion breaking to be a powerful mage that has to pause and go to a menu to switch from a fire spell to a shock spell... ugh. What if as a mage you actually learned gestures for your spells, more complex spells are more complex gestures, a fire spell might be top right to bottom left, but if you first do that and then zigzag up before releasing it, you can launch a fireshock spell or something. Harder spells are actually harder for the player to cast, not just that you need to level up first. Spells could become infinitely combined and everything would be quick and intuitive. (This worked for Skate, the moves felt real and visceral and you felt like you DID them, not commanded your PC to do it by pressing XXYB etc. This takes the learning by doing formula of TES and makes it apply to the player, don't shoot off a hundred fireballs to increase your destruction skill, shoot them off so you get good at doing it in a jam! Practice fighting at the fighters guild so that you become better as a player with swordplay. Multiplayer could even become possible because it won't be a calculator doing the fighting, it's player skill based, with help from stats and special weapons.

 

Also if the combat is now physics based and not stats based, the terrain can become important, can't beat a guy who parries all your blows? Drive him back with lots of hits until he loses his balance and falls down a hill, then kill him. Triggers and bumpers on the consoles or modifier keys on the keyboard like q and e could be used to perform special moves like pulling back or lunging forward, shield bashing or kicks and dirty tricks. Again, it could be a disaster or it could be the first REAL sword fighting mechanic in a game that compares to the shooting mechanics of a first person shooter. Make player skill more important and perhaps, if we are truly lucky could bring meaningful multiplayer combat to games like these.

 

EDIT: Before people complain that it's not RPG like, if you are a level one and a deadric prince takes a swing at you, you can get your sword in front of it but your puny arms would shatter and you'll be crushed. Strength of the blow would become critical, and your strength in blocking them too. Same for magic, your spells still cost Magicka, so just because you know HOW to cast a powerful spell doesn't mean you can afford to, or to cast more than one anyway. Bows would be more powerful the whole time, since it will take significant skill to put an arrow between the eyes of a daedric prince regardless, but again, the strength you put behind the arrow and the quality of the weapon will be very important. A role playing game should allow you to play a role, so you should get to feel like you are REALLY slicing up a Daedra, not pushing buttons.

my 2 cents.

Edited January 7, 2011 by PounceDeLeon

[Zaldir]

Official Combat (and Combat related) changes:

 

- Finishing moves, unique to each weapon and enemy you fight.

- Dual Wielding with both weapons and spells.

- Sprint is added!

- Backwards running speed reduced. (Can't outrun people when running backwards and shooting arrows at them anymore! yay!)

-5 Magic Schools Destruction, Alteration, Conjuration, Restoration & Illusion. (Mysticism removed)

[mukumukuu]

@ PounceDeLeon

The whole analog thing may by chance (and that's a small small chance), work for the consoles but what about computers? Computer users have no analog sticks. On top of that if you use an analog stick on the consoles to perform the moves then what will you use to look around? default is, stick 1. movement stick 2. look around. your version would be stick 1. movement stick 2. swinging swords/drawing bow string. where does that leave the camera control? Unless they made a new controller to work with it properly it won't work out. I'm not trying to say that your whole idea is terrible, i mean I do like it, it's just that it doesn't seem like it could work out control wise for the game. :/