XCOM EU Melee Weapons (possible issues + fixes)

[Talonflight]

I was looking around and i've seen plenty of people who request melee weapon mods come against a lot of critizism against the idea, as well as legitimate reasons why they think melee wouldnt work. From what i can tell, there are several reasons to use Melee, several bonuses of melee, and several hazards of melee.

Reasons:
-Silent takedowns

-backup weapon when out of ammo and not much reliable cover

-"Badass factor"

 

Bonuses

-No chance to miss at such close range (Could be changed if people want "Hard mode" or such)

-potential for massive damage depending on weapon

-augments for titan armor and other armor which could possibly enhance physical capabilities

 

Hazards

-places unit in danger if he does not score the kill

-utterly ineffective against robotic enemies (We have the taser weapon for that)

-Alien anatomy is unknown, no idea where to hit in order to damage (Autopsying an alien could fix this issue)

 

Technical issues
-Animations are not in game, would have to be coded individually

-Would have to form an entirely new weapon type (or replace one already present)

 

 

With the issues described above, i was simply wondering how feasable it would be to construct such a mod itself. I have no experience with animations, though i have made a few weapon mods/followers for games such as Skyrim for my own personal use. I will attempt to form this myself, though i daresay i am probably not the best nor the most qualified to do such a thing.

((SIDE NOTE: melee weapon project intended for an eventual full-replacer demon invasion mod inspired by Diablo, Hellgate London, and Devil May Cry))

[SpartanXZero]

I totally love this idea.

Melee option would start with default combat knife, with a damage variable based on positioning of attack. front / flank /rear. Also an adjusted variable for targets wearing armor or robotic/cybernetic (none/light/combat/heavy/robotic/etc).

 

Various new melee weapon cat types.

 

Alloy, Laser, Vibro, Psionic.

Each type having unique dmg profiles suited best for certain target types. Alloy (simply a stronger combat knife variant, early tech), Laser (next gen tech), Vibro (armor pen vs robotic/cybernetic), Psionic (higher dmg vs psionic aliens, does nothing to robotics/cybernetic)

Could even include a sword option for specific soldier classes; especially in LW mod, combat swords could be options for Scouts / Assault sub classes as well any Psionic enhanced.

This would require a 3rd weapon slot option for melee only

[Talonflight]

I totally love this idea.

 

Melee option would start with default combat knife, with a damage variable based on positioning of attack. front / flank /rear. Also an adjusted variable for targets wearing armor or robotic/cybernetic (none/light/combat/heavy/robotic/etc).

 

Various new melee weapon cat types.

 

Alloy, Laser, Vibro, Psionic.

 

Each type having unique dmg profiles suited best for certain target types. Alloy (simply a stronger combat knife variant, early tech), Laser (next gen tech), Vibro (armor pen vs robotic/cybernetic), Psionic (higher dmg vs psionic aliens, does nothing to robotics/cybernetic)

 

Could even include a sword option for specific soldier classes; especially in LW mod, combat swords could be options for Scouts / Assault sub classes as well any Psionic enhanced.

 

This would require a 3rd weapon slot option for melee only

Sounds good, though I don't know if modding in a 3rd weapon slot is possible. I would probably have to have it as able to use the Pistol slot, where either you take a pistol or a melee weapon. I'd have to put in a requirement for autopsying an alien, otherwise the damage has a chance to be useless (since you don't know alien physiology and thus run the risk of stabbing them in an "earlobe" area).

 

This would be my first published mod, so I'm a little hesitant at trying to tackle animations myself. There are kicks and weapon-bash animations already in game, but no suitable melee weapon animations.

 

Also toying with the idea of a Counterattack thingy in the officer training area. A chance to counter with your melee weapon against a melee attack from a zombie, chrysalid, or bezerker, but it has a chance to cause panic in the soldier if you miss

[Talonflight]

UPDATE: Currently looking at some in-game assets, seeing if i can repurpose them and mix em together to try and design the first weapon; still havent even thought about animations, im going to have to actually LEARN how to animate for that. Considering various weapon designs; i want to avoid cliche katana type stuff, so im going for a modern cold-steel machete kinda look. I've decided on the tiers, and will be using Long War:

Normal - machete. Foundry project with a very short research time to give the machete an electrical charge (Similar to the Taser-Knife wielded by Snake in MGS). Has a (low) chance to stun, so you have an option to attempt to use it to capture aliens (Probably more useful at high levels, where it wont do much damage and you can strike multiple times with it.

 

Beam Laser - another machete, but this one with a superheated blade. A foundry project can further enhance the heat of the blade, causing cauterizing wounds that are extremely painful and limit enemy mobility on his next turn.

 

Gauss - a vibrating blade more similar to the Katana appearance. Hopefully this will satisfy people since gauss can technically be used till the end of Long War (Lets face it, im going to get requests for a Katana). Powered by elerium generators, it retains no extra effects like the lower tiers, but its damage is considerably higher, making it a viable weapon even in pitched battle.

Pulse Laser - this one is a bit difficult, the next logical progression would be the typical "Lightsaber" but i wanted to avoid that. im thinking something along the lines of the machete but with a cutting edge (not the whole blade) Made of up glowing laser. This one would bear innate armor penetration.

Plasma - A curved sword, who's blade is deactivated until they strike (Lightsaber time, though the blade would be more undulating and less regular), made of glowy green plasma. Obviously the highest damage, and due to its great damage it would probably almost always be a one-hit kill. (Similar to a plasma shotgun-blast in the face). No extra effects to compensate for extreme damage.

 

Psi - a Psy-Blade, coming out of the wrist, inspired by Starcraft. Only usable by Psy soldiers, but has a chance to cause panic.