LE Mounted Combat

[Everex]

Okay, I havent seen any suggestions or mods that have had the idea of mounted combat.

 

Now Ive seen a lot of flak about the introduction of mounted combat on other forums but I think a few simple mechanics could make mounted combat both enjoyable and challenging. The mechanics to make it a reality are already in the game. Also I currently find it quite annoying to be ambushed by a pack of wolves or several bandits and have to wait for the slow animation of getting off my horse to start attacking them, it takes away from the adrenaline of the scenario and isnt very realistic to begin with.

 

1. One handed weapons only (with exception to bows, but ill get to that later). You need to have your hand on the reigns to steer a horse, as any race presented in the game doesnt have a real world counterpart (with the exception of the redguard, but we'll ignore that for continuity) that had common training in the ranks to steer a mount with their knees. This also means no dual weilding and no shields. Putting something in your other hand would make you lose control of the horse and consequently make you a sitting duck, or a spooked horse might run you off a cliff.

 

2. Bows can be used, however with great difficulty. Run at full speed and try to aim your gun through a scope. Its kinda really hard, if not impossible. Again, your character isnt a samurai, and mounted bow skills isnt something in either roman or scandinavian history. So when aiming the bow, it would be shaky almost like when you get hit with a shout while aiming your bow. Also rule one applies, you cant steer your horse with your knees, so while drawing your bow, you lose control to steer, but only when drawing. This adds to some of the tension of mounted archery and gets rid of the potential advantages it might have over using a bow on your feet.

 

3. Mounted casting - This one is a bit more tricky, you can just keep it simple and stick to the one handed rules (albeit with shaky aim). Or you can possibly dual cast things with Bow rules (also with shaky cam).

 

4. A lot of the people saying that mounted combat is imbalanced arent taking in consideration the other side. Your enemies can attack you while mounted too, and they dont have to save up 1000 septims to get a horse. So random encounters being what they are, your first set of bandits on the road might have a leader on a horse, ready to ride you down and put his axe in your crown.

 

5. NO LANCES. This is not great britian or france in the dark ages, this is ancient rome mixed with vikings. Lances have no place in Skyrim.

 

6. Knocking people off their horse with a good power attack. You can knock them to the ground or ragdoll them with a shout or when theyre low enough on health with a power attack, why not knock them off the horse under certain conditions in the same respects. Consequently you can get knocked off your horse in the same way.

 

7. You cannot loot while mounted: for obvious reasons.

 

8. A quick dismount option, like leaping out of the saddle onto someone. Think of something on the same level of the sprinting power attack while in werewolf form, but possibly causing far less damage. Obviously this really cant be abused over and over again on the same encounter as you would have to remount your horse turn around and sprint away and then sprint back again and again on every person in the group that is attacking you, all the while your enemy is still swinging weapons, shooting arrows, and possibly casting magic at you, all at once. Its just not a smart or practical decision. However it might be something you could use in a pinch against that damn necromage with his thunderbolt staff, or to get yourself on the ground quickly to get your shield out for the rain of arrows, or to start wading into the crowd with what you were always meant to use - your battle axe.

 

I think mounted combat as a mod would enhance gameplay into something a little more streamlined and fun in some instances, and would fit with a few other mods perfectly (Wars in Skyrim, Civil Unrest, etc) with mounted cavalry charges, and such. If executed properly, it would keep it from becoming too powerful and making the game easy.

 

I would try to construct this mod myself, but Im at a loss of what to use to edit animations for 3rd person views.

[Rabbit1251]

That may be in the pipeline coming from Bethesda. Should they decide to release it it may come in the form of a free mod available from the Steam Workshop or sold as a DLC. More likely the latter. Should have been included in the first release of the game, to my way of thinking.

 

 

Rabbit

[BloodyStigmata]

I like these ideas.

 

You think it would inconceivable to add a cavalry skill tree to make mounted combat into a skill with different perks?

[Everex]

I thought about a perk tree briefly, however I think that would put too much emphasis on mounted combat and detract from other parts of the game. Now adding perks to some of the existing trees that could modify/impove your mounted combat might be something to consider.

[Elehom]

Just being abe to talk to NPC while mounting would be excellent !

[JanusForbeare]

5. NO LANCES. This is not great britian or france in the dark ages, this is ancient rome mixed with vikings. Lances have no place in Skyrim.

 

I'm on board with everything except for this. Mainly because:

 

A) Excluding a potential weapon type that many people would enjoy is silly.

 

B) Skyrim is right next to High Rock, which is in many ways based on medieval Britain and France (hence the name "Bretons", which is also the name used to describe an inhabitant of Brittany in north-western France). Lances are undoubtedly present in High Rock, and so it stands to reason that they'd be available, to a lesser extent, in the highly militarized province of Skyrim.

[PsykozQT]

Thread

 

My thread on it, if you can be arsed.

[Azartic]

Just being abe to talk to NPC while mounting would be excellent !

 

Just here to agree with that and point out they had spears in morrowind, while not lances per-say, still pointy sticks that have awesome written all over it.

 

And why not have a riding skill? The final perk could be steering with your knees. I understand that a large portion of the riding pansies didn't know how to do that, but I would think people like wood elves (Bow-masters and beast-tamer treehuggers) Could possibly know how to do that, so it's not entirely out of the question.

 

PS: If there was a riding tree, there should NOT be a less shaky bow camera, if people can't learn to aim well enough there's the slow-time perks in the archery tree. . which in all honesty I'd probably pick up.

 

PPS: Honestly "Your character isn't a Samurai" is never going to be a valid point in any elder scroll game. "You are what you play" Plus the Akavarii seemed to be partially based off of it.

Not trying to be rude just sayin'.

 

So? Everyone agree? Horse-combat = awesome? Okay, Meeting adjourned, somebody make this darn thing. . lol

Edited February 28, 2012 by Azartic

[JaydoDre]

there were like ten threads on this so I just picked one with more replies.

 

I would really like herewith to show my support for cavalry charges. I know that when you and your horse fall off a cliff you take damage. So then by expansion of that logic it should be possible to script something so that when you charge into an NPC at high speed that NPC takes damage. And then all you need is add an extra pose with the spear.

 

Some one please please, with a cherry on top, make this!

Edited March 31, 2012 by Jedo_Dre

[etang2]

Just a quick historical note, "Roman" horseman date back to the early 700bc when a specialized Roman infantry-cavalry force known as the Sagittarii would utilize mounted archers. This was post the point where only 1/3 of all archers in the Roman Principe army was mounted, this changed after clashes with eastern horse back archers, Huns, which were deadly effecient as it allowed the flexibility of ranged combat and the deadly speed of horses. Also the Byzantine army post barbaric age had a specialized archer-cavalry unit and they were, as most know, a western extention of the Roman empires. In relation to the race no equivilent concept, does it not seem possibly that Elves would perhaps represent asian races, with archers, dwarves represent Norse and Scandinavian peoples and the Falmer or if this were LOTR orcs represent the wild horse people like the Berbers or perhaps the huns and the Humans seem very Roman, even the Ciecro in game is a reference to a Roman figure and what is this, Sanguine, pretty sure that sounds like a good old Norse myth, Lokir! anyway, that was off topic.... Yeah good idea!