Random Fighting Suggestion

[DylPickle]

Just throwing out a random suggestion to see what other people think.. I don't know if this sort of stuff is even cantr-realistically programmable, but what ever:

To keep people on their toes, reduce overall shield effectiveness by a substantial amount. Then add in complimentary forms of protection, such as Helms, Breatplates, Greaves, etc. Make them heavy, and such, especially when made from iron/steel. Someone with a full suit of armor would receive the defensive effectiveness of the current material shield type, (maybe a tad bit more, I don't know).

This is the conclusion I can find off the top of my head:

PROS:
-Less guarenteed protection at such a cheap cost.
-An actual chance of inflicting damage with stealth weapons (daggers, etc)
-Armored people are weighed down much more, creating more balanced choices (do you wear more armor, or do you want to carry more healing food? Also, if you wear armor outside while you're working, or on a resource run, you won't be able to carry as much yield.)

CONS:
-More stuff to build
-More stuff to repair (lazy people :p)

QUESTION MARKS:
-I know clothing can't provide protection, so maybe the armor would just stay in the inventory, like a shield?
-Could be tricky to program. I'd assume the blocking system would have to be modified to calculate the total defense rating based off the best pieces of armor in inventory, while not counting duplicates twice, etc.
-Maybe an "equipping" feature could be made for armor to designate what pieces of protection are being worn/used. Perhaps it would be seperate from the clothing feature.


Anyways, just something to throw out there and see what people think.

[N-Aldwitch]

Awesome idea Dyl. To compliment this, we naturally will need wands, staffs and of course some magic spells. Each character should now also have mana. That'd be sweet. Please introduce dragons too. And dungeons... and .. and.. and make it 3D.

Jokes aside... I'm not sure if I like this, but I might warm to it.

[Rossato]

I like it, because everybody works like soldiers. At least in some communities I live, people get spinach or twin ropes with iron shields and axes.

The problem is: this is a slow game, so we would be VERY vulnerable to surprise attacks if an armor is needed.

[Crosshair]

I love it.

[Shade]

I agree with reducing shield's effectiveness. Right now, it's a bit unrealistic that without a shield, you're absolutely defenseless, and that everyone runs around encumbered by bulky shields. Any idiot should be able to dodge without too much trouble, or parry a blow if they have a suitable weapon (namely, a sword).

Wearing armour, though, should have massive penalties to project progress. If you're covered from head to toe in steel, you can absolutely forget travelling on foot. Even if you're only wearing a mail shirt, expect considerable discomfort and penalties to projects, to prevent everyone from walking around, covered in armour when it makes no sense. Only if fighting/danger is expected, should people don armour, just like IRL.

[Chris]

"Realism" often doesn't work in a game. In real life, if I got a free swing at you from behind with a frying pan or a knife, you would be dead. But that doesn't make for good game play.

[SekoETC]

It should be so that encumbrance lowers your chance of dodging. If you are carrying nothing at all, you should be able to dodge up to 50 % of blows targeted at you (unless you're taken by surprise). If you are carrying a full suit of armor, you wouldn't be able to dodge at all and would rely on the blocking.

[Shade]

"Realism" often doesn't work in a game. In real life, if I got a free swing at you from behind with a frying pan or a knife, you would be dead. But that doesn't make for good game play.

I'm not suggesting we make the game 100% realistic at all. I just don't want to see EVERYONE running around covered in steel; what would that add to the game? It's bad enough with everyone running around with shields.

It should be so that encumbrance lowers your chance of dodging.

Agreed.

[Chris]

Combat doesn't really fit with the pace of Cantr. When you speak to someone, you may have to wait a day or more for a reply. Most projects take at least a day; some take months. Thus, it makes sense for combat to be balanced toward defense, not offense. Otherwise, people die too easily in an otherwise slow-paced game. Already there are things that can be done to you while you are offline that would seal your fate before you even knew there was a problem. If you're the kind who loves to think of ways to kill and make war, you may find quick deaths exciting. But it sucks for people to work for months or years on a character and then log on to find it wasted because some snot-nosed grief player is getting his kicks.