Combat
From Neverend
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[edit] Overview
Auto attack combat is based on turn based RPG combat, which is based on pen and paper combat, which is an abstraction of real combat. The abstraction lies in what hits actually count, represented by damage, hitpoints, evasion, and armor. What isn't represented is what happens in the middle of each turn, which includes constant intimidation, feints, and even movie style dodging and parrying.
This is why traditional RPGs and MMORPGs look awkward when two characters "wait" and attack each other. This waiting is actually unrepresented combat moves. Representing them requires more animations and CPU, and more realism. This can be seen in Neverwinter Nights, where characters circle each other and have missed attacks,feints and parries that aren't calculated, but appear between actual hits to show more realism in combat. KOTOR does this a little as well.
Combat can consist of four layers:
-Auto-attack, the standard attacks that actually "count." -Input attacks, these include special moves, skills, etc. -Reaction attacks, these include automatic reactions based on superior skill, equipment, magic enchantment, etc. A highly skilled martial artist could automatically catch an arrow without thinking about under, under conditions such as facing the line of sight and mastering "catch arrow." Some offensive and defensive moves can work in the same way. They aren't guaranteed to succeed, but usually will. -In between attacks. These are the animations that occur in between normal attacks. This can include misses, feints, parries, blocks, dodges, combat rolls, sidesteps, circling, etc. Some moves may affect positioning or require open space, such as rolling to the side. They may require certain objects such as a wall or tree to stab in to when "missing." They may involve the ground, and require flat ground or sloped ground to roll on. Advanced moves might require jumping over an opponent and ending up behind him, as long as there is room.
In between attacks can start out simple, and become more complex with higher skill. This is seen in movies where the protagonist is "lucky" enough to dodge a sword strike or hit at the last second.
These attacks are mostly just for show. They come in three flavors:
-Statless moves. They don't affect damage, but exist to show action between moves. -Stat affecting moves, these include moves that actually count towards damage, armor durability, stamina, or other factors. -Movement and position based moves. These require a certain type of area within range, and will move the player or opponent to a designated area. This can be as simple as encircling the opponent, or jumping sideways or over him, or knocking him back with a punch or kick. These can be stat affecting or statless.
Positioning is also used outside of combat. An NPC will position himself behind a counter as a vendor, or at a gate as a guard. A peasant may find a rock to hide behind, and an animal may run around trees and behind bushes. Birds can use ledges or trees, and some predators may hide in thick bushes or behind large rocks.
[edit] Cinematic combat
Players could grimace or look injured with low health, have desperate attacks with yells, or make a pained face when being hit with low health. Someone with good armor and high health might appear confident in combat, and smirk or taunt the opponent. Monsters would show either fear or determined rage. Extra animations could take place between turns, such as taunting or threatening an opponent.
In Neverwinter Nights combat actually looks more like real combat even though it's turn based, which follows the description of what RPG combat is supposed to look like instead of just standing there and taking turns hitting. The characters will circle around each other,grunt and yell, and make moves like they're about to attack or hesistant to attack. The actual hits are shown as actual hits, but everything in between is a sort of intimidation and looking for an opening to hit.
Like Final Fantasy, attacks and special attacks often have a level of flair about them. This can include running and attacking, attacking "past" an enemy, jumping and attacking, jumping and skewering an enemy then pulling out, jumping and hitting the head of an enemy (up to 10 feet), dashing and attacking, running and moving sideways to attack, and others.
These apply to special moves, not regular moves. Special moves take in to account the anatomy of an enemy, so an attack that is supposed to land on the head will land on the head of a wolf or a goblin, but will not land on an extra tall creature such as a huge giant. An attack that relies on jumping at someone's chest will not work if the enemy has no upright chest, such as a wolf. All enemies have some targetable anatomy, but not all are available to all attacks. A jelly creature might have only a "head" and "torso" part, with no other parts. An Orc has a head, upright torso, legs, arms, back, etc.
Note that this isn't the same as vital attacks that specifically target a body part. These are special high skill attacks that have animations which use specific body parts for their animation.
Special defense moves work in the same way. A character adept at dodging will make a dramatic dive out of the way, rather than a normal dodge.
The purpose of cinematic special attacks and defense is to give an anime-like quality to combat that relies on forced body movement (move coordinates forward and upward for jump attack, then move back to starting position) in order to give an FF feel to skilled combat. Since it relies on the measurements of the enemy, some moves may not go off if the measurement is impossible (head is too high up, no head exists, etc)
Attack animations for players and monsters are based on context of surround monsters, players, landscape, objects and battle matrix. The available animations are part of the monster profile for monsters and the object profile for objects, so a table knows that a player can crawl under it during combat or be flipped up for cover, and a dragon knows that a player can leap and slash at its head or that it can bite a player and through it towards a wall. More complex actions can be scripted and added to existing monsters and objects. Monsters will have specific animations during these cases, along with the player attack animation. Examples:
A dragon grabs a player with its teeth A dragon uses its wing to hit a player A dragon turns and uses its tail to trip a group of players A dragon roars and pushes back players with air A dragon claws at players A dragon levitates upwards and shoots fireballs at players A dragon grabs a player in its jaws and hurls the player at other players A dragon roars and causes rocks to fall from the ceiling A dragon holds a player in its jaws and chomps down, then tosses the player aside A dragon is hit in the head by a jump attack A dragon is hit in the tail with a slash A dragon is hit in chest with a charge attack A dragon is hit in the head with a ranged attack A dragon is hit in the tail with a ranged attack
[edit] Battle Area
Games often have a square grid, hexagon, or gridsphere system when transitioning from map to turn based combat in the same screen (Parasite Eve, etc). Since everyone is fighting everyone in a MMORPG, this loses some meaning unless everyone has a sphere of combat, a sphere of combat is on a focused target, or the combat space does not have physical boundaries but relies on distances from other players and opponents.
A cleric would want to stay several feet away from a monster but close enough to healplayers. An archer wants to stay far enough away. A melee fighter wants to stay close to a monster. A mage wants to stay away. A rogue wants to sneak around, backstab, and stay back enough to avoid a frontal attack.
Players might be able to set these in "AI properties", either choosing auto-combat or manual positioning. NPCs will always use autopositioning to their advantage, showing a sense of actual strategy (although they may have to falter occasionally if they always try to encircle someone without making a mistake).
While positioning can be manual, the actual moves can change positioning enough that theplayerwill be at a different position at the end of the animation (tumbling, jump over, jump attack, run attack, skewer, rolling, short distance warp, etc). Moves such as dodging and parrying will cause position changes as the player to the side somewhat and dodges.
Very advanced displays of "Gun Fu" or Matrix like abilities will have insane amounts of dodging, backflipping, and gravity defying "wire fighting" moves that allow them to dodge bullets and projectiles, having to resort to hand to hand combat to do any meaningful damage. The player will be dodging so many projectiles automatically that position will be changing rapidly, not only on the ground but in the air (or being forced to jump in the air due to ground being occupied by gunfire).
Being able to jump fifteen feet in the air, or jump on the air itself, will be a great benefit to those who want to fight without being shot. Combined with firearms, the attack and defense position changes would be insane.
[edit] Multi-target
The idea I had before was Area of Effect attacks that have a specific geometry, such as a slash that affects a line or arc in front of the user, or a spell that goes in a straight line, or a delta, or three seperate lines, etc. Strategy games like Tactics Ogre and Disgaea use these based on tiles, and it wouldn't be too hard to do the same thing on 3D land.
The other thing is targetting from Final Fantasy, namely IV-VI. Remember how a spell like Ice normally targets on enemy, but pressing L or R makes it target the entire group of enemies.
In order to balance it out, you could have a skill for single targetting and multi-targetting, and whichever you used would become better over time, so that either you were great at hitting one target, many targets, or average in both. The same single or multi toggle can apply to ranged attacks, ranged items, even some melee weapons that allow multi-target hitting (with a limit on distance, such as 3 feet away).
There could be three "levels" the user can select- light, medium, and hard. Light would do less damage for less MP, and hard would do more damamge for more MP. As players gain skill in arrows or spells, they gain more powerful levels for that specific spell or ability, instead of needing a new spell like Fire II and III. The effect for these higher levels is different, as well as a higher cost, which is why the player can select a lower level to save resources, equalling a Fire I or II.
The balance between single target and multi target expertise could be 1-30 with a median of 15, with a + or - to single target or multi target based on frequent use, so a player is good at one or the other.
maybe weakening the spell effect if used against multiple targets at once might help balancing too
or from what i have learned from"other" games i will not mention,when you go up in level go to a trainer. from that said trainer you have a list of skills some could be area some not the single target spell or attack would seem to be more powerfull as it concentrates on one target, area would seem weaker unless it was strictly meant to be say like a gust of wind or maybe arc lightning that would jump from enemy to enemy until one resisted.of course one should be reallt carefull of area attacks cause what if you hit a mob not in direct combat and then you had more than one group coming for you
but doesnt weakening the spell sorta seem the same as selecting a level for the strength of the spell itself? and will there be environmental factors such as wind that will effect the acuity of a weapon with its target, maybe reducing the strength of the hit on single or multi targets
the way i was thinking is say a mage and fighter are takeing on 3 goblins for instance. the fighters job is to keep agro on himself instead of the mage cause the mage isn't much for def. if the mage were to area effect a spell on the goblins and do great damage the goblins should aggro on the mage.
[edit] Speed
Turned based combat looks silly to non-RPG players because the characters insist on standing around and waiting to hit each other. Look at AO, where two people stand with guns and take turns at point blank range.
In actuality, things are supposed to be happening between the "standing around" portion, including dodging, moving, ducking, or missing. The hits and damage indicates a successful hit between a flurry of misses or other manuevers.
THe other thing about this game is that it uses Tekken style combat effect, such as particle effects for good hits and blur effects for critical hits, which makes hitting an enemy seem more intense than just a plain animation.
Instead of just particle effects, you could have cool slash lines, blood lines, and Dagger of Kamui/Ninja Scroll style effects. Also, imagine streetfighter or FF7 effects where the screen turns dark and the character executes a wild move such as Omnislash or Dolphin Kick, or a barrage of unblockable hits in total darkness like Akuma's "hell murder."
maybe its a good idea to leave special effects out of the basic attack animations, and maybe even to the early special attacks. after playing eq2 where you have a lot of special effects to your basic attacks they tend to lose their appeal and in the same time limiting the amount of awe to later attacks.
what might be interesting (if makeable, i am a total nonprogrammer so i have no idea what this means in amount of work) is to make maybe 3 different stances based purely on the skill and/or level of the character. a low level one, where the character stands and attacks in an uncoordinated matter mid level, where the character starts to move a little more and a high level where the character animations are smooth
gothic had a similiar approach and it worked pretty good there
[edit] Vertical attacks
When a player attacks something in a way that suspends the enemy in an attack, usually in the air, while the player has a jumping animation and usually changes position.
Uppercut Rising uppercut Jump kick Jumping roundhouse Upwards slash in air Forwards and upwards slash Jump slash Strike through (anime 'run through opponent and pause with delayed hit') Upwards air slahs and multiple slashes Upwards uppercut and multiple hits Jump and hit (Diablo II barbarian)
[edit] Geometry attacks
These attacks affect an area and any opponents or players in that area.
Arc slash, hits three enemies in front in a circular area Flurry, hits three enemies in front in a triangular area Spinning slash/kick, hits enemies in 360 degrees Knockback, pushes opponent directly backwards Back throw, grabs opponent and tosses backward Front throw, grabs opponent and tosses forward Rolling throw, grabs opponent and rolls backward Heal wind, heals allies in a square area Heal circle, heals allies in a circle area Firewall, creates a fire barrier of x width in front of caster
The shape of the attack is based on an invisible area, whether it be special attacks, magic, or special moves that directly move the player or opponent.
[edit] Defense
Combat involves will checks, saving throws, and awareness checks.
Will checks are how well one resists dramatic threats, taunts, and insults.
Awareness is how well prepared one is to dealing with attacks, sneak attacks, threats, magic casting, dragon breath, and catapult fire.
Saving throws are how well one avoids danger after making an awareness check.
One fighter may threaten another in a battlefield. Any attacks from rogues, archers, or catapults will be easily avoided with high awareness, and easily hit with low awareness. This allows players to heroically jump out of the way from oncoming attacks, using superhuman rolls or dodges to avoid projectiles.
Combat involves threatening as much as attacking. Two opponents will circle each other and threaten in order to break past will and awareness by opening an opportunity to strike. Feints, blocks, and dodges are increased with awareness.
Monsters and animals attack by using threats and taunts while trying to break past will and awareness. Will and awareness act as a type of armor.
Five categories act as armor:
- Physical: Body armor (heavy armor slows speed and attack rate)
- Magical: Spells of protection, wards
- Psychological: Awareness and will, taunts, threats, perception
- Skill: Feinting, parrying, countering
- Dodging: Dodge, reacting, diving, tumbling, acrobatics
Macros:
Threat Taunt Shout Duel Challenge Apprehend Grab Disable Bind Grapple Escape move Counter move
[edit] Locked moves
Moves that attach on to a specific body part are "locked" moves. Locked moves include grappling, holding, restraining, wrestling, and spell and psychic bonds. Monsters use moves such as grabbing a player or object and lifting, throwing a player or object, biting or latching on to an object or player, carrying a player and flying, or being rode by a player.
Every move must have a cancel sequence, interupting the animation and stopping the action before it can execute. An ogre trying to throw an object or player will be interrupted by an arrow, slingshot, or quick strike to the leg. A dragon carrying a cow will be interupted if the dragon is hit by an arrow or spell. This allows time for players to save other players or to prevent a powerful attack. Monster attacks include:
Grab by head Grab by torso Grab item Lift upward Mangle Throw backward Throw forward Throw straight up Throw straight down Throw curved Throw to side Throw at something Throw at wall Throw at ground Toss Latch on to head Latch on to torso Strangle Shake Swing around Swing in circles Hit repeatedly Bite Claw Squeeze Pummel Bash
The monster can use a combination of moves if it has the ability to do so. A giant can lift someone, shake them, and throw them against a wall. A rat can bite and drag someone. A dragon can latch on to someone and carry them. A plant can ensnare someone and latch on to their head.
[edit] Contact animations
The server uses position and attack data to determine if an attack is successful. An attack that is out of range will count as a miss, and show the attacker swining in the air. An attack that is within range but misses will also count as a miss. When attacking, opponents will constantly attack each other in a series of dodges, deflections, parries, blocks and guards. Initial damage will be low, as one has to fight through armor defense, deflection skill, stamina, magic armor, and other defenses before a player can damage HP.
Combat resembles the animations seen in KOTOR and NWN. Weapons are actively blocked and deflected. Projectiles are blocked and dodged. Opponents actively duck, step to the side, encircle, or roll to avoid an attack. The player can break off from combat by moving or having an interupption move such as being tossed aside or pushed away. The client associates certain results with animations, so a block activates a block animation, and a parry activates a parry animation. Contact points on each model should allow contact between shields and swords, swords and swords, swords and specific body parts, projectiles blocked by shields or deflected by weapons, projectiles stuck in armor or skin, and opponents ducking under a sword or projectile. Due to lag these contacts may not appear correct all the time. Players who interrupt combat or are interrupted in combat typically receive the last combat action while ignoring the associated combat animation, such as being pushed aside while being attacked.
[edit] Action simulation combat
Combat can simulate an action game or movie by relying on hitting specific anatomy points, using cinematic attacks, cinematic objects, and cinematic interaction with movement and the environment. For example, a large insect may be attacked by targeting its legs, causing it to be crippled. Other monsters with legs can be crippled in the same way, including humanoids. Attacking the head or eye tends to be lethal, the chest absorbs more damage and is lethal, and other parts serve as additional defense or as attack or spell appendages. Classes that focus on damaging a general area such as AoE casters, wildly swinging berserkers, or sporadic throwers will have a better time damaging auxillary body parts rather than specific weakpoints, while a ranger or trained swordsman will target specific parts for quick kills but be more vulnerable to attacking appendages that are not damaged so easily. A crab claw is weak to a generic attack but strong against a targeted attack. This allows "expert" marksmen and swordsmen to have the need for support in taking down extra body parts associated with defense, attack or spellcasting, especially when it blocks access to a vital point such as a carapace or metal armor.
Hit points are limited to a few points per body part, such as 4 for a head and 3 for a limb. Damage is measured by the quality of damage on a scale of one to six from ineffective to critical. Generic attackers tend to do average damage consistently while focused attackers tend to do mediocre damage consistently and critical damage when focused and aiming/targeting.
Monsters can be killed in cinematic ways such as falling off cliffs, being in a landslide, having a boulder or tree landing and crushing, being in a large trap or elaborate damaging system, or having limbs severed. Physics are important, as it allows tools and objects to be used creatively to destroy, hinder, cripple, trap, or stop an enemy.
[edit] Poses and animations
Rather than the stiff "standing" pose of typical online games, combat selects an appropriate animation based on the attack type, position, and random selection, to create a cinematic feel to combat. Body movement is just as important as attacking, and should be studied from comics, manga, anime, single player RPGs, single player action games, fantasy art, and anime art. Visual effects are a large part of impressive combat animations, such as flowing hair, clothes, magic auras or effects, magic weapon trails, energy effects for monks, and small hit effects for normal weapons based on the attack type and location, such as a staff leaving a hit trail when swung and a small hit effect when making contact. Parries, blocks and doddes also use specific animations and sound effects, so a missed sword strike will leave an empty air sound, a shield block will sound different and leave a different hit effect than a normal hit, different clothing and armor types leave different sound and hit effects (cloth, leather, metal, magical, wood, shell, stone, bone).
Players have a large database of animations that are accessed based on skill and stats. At low skill, low skilled animations will be used, and at high skill, high skilled animations will be used. This makes players identifiable by skill in the impressiveness of their attacks. A low skilled player may have a hesitant or shaky attack with intimidated body posture, a medium skilled player attacks with a better stance and more determined attacks, and a high skilled player looks confident and pulls off impressive moves quickly without seeming hesitant.
In combat the player is constantly moving around relative to the target or targets involved. Players move back to keep distance or establish defense, and run forward to attack and close range, or stay back to cast spells. When the player inputs movement, these automatic animations can be overridden. Players may be able cancel some attacks such as running or jumping attacks while in mid animation, but at a certain point in their animation they cannot be cancelled.
The main movement in combat is posititioning, strafing, dodging, blocking, and moving in to attack. Moving in includes stepping, running, leaping, flying, gliding, teleporting, and using other movements typically seen in console RPGs.
