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Old 01-14-2008, 07:05 PM   #5
obit
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Re: New player success and combat systems

I think that really depends on the dynamics of each game.

I'll go ahead and invent an example, involving a game where wizards or whatever, battle it out, using only magical energy attacks. In this example, if suchandsuch game employs measureable distances- feet, meters, whatever, and the various attacks at the player's disposal are range based, ie there's a short range attack that is more powerful, the closer you are(coldblast), and a longer range attack that becomes more powerful, the farther you are from a target(Fireball or something), you might make a macro like:

1 = FFFf> where F = charge your fireball, f = cast your fireball, and > moves you forward (presumably towards your opponent).

As you watch your range close in, you'll hit your next(close range) macro:

2 = CCCc< where C = charge your coldblast, c = cast your coldblast, and < moves you away.

To take it a step farther, each wizard has limits on how much magical energy he/she can use "charging" each attack, and how much total magical reserve he/she has. Assuming there's different kinds of wizards, there will be different limits, different ranges, and different types of attacks.

Strategy in this example, would involve constant movement and correction for each player; trying to stay out of the opponent's effective attack ranges, while maneuvering into yours. You would have to make rapid adjustments, hoping the other guy misses or wastes energy on an attack while not at optimal range, and you then use their "recharge" delay to move in and cast your own uber-coldblast.

This system would put players who prefer not to assign aliases at a distinct disadvantage.. Though the game would still have a very much manual combat system

More advanced scripting, where triggers, detected by a client, cause the PCs to react automatically to each situation, ie player-run bots, will still lack the intuition and the ability to react to an unexpected change of circumstances, that a human (manual)player poseses. A Skilled player of suchandsuch, will quickly find ways to use the other guy's own scripting against him.

Just some thoughts. I'm not sure how much any of this rambling actually applies to your resonse that I quoted, but that's where my trackless train of thought took me :)
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