[Drealoth]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could recommend some muds which have a solid ranged combat system. So far the most notable I've tried is God Wars II, which does an excellent job, but surely there are other systems out there.

Thanks in advance.

[Grumpy]

I know in Forsaken Lands, certain professionals get to use ranged combat. I don't know what sort of ranged combat you are looking for, but the type you'll find in FL are like, you fire an arrow/spell to hit someone two rooms away, sort of ranged attacks.

[Davairus]

At AR we have not-too-recently implemented complex combat which contains this:

Combat styles (i.e. weapon set up)
dual wielding > shield blocking
shield blocking > two-handed
two-handed > dual wielding

Bows count as two-handed weapons, and are implemented as a strong counter against dual wielders, but non-lethal against shield blocks. i.e., if someone is wielding dual wield against a bow user, they can no longer dodge OR parry. If someone is wearing shield against bow user, they'll block almost everything.

One downside of bows is that the average bow user cannot parry with bows himself. Unless they learn the 'point blank' skill, which allows them to parry at close range with their bow, they will also lose to two-handed users. We give this skill to our ranger and warrior classes, and give the thief class plain ol' ordinary bows without it, so thieves do have bows but don't use them as well as warriors.

Players get to collect "ammo" for bows, to place in the "quiver" item slot. This determines the damage types, the bow itself determines the damage. Magical arrows usually have decay timers.

We also have a javelins "range" attack, that equips on shields, for the best way to fight someone using bows.

One thing which is typical for the ranger class (which has a set of unique bow skills, and a "double disarm" skill to help get rid of people's shield when they're dual wielding) is to attack someone wearing a shield and javelins, for an extra thrown javelin as they attack. Then they wield a bow just before they flee, to take a parting shot. Skirmishing with the range weapons is quite effective.

As far as appearance goes it is more or less like any other weapon "melee", its the special affect on defences which give its ranged feel. You'd have to use your imagination. Also, we don't do firing into adjacent rooms. This has been in the game for about a year or so now, so its pretty stable.

[snoozer]

Accursed Lands has a ranged combat system.

ALs rooms have three variable dimensions, and being in the same room as another character does not necessary mean that the two of you occupy the same space.  You can engage in ranged combat with anything (player, NPC, or inanimate object) in the same room (rooms can be quite large, and it can take a bit of time to get from one 'edge' to another).  Ranged combat between characters in adjacent rooms is not supported (although you can throw things between rooms, and up and down where applicable).

Ranged combat is a set of skills.  Archery, throwing, javelin, knife throwing, sling, and crossbow are all fully implemented.  Other ranged skills will be left as a secret for new players to discover.  Some of these skills depend on skill in targetting (aiming).  Ranged combat is not automatic, a lot of factors contribute to its success or failure.  I will refrain from sharing game-mechanics info, but suffice it to say that it is fairly realistic.

In AL, ranged combat is a viable alternative to hacking away with a sword or axe.

[Drealoth]

[KaVir]

Moved this thread to the promotion forum where it belongs.

[somied]

Hahaha... too funny


Anyways, truly ranged combat within a MUD generally falls under one of two categories: coordinate-based ranged combat (like GodWars), or room-based ranged combat. If you're thinking of implementing it, you'd do better to stick with room-based unless your game already uses coordinates instead, as converting your whole movement system requires a major overhaul.

In room-based ranged combat, there are really only two feasible types of attacks: projectiles and spells. You can also count traps as ranged if you'd like, but they don't require line-of-sight like the other two. Here's a run-down of the basics:

First off, ranged attacks shouldn't (and won't be able to) initiate normal combat, which means you need to have a way to detect/avoid said attacks. From my experiences, this is usually accomplished by giving a message such as 'You see a large fireball hurdling towards you from the south!', followed by impact a couple seconds later if it's not avoided.

This brings about a problem if you have immobilizing affects in your game (such as web spells, paralyzation, etc) and can lead to rampant cheasy kills. In my opinion, the best way to avoid this is to A) give the attack X% chance to miss the target (depending on dexterity/accuracy or what not) and B) allow a stationary target some way to block the attack (via a shield or spell, most likely).

In order to check who the player can/cannot attack, you simply follow the room structure (pseudo-pseudo: for r = my room->north; r != null; r = r->north) in a loop until you find the target or run out of range. Obviously this follows 'line-of-sight', but you may eventually want spells that don't - such as ones that affect an area of rooms around a target, which is left as an exercise for the reader.



EDIT: Errr.. I was assuming the original poster was interested in implementing such a system, but after re-reading it I think I may have been wrong, so, sorry!

[Rufton]

Plenty of that in Achaea. Arrows, meteors, telepathic attacks, grove lightning etc..

[the_logos]

To be fair though, Achaea doesn't have a "ranged combat system" per se. It has a lot of ranged abilities, as you point out, but they don't fall within a particular system, except combat generally I suppose.

--matt

[KaVir]

The same is true of the God Wars II ranged combat - every weapon has a range, and every combat technique has a range modifier. The difference between thrusting with a sword and firing a bow is therefore primarily one of scale; the latter has a far greater range.

I imagine the same is true of ranged combat in many other muds - it's really just another part of combat, and shouldn't just be tacked on as a separate system.

[Baffle]

[aql]

Redemption, my favorite MUD, just recently implemented a ranged weapon system. For years we've had thrown items that can reach into adjacent rooms or be used in single-room combat, but only recently have rangers been given the ability to use bows and crossbows. They work on a similar system as thrown items, reaching into one or more adjacent rooms, but the system has a couple interesting nuances that bear taking a look at. Try it!

Redemption
shell.reach.net 4000


I'll be on as Aql, Corwin, or Brandr. Send me a tell for help getting started =)