FPS Hand-to-Hand Combat
polycounter lvl 18
Have any games pulled off a decent first-person HtH combat system? I can't really think of any except for Dark Messiah, which I thought was OK. Though I didn't like the way you would
dash in for a strike and the jump back and repeat. Reminded me of my CS knife fights. Not a lot of swordplay. Any other FPS games out there with a good HtH element?
I've always wanted to make one myself, centered around medieval combat specifically. But maybe it's just not very doable, since very few games attempt it and even fewer come up with something decent.
Anyone have any ideas on what would make a good HtH system?
dash in for a strike and the jump back and repeat. Reminded me of my CS knife fights. Not a lot of swordplay. Any other FPS games out there with a good HtH element?
I've always wanted to make one myself, centered around medieval combat specifically. But maybe it's just not very doable, since very few games attempt it and even fewer come up with something decent.
Anyone have any ideas on what would make a good HtH system?
Replies
you can play the game in third person, but it's also entirely playable (and very enjoyably so) in first person. it has easily the best medievil combat system i've ever come across.. honestly i just can't recommend it enough. it's independently developed and published over the net, in a rather unique model--you essentially pay for development, with the nice touch that an earlier buy-in gets you a lower price. i bought in at roughly 17 dollars or so, i don't know what it's up to now
so... yeah. go ahead and play the demo already. there's really nothing quite like swooping around on your horse at a full gallop and swatting heads like some demented polo player in full platemail.
http://www.taleworlds.com
edit: oh yeah, and when you get tired of playing the vanilla game, you can download all sorts of very well developed mods like Last Days, which turns M&B into a great LotR game. big and loyal mod commuity for the game and lots of ability to edit content yourself, if you're in the mood
Rune multiplayer was killer
Also Riddick, and the rather obvious Breakdown.
Rune FTW.... excuse me while I beat you to death with your own arm!
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LOL! For some reason I couldn't remember what Rune was until I saw that comment.
besides that i guess its not very easy to do decent controls that feel right. often its just button combos since you cant really do any sword-swinging yourself (you need the mouse to look around). maybe the wii has more potential for fps HtH combat?
generally i prefer most third person games with decent melee combat over a polished fps melee combat game though.
I personally prefere melee combat in 3rd person perspective.
Maybe in the future with eye tracking and such interfaces it can be done very well in 1st person aswell.
It's not firstperson, but this was the best swordcombat i've ever played. Especially in multiplayer, as Rolf already mentioned.
When i get my own pc sent over, we should set up a Polycounters Rune-match
Has anyone played Halls of Valhalla? It's a multiplayer-only Rune extension pack that apparantly changed some of the physics, and i'm wondering if it was for the better...
lay on the ground........stab the foot.
An idea I thought might work is simplifying the whole thing a bit. Perhaps the only commands are attack, block and a special action. And instead of having complex combos it is up to the timings of these 3 commands that decides the fight. Say an enemy swings his sword at you, if you hit the block command at the right time you could parry his sword and create an opening for an attack command, which depending on how well you time that will succeed or not. Mistimings could result in a failed block or a weak attack. Also a string of well timed or mistimed actions could swing a 'momentum' factor, which might make it harder or easier to time actions, push the enemy back or perhaps effect the characters psychologically. All animations and types of attack/blocks would be decided by the computer.
Short example of what I mean. Player is charged by enemy. Enemy swings at player. Player hits the defend button, but doesn't time it perfectly. The enemy swing is blocked but player is put off balance and is open to be attacked again. Enemy swings again. Player is off balance from the previous attack so it'll be even harder to time this defend perfectly. Player mistimes the defend action and is wounded, falling to one knee. Enemy gets an 'opening' for a special action which he times successfully and delivers a deathblow, lopping off his head.
A very one sided battle
This system would most likely require you to 'lockon' to an enemy character. It could probably get a bit boring though, with the limited player input and 'locking' onto an enemy, *clash, bang, kill*, lock onto new enemy, *clash, bang, kill*.
riddick wasn't bad, but it felt a little...'sluggish' and unresponsive.
I'm REALLY suprised no one has mentioned the Jedi Knight games 'Jedi Outcast' or 'Jedi Academy'. I'm usually not a huge star wars fan, but the downright variety in gameplay in those games were great.
Jedi Academy in particular...It was really one of those overlooked gems. Sure, the story was silly and it was using a bit of a dated engine, but not only was the swordplay a lot of fun, both in third and first person mode, but the levels had everything from high-speed train chases to tremors-style-worm-fights to uber rancor 1-on-1s. Each level switched up the FPS gameplay a little to keep things fresh, so you never knew what you'd go into.
but not only was the swordplay a lot of fun, both in third and first person mode
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Yeah, but, unless JA changed it, you weirdly couldn't do a lot of moves (like medium form flip attack) in fps view.
Freaking great hand to hand. Ancient game though.
I remember Bioforge (not FPS though) having an awesome combat system based around the numeric keypad.
It has to be Rune FTW though...
John
And also, I'll feel like less of a man for this, but who here remembers ESForces for HL1? Didn't Vassago here do some work for them way back in the day? I did some of their animations, and when the 2nd version came out it had some wicked fun melee combat for the time. I can't remember that one guy's name who was super badass at it... I think PCJoe?
Gauss: I downloaded M&B and to be honest I didn't see the appeal, especially not the sword play. Then again, I only played for about 15 minutes. What is unique about it?
YEAH FUKKEN RIGHT HAH!!
RUNE!
It's not firstperson, but this was the best swordcombat i've ever played. Especially in multiplayer, as Rolf already mentioned.
When i get my own pc sent over, we should set up a Polycounters Rune-match
Has anyone played Halls of Valhalla? It's a multiplayer-only Rune extension pack that apparantly changed some of the physics, and i'm wondering if it was for the better...
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I didn't notice any physic changes in it really, but I like the added player models. But I would totally be up for a rune polycount match sometime. Because that game is definitely in my top 10 games of all time.
I mean what the fuck?
Goddamn you people.
Goddammit.