I like Exanima, of course. It reminds me of Die By The Sword, and somewhat avoids its problem of "sword controlled by mouse" (most of the time, that just led to the DBTS knight waving the sword around awkwardly in very wide arcs) by having automatic blocking (ingenous!) and pre-programmed attacks bound to mouse clicking.
Or rather, a pre-programmed attack. Singular. 90% of the time, it's the damn RtL swing.
Now, the reason for that seems to be that there isn't a whole lot of one can do with PC controls: left hand is occupied with WASD movement, and mouse only has a couple buttons.
However, why do we need all-direction movement in combat? It's unrealistic. I did a lot of sword fighting (blunt metal swords, light armor, shields); that "run around past each other" dance that Exanima fighters do all the time - never happens IRL. There's simply no reason to be facing anything but your opponent.
Moreover, having only one attack takes all the fun out of free-form combat. Typically, fighting is about combining attacks, i.e. doing a thrust to the opponent's face to get him to raise his shield, then chopping below the knees while he's open.
So, my dream combat system for Exanima would look like is this:
- Facing locked to opponent (if there's more than one opponent, facing is locked between them, or cycle targets by key)
- Mouse buttons control moving back and forth (LMB - forward, RMB - back, middle button - release facing lock and move free; double clicks result in dashing)
- WASD keys and those around them control attacks:
Q A E - chops high, mid, low from left (E D C on right, obviously), S - body thrust, W - face thrust, X - shield bash, etc. Keys 1 2 3 can be bound to "special strikes" like scorpion (basically "wrapping" your sword around the opponent's back, can be seen in some SCA guy's video here around 1:03
), or combos.
Mouse can be used for aiming attacks, but that would require camera lock to character.
F and Caps Lock = sidestep (not as useful in sword fighting as you'd think, because your whole body moves slower than a sword - you won't be able to really sidestep most weapons, but good to avoid enemy charges, shield bashing and such)
- Combat is still physics-based: Say, after hitting from left, it's a lot easier&faster to do the next strike from right, because inertia. Bashing and charging opponents to drop them should be a thing, which would add a strategic layer to body type: heavier and stockier fighters are better at body slamming and swinging mauls, but thinner and taller fighters have more reach (as long as the weapon is light enough for them) and movement speed.
- One last control thing (this can be independent of the rest, and should really be implemented): Characters automatically finish started attacks; feints only happen when another attack is started before the current one finishes, or when "cancel" button is pressed (default Space). Would save a lot of hassle with having to hold strike key throughout the animation.
Dixi.
Or rather, a pre-programmed attack. Singular. 90% of the time, it's the damn RtL swing.
Now, the reason for that seems to be that there isn't a whole lot of one can do with PC controls: left hand is occupied with WASD movement, and mouse only has a couple buttons.
However, why do we need all-direction movement in combat? It's unrealistic. I did a lot of sword fighting (blunt metal swords, light armor, shields); that "run around past each other" dance that Exanima fighters do all the time - never happens IRL. There's simply no reason to be facing anything but your opponent.
Moreover, having only one attack takes all the fun out of free-form combat. Typically, fighting is about combining attacks, i.e. doing a thrust to the opponent's face to get him to raise his shield, then chopping below the knees while he's open.
So, my dream combat system for Exanima would look like is this:
- Facing locked to opponent (if there's more than one opponent, facing is locked between them, or cycle targets by key)
- Mouse buttons control moving back and forth (LMB - forward, RMB - back, middle button - release facing lock and move free; double clicks result in dashing)
- WASD keys and those around them control attacks:
Q A E - chops high, mid, low from left (E D C on right, obviously), S - body thrust, W - face thrust, X - shield bash, etc. Keys 1 2 3 can be bound to "special strikes" like scorpion (basically "wrapping" your sword around the opponent's back, can be seen in some SCA guy's video here around 1:03
Mouse can be used for aiming attacks, but that would require camera lock to character.
F and Caps Lock = sidestep (not as useful in sword fighting as you'd think, because your whole body moves slower than a sword - you won't be able to really sidestep most weapons, but good to avoid enemy charges, shield bashing and such)
- Combat is still physics-based: Say, after hitting from left, it's a lot easier&faster to do the next strike from right, because inertia. Bashing and charging opponents to drop them should be a thing, which would add a strategic layer to body type: heavier and stockier fighters are better at body slamming and swinging mauls, but thinner and taller fighters have more reach (as long as the weapon is light enough for them) and movement speed.
- One last control thing (this can be independent of the rest, and should really be implemented): Characters automatically finish started attacks; feints only happen when another attack is started before the current one finishes, or when "cancel" button is pressed (default Space). Would save a lot of hassle with having to hold strike key throughout the animation.
Dixi.
Last edited:
