Martial arts solution without a major overhaul

[SailorMars]

Just got this idea while reading the "combat emote" thread, and figured it really belonged here.

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Give "kick" an argument.
kick (headbutt, elbow, knee, punch, [default value=kick])

Make the echoes work for any of those...
You knock victim senseless with your brutal kick.
You knock victim senseless with your brutal headbutt.
You knock victim senseless with your brutal elbow strike.
You knock victim senseless with your brutal knee strike.
You knock victim senseless with your brutal punch.

No body locations in the echoes so you can use emotes instead.

:spins at the waist, throwing an elbow at %victim jaw.
kick (elbow) victim
You knock victim senseless with your brutal elbow strike.

:spins at the waist, throwing a kick at %victim jaw.
kick victim
You knock victim senseless with your brutal kick.

Heh, there's your martial arts without having to change much code.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I like this, actually.

[Bubblebath Boy '82]

kick (headbutt) victim

victim catches your foot and knocks you over.

[Comrade Canadia]

Okay, I still think martial arts DO NOT BELONG IN ARMAG... but that's actually kind of cool.

-Der Comrade

[Teleri]

To solve that minor inconsistency, one could merely change the echo given when one character knocks over another due to a failed kick.  For example, it could be changed to something like "-victim- avoids your attack, and uses your momentum to knock you over".  It's vague, and so it could work with just about any kick-like attack.  

I like the idea proposed in this thread, and it probably wouldn't take much change to the coding.  Then again, I don't know much about coding, so I could be wrong about that, but it seems simple enough.  I do know that it's possible to change the echo recieved on a critically failed kick, as it was done with a successful rescue command about a year or so ago.

[Northlander]

On that note, making all kick echoes vague would solve this, though maybe not in as satisfying a way.
You try to harm sdesc, but gender deftly avoids your attack.

[Tamarin]

I love this idea, but if we wanted to go even further, why not let kick branch into a couple of more specific kind of kicks?  I.e. ones that let you specifically target head/neck/body to lower the opponent's stun?  I think that is realistic, and not to crazy as to make hand-to-hand combat rival armed combat.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Nah...kick is kick, and I'd see any sort of kickish attack as something m...

You know, actually, why not do away with kick altogether and call the same skill unarmed combat, with the same parameters as SailorMars just presented?

[SailorMars]

kick (headbutt) victim

victim catches your foot and knocks you over

Code Select Expand


If (kick.headbutt && reverse)
  echo ~victim sidesteps, using %attacker momentum to take !attacker down.
  setPosition($attacker, recline);
else if (kick.elbow && reverse)
  echo ~victim grabs %attacker arm, kicking out ^attacker feet.
  setPosition($attacker, recline);
else if (et.cetera)
  etc;


Obviously(?) that's not real code, but codewise it wouldn't take much to accomodate those possibilities. The echoes would take some genius though, so they were cool but flexible enough to support the different flags.

[Lazloth]

Similar suggestions here and elsewhere.   Good stuff; I hate "driving a knee into the side of someone's leg" and see the echo tell me I've just missed an HG's head.

[Alamos]

I've always treated "kick" as a nonliteral extra attack.  For example, if using a spear, I've:

<emote strikes out at his enemy with his speartip, following the attack through by spinning the shaft and bringing the blunt end down from high overhead>

<kick>

This may be bad form, but I've always thought Arm was about options, and having 'kick' mean 'kick' without any sort of control of where the attack supposedly "lands" always annoyed me.  I personally do not see the problem with giving the player some input for how you "kick" whether it be describing in a pre-emote or in the suggested code-supported manner.  Of course, coded commands rarely ever let you be as creative as an emote does.  Why not just let kick syntax be made into something like the <look amos (with a scowl)> or <north (limping)>.  Some sort of extra attack command that can be molded by an attatched emote would allow players more support in bringing their unique (or unoriginal) styles to life.

[creeper386]

The code doesn't much support it, but all of the above is pretty much already done through emotes.

And it's pretty much excepted all around. As the kick echos are at times quite ridiculous(Such as a circle kick at half-giants head). Personally I'd like to see the echoes toned down abit in terms of wild kicks and such. Leaving kick in there. If you want something else, I'd say emote it. And the other person well ussually pay attention to your emote.


Creeper

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

I think I've said this before, but I'd love to see every command with an room echo being able to support emotes. This would add so much personalization to the game.

[Ueda]

I wonder how hard it would be to code in the different armer loc.. checks?

[Dan]

Well, first of all I would like to say that I think there is a small place in arm for such as this.

Secondly, I would like to say that many people cannot afford decent weapons and as such, it would make sense that they would train themselves to be a weapon instead. Or those who are not allowed to have weapons on their person, which doesn't necessarily apply on Zalanthas, just a point. What comes to mind is a mix of dancing and fighting used by some ?Brazilians?

As an art form I could see it, as a way of fighting because you cannot afford weapons, I could also see that. It, however, should not give such an advantage as to take on a decently trained adversary who is armed with a weapon. Mayby more defensive in nature?

[SailorMars]

Well, first of all I would like to say that I think there is a small place in arm for such as this.

Just to clarify, this is just suggesting the kick command be adjusted for more flavor. The "new strikes" wouldn't be any different than a kick code-wise.

In response to another post, yeah, it's pretty widely accepted to use kick for any kind of hand to hand strike, be it an actual kick, or a punch, knee, etc. However, it still echoes about kick. This variant would reduce the need to suspend disbelief in those cases.

Edit: As an aside, I personally don't see Zalanthas with everyone running around kickin' like Bruce Lee's Chinese connection. If this was ever imp'd, I'd prefer to see the echoes suggest a brutal, harsh brawling flavor as opposed to Jet Li on a wire.

[Callisto]

If we are going to adjust kick, how about we start by making it useful again.

[creeper386]

Personally if people are complaining that kick sucks and has been butchered. I'm going most likely VERY happen with that change that happened awhile back. Kick was just too much of power house and deal maker in most cases. It was horrible. It'd ussually allow a less scared warrior in weapon skills defeat other things, and between skilled warriors, it played a big part in the battle.

Anyways... I don't still don't really think it really needs to be changed. Or at least isn't really worth the effort. I could see a change to the echo to be less kicky, but then to really avoid the beleif better change the name of the skill to something other then kick. That probably wouldn't be TOO difficult to generalize the echos and change the name, and still I don't think it's worth it.


Creeper

[Rindan]

You can buy a cheap dagger for less then the cost of a bag of flour.  No one needs to make thier body a weapon and what not.  Even a 'rinth rat can get a weapon better then a fist.

As for the kick idea, I too wouldn't mind seeing the ability to at least change the echo.  I would NOT make it kung-fu style changes, but being able to jab an elbow here or there makes perfect sense in my opinion.  I really have no desire to see kick go beyond what it is right now.  I think kick is balanced well these days and would only like to see it changed in name.  The sharp obsidian blade with sick leverage is the part you need to worry about, not someone's boot.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Kick is useful. If you disagree, try fighting my x-Sergeant. Human, and his kicks can still do 20 hp damage. If that is not useful, nothing is. And Armageddon is a weapons based world. Other than brawling, which can certianly be emulated by the hidden skills offense/defense and by kick and bash, there is no use for it.

In Armageddon, style is not Jet Li. Style is openning somebody up with a dagger and not getting hit or caught.

Let's leave it at that. Other than the suggested changes to the skill kick, I don't wanna see martial artists.

[Anonymous]

Just make a cosmetic change from kick to 'strike'.  Then you can emote about whatever happened.

Soandso ducks under your strike.

Soandso hammers you with a strike to the gut, you see stars.

[COGATO]

I really like that, great thinking on the strike idea. Strike would work perfect, because the person could emote to get around every barrier such as head butting leg guards and the such, just emote a different attack to match the code. Thats perfect, and it would satisfy everyone.