I understand the point about manual control for any of my ideas. I think it should really depend on personal preference of the player and affect overal dificulty settings just as it is now in M&B.
I don't agree that sticky lock wouldn't work on multiple opponents - in contrary, in games where this system was included, usually you fought with multiple opponents at the same time. CrazyEyes, you are right about obvious tactics of attacking weaker enemies, it is how it's actually done in most reenacting battles I've seen (at least in melees in Poland), but you don't have to "look your enemy in the eyes" to beat him. You just lock YOUR view on YOUR target. It is his problem if he looks at you or not. It is a human habit. Your whole body reacts according to that habit. And it is doing it EXTREAMLY fast. You can't achieve that with mouse, cos very different set of body controls is used. Of course many hardcore players train that, but I have casual player on mind inventing such a system. If you have the ability to switch it off it wouldnt be e problem for you, you dont have to use it. The system HAVE TO be intuitive and natural, as it is in real life, to be enjoyable for players. The advantages of that system is that you are focused more on the actual fighting, especialy when mouse is used to determine the direction of the attack.
I agree that automatic defending could be switched on or off by pushing the defence button as it is now in M&B. Again it should depend on personal preference. I think it would be nice for a hardcore player to be able to not only defend on his demand (by pushing a button) but also to control the direction of defence to make thnigs tougher. But the defence itself should be more sophisticated. Currently you have only simple blocks and those blocks are done in rather lazy manner - usually when you block in real world, you should face the attack with your body, not only move your hands there, otherwise strong blow will hit you. Analising current blocks in M&B - most of them wouldnt hold the attack. But that is a matter of simply reworking the animations. Give me the proper tools and I will do that for you

But wouldnt be fun if you could switch the type of defence from block to parry, or grab, or clash, or dodge, during the fight? By just pushing the "style change" button? Wouldn't be fun if you could make your own style presets, by learning different moves and choosing how to react on different attacks or defences? Thats what we do in real life. It would be fun for me in M&B I am sure
CrazyEyes 说:
As for defense being reflexive - that all depends on the training of the opponent. Not everyone in the realm of Calradia has held a sword for ten years. You assume that all the opponents on the battlefield are in SCA, or something. The average peasant levy would see a guy striking and, at worst, freeze up. At best, they would place their weapon in the general trajectory of the opponent's, flinch, and hope for the best.
You are right about that, I was describing a possible situation of facing equal or stronger opponent. But it is obvious for me that low level opponent woludn't be able to do the same things as high level. It really depends on the balance of the game. We can assume that simple peasant don't know any special moves, he defends badly or not at all, and flees whenever he feels danger. And we can also assume that Sea Rider, which is very similar in apperance to Vikings, could be trained by his tribe elders in basic fighting skills, formations, and much braver then simple peasant (as Vikings were in real life). Then, some hero characters or lords would be well trained by teachers and experienced in battles, and awould be able to chalenge you in a very sophisticated fights, on the arenas, in honourable duel, judge court fights, or when 1 vs 1 situation occurs on the battlefield.
CrazyEyes 说:
The feint/grab/whatever design describes an atrocious combo-esque repetitive system of combat found in games such as Assassin's Creed.
I don't base my ideas on other games, I am trying to base it on real life. And in real life combat, you have pre-learned moves. Some of them are simple, some of them are very sophisticated. What we use is based on actual medieval texts, mixed with our real life experience. And those of us who learnded moves from medieval texts wins with those who didn't. As simple as that.
Currently in M&B you have moves as well. They are repetive also, cos you know what your character will do when you hold the button and move your mouse right or left - it does that every time exactly the same. It is not Die By The Sword.
And I would like to use more types of this moves, i would like to choose what kind of move my character will use depending on the style I learned (and paid the teacher to teach me one ) and set up in my custom style. I know from experience, that specific kind of grab works on almost every opponent, and with few combined moves I can throw him to the ground, and I can repeat that almost every time exactly the same. And I learned that from medieval book. You can call it combo if you like, I don't care, but it works for me

Moreover, you probably remember very Hollywood combo Achilles (Brad Pit) does in Troy movie? When he jumps and stab the enemy in the neck? I tried it on my opponents just for fun and for simple show. And here is surprise - it works on unexperienced opponent and works very fine. But it is a combo int it? And a movie one
CrazyEyes 说:
And your "learn a move" idea would shove the game dangerously toward a ****ty RPG/fighting game genre blend.
Usually mixed genres works very fine. How would you describe M&B? It have levels, XP points, and quests - so it is RPG. You have armies (parties), sieges, city mangement, resources, battlefields with real life strategic situations - so it is RTS. You have real time 1v1 or 1vsMany swordfights, character fully controled by the player - so it is pure fighting genre. So M&B IS a "****ty RPG/RTS/Fighting game genre blend". Yet you love that game, arent you?
I love that game too but I know that this excelent game could be even better. That is why i decided to join the disscussion, cos devs will apreciate for sure, every new idea, and they will choose whatever fits their vision. I have small chances to make my once designed game came to life, as i moved frome game industry to movie industry quite a while, but i can for sure share some of my design with them, as they actually make very similar design came true. I wouldnt be afraid to shift it to one genre or another, cos it is already mixed genre, and everybody finds something fun in it. I dont want to change what is good in it, but you must admit that combat system is far from being perfect.
As for battles I've read some of the topics Swadius mentioned, and I'am aware that most of the problems was thoroughly discused here. I wanted to point them in contrary to my real life experience. I will get in details on them on proper topics soon.l