Making shield combat somewhat more interesting

[SaulCanner]

As things stand right now, shield vs shield combat is somewhat less nuanced than shieldless melee is. This isn't really an issue in duel, but it's apparent in battle. With competent teams, melee usually boils down to double-left swings, range games, kicks, backstabs, and waiting for stuns in the form of ranged shots and bumps.

What might be interesting to test, is the following:

• Reduce shield durability versus melee weapons, by an amount determined by playtesting.
• Add the ability to manually block with a shield, with correct blocks either greatly reducing or altogether eliminating shield damage in melee. Incorrectly blocking an attack would cause the defender to suffer full shield damage, but wouldn't lead to him being injured.
• Add a small grace period (determined by playtesting, but probably around 250ms), during which a player with a raised shield can transition between blocks without suffering the normal delay caused by shield speed. This should probably not apply if the player chambers an attack between blocks.
• Add some sort of feedback (probably sound-based) upon blocking an attack, indicating whether or not the block direction was correct. Showing the attacker's weapon sliding off the shield (rather than digging into it) would probably make the mechanic more intuitive.

There are two advantages to this than I can see:

• Melee in battle is made somewhat deeper and more interesting.
• New players are provided with a more forgiving way to learn manual blocking.

 

[Hynroso]

This is translated by a computer because noone here to translate.
Do some good ideas, but my ideal would be slightly different. You see most infantry shields used with the grip in the middle and they may punch swing away in the small shield, or the shield will be a big move like that may not be the enemy comes around with a blade or point. I agree that block hit the parry aught shield small to make hardly any damage to the shield, but larger ones should be easier to damage or stab right through, though their size makes rare thumping hits and perpendicular hits common. I see your view.

 

[Helz]

I like your idea about manually blocking with the shield.  Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what Hynroso meant (sorry, bad translator), but his response gave me an idea to change yours a little.  The problem with making the shield a lot more vulnerable to random hits is that it would break much quicker when fighting multiple opponents, one the main advantages to carrying a shield.     

So, maybe they could keep big shields how they are, but introduce bucklers that work like you're suggesting?  They'd be sort of a middle ground between carrying a shield and a 2hd weapon.  Then they wouldn't have to mess with the shield speeds either, they could just operate as fast as manual blocking, and you'd have a brand new fighting stye.         

edit: sorry didn't see this was from a month ago. 

 

[SaulCanner]

The problem with making the shield a lot more vulnerable to random hits is that it would break much quicker when fighting multiple opponents, one the main advantages to carrying a shield.

All melee in battle is shield-based (you will get shot in a serious matchup if you don't play with a shield). 2h is a non-issue in battle, so the advantage of a shield for taking on multiple opponents is something everybody has. This won't affect equipment balance in any significant way.