Making spears work like spears

[MountainBlade]

Other polearms too of course.

Instead of a block, they'd have a kind of 'offensive defense'. While holding the right mouse button your character would hold their spear stretched and ready to catch opponents.

Spoiler: sort of like this

An enemy running in at full speed (or worse, charging on a horse) would get a pretty ugly wound but normally the damage from a spear in this position wouldn't be much. Against a slow opponent your character would sort of prod and poke, continuously make small attacks to try and keep the opponent at bay. These attacks wouldn't do much damage but, with the way soldiers stagger after being hit in 1.0, would disable them and leave them open for attack(of course spears still have a normal attack). Once the opponent gets too close the spear becomes useless.
When walking in a spear held this way, it would be important to walk slowly and move away from the point. If your opponent is holding their spear directly towards you, you could sway left or right while advancing to minimize the effectiveness of their attacks. This also keeps this stance from being completely passive for the spear wielder; they'd have to react and try to keep the point aimed at the enemy.

With this system you'd have the normal attack to represent a powerful but slower thrust using your entire body and the 'defense attack' to represent many, quick jabs meant to hold the enemy away from you. It would also make a line of spearmen much more dangerous than a lone spearman.

 

[Vasara]

Has been suggested many times. I'd think you should have learned how to search by now.

 

[MountainBlade]

Old topics, not quite the same.

 

[Ironic]

I started a thread something like this like planting your spear in the ground when theres a cavalry charge,it would totally cream them instead of just thrusting at horses.

 

[The Mercenary]

Meh. It might be an old suggestion, but it's still a good one.

 

[Fatman123]

I agree somthing still needs to be done about it.

 

[Swadius 2.0]

I started a thread something like this like planting your spear in the ground when theres a cavalry charge,it would totally cream them instead of just thrusting at horses.

Maybe in M&B2, when the more realistic physics kicks in and the realization that thrusting at a fully armor horse and rider directly in front of them wold either push the spear out of your hands, or if they hold on hard enough, dislocate your shoulders .

 

[Fatman123]

Hmm well what I say to that is if putting a spear into a knight as a pikeman was so useless and could dislocated their shoulders. The question that should be asked now is why did historical generals use them then.

 

[Swadius 2.0]

I thought the purpose of putting pikes into the ground at the base of your back foot was to create a much harder obstacle to overcome (ie. push/tear out of a person's hands).

Edit:

Like the OP. Except like the guy on the left.

 

[Night Ninja]

Horses usually won't charge a wall of pointy metal bits, and bracing the pike allows you to hurt them if they actually try. Also, you don't actually need to thrust with the pike. The horse's momentum will do the work for you.

I believe that the schiltron is quite relevant to the discussion at hand. It's one of the earlier known uses of the pike or an equivalent thereof, and Robert the Bruce used it to great effect against the English. Perhaps some study of his methods would be in order?