Polearm Foot Combat

[RedRockRun]

Anyone else find polearms - especially thrusting on foot - particularly hard to use?
In part depth perception comes into play as well as the weapon's tip being obscured by the third person angle, making it difficult for me to tell exactly what my weapon's range is.
Also dealing damage becomes really touchy with distance. Instead of enemies whom in real life would want to avoid running into the weapon's point, Warband NPC's have no issue with closing distance. In reference to distance at the point of attack being touchy though, there's this sweet spot of distance one has to hit in order to achieve normal damage as opposed to the attack simply fizzling out.
Hence when I'm using a poleaxe that lets me swing and thrust I see no reason to thrust - even to get the piercing damage - when a successful attack requires so many conditions be met.
I'm also wondering whether foot polearms are even viable PC weapons.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

Polearms can be viable but only in mods where there are no shields, and there is an upstab mechanic for polearms. Otherwise, long weapons are hopelessly gimped in native. You can infinitely block every attack from an innumerable amount of spearmen simply by blocking down. A shielded enemy can just walk through your spear and press right up against you, trying to stand right on top of you even though it can't, meaning you can never run back to get the range you need. It sucks.

I have seen videos of people getting around this stuff but only in small fights. Pikes have to be supported in order to be effective, and the AI never knows how to use them, hence why Rhodok infantry is garbage.

 

[Sanz]

Rhodok infantry is garbage.

But glaives are pretty sexy tho amirite?

 

[RedRockRun]

Polearms can be viable but only in mods where there are no shields, and there is an upstab mechanic for polearms. Otherwise, long weapons are hopelessly gimped in native. You can infinitely block every attack from an innumerable amount of spearmen simply by blocking down. A shielded enemy can just walk through your spear and press right up against you, trying to stand right on top of you even though it can't, meaning you can never run back to get the range you need. It sucks.

I have seen videos of people getting around this stuff but only in small fights. Pikes have to be supported in order to be effective, and the AI never knows how to use them, hence why Rhodok infantry is garbage.

I'm playing Nova Aetas and trying to use the up stab, but I rarely ever hit anything with it. I'll be in an arena fight stabbing away at someone on horseback stuck in a corner, and it's as though the up stab just doesn't register. Maybe it's just a model issue with those spears. Still, why go through the hassle if I go by the AI's playbook and buy a knife to get in close for stabby stabs?

The point of pikes is that you didn't have to attack with them. If you ran into one without proper armor then you'd be in trouble. I'd love to see a mod that let you take a passive spear bracing stance which would activate contact damage based on the enemy's speed and would not require the player to release M1 to attack. That way AI could be programmed to form a phalanx or a tercio square.

By the way Jacob, do you have any issue with depth perception using pikes in your mod? I tried it out and found the damage great but hard to get used to when fighting other soldiers on foot.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

Never had an issue with it, but then again I use pikes so much that I can just memorize their range and I don't even need to see the pike in order to attack.

 

[RedRockRun]

Random question, but who's the girl in your avatar? First her hair was censored out, and now she's wearing a shako :p

 

[Ruthven]

Random question, but who's the girl in your avatar? First her hair was censored out, and now she's wearing a shako :p

jacob is one with the memes

 

[RedRockRun]

Also is there a benefit to the up thrust move as opposed to the normal down thrust?

 

[winsonoob]

Anyone else find polearms - especially thrusting on foot - particularly hard to use?
In part depth perception comes into play as well as the weapon's tip being obscured by the third person angle, making it difficult for me to tell exactly what my weapon's range is.
Also dealing damage becomes really touchy with distance. Instead of enemies whom in real life would want to avoid running into the weapon's point, Warband NPC's have no issue with closing distance. In reference to distance at the point of attack being touchy though, there's this sweet spot of distance one has to hit in order to achieve normal damage as opposed to the attack simply fizzling out.
Hence when I'm using a poleaxe that lets me swing and thrust I see no reason to thrust - even to get the piercing damage - when a successful attack requires so many conditions be met.
I'm also wondering whether foot polearms are even viable PC weapons.

polearms on foot is harder to use
but people could use it just as good in multiplayer
the trick is the lengthen the attack distance ,
people like to "turn back" to the enemy,when you thrust the spear you turn your crosshair back to the enemy so it would have enough range to deal damage
rhodoks footsoldier I thought were useless too, but after trying to siege rhodoks I think rhodoks have the highest grade infantry,
veteran rhodoks spearman that use glaive have such a high hp, their attacks are rapid and they could spam at longer range and higher damage
in small groups in field they are very effective
using the thrust attack while facing down has longer range hence higher damage with polarm