Rapid Attack Direction Changes

[Lord Rich]

Ive seen a few players who when in infantry combat will change the direction of their attack really fast, they will be holding their weapon on their left then suddenly change it to their right. This makes blocking extremely difficult even with auto block and honestly I cant repeat it myself so I have no idea how their doing it. I havent played against anyone doing this in the few times I have managed to get some manually block duelling, but I suspect it would be even worse here as a player would have no chance at all of responding in time to the direction change. At least with auto block you can rapidly tap block to keep alligning the weapon to their attack but even this has only about a 50% success rate as you have to hope they attack during the periods when you are blocking.

I personally would consider this a bug but since I dont know for sure how its done it may not be (although its bad either way in my opinion). Has anyone else experienced this or know how to do it ?

(If this has been brought up elsewhere I will lock the topic)

 

[Gobblecoque]

Though I haven't used it in combat, the practice is quite simple.

1. Begin an attack in any direction.

2. Block for a split second to quit aforementioned attack.

3. Quickly attack in a different direction.

 

[Wertbarg]

I myself have witnessed AI do it in Vanilla Mount & Blade, I experimented, and its very possible, and in fact, its so easy, I would be amazed if it was a bug. Of course, the last thing I want to do is tell others how to do this, otherwise we will be back to square 1 with endless attack, counter attack battles.

So, for the good of everyone, I should not tell anyone how to do it, other than just telling them that AI do it, and its easy to do.

(well, fine, its done by clicking, then quickly blocking to stop the attack, then clicking again to start a new attack rapidly.)

Noes! you beat me to it!

 

[Mabons]

I actually change it twice in a row, I only use it when I have fast weapons though, because with an axe it fails.

 

[Ludial]

I do it all the time in Vanilla; this way I unleash a flurry of attacks... and that happens to be my only defense, as I suck(and hate) at blocking

 

[EvolutiveBrain]

Though I haven't used it in combat, the practice is quite simple.

1. Begin an attack in any direction.

2. Block for a split second to quit aforementioned attack.

3. Quickly attack in a different direction.

Do as Goblbecoque have written, it works like a charm. Of course, if you are playing against bots, you will see that they do it too. If you are playing against other users (Warband Beta) this also works(will be harder to get a succesful attack since a user will have better reflexes than the AI bot), take in consideration what kind of weapon you are using, check their speed rating. Hope this helps. Keep it up.

 

[allthesedamnnamesaretaken]

You have to be careful because the time it takes for you to switch attack directions can mean your foe can get a hit in on you. This is especially against fast weapons like the scrimtar or bastard sword, and their users that like to spam attacks instead of block anyways.

 

[Lord Rich]

Tried it earlier and yes it works, I dont think I want to use it myself though unless my opponent has already demonstrated it. It feels spammy and unnatural. I can see why its not a simple issue to fix though, you need to be able to move to block quickly from an attack and you also need to be able to attack quickly after a block.

 

[Ludial]

You have to be careful because the time it takes for you to switch attack directions can mean your foe can get a hit in on you. This is especially against fast weapons like the scrimtar or bastard sword, and their users that like to spam attacks instead of block anyways.

heh, bastard sword users Although I've actually misunderstood what exactly the attack was. I simply cut left, right and center, without needing to interrupt or anything(a balanced bastard sword IS a fast weapon).

 

[Orion]

Tried it earlier and yes it works, I dont think I want to use it myself though unless my opponent has already demonstrated it. It feels spammy and unnatural. I can see why its not a simple issue to fix though, you need to be able to move to block quickly from an attack and you also need to be able to attack quickly after a block.

It's not an issue that needs to be fixed. After playing for several days with manual block, when I'm in a duel with someone I tend to block their change-ups. It can throw you if they do it out of the blue, but if they keep trying to do it again and again you catch on. The typical switch is from right-to-left to left-to-right, and you can actually keep the attack/block pattern going if that's all they do.

Then again, that's just fancy swordsmanship more than anything else. It takes more time to do, and more often than not your attack isn't going to kill them. You have to hit them multiple times, and that's where footwork comes in.

 

[Kevlar]

I hope this guy goes to server 8 tonight 

 

[Narduiran]

and that's where footwork comes in.

That pretty much sums it up. When I go sword and board, I usually just keep my thrust attack ready while approaching my target and with a quick dash and retreat moves I'll just skewer him with a high damage poke killing him instantly. Of course the more I do it, the better people are at avoiding it. But I still think thrust is the best attack move for swords as it does more damage and goes in right where you aim it.

 

[tennessee2]

Of course, the last thing I want to do is tell others how to do this, otherwise we will be back to square 1 with endless attack, counter attack battles.

Shouldn't that be what battles are about? Attacking, blocking, and counterattacking? If not it's just attacking and blocking, and very boring. I think this technique adds some challenge and excitement to the game(especially with manual block on, really make it difficult to block and counter). I do it all the time when dueling Lords in M&B. It makes things interesting and fun.

 

[Nales]

Well, isn't that what you'd call a feint? Pretend you're attacking from the right, then switch to the left and pierces through your opponent's parry (or block in manual block)?
It adds some strategy and mind-playing to melee battles, so I don't think it's a bug and I wouldn't like to see it changed.

 

[Regendur]

However, I do see my character automatically do a switch of attack sometimes when I release the button. Such as, I move my mouse to stab and my guy swings overhead, then quickly stabs.

Has anyone else seen this? Or is it just a client side issue and isn't displayed through the server?

 

[ares007]

You have to be careful because the time it takes for you to switch attack directions can mean your foe can get a hit in on you. This is especially against fast weapons like the scrimtar or bastard sword, and their users that like to spam attacks instead of block anyways.

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The counter to someone who does this a lot is to simply attack. Remember, the guy who has the initiative is usually the one who wins. If you are the one attacking, they won't have time to feint. This is why people who spam the attack with a scimitar or bastard sword usually win because they have the initiative and aren't waiting around for their opponent. (with proper timing and distancing, you can pretty easily take the initiative away from someone who simply spams the attack and make short work of them)

You see, melee combat in Mount and Blade is much more similar to Martial Arts than almost any other game I have played (with the exceptions of the UFC and Fight Night games and maybe a couple other fighting games). In martial arts, feints work when you have the initiative. When you don't have the initiative, your primary concern is to take it back (this is primarily done by attacking interestingly enough). Of course, there are clever counter moves that regain the initiative and deliver damage in one motion. You almost always land your strikes when you have the initiative.
(note: sometimes against a very cautious opponent, a feint is enough to scare him enough to take back the initiative. Most often, however, you don't have time to feint unless you already have the initiative)

So I think your problem isn't necessarily that you're having trouble blocking but rather that you're simply allowing your opponent to have the initiative and trying too hard to block. Of course learning how to block helps a lot, but you have to learn how to attack to win a fight.

I don't intend to sound mean, but if you want a hack and slash game, go play a Lord of the Rings game or Oblivion or something. Mount and Blade takes practice, experience, and skill.

However, I do see my character automatically do a switch of attack sometimes when I release the button. Such as, I move my mouse to stab and my guy swings overhead, then quickly stabs.

Has anyone else seen this? Or is it just a client side issue and isn't displayed through the server?

This has happened to me. I think this is a glitch. One time I was practicing manual block with a friend by basically attacking him and letting him block correctly before swinging. A couple of times, I set up a strike from the top, but the animation showed that it would be a cut from the left, so I waited for him to block there. Eventually I released the attack and it was an overhead strike like I meant but on my screen the preparation looked like a side cut. It looked normal on his screen however.

 

[EvolutiveBrain]

However, I do see my character automatically do a switch of attack sometimes when I release the button. Such as, I move my mouse to stab and my guy swings overhead, then quickly stabs.

Has anyone else seen this? Or is it just a client side issue and isn't displayed through the server?

Yes, this happens rarely but do happen. I have encountered this while playing the vanilla version, but is quite rare.

 

[Lord Rich]

Hmm I generally dont give my opponent the initiative at all and make as many varied attacks as I can. The few times where this has really done me in (which I will admit has probably made me a quite bias against it) have been where my opponent had a very fast weapon such as the spiked club and ive had a slightly slower weapon. I guess if the general consensus is that its ok then I may as well use it myself.

 

[ares007]

Hmm I generally dont give my opponent the initiative at all and make as many varied attacks as I can. The few times where this has really done me in (which I will admit has probably made me a quite bias against it) have been where my opponent had a very fast weapon such as the spiked club and ive had a slightly slower weapon. I guess if the general consensus is that its ok then I may as well use it myself.

And don't forget, you beat a quicker weapon by using movement and range. 
It can be hard, and I've definitely had my losses against quick weapons, but the main thing is to try to fight where your weapon has an advantage.

 

[Wu-long]

Hmm I generally dont give my opponent the initiative at all and make as many varied attacks as I can. The few times where this has really done me in (which I will admit has probably made me a quite bias against it) have been where my opponent had a very fast weapon such as the spiked club and ive had a slightly slower weapon. I guess if the general consensus is that its ok then I may as well use it myself.

And don't forget, you beat a quicker weapon by using movement and range. 
It can be hard, and I've definitely had my losses against quick weapons, but the main thing is to try to fight where your weapon has an advantage.

Quick weapons owns (scimis) if you move fast enough with them cept i prefer the fewer hits per kill ^^