- quoted from Del Poncho.This is a serious problem. Nothing too harsh, I suppose, but it lacks depth as well, which is the real issue at hand today. The interaction between melee and gunning is pretty dull and almost nonexistent. Melee has also been toned down over the updates while gunning has been left the same if not improved in some ways as new weapons have been added. Today I'll be proposing changes across the board that, if applied to the game as it is now, would make it overall better and more dynamic, with rewards to smarter and more skillful gameplay.
The first changes I propose are changes to melee weapons. Currently, all melee weapons are mostly the same, with their differences being in range and damage per hit. This means that there's next to no melee diversity, and there's a very linear path of "this weapon is better than this weapon" and there's no reason not to grab each weapon above yours. Guns are more abstract than that, as an uzi or pistol is better than a sniper rifle when it comes to finishing someone off.
The changes for melee that I propose are as follows:
- Give each melee weapon different health values
- Change each weapon's damage so it can deal more damage to melee weapons or less, with differing damage values to players as well
- Change blocking so that the initial block is still as-is, but allow us to hold the block button to keep up a weaker, less sturdy blocking stance
- Add a grab function that allows us to throw foes
Weapon Health
As melee weapons go up on the damage scale, they also go up on the range scale. The pipe wrench is arguably the worst weapon in the game, dealing the least damage with the least range. The katana beats it in both range and damage, being the obvious go-to weapon if I wanted to be doing the most damage I could. In turn, I propose we give the katana the least weapon health, while giving the pipe wrench the most health. Weapons will have to change when it comes to how much health they lose when they hit players and objects. Some weapons might not taken any damage, while sharper weapons like the katana will lose more durability. This means that while the katana can deal more damage and can outrange all other weapons, it will break sooner than the weaker, short range weapons. The wrench will be better for defensive play, shrugging off more bullets and landing more attacks than the katana will, but not doing as much damage or having as much range as a result. Power weapons, like a chainsaw, can be exempt from this rule, due to their nature as gamechangers.
Guns can deal varying amounts of weapon health damage as well, allowing some weapons to be knocked away more easily with guns than others. Wooden weapons can not take as many bullets as metal ones can, while the katana alone simply can not take many bullets. Magnums and sniper rifles deal crazy weapon damage, while the uzi and silenced pistol deal very little. This can be balanced out further by tweaking weapon health values and bullet damage values until it all works together well.
Weapon Damage
When striking a constant block (more on that later) you should deal damage to your opponent's weapon, making it so that you can break their weapon sooner and start dealing damage to them sooner (later too). Currently, blocking an attack deals no damage to your weapon while dealing a slight amount of damage to the attacker's weapon. I propose we keep this function on blocks that happen quickly, while scrapping it when striking the less sturdy block-stance. To reiterate: Blocking an attack with a quick-reflex block deals slight damage to the attacker's weapon, while using the block-stance makes your weapon take varying amount of weapon damage/health damage while the attacker's weapon takes no damage/slight damage. While you can totally hide behind your weapon and let it take the damage for you, you're mostly delaying the inevitable, but I'll explain it's better use next.
Blocking
We all know what blocking is. It's out for about a full second, and then you're back to running around. It deflects/absorbs bullets if timed well, but leaves your head, feet, back, and the above/below you areas exposed. Only really useful when it comes to horizontal shooting. It also completely negates melee damage when performed successfully, and is easier in this regard since the difficult above/below/head/feet parts aren't an issue any more.
I recommend leaving the current block in the game in terms of it's function, but adding a new block that can be initiated by holding the block button instead of releasing it. While blocking in this fashion, you defend yourself with your melee weapon/fists. A constant blocker can not move during a block. Your weapon will take more damage from melee and guns alike, giving you a temporary shield from damage. When unarmed, however, you're merely decreasing the damage you take from melee. If someone is attacking your fists with a bat and you're in block-stance, you'll be taking light damage (perhaps 3-5) while their weapon isn't injured per swing. Constant blocking won't slow the attacker down enough for the blocker to retaliate, though it may leave an opening to try and run.
In fact, being struck locks you in block for an amount of time dependent on what hit you! If you get hit by a magnum shot while blocking, you will be locked in place for another second and a half. If you get shot by a pistol, it may only be a quarter of a second. Automatics like the SMG, Tommy, and M60 will deal enough stun to forcibly lock the blocker into stance while they tear apart it's weapon, allowing you to disarm your foe and score some free hits as they stagger back after their weapon crumbles in their hands. Blocking with your fists doesn't lock you into fists when shot at, because otherwise you'd block a bullet and get killed for free.
Blocking is not the say-all end-all to defense, though. With changed weapon properties, we could see weapons like the fire axe go around blocks if they get close enough to the blocker, allowing them to knock them out of block stance and get a free hit, perhaps allowing a combo. Grabs can also beat a blocker.
But just to be clear: Tapping the block button works as it does today. You'll take slight weapon damage on blocking a bullet, no weapon damage on blocking a melee hit, no stun on blocking either, and you can't be damaged by the method just said above. It's still the best way to defend yourself.
Grabs and Throws
A grab comes out as fast as a melee attack. It does not disarm players, and can not connect while an opponent is attacking with a weapon or their fists/feet. A grab does beat any form of blocking and any inaction, giving us a good counter to blocking or blockspam and creating a proper rock paper scissors melee experience. A grab will not grab a player if they are in the middle of launching an attack, no matter how far away the attack is from coming out. A player beefed up on steroids might not have this problem, and instead grab someone despite them punching him. Grab range is the same as a standing kick, so that a player with a gun can still stop someone from grabbing them with a simple kick.
Once you grab an opponent, they will quickly start to struggle free, so your best bet is to figure out what you want to do with them. Fighters are strong, but they're still heavy, and will have a hard time really throwing foes (without steroids). You can choose to press left or right to put them in that direction. If you press in the direction you were already facing, you could deliver a headbutt and knock them to the ground, and if you press away from the direction you were facing, you suplex the enemy instead. Afterwards, the attacker gets to react a little bit faster than the victim, so it is up to the victim to act accordingly to escape the situation and gain the upper hand. For lack of a better term, a "throw" should deal at least 7 damage, though 8 - 8.5 sounds appropriate.
Gunning can pretty much be left untouched. No matter how I feel about the game I still always look at the gunning system in place and love it/respect it, every time. Everything about it feels tight and responsive, it's solidly rewarding and requires skill for quick precision kills. It works well.
Changes to gunning would only be inderectly tied to the changes up above: Some weapons have more hitstun on blocking opponents, some weapons deal more damage to weapons than they do to players, some deal less, etc. Silenced uzi might make a dent in a weapon healthbar, but probably won't destroy it super quickly. An SMG could probably lay most weapons to waste in approximately 12-14 shots, while an AR could do it in about 10. Perhaps if a weapon like a Magnum or Sniper hits a block and breaks the weapon (which should be likely due to their high damage) it would go through and hit the player anyways.
While there might be worries that the constant blocking would cause gunning to be rendered obsolete, I'd like to say that this thing really does balance itself. Melee weapons today can soak exactly 25 bullets each. This would be busted if it was easier to block bullets. Instead, melee weapons should have different health values (as previously stated), but then guns would do different damages to weapons. Let's play it simple and say that the pipe wrench has a whopping 80 health. A pistol deals 8 damage to players and weapons alike. 10 shots later, the weapon is destroyed! The opponent staggers back after the weapon breaks, and you can land a free hit or two as they stumble. Meanwhile, the Assault Rifle deals 7 damage to players, yet only 5 damage to weapons. However, it still has a large ammo pool and high fire rate capable of locking an opponent in block. The Pipe Wrench is the tankiest weapon, and might have different health, so let's say we're hitting a weapon with only 60 health. That's still breaking the weapon in 12 shots!
Weapon health will probably need to be higher to accommodate the higher damage weapons so that they can do proper block damage. Shotguns should tear apart a weapon, as should an M60, magnum, sniper, and probably the automatics due to the way they can block-lock opponents. If I got the chance to break an enemy's melee weapon, I don't see why I wouldn't take it since I can then engage them with my stronger melee weapon without fear of them trying to block all my hits further, since I can hit them through it. I can also approach with a gun and hipfire them as I draw near, keeping them stuck in block while I approach. Once I do, I can shoot them one last time before sheathing my weapon instantly and grabbing the block, since they're still locked into it. This gives gunning great CQC ability, allowing for the heavier weapons to lock longer while the faster weapons still force a player to be defensive once they lock in place. This still gives gunning an advantage as well since they can disarm opponents or move in for free grabs to keep a player on his toes. They can also deal good damage to the player after the weapon breaks and they're forced to stumble. Finally, this further shows the reward for a quick block since these players won't be locked into blocking all these bullets and get grabbed for free as a result.
