by
Maitri
» 03 Jul 2015, 09:20
So playing around with the Long Pike again.
Some observations:
Firstly: I am 99% certain that the overhead stab is broken. I cannot get it to work at any distance save point blank range which is just my hands hitting my target for .5-.7 blunt damage. This is a pity as this would make the Long Pike such a fantastic weapon for skirmishes, even if it did small damage due to the poke and prod attack style.
Now the bracing attack DOES work but ... quite frankly is not worth it. I've seen it do anywere from 50 damage upwards to 120 (tested via 4 attacks, will test more with time, I think) and how it does this is so hilarious it's almost impossible to believe.
When you 'brace' the pike, and I use quotations for a reason you'll understand soon enough, you get down on one knee and hold it up roughly a finger's width above your crosshair (cause crosshair's aren't really used for anything, right?).
Now here is one of the interesting facts: It's not 'active' yet. The point does no damage, even if someone were to run into it (the point of bracing a spear/pike) and acts as if it's not even there.
ONCE you let go of attack, THEN the point (not the shaft, as with most spears) and ONLY the point (just the metal bit) becomes 'active' and to make matters even worse, your character lowers it just a bit, right above the crosshair (not inside of it) and keeps it there for roughly .25-.5 seconds. During this SMALL window of opportunity, it's active and can do damage. Because you're unable to move, all speed bonuses would need to be calculated based on the opponents movement (of course) and do not add to the damage.
I've seen wildly varied reports of damage and each time I use it, it's a frustration to even get it to hit.
How I see it, this is either unfinished or broken.
I assume unfinished because it feels ... off.
But assuming it's not, there'd be no reason to use this weapon as ANY other weapon would serve it's purpose ten times better in any situation, no exceptions, primarily because you can't do what you should be able to do and just stick it towards the enemy and wait for him to run into it. (Like real pikes were used against cavalry charges)