by
Valo
» 18 Jan 2017, 01:01
I'll preface this by saying that I'm probably not the best fighter. While I can typically go toe to toe with most players, I do not play on focused PvP servers, but generally RP/PvP servers in LiF:YO. The people I tend to fight aren't the sorts of people who optimize every facet of not only their character's build and kit but also their fighting style.
Still, I've noticed so far that in almost all cases, even when I go to more PvP focused servers, I see the same fighting "style" being used in almost all cases: Parry is used as a last resort. Shields are not favored and often even regarded as ineffective (at least, by most people, personally I do very well with shields).
Instead, people dart in, attack, and then scurry away EVEN WITH THEIR BACK TURNED. Insanely enough, this is what works. Because if you stand there after an attack and try to parry a counter-attack, you will not raise your weapon in time, at least in my experience.
While LiF is its own thing and going in its own direction is well and fine, I think the game would benefit by having a combat system that focused less on footwork and more on skillful swordplay. Think Chivalry or something along those lines. That's not to say that footwork shouldn't come into play, just that it shouldn't be the only determining factor as it seems to be at present from my potentially flawed or ignorant position. I want to see people dueling, not playing tag, but players will use what works. So right now, tag seems to work pretty damn well, so we're just pretending we're all lancers even when we're not on horseback, lol
Specifically, I would like the following changes to be considered:
-Implement a much quicker recovery from landed swings. I suspect something like this is already the case, as I am able to execute the combos far faster on training dummies or live targets than I can when practicing against the air. But still I find that raising my sword to parry after I swing is painfully (literally) slow. So if it isn't already in, add it, if it is in, increase the speed of recovery after landed swings, allowing for you to defend yourself from counter-attack quickly.
Of course, missed swings should remain a bad thing that invite counter-attacks by leaving you wide open. Also, I recommend a short stun-like effect after you are hit, preventing you from attacking for a very brief fraction of a second, to discourage people from simply exchanging blows as sometimes happens, and rather to either put distance between them or, ideally, raise their weapon to parry/shield to block the next attacks.
-Longer windows on parry, with less emphasis on accuracy of the parry. It seems difficult to actually parry as I suspect your opponent's blade has to literally connect with the sword, and I also suspect that lag causes blows that should have hit your sword (or whatever weapon you/they are using) just go through. However, keep in mind that there is only ONE way in which your character can actually parry (usually by bringing the blade diagonally up over your chest) while there is much greater freedom in how your opponent can swing. Just make it so that if you're hit in the front while parrying, it's a parry. I find it near impossible to actually parry even though on my screen my timing looks perfect.
The same goes for shields, you can only bring those up over your chest in the game, you have no freedom to actually crouch behind a tower shield or do anything special, giving a huge advantage to attackers, to the point that maneuverability in combat seems to reign supreme over being something more akin to a "tank." Long story short, your opponent can always swing at your legs, but you cannot bring your sword to block an attack there it seems.
Maybe these are the ramblings of a clueless noob who just needs to "git gud," and I probably do need to get more practice in PvP anyway. If my assessment of PvP in LiF is incorrect and there is something to be said for "fencers" who do more with parry and block, I'd appreciate some tips or a video guide especially.