Question about combat in the game.
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noctisingreti
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Question about combat in the game.
This game looks amazing, visually and in concept, but how is the combat played out? I watched a developer video, and it almost seemed like the combat was like point and click ala runescape. I also read that you could change the camera angle to over the shoulder, so would that make combat sorta like in Oblivion?
Luckily - for me at least - the combat is nothing like Oblivion, as I found that trite.
Sword combat is point and click, and by clicking on an enemy in specific intervals you're character will perform combinations doing more damage.
You have 3 fighting styles for Steel and Silver - all of which are good against some types of enemies, so you have to know (or read in-game, or deduct) which style to use against which and which weapon.
Also some magical ability with "signs", so you can cast some spells.
Plus the fun with alchemy which - if playing on the harder settings - is a good thing to "know".
As for view points there are 3 forms of viewpoints, but neither of them alters the combat towards Oblivion.
Sword combat is point and click, and by clicking on an enemy in specific intervals you're character will perform combinations doing more damage.
You have 3 fighting styles for Steel and Silver - all of which are good against some types of enemies, so you have to know (or read in-game, or deduct) which style to use against which and which weapon.
Also some magical ability with "signs", so you can cast some spells.
Plus the fun with alchemy which - if playing on the harder settings - is a good thing to "know".
As for view points there are 3 forms of viewpoints, but neither of them alters the combat towards Oblivion.
Insert signature here.
The combats system is original eventually its weakness is to hardly setup a real challenge.
Different tactics could apply you have at your disposal :
- 5 magic spell (right mouse button) a normal cast for each and eventually a powerful cast (longer press on right mouse button)
- 2 different swords, one against humans and animal, another against monsters.
- 3 different style for each sword (strong, quick, group)
- A normal attack (left mouse button) and later a strong attack (long press on left mouse button).
- One attack trigger in fact multiple fast hits.
- During a series of hits you can look around freely like for example to search another opponent for your next attack.
- After the end of an attack you have an elapse of time to chain with another attack in order to continue with more powerful hits, and so on. The number of attack you can chain is dependent on your training level in the sword and style selected.
- You can move during fights, that seems not really useful because it's too slow except for backward.
- You have four jumps, one for each direction, double hit on the direction key. The jumps behave differently if you have an opponent right near you then you jump above it, at least for back and forward. Otherwise it's a fast jump movements.
- During fights you can use potions eventually bombs (never tried those last).
- You can prepare fights with potions (they last a long time) and oils.
- One major thing about potions is they bring big powers but each has a degree of toxicity so you can't use too many at same time, eventually you'll get drunk during a short time and even will die if you reach the maximum.
- You have a standard health bar but also an endurance bar which is used for casting spells so you can't chain many spells and it is used for powerful hits too, this bar regenerates fast.
All of that is working well but some movements, jumps and get a new sword freeze any other during a short time this involve some lack of fluidity in controls but you can do with it.
Against a single opponent it's a bit basic because then nothing is better than just chaining hits. There's a few exception if you want avoid to be hit as much than possible plus you can make it a bit more diversified by using some spells and some power attacks.
Where the system works very well it's more against group with the group style as the base but not only. In those fights, jumps are much more useful in some cases, moving a little or carefully choose next foe to hit can really improve by placing you better in order to hit more foes at same time. Some style switching complement this, quote you can start a combo in one style and continue in another style.
So not too complex but enough to get some depth. If sometimes movements aren't that cool, jumps are quite cool they are useful to get some air or get a better placement. Choosing next foe to hit during a series of hit is very fun, timed chaining of hits to get more power can be fun. Style switching is also more fun than you could imagine. It isn't that basic because you have to switch between group style and other styles, also some opponents are too fast and cannot be hit with strong style and some other are so strong that fast and sometimes group style doesn't hit them enough so it's better switch to strong style. Using various magic can be cool too. Three are very useful, Aard that push back and eventually knock down. Igni that push back a little but more important fire the oponent and even more important can ignite it and some sword and style can do much more damages. Quen makes a protective barrier during a short time, you can use it to prepare a powerful hit or to take some potions. There's two other magic I tried only a little but haven't really explored them yet.
The only problem is that if it's fun and not too basic, many many fights are very easy and that's not fully satisfying. In fact if you prepare with some oil and potions most fights are easy. Still a good combat system but eventually opponents design should be more accurate, and some fluidity problems should be solved.
All of that is with OTS view used there's few differences with other point of view.
Different tactics could apply you have at your disposal :
- 5 magic spell (right mouse button) a normal cast for each and eventually a powerful cast (longer press on right mouse button)
- 2 different swords, one against humans and animal, another against monsters.
- 3 different style for each sword (strong, quick, group)
- A normal attack (left mouse button) and later a strong attack (long press on left mouse button).
- One attack trigger in fact multiple fast hits.
- During a series of hits you can look around freely like for example to search another opponent for your next attack.
- After the end of an attack you have an elapse of time to chain with another attack in order to continue with more powerful hits, and so on. The number of attack you can chain is dependent on your training level in the sword and style selected.
- You can move during fights, that seems not really useful because it's too slow except for backward.
- You have four jumps, one for each direction, double hit on the direction key. The jumps behave differently if you have an opponent right near you then you jump above it, at least for back and forward. Otherwise it's a fast jump movements.
- During fights you can use potions eventually bombs (never tried those last).
- You can prepare fights with potions (they last a long time) and oils.
- One major thing about potions is they bring big powers but each has a degree of toxicity so you can't use too many at same time, eventually you'll get drunk during a short time and even will die if you reach the maximum.
- You have a standard health bar but also an endurance bar which is used for casting spells so you can't chain many spells and it is used for powerful hits too, this bar regenerates fast.
All of that is working well but some movements, jumps and get a new sword freeze any other during a short time this involve some lack of fluidity in controls but you can do with it.
Against a single opponent it's a bit basic because then nothing is better than just chaining hits. There's a few exception if you want avoid to be hit as much than possible plus you can make it a bit more diversified by using some spells and some power attacks.
Where the system works very well it's more against group with the group style as the base but not only. In those fights, jumps are much more useful in some cases, moving a little or carefully choose next foe to hit can really improve by placing you better in order to hit more foes at same time. Some style switching complement this, quote you can start a combo in one style and continue in another style.
So not too complex but enough to get some depth. If sometimes movements aren't that cool, jumps are quite cool they are useful to get some air or get a better placement. Choosing next foe to hit during a series of hit is very fun, timed chaining of hits to get more power can be fun. Style switching is also more fun than you could imagine. It isn't that basic because you have to switch between group style and other styles, also some opponents are too fast and cannot be hit with strong style and some other are so strong that fast and sometimes group style doesn't hit them enough so it's better switch to strong style. Using various magic can be cool too. Three are very useful, Aard that push back and eventually knock down. Igni that push back a little but more important fire the oponent and even more important can ignite it and some sword and style can do much more damages. Quen makes a protective barrier during a short time, you can use it to prepare a powerful hit or to take some potions. There's two other magic I tried only a little but haven't really explored them yet.
The only problem is that if it's fun and not too basic, many many fights are very easy and that's not fully satisfying. In fact if you prepare with some oil and potions most fights are easy. Still a good combat system but eventually opponents design should be more accurate, and some fluidity problems should be solved.
All of that is with OTS view used there's few differences with other point of view.
You only listed the good things about the combat. What is missing are the bad pieces.
- The camera can move into funny angles so that it becomes impossible to see where you are and what you do. Most notably in fights against bosses where it then can upset.
- You always have to point exactly on the opponent to make a hit. The bad thing is that the game engine has its own opinion about where that is. This happens often when you are fighting larger enemies. An enemy behind you, which is not visible to you, then receives the hit making it impossible to attack what you see on your screen. Sometimes you fail because the pointer is too small to see and using the pause mode here does not help.
- The keyboard input has a too low priority, meaning, that other parts of the game like the character animations go first. If you play by W-A-S-D control you often have to press these keys multiple times to move your character around. It becomes most notably when you unsheathe a sword and wish to move forward. It then runs the animation for the sword and ignores any keyboard input, making it impossible to unsheathe and quickly move forward. This problem makes any of the special movements, when pressing one of the W-A-S-D keys twice, impossible to apply in a quick sequence. Either you pressed a key too often and your hero starts to monkey around or you are just not moving. In short: it's sticky.
- The game engine sheathes the sword automatically. This turns bad when it does so right in front of an enemy. Your weapon is also sheathed every time after you opened a chest or took ingredients from a plant. If that weapon is the torch and you are in a dark cave it, too, can upset. Sometimes your sword is being unsheathed automatically during the events. The game is then capable to unsheathe either the steel or the silver sword, however it frequently chooses the wrong one. When it does so in front of a boss it can upset.
All in all you can say that the combat system, when it is generally a good invention, is missing a final polish to make it useful for a fun, fast-paced fighting style.
Sven
- The camera can move into funny angles so that it becomes impossible to see where you are and what you do. Most notably in fights against bosses where it then can upset.
- You always have to point exactly on the opponent to make a hit. The bad thing is that the game engine has its own opinion about where that is. This happens often when you are fighting larger enemies. An enemy behind you, which is not visible to you, then receives the hit making it impossible to attack what you see on your screen. Sometimes you fail because the pointer is too small to see and using the pause mode here does not help.
- The keyboard input has a too low priority, meaning, that other parts of the game like the character animations go first. If you play by W-A-S-D control you often have to press these keys multiple times to move your character around. It becomes most notably when you unsheathe a sword and wish to move forward. It then runs the animation for the sword and ignores any keyboard input, making it impossible to unsheathe and quickly move forward. This problem makes any of the special movements, when pressing one of the W-A-S-D keys twice, impossible to apply in a quick sequence. Either you pressed a key too often and your hero starts to monkey around or you are just not moving. In short: it's sticky.
- The game engine sheathes the sword automatically. This turns bad when it does so right in front of an enemy. Your weapon is also sheathed every time after you opened a chest or took ingredients from a plant. If that weapon is the torch and you are in a dark cave it, too, can upset. Sometimes your sword is being unsheathed automatically during the events. The game is then capable to unsheathe either the steel or the silver sword, however it frequently chooses the wrong one. When it does so in front of a boss it can upset.
All in all you can say that the combat system, when it is generally a good invention, is missing a final polish to make it useful for a fun, fast-paced fighting style.
Sven
I think the first three of sdack's complaints come from using the over-the-shoulder view. I used the high isometric view, and I didn't have any of those problems. The Witcher basically uses a Diablo-style point-and-click combat system, which was designed for an isometric view, and perhaps that view just works better.
As for the sheathing problems:
1. Don't use torches. Use Cat potions. They're better and they barely cost anything to brew.
2. The game only picks a sword for you when you click on an enemy without drawing a sword first. So draw a sword first.
3. I've never had the game sheathe my sword right in front of an enemy (other than because of conversations and cut scenes). I think it's only supposed to sheathe your sword when you've moved out of danger for 20-30 seconds. So maybe this is another OTS issue.
SWC
As for the sheathing problems:
1. Don't use torches. Use Cat potions. They're better and they barely cost anything to brew.
2. The game only picks a sword for you when you click on an enemy without drawing a sword first. So draw a sword first.
3. I've never had the game sheathe my sword right in front of an enemy (other than because of conversations and cut scenes). I think it's only supposed to sheathe your sword when you've moved out of danger for 20-30 seconds. So maybe this is another OTS issue.
SWC
Sir Edmund: "Should you obey the lord who asks you to put a village of innocents to the torch? Is that chivalrous? Is it noble?"
Me: "It's a great way to get promoted, I know that much."
Me: "It's a great way to get promoted, I know that much."