Talking With Your Fists...

So I've been working a lot on the melee combat of the game,
and I'm discovering a great deal about combat in gaming in general.


Its also leading me down a path to develop some very basic level AI, which is kinda fun, as the levels start to feel a lot less empty when they are populated by people who are trying to kill you.

Combat is one of the most important parts of a game. In fact I would even go as far as to argue, that until you have established a working combat system, that the project is little more than a Tech Demo.

Many people see combat as way to fill space, or add difficulty to a game. A way to add challenge to an otherwise simple project, or simply as interactive sessions that must be completed to move the story forward.

While it can do these things, I feel like Combats most important function is to add to the narrative of the game, and is key in helping to easily project the concept of the game to potential players.

Once a combat system is in place. you have done quite a few things. 1st you have clearly designated who the story's protagonist is, and 2nd You have designated his opponents as the antagonists.
Combat is Conflict in its purest form, and conflict is the heart of any story worth telling.
People automatically understand physical fighting, and if you can place relevant character designs on the characters in that fight, then you have visually communicated the heart of the game.

“Its about These Guys Vs. Those Guys” the “why” is something that can be included in the game through various other means.


That said, I have to reiterate that combat will probably be very simple, and only be made of singular attacks rather than combos.
This is only a prototype after all.

After I have finished implementing the first part of the combat system, which should be fairly soon. I'm thinking about opening up the project to a wider audience. I'm coming to a stage in the project where it has become mature enough where additional opinions will help its growth rather than hinder it.

Combat Systems: Extended