Quote:
Originally Posted by TheKing
We seem to disagree on what we want the future of the game to be and obviously I don't develop the game so I can't mold it into what I want - I can only say that I think you're making a huge mistake by removing some of the characteristics of the game that don't conform to a narrow DM/mulch style of play.
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I think this is an entirely fair point. But, it has led me to attempt to look at this in a different way (or what I think is a different way).
First, I'll define some terms:
- Mulch style of combat (mulching): Fights last a fair amount of time; each player has roughly equal opportunity to damage the other. It usually doesn't matter if someone gets the first shot, as the battle will last longer than that. Damage is usually variable and range-dependent. Aim, prediction, movement, placement, and timing are the biggest factors in the outcome of the fights.
- Sniper style of combat (sniping): Fights are dependent on who gets their shots in first. Damage is usually binary and range-independent (you either hit and do a set amount of damage or miss entirely). Aim (or aim consistency) and reaction time are the biggest factors in the outcome of the fights.
I'm not sure if those are good definitions. They are just off the top of my head.
For the following, I am assuming that both the mulch style and the sniper style of combat are good in their own way and that one is not better than the other.
- Mulching is not a narrow combat system. There is so much that can be done within a mulch format. A huge, huge variety of weapons and interactions are possible (see: every class except the sniper in FF).
- In a sniping format, I can only think of a few different distinct interaction/weapon possibilities. A game like CS, I would argue, almost has an entirely sniping-esque combat system. In that game, there are only a set amount of distinctions between weapons (damage, refire rate, recoil, clip size, reload time). Also, it is basically necessary for everything to be hitscan in a sniping combat system.
- There is a huge difference between the influences each combat style has on each other when both are present in the same game.
- Sniping negatively impacts mulching
- As the viability/effectiveness of sniping increases, the viability/effectiveness of mulching decreases.
- Example: Two players are sniping and two players are mulching. The two snipers could snipe anyone they choose to. The two mulchers could only mulch each other. If sniping was made more effective, the snipers would kill the mulchers more and more (the mulchers could mulch less and less). Sniping interrupts mulching.
- Mulching has no impact on sniping
- As the viability/effectiveness of mulching increases, the viability/effectiveness of sniping does not change.
- Example: Two players are sniping and two players are mulching. The two snipers could snipe anyone they choose to. The two mulchers could only mulch each other. If mulching was made more effective, the snipers would kill the mulchers at the same rate. The mulchers would kill the snipers at the same rate. Mulching does not interrupt sniping.
- Therefore, we can not have both styles of combat in the same game as one is a detriment to the other.
- Mulching is worth keeping as it has a much broader array of possibilities within it.
- Therefore, the sniping combat style might be worth removing.