http://blog.wolfire.com/2009/06/fighting-design-second-draft/
By David on June 11th, 2009
I’ve started prototyping the fighting in Overgrowth, and found that the charged attacks in our old design doc were too complicated to be fun. For now I reverted to the Lugaru attack style, where players hold the strike key down and automatically attack when the opponent is within striking range. However, I’ve also added initial blocking and grappling. Here I am on the left about to block an attack from rabbot:
Fight Controls
Below are the controls so far! I’m leaving out Jump and Crouch for now — I would like to keep the combat simple at first, to make sure that the foundation is solid before building on it too much.
Basic controls:
Strike(hold) - attack when an enemy comes within range
Move(tap) - dodge an attack if timed right, opportunity to counter-strike
Grab(hold) - block if far away, clinch if close
Clinch controls (dominant):
Move+Grab(release) - throw in movement direction
Strike(tap) - hit grabbed opponent
Clinch controls (victim):
Move(tap)- struggle to get free
Strike(tap)- hit opponent
Grab(tap)- attempt counter-grab (if timed with enemy strikes)
These controls are mostly working in the current build of Overgrowth, and should make it into the next alpha for those who pre-ordered! I could really use feedback on how the controls feel. I am considering removing the block — I think it might slow down the gameplay too much, but it’s hard to tell without more playtesting. Do you have any thoughts on these fighting controls?