Gearhart
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Posts posted by Gearhart
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28 minutes ago, MoniTheMelone said:
Hmm, personally I have an opinion you may not agree with, these are children surviving in a backyard. I think the combat should be according to the ability of an every day child and not an experienced martial arts fighter. No offense to anyone, I personally love MMA and I used to do judo and karate. However, I think the beauty of this game is the originality in that these are kids fighting and they are trying their best with what they have at hand. You need to approach the fighting objective from the perspective of how would a kid go about it. They have way different thought processes. And I think they should be involved with creating this game more. Personally, I think placed in this situation the defense and fighting is exactly what it would look like, you struggle blocking, you reach out way too far while attacking, and do not hold the objects perfectly. Maybe a compromise could be that the kids can upgrade their fighting ability as they become more experienced or learn from BURGL. Or maybe the kids could have different abilities from the start up and one of them is a little MMA specialist. Kindly, MoniTheMelon.
I don't see what choice of weaponry has to do with fighting capability. Nor do I see how trying to knock an attacking insect to the side instead of trying to block it head-on is in any way comparable to martial arts.
Plus, the long melee spear is one of the oldest weapons made, which not only makes it's common usage well into the modern era all the more impressive, but also tells us that it doesn't take a genius craftsman to make one. -
I don't think a bike would work very well. even ignoring how the square cubed law would impact balance, the terrain in the backyard is so uneven that you'll constantly be tipping over. A four-wheeled pedal-powered buggy would work much better; you could even give it its own storage chest to expand your inventory.
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Something I forgot to mention is that long spears would also make combating tougher enemies seem less daunting, which can be good for arachnophobes in particular. There's a certain comfort in carrying a big stick that can keep monsters at bay.
Speaking of keeping things at bay, it would be interesting if certain creatures were repelled by torches; not necessarily to the extent that they won't attack, but to the extent they'll change to a more "hit and run" tactic, striking from the shadows and retreating back into them. Wolf spiders, for instance, have very sensitive eyes; likely a result of their nocturnal habits.
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Maybe one of the additional crafting stations could be a loom you can use to quickly weave plant fiber and spider silk into rope.
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2 minutes ago, YaBoyJenkins said:
The thing is, how sturdy are the sprigs in the game? Are they sturdy enough to support a human?
They're sturdy enough to be used to make fences and flagpoles, and are also used for a wide variety of buildings, such as chairs. I think it's safe to assume they're strong enough to serve as ladder rungs. The main support would be the woven fiber rope.
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stone floors don't seem like something feasible. The stones would just fall apart and rain down on you. In medieval times, even with stone castles, upper level floors were made of timber, not stone, for this very reason.
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Even better for late tier is to smelt your own glass from sand acquired from the sandbox.
Another use for glass could be a special building; a sort of turret utilizing reflection and refraction to form a solar-powered laser.
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what about a woven fiber and sprig rope ladder?
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Ok, so I know in an interview the dev director acknowledged that the current combat system isn't very immersive. However, the solution the devs are taking -tweaking the arthropod attack patterns to seem less robotic- doesn't, in my opinion, address the root of the combat system's issues. From my experience, the reason melee combat currently feels so mechanical and unimmersive is tied to the blocking system, not the insect attack patterns. In my understanding of arthropods (which was confirmed by peers more familiar with entomology), the mandibles are not only used for biting, but also for grabbing onto things. When arthropods bite something, they clamp down on it and don't let go. We can observe this by observing worker ants and gnats carrying around nectar and honeydew in their jaws in the game.
What does this have to do with the blocking system? Well, currently the blocking system works by having you hold your weapon sideways, seemingly to deflect the attack. The animation for blocking doesn't even make sense, as if you were trying to block this way, the more sensible technique would be to hold it in a manner so that the shaft of the weapon crosses you, so that you can hold onto it with both hands to better brace yourself against the impact. However, even if the animation did follow this principal, it wouldn't change the fundamental flaw in this method of defense; you're essentially holding your weapon in a way that practically invites the attacking arthropod to grab hold of it in their mandibles and either crush it or rip it away from you, leaving you defenseless. The only way this would make any sense would be if the blocking system is meant to work around the principle from whacking them right before they bite you, but if that was the case then why not just have a well timed attack with your weapon instead?
Now, not only is this system not immersive, but because it's so mechanical its not something that players will instinctively think to do, which means that many players won't think to do it, especially against arthropods that are larger than you. Unfortunately, the only solution I can see to this problem would be to replace the block system entirely. Change secondary fire to do a quick sideswipe attack that can knock around enemies. This would make the system feel less mechanical, but introduces a new problem; arthropods with enough mass, which would be anything larger than a soldier ant or larva, won't be as easily countered by this. This would make fighting them much more challenging. This wouldn't have a negative impact on immersion, as players would expect fighting a larger arthropod would be more dangerous than fighting a smaller one, but could make the game significantly harder, especially in singleplayer.
Fortunately, I have a solution to this as well; the implementation of the ultimate melee weapon; a versatile tool that dominated hunting parties and battlefields for the majority of human history. I'm talking about the elegant, yet humble, spear.
"But wait a minute," I hear you asking, "aren't spears already in the game?" While it is true that one-handed throwing spears are already in the game, that type of spear wasn't actually a melee weapon; it was a ranged one. I'm talking about proper, 2-handed melee spears that were longer than the wielder is tall.
This more prevalent type of spear was the most commonly used weapon for most of human history for several very important reasons. The first and most obvious reason is its reach; which enabled you to thrust and attack your opponent while keeping your body out of harm's way.
Furthermore, the elegant design of the spear allowed it to simultaneously attack and defend. This is due to the pointy end of the spear serving as a physical obstacle your enemy would have to deal with before they can close the distance. Simply brushing aside the spear isn't an easy task, as not only is the end of the spear weighted to give it more resistance to a change in motion, but most of its length lay between the wielder and the target, serving as a lever favoring the wielder, who can move the pointy end further with only slight repositioning of their hands. This can be reflected in the game by giving the spear a physical hitbox that arthropods collide with, not only being damaged by it, but also being pushed back by it. Perhaps an impaling mechanic can even be added, with the damage increasing the further the spear penetrates into the target. Of course, the full intricacies of polearm combat would take time to be implemented, but with this game being in it's early stages of development, there is plenty of time for such a system to be fleshed out.
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given that bodies of water have a membrane, and at our size this membrane is quite thick (As seen by the size of droplets), it makes sense that we would struggle to stay above the water. The membrane would be constantly trying to close up the breach, which would force us underneath it.
That said, I don't think the oxygen meter currently reflects this struggle; and the visual realism is more a result of the water hitbox being below the actual water surface. Hopefully in the pond update they'll fix this by adding a "membrane" hitbox directly above the water hitbox. This would also interact with buoyant physics props, making them float.
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On 9/5/2020 at 5:30 PM, phyerboss said:
Personally unlike most others. I can't fathom seeing any point in Fighting creatures like the Raven and even the koi or toads/frogs. Because by shear scale compared to you. Who's just a little bigger than an ant. You're more a nuisance than a threat. So I think it's best that you CANT fight such creatures.
However, I still feel they still have a place in the game. And even in a sense where they can still be fought off. Just not killed. Due to once again...the scale in comparison to yourself. 8nstead Id like to suggest that because of how big these animals are. You can only hurt them in certain places at certain times. This doesn't kill them. But it does back them off to a point where after getting hit enough. It runs them off. Even making them drop certain rare high risk- high reward items.
But most cases such interactions are avoidable. And other more common drops needed from said creatures can be dropped just by following them. Or hanging around an are they went through. For example...
Skink- large lizard that borrows under ground. It commonly drops shedded skin. Even when hit with a spear or bladed weapon. Once it's tail is chopped off. Damaging the weak point enough, chases off. It borrows back underground.
Raven- large species of crow that normally ignores you. It randomly drops feathers around the yard. If you climb it. You can hit it for down fluff. It hit in its eyes enough times. It will fly away.
Frog- hangs around the flooded area and in the pond. Hitting it drops mucous. It's weak point is the tip of its tongue. When it retreats it will leave mucous gland and feet webbing.
Toad- rules over the haze area. It's weak point is the same as the frog's. Hitting it drops mucous. Chasing it off drops toad class and venom sacs.
Ah yes. It's not like humanity has a history of using our ability to make tools and weapons and manipulating the environment around us to combat animals larger than us like, oh I don't know, Whales. And we most CERTAINLY weren't effective enough at it to, say, make them endangered or anything.
Blatant sarcasm aside, all it takes to combat larger creatures is larger and more powerful weapons. Ballasta, for instance. Harpoon guns with spider silk ropes you can anchor. Heck, most the animals you listed are big enough to swallow you whole, so a sharp enough knife or axe should be able to cut open their stomachs from the inside, and you could craft special armor (perhaps using mucus) that can protect you from stomach acid.
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It would be cool if one of the labs has a garage with solar powered buggies or something.
It would also be cool to make pedal powered vehicles.
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On 9/10/2020 at 12:29 PM, McSquirl Nugget said:
Agree with What @Gnith says but on the Acorns -
I've never gotten 2 shells from an acorn, only 1, using both hammers and the mint mallet. I'm wondering if the OP was in an area they randomly drop and thought they got 2?
I wouldn't say acorns are too few, you can easily get 2 stacks (20) acorn shells by circling the Oak Tree.
However i do agree they should drop more. I'd like to see 2 shells per acorn, 3 on rare occasions, like a perfect break. I think 4 is too many.
considering the size of acorn shells themselves compared to the size of acorn shells in objects crafted using acorn shells, making the acorn shell models smaller so that acorns drop more shells seems like a smart idea.
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On 9/13/2020 at 12:58 AM, Gnith said:
I like what you've done here ....
Also ... in the event we get seasons ... or any weather ... mice leather and fuzz would make excellent cold weather gear ....
it might be warmer around the grill (when it's on) with a hazard of falling ash and burning charcoal (on the weekends) say once or twice every 7 game days ...
I would LOVE to be able to harvest charcoal ... and make a forge for smelting the bits of destroyed Lab laying around ... or maybe other sources of metal
..... I made a Forge already .... but it doesn't do anything ... it just looks cool
Bone Armor would be extremely Cool.
Little candles that we could put on our tables ....
the Shed might have paint ... for painting all our things
also ... Ash can be mixed with water, pebblets, sand, and lime to make a decent enough concrete (New Foundation !)
or there might just plain be a bag of Quik-Crete in the shed .....
a VERY common home product in the US for people who do yard sculpting projects ... (like putting in a koi pond)technically, several sets of bone armor already exist in this game, as insects and arachnids have their skeletons on the outside.
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what would be even more useful is if the game told you what the set bonus of an armor set is without requiring you to be wearing the full set first.
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Improving the combat system
in Grounded: Feedback & Suggestions
Posted · Edited by Gearhart
rephrasing
Ok... I mean, the principal of hitting something from an angle to push it aside seems pretty straightforward to me, and seems like something that would be a lot less complicated to pull off than a "perfect block." As for it not happening, there's a certain American sport that revolves around the principle of redirecting an incoming object by striking it the right way with a weapon. I'm talking, of course, about baseball. This technique would translate really well in melee combat, and is a skill that the teenagers would believably have, as baseball is a common backyard game in the US.
As for dodging, while in the real world this is a valuable and commonplace strategy, in a videogame it's limited by factors such as hitboxes, how well the hit detection syncs up to the visible animations, and of course lag.