Combat

A brawl (pre-alpha)

The combat system of Camelot Unchained is planned to be tactically complex, with a vast number of options through the Ability Building System - players will be building their own abilities out of Components.

Combat is designed with significant consequences - characters who die in battle won't get easily right back in the fight. Player`s skill progression / leveling up will also be direct consequence of fighting enemies from other Realms - you will progress through PvP, not through quests or killing monsters.

Overview

Skirmish (early alpha)

1. Players create all their own abilities: nothing except the core components of an ability are premade.
2. Considered the epitome of “choices matter,” part of the Foundational Principles.
3. Four different categories of components, many with their own customization, yields a huge number of possible combinations.
4. Players can create abilities to match their preferred playstyle, not just play the classes that are created for them.
5. System supports hard interrupts, positionals, reactionaries, and other staples of combat systems.

Combat

1. Combat will be based on 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' mechanics and class inter-dependence through the "Holy Trinity" of combat characters and strong archetypes.
2. Quote: "Combat, including magical combat, should be innovative and fun. The world has enough MMORPGs with combat systems that are the same or strikingly similar to other MMORPGs."
3. The combat system is specifically designed with experienced players (or players who want a greater challenge) in mind.

Component Combat System

Ability builder in action

1. Uses a variant on the component magic system used in previous games, particularly the MUD Dragon's Gate, also by Mark Jacobs.
2. All abilities are created by each player for themselves through the Ability Building System.
3. Combat is partially balanced by the power of each ability, which is limited by a value rating limit, which represents how strong an ability can be after modification by the player.
4. With each new component added to an ability, the value rating goes up. It cannot surpass the value rating limit of the ability.
5. Many components also have a range of adjustments that can be made, once again raising the value rating.
6. Players have precise control over the value rating and all the adjustments made to it.

Combat-body parts/armor

Animating Stormrider`s sword combat

1. Each part of a character’s body is protected only by its own piece of armor
2. Unlike the way of most games, armor only protects the part of the body that it covers. Your helm doesn’t help you when you are struck on the leg!
3. Body parts take damage individually, and each part has its own pool of health and injury effects
4. A shoulder wound could reduce how fast a player can swing a sword, but it won’t stop that player from running away
5. Player-created abilities can add a modular component to target a specific region of the body
6. Paying careful attention can give the attacker an advantage, but if the attacker targets an area that the defender is guarding or quickly moves to protect, the advantage could shift
7. Certain components will also allow a defender, after a successful defense, to perform a special counter-attack on the attacker
8. Abilities always trigger cooldowns once started, and cost resources whether they complete successfully or not.
9. Abilities also have a “Disruption Value” which is damaged by “Disruption Damage” from hostile abilities. If an ability takes too much disruption damage, it is interrupted. Too much disruption damage can result in a very negative effect on the player whose ability was disrupted.
10. The more powerful the ability disrupted, the more likely the backlash from the ability will hurt the user of the ability.

Developer Quotes

Mark Jacobs: I want a combat system that is reactive, flows smoothly, fluid/etc. and one where the player(s) have to think a little for themselves without the game doing so much for them. I also don't want to see CU be a game where combat boils down to "1-2-3" "1-2-3" "1-2-3-4" rinse, wash repeat. 

Vines

Arthurian Knight, an early animation

Videos

Combat animation basics:

Early ability builder in action (skip to 0:45):

BSC Days combat: