First of all, let me say that I approve that you are looking into the CT mechanics. However the situation is now that you started changing it, the fact is that you are changing things. With some feedback and tweaking I think we can get CT to it's proper place. I've always liked CT as it brings something very different to the battlefield. A mechanic that isn't very common and very different from the other fighting styles. It's good to have variety.
I did some tests some time ago with the great maul and mallet (both unloomed) against a guy with a regular huscarl and 6 shieldskill. It wasn't any fancy testing, but it did give me some insight.
I found out that a GM can CT the huscarl with 21 STR 7 PS 1 twohand wpf. This was without holding the attack. It did NOT CT if they were standing too close to each other, unless the mauler held the attack.
I found out that a Mallet can NOT CT a huscarl with 21 STR, 7 PS and 1 twohand wpf.
I found out that it CAN CT a huscarl with 24 STR, 8 PS and 1 twohand wpf. Same as with the GM, it didn't need a held attack unless it facehugging.
What the tests showed:
An unloomed Great Maul needed 7 PS and no wpf to CT on most things. A Mallet needed 8 PS and no wpf to CT on most things.
These tests actually made me think of going 24/12 2h/archer hybrid with a Mallet and a Horn Bow. It would give me good ranged capabilites while also giving me a very powerfull melee weapon. Now with the changes, I'm actually relived, since I kinda think that would be a bit too OP hybrid.
How Mauling was recently changed:
After reading Kulins posts I assume the following:
A GM can still CT most things without needing to hold.
A Mallet can NOT CT most thing unless it holds the attack.
A Maul can NOT CT most things, unless you got a LOT of PS (12+?).
I know I should go an test this out myself, but since I almost always hold my attacks (especially when I use CT weapons), this would have me change my playstyle a lot, meaning I wouldn't get "proper" combat testing of it. My apologies.
My thoughts:
So we got the case that the GM, which has always been the most powerful of the mauls, still maintaining it's CT capabilities, while the Mallet and Maul is now weaker when it comes to CT. They didn't do anything with the speed, damage and other stats, it was only the CT mechanics that was changed.
I actually think this is a good idea. After all: the GM is the only 3 slot 2h. Why should it NOT be the best in what it does (CT) when the others are just 2 slots? The thing with the mallet was that is was a proper CT weapon as long as you had 8 PS. Considering that many 2h builds are of the 24/15 variant, greatswords/bastard swords (some of the best dueling weapons) were also 2 slots, made the 2h sword&mallet a really powerful setup. I know, since I was it many gens ago (although I used a bardiche and not sword for the most part. Upkeep :P). I say we keep the mallet as a powerful secondary/main hybrid weapon, but make it so it can only CT if you are doing held attacks OR got so much STR you are pretty much dedicating yourself to mauling. It's not the best for 15/24 crossbowmen, but it should be great (as it already is) for 24/15. They just need to hold their overheads and not do a "quickswing" (or whatever we call non-held swings).
Now that we are already looking at the mauling mechanics, I think we can expand on the hybrid/dedicated CT weapon idea. I've always wanted more diversity in the slot system, more 1 and 3 slot items (and 2 slot 1h). So, we got the superior maul, GM, being 3 slots. We got the secondary maul, Mallet, being 2 slots and we got the inferior maul, the Maul, also being 2 slots. You can probably guess where I am heading... Let's make the Maul 1 slot.
I've been wanting to propose this for some time, but didn't because of how the CT mechanics worked. They were based on Damage and weapon weight. The thing with making the Maul 1 slot is that it would then be a really, REALLY good sidearm. Having a 1 slot CT weapon that could CT would just be too OP. Sure, it wouldn't CT most things unless you had 10+ PS, but with 5 or more, I am guessing there's enough weapons (1h swords, bastard swords etc), that it could CT. Ofc, this could be fixed by reducing the damage or weight of the Maul, but that would just gimp it. But now that we can make it so it wont CT with low PS, while not having to do anything with the damage or weight, I think this could be something cool to experience with. This would be a huge boost to the Dedicated archers&crossbowmen*, but since this would make most of them not run, I say it's a good thing.
Damn. It's late and I got more to say, but I am fucking tired. Posting this and re-reading it tomorrow. Hope it's not too derp.
EDIT: Just remembered one thing I wanted to say:
To that guy complaining about CT weapons not being able to do "their job". Chillax. He mentioned something about "what when people are blocking the door? We need Mauls to run up and CT them!". Well, I'm not gonna mention that kicks also work against shieldwall (oooops, seems I did), but why would this change for maulers? I don't know with you, but when I went running up to fuck up some shielders blocking a door, I ran in with the overhead ready to go. There's nothing stopping you from readying the overhead and then rushing the shieldwall. Ofc, they can interrupt you, but then they aren't shielding anymore now are they? Same goes for defending a ladder. Sure, we had the people spamming overheads with mauls there, but the maulers that did best where usually the ones that held it and timed it for when people actually went up the ladder.
Now, for real this time, I'm going to sleep. GN.
* For me, you can put builds in 3 categoriez. Pure, dedicated and hybrid. A pure archer is one of those scum who takes archery and ONLY archery. No PS, no melee wpf and usually nothing but a wooden stick to block with. A dedicated is still mainly an archer, but he got at least 3 or 4 PS. Not always wpf, but even with 50 melee wpf, it's still a dedicated archer. Archer is the primary role. A hybrid is a build that is equal in two or more things. 6 PD, 6 PS archer comes to mind. Or my 24/12 thrower/1h build. Currently: most throwers are hybrids, most xbowmen are dedicated and most archers are pure, just to give you a reference.
Mauler isn't a class. A mauler is some normal 2h my old friendgot that takes a great maul instead of his great sword to get easy kills on the siege servers.
bs...nothing else
for sure you have some guys who do that from time to time but you should not forgett that there is maybe also a group of players who go without any agi or less agi because they want(!) to be a dedicated(!) mauler and not a 2h.hero like all the other 50 guys on the server....
Really, just try it out before you make a comment like that. Your concept is that every crushtrough weapon got nerfed, which is not exactly the case.
One could say that Great maul, first and the usual choice for any dedicated mauler, is now even deadlier because, with enough PS, it still crushes trough most weapons/shields even without held attacks. Difference is, instead of pre-patch crushtrough damage of 40-60%, it will now deal 70-80% damage(which is 43 blunt at 100% and at 0.6 seconds damage peaks to 150%). Mallet and regular Maul, on the other hand, even with high PS, now act as a shorter and slower version of Bar mace because one can rarely get to use the crushtrough power without putting yourself in danger of hit, either from friendlies or foes, usually both, from my experience.
I do not think that I am especially good in melee combat, and I am not claiming that current solution is unbalanced. I would like to be proven wrong and I would not mind people suggesting me how to apply this "rebalance" of game mechanics so I can be relatively successful in combat.
Exactly what I was saying, thank you.
thats it!
i loomed a maul around 20 days ago by my own...
Mighty Maul
Type:Two handed weapon
Requirement:14 strength
Weight:5.5
Slots:2
Upkeep:110 gold
Speed:86
Length:69
Swing:37 blunt
Knockdown
Crushthrough
Unbalanced
and i have atm a 27/6 build(30/6 later on), so its a "dedicated mauler build", but since the changes > i suck > totally ...