Long spears aka pikes

[Tears of Destiny]

not in this one at least. bamboo spear is 8 to 9 feet though.

But I read it in a book. Like, anime and stuff! Really canon.

[Thucydides]

14 foot / a shield? 8 to 10 feet being standard shield&spear length, 10 being a little cumbersome for weaker people. 12 being hard to use but doable for some.  14 foot with a shield? The only people I can imagine seeing do that are the people I see when at the gym, you know, the kind that look like they are smuggling watermelons in their shirt sleeves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_phalanx

Each phalangite carried as his primary weapon a sarissa, a double-pointed pike over 6 m (18 ft) in length. Before a battle the sarissa were carried in two pieces and then slid together when they were being used. At close range such large weapons were of little use, but an intact phalanx could easily keep its enemies at a distance; the weapons of the first five rows of men all projected beyond the front of the formation, so that there were more spearpoints than available targets at any given time. The secondary weapon was a shortsword.

[Thucydides]

But I read it in a book. Like, anime and stuff! Really canon.

i read something called history

[[ptx]]

They had their shields strapped to their arms, that's how.

[Thucydides]

They had their shields strapped to their arms, that's how.

supported by their neck and body, which is not uncommon in hellenistic warfare. Hoplites also had the same thing once their spears were lengthened during the Iphicrates reforms in Athens.

[Cyclopsided]

"The sheer bulk and size of the spear required the soldiers to wield the spear with both hands, allowing them to carry only a 24 inch shield (pelta) suspended from the neck to cover the left shoulder."
Exactly my point still stands. They used those with both hands, not one hand & one with a shield.

Read history, but don't just skim the fighting style. There is a big difference between a 10 foot spear with a punch shield, a 12 foot spear with arm straps, and a 15+ foot spear that is used with 2 hands.

[Thucydides]

"The sheer bulk and size of the spear required the soldiers to wield the spear with both hands, allowing them to carry only a 24 inch shield (pelta) suspended from the neck to cover the left shoulder."
Exactly my point still stands. They used those with both hands, not one hand & one with a shield.

Read history, but don't just skim the fighting style. There is a big difference between a 10 foot spear with a punch shield, a 12 foot spear with arm straps, and a 15+ foot spear that is used with 2 hands.

did i say 1 hand one shield? no i said you can use pikes WITH A SHIELD.

[Cyclopsided]

did i say 1 hand one shield? no i said you can use pikes WITH A SHIELD.

Body shields are completely different from what we refer to as shields, and function completely differently. They are there to augment armor in a specific way to close out a glaring weakness.
Whether they be a back-shield, side-shield or otherwise. The macedonian phalanx has a side shield hung from the neck covering the left shoulder as it is the bulk of the forward facing mass and thus the vulnerable point to incoming projectiles. 

They are accessory armor, not a traditional shield. It is something completely different.

[Thucydides]

Body shields are completely different from what we refer to as shields, and function completely differently. They are there to augment armor in a specific way to close out a glaring weakness.
Whether they be a back-shield, side-shield or otherwise. The macedonian phalanx has a side shield hung from the neck covering the left shoulder as it is the bulk of the forward facing mass and thus the vulnerable point to incoming projectiles.

except that once they closed in, they can convert to a sword and shield fighting style. Which is why they had xiphos.  Even hoplites had shoulderstraps for their aspis, and forearm grips. Using a shield to block arrows is pretty much the reason for a shield, i don't see the point you're making right now

[Konrax]

I would really like to see someone jump in the air with a pike, spin twice, and successfully stab a target three feet away from them.

Would be impressive.

[Thucydides]

I would really like to see someone jump in the air with a pike, spin twice, and successfully stab a target three feet away from them.

Would be impressive.

i'd like to see anyone jump into the air and attack at the same time with any weapon

[Cyclopsided]

except that once they closed in, they can convert to a sword and shield fighting style. Which is why they had xiphos.  Even hoplites had shoulderstraps for their aspis, and forearm grips. Using a shield to block arrows is pretty much the reason for a shield, i don't see the point you're making right now

it is the same as having a shield on your back in game. it is not the same as using something with a shield.

[Thucydides]

it is the same as having a shield on your back in game. it is not the same as using something with a shield.

but its not really, since you can still angle and move the shield to deflect arrows comming at your head.

[Konrax]

i'd like to see anyone jump into the air and attack at the same time with any weapon

It would be much easier to do with a weapon that isn't longer than your entire body + a good chunk.

In all honesty once you chamber an attack with the pike you should not be able to move. This would bring it in line with what it's intended purpose is which is to defend ground. That way you don't see people running around with instagib pikes chambered and jump spin stabbing in all directions. At least there would be the initial delay of chambering the attack first to allow infantry to react to the pike and that its not being given even more reach because of movement.

For the love of god remove the overhand attack, if it really is a support weapon than an overhand attack voids it.

[Thucydides]

It would be much easier to do with a weapon that isn't longer than your entire body + a good chunk.

theres a reason why jump slashes arent taught in Martial Arts