At the moment I am coding some off-hand melee actions for fun. No idea if it actually gets added to the mod at some point. Depends if I can make it decent enough that I am satisfied with it and if I can convince the other devs.
The general idea is from the MovieBattles mod for Jedi Knight Academy. It has a very sophisticated dueling system and the so-called nudge is part of it. It is a quick punch or slap with the off-hand that is not very powerful on its own but if timed right can be used to punish mistakes of the opponent.
For cRPG it would be set of hotkey(v key atm) triggered moves that have a very short range(0.5m) and a considerable cooldown(3s). If missing it, it would leave the user open for attacks and it can't be done while jumping, riding or in mid-swing. On hit these moves would interrupt, briefly stagger and/or knock the victim back - even through block. They shouldn't lead to a free follow up hit like kick but might be able to put the receiver in a tight spot. I think those moves could increase the depth of melee a bit and give additional options to overcome a block.
What I have at the moment is this:
Shield wielded
Nudge while blocking -> Quick shield shove, this move deals very low damage (in fact only naked feel anything) but has a considerable knockback effect. It can be used to push people around to stand your ground but it also leaves one open for attacks if missing it.
Nudge while readying an attack -> Shield backhand , rather long duration, strong shield attack that deals good damage to unprotected, staggers the victim quite long and knocks back diagonally. Leaves oneself wide open.
Nudge while neither blocking or readying an attack -> Shield edge bash, a right to left swing that hits with the edge of the shield. Has the least knockback but deals the most damage.
Shield damage and knockback power is increased by the user's strength and shield skill.
No shield wielded
At the moment 1h/2h/pole share those moves while shieldless 1h gets a bonus for one attack.
Nudge while blocking -> Shove, this move pushes the opponent away with the off-hand, creating some space. It has a long duration so missing it gives a good opportunity to the enemy. Very low damage.
Nudge while readying an attack -> Left straight, it's a strong punch that deals good damage and causes a long stagger. I might let glove weight help here for damage.
Nudge while neither blocking or readying an attack -> Low hook, a quick punch to the liver with low damage and short stagger. It's has a short duration and is mainly used for quick interupts. If used by 1h against a backpaddler it leads to a knockdown.
Strength increases knockback and damage for those moves at the moment. Maybe I'll let Weapon Master help too. Thinking about it. If I get the animation, I might also add a pomel hit for 1h and 2h if the nudge is done from the overhead swing readying position.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
