Shield bash

[Huscarlton_Banks]

It's a bit tricky, with the current nudge speeds I probably wouldn't advise giving bashes any meaningful damage unless it's a counter to a swing since it would at least incur a lot of risk or require more timing. I've seen people reliably counter neutral nudges with held swings, though it requires good ping. Having enough ATH/AGI to make it look like nudge hit detection whiffs just by circling someone seems very common though. I guess it's some sort of mismatch between what the client sees for their turn direction vs what the server sees.

I'd prefer some sort of hit detection improvement over damage adjustments, though some things like pommel strike and shield attack nudge could probably use additional tweaking after that.

If you really want to tinker with nudge damages with the current animations I'd suggest the following:

(click to show/hide)

Notes for others:
HP = 35 + STR + 2*(IF), = 53 HP with 18 STR, no IF
55+ armor is very easy with +3s.
20 raw damage (blunt) = ~1 damage vs 55 armor
30 raw damage (blunt) = ~6 damage vs 55 armor
40 raw damage (blunt) = ~11 damage vs 55 armor
50 raw damage (blunt) = ~15 damage vs 55 armor
60 raw damage (blunt) = ~20 damage vs 55 armor

Neutral Shield Bash
raw damage = max(Strength, Strength/3 + Shield skill * 2) + max(shield weight, armor / 7)
- Clamp at 1 for defending players, like all other nudges (same as current)
- Clamp at 30 for players that are not defending or attacking (same as current, but easier to hit the cap)
- Clamp at ~40 for players that are attacking (adjust higher or lower based on feedback)

Shield Shove
raw damage = max[(Strength, Strength/3 + Shield skill * 2) + max(shield weight, armor / 7)]/2
- Clamp at 1 for defending players, like all other nudges (same as current)
- Clamp at 15 for players that are not defending or attacking (same as current, but easier to hit the cap)
- Clamp at ~25 for players that are attacking (adjust higher or lower based on feedback)

Shield Attack Bash (Why are you using this instead of just hitting them?)
raw damage = strength/3 + Shield skill * 3 + max(shield weight, armor / 7)
- Clamp at 1 for defending players, like all other nudges (same as current)
- Clamp at 40 for players that are not defending or attacking
- Clamp at ~50 for players that are attacking (adjust higher or lower based on feedback)

2H Pommel Strike (Why are you using this instead of just hitting them?)
raw damage = (strength + weapon weight)*2
- Clamp at 1 for defending players from the front, like all other nudges (same as current)
- Clamp at 40 for players that are not defending or attacking from the front
- Clamp at 60 for players that are attacking, or hitting a player from behind
Special effects:
Base stun on player not defending or attacking, from the front = medium-long stun (same as current)
If hits someone who is blocking without a shield from the front or shielder with equal or greater strength = medium stun (same as current)
If hits someone who is blocking with a shield from the front with less strength = medium-long stun (better than current)
If hits someone who is attacking from the front = long stun (better than current)
If hits from behind = knockdown or very long stun (better than current)

[Phew]

It's a bit tricky, with the current nudge speeds I probably wouldn't advise giving bashes any meaningful damage unless it's a counter to a swing since it would at least incur a lot of risk or require more timing. I've seen people reliably counter neutral nudges with held swings, though it requires good ping. Having enough ATH/AGI to make it look like nudge hit detection whiffs just by circling someone seems very common though. I guess it's some sort of mismatch between what the client sees for their turn direction vs what the server sees.

This man speaks the truth. The current damage is fine; enough to chip away at archers and ninjas, but practically zero for everyone else. It's the inexplicable whiffs that get me killed, so I'd recommend making the reach a function of shield height, so the hitbox would at least match up more closely with the animation on the screen. With the tall kite/pavise/board shields, nudges that appear to chop right through someone's head don't actually connect. It would also give non-round shields a niche besides retarded cavalry forcefield (which you should remove while you are at it).