Doesn't it bother you just a little ..

..that you can't target specific body parts like you could in Fallout 1/2?

One of the best things about Fo 1/2 combat was being able to target specific locations and the criticals you could get in doing so. As well as criticals for fire weapons, electrical, etc..

You have hand, leg and head called shots in Arcanum, but you never see the listed % to hit with them. So you never know if taking those shots is going to pay off or not. Usually you just miss them a lot.

Oh, and whats with making it so easy to get speed of 25 (double that if you have hasten spell)? Not to mention stacking agility of fire spells, multiple dex/speed enhancing items/potions. I can't seem to ever recall playing a game that is as generous as Arcanum is with # of attacks per combat round.

Isn't that complete, total overkill? Esp. when you are using weapons that cost 2-3 ap a swing/shot/throw. That adds up to combat OVER in 1 round vs.. well anything!

 

You haven't even mention that with with mastery of melee or firearms, and the right weapon, you could kill anything with one blow. So speed will not really be necessary. Im lvl 50 and Ive killed a wargunn or whatever in one blow with my filament sword, I only have 8 str but a melee master. Maybe its just luck or something.. :grin:

 

Arcanum's combat system is extremely weak. I thought that was a general concensus?

 

Humm.. I guess it is old news then. I haven't had the game all that long. A couple weeks I think.

I so wanted for Arcanum to be challenging. Even on hard difficulty the game is pretty much a joke. I hate games that end up making YOU do things to provide a challenge for yourself. I play on hard difficulty and won't use certain spells and won't even pick up a follower and the game is still impossibly easy :sad: *sigh*

With a few small changes in a patch they could fix the challenge of combat.

The question is, will they do it? Or just say too bad, you get what you pay for and start working on the next game?

 

welcome to the forum, Zyrxil.... :grin:

And your right but who cares about the combat system as long as the gameplay was ok..

 

I wouldn't, if the game wasn't so buggy and didn't slow down to 3 FPS occasionally for no apparent reason.

I'm real pissed cause 2 hours ago, my save got corrupted yet again, after I managed to find a Medallion of Beauty in the Ancient Maze for Madame Lil. I figured after delivering it to Lil I'd get my Masters in Gambling from the dwarf at the Gentlemen's Club. But noooo, he's pissing in his pants because of the assassination attempt on the pretend drunk guy from a week ago in game time, and he won't even talk to me. Incidentally, the siamese skulls quest is also fux0red because the skulls mysteriously vanished from my inventory (the dialogue where you trick the professor you sold the skulls to to give back the skulls is also bugged, cause he doesn't actually hand it over when he says). I also can't seem to intiate contact with the thieves underground, even after I managed to steal the Elven funerary stone for Pettibone.

Now all I have is that one save game right at the Ancient Maze entrance...sigh....but I really don't care about the combat system, it's the easiest thing in the game to live/play with.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Zyrxil on 2001-10-08 07:03 ]</font>

 

Who cares about the combat system? Well I care.

Given that a large part of the game is combat oriented. Sure, they worked to provide non-combat oriented quests and such, but you will have to fight at one point or another.

When the combat balance is broken, then the game itself is broken. It is just far too easy to accomplish, well.. just about everything. Even if you play a diplomat, or non-combat oriented character, your followers are there and they WILL be fighting for you eventually.

It seems they worked awfully hard to give people who wanted to play diplomatic or non-combat oriented characters a good fun game with challenge. They should have given those interested in combat equal challenges.

IMHO, until they fix a few certain spells (harm comes to mind), make enemies start actually SAVING VS. spells (ever notice how often stun or congeal times hits even lvl 40+ enemies? They don't seem to save vs. the spells ever) and rebalance Action points, and the spells that increase action points combat will always be a complete joke.

 

well...

I suggest you play in real time combat, makes things a bit better. not saying combat is balanced, cos' it's not, but realtime has a better feel to it. You want kick ass combat with great gameplay? Buy fallout 2. :grin:

 

Been playing games for 17 years. Of course I own fallout 1 & 2. I also want to point out, the real time combat in Arcanum is a joke compared to Fallout Tactics (about the only good thing that pos game had going for it, but the way it handled real time combat and also included turn based combat as an option was perfect. You could use either in multiplayer too.)

It is insanely difficult to target things in real time due to it being choppy and some things being too small, or just the area you are in. Arcanum doesn't even give you an option to pause combat and issues orders/pick targets like several other games I have played that have real time combat as an option do. Just being able to pause would alleviate most of the problems I have with Arcanum and real time combat.

Honestly, I am not much of a fan of real time combat in rpg's or strategic games, so I wouldn't be biased or anything

 

well...

That's what makes realtime more challenging. And yes it would be good if you can really pause, not just switch to turn base.

 

Oh! To the guy who said combat wasn't really important anyway..

The manual says, and I quote "It is our sad duty to inform you that Combat, for better or worse, is an integral part of life in Arcanum."

In-te-gral - adj. Being an essential and indispensable part of a whole; made up, from, or formed of parts that constitute a unity.

So, what is my POINT? :smile:

My point is combat is a very important part of this game to a number of players and it should be fixed and balanced and provide a challenge and fun just as the other parts of the game can/do.

In its current state, I can only see it appealing to the power gaming crowd, as there is very little challenge to combat after certain spells or items are acquired. Most of which become available far too early in the game.