Combat preferences

[PaulDV]

Hi gang,

I'm putting together the combat component to my latest Guncho WIP
(which may or may not end up being a comp entry, depending on whether
I can get it into a playable state or not!) and would like to have
some input over people's preferences as to how combat should be
carried out.

I have the following methods available (unless someone can think of
any others?...):

1) Fully automatic:
Once the player and NPC or other player are engaged in combat, the
combat continues all by itself with the program making the combatants
trade blows with their current weapon until one or other is defeated.

2) Fully manual:
Once the player and NPC or other player are engaged in combat, only
NPCs continue to strike blows, and it is left up to the player to type
an appropriate command as to what he wants to happen next (e.g. strike
again or strike again but using a different weapon this time). This
would mean that fights between two players would halt between 'rounds'
while they took stock (or fumbled over their keyboard!).

3) Partially automatic:
Once the player and NPC or other player are engaged in combat, the
combat continues all by itself with the program making the combatants
trade blows with their current weapon until one or other is defeated,
however the player can type commands to attack with different weapons
as the fight progresses.

I'll probably go with the third option, but would like to see what
other people think.

Regards,
Paul.

[Jayson Smith]

I think the third option is the fairest, since it allows people to change
weapons, etc. It also has the advantage over the second option of not
putting players with extremely fast or slow typing skills at an advantage or
disadvantage. Even worse than that would be command stacking and scripting
which would put such users at an unbeatable advantage. For this reason, such
facilities are outlawed on many RPG MUDs. The problem with the first option
is that no control over weapon is given to the people involved.
Jayson