This would be various changes and additions to combat. The goal of this is to speed up combat and make players think and react faster. I’ve tried to talk to numerous people about combat, did some 1v1s, and thought of these ideas in particular to make combat better.
Credit to @Meta and @Selector for help.
Offense (Blasts, Beams, Explosions)
Offense
General
Most of these changes are centered around aggressive and mobile playstyles. This is what I feel AO should be focused towards in combat compared to something slow paced. Having slow movement and options work well in other games, but for a game like Arcane Odyssey, it can feel like you can’t do anything. Many of these changes usually involve startup, endlag, and damage. There are still a few other changes I’d say should still make it into AO to improve the pace of combat and make people think and react quickly.
Blasts
Blasts should globally be your main spell of choice when it comes to many things. It’s a very versatile spell that should have good frame data, damage, and speed, but still requiring precision. Blasts as of now without any casting speed feel very slow to use and can get a good buff towards it. This would encourage players to think and react faster to all blasts. This would also make it easier to follow-up attacks due to the endlag changes.
- Startup: 0.33s → 0.25s 0.3s
- Endlag: 0.5s → 0.35s - 0.4s
- Cooldown: 0.5s → 0.35s - 0.4s
Beams
Beams can feel very tactical to use as it puts you in a terrible spot if an opponent can easily punish. They should be more focused on combo potential like blasts, but still weaker in many ways. The endlag will get a significant buff to allow combat to flow much nicer with this as a spell.
- Endlag starts once the active frames start.
- Endlag: 1.0s → 0.75s - 0.85s
- Damage: 15-20% less
- Cooldown: 0.25s - 0.35s
Explosions
Explosions should be more focused towards a defensive and combo focused playstyle. It’s a very close ranged option that you can use to your advantage, but it shouldn’t make you commit to the spell heavily in order to do well. These changes are focused on making it combo well with blasts and beams up close.
- Startup: Self and placed explosions now have the same start-up
- Startup: 10-20% faster
- Endlag: 5-10% less
- Clashing: Nerfed clash advantage slightly
- Cooldown: 0.3s - 0.35
Self Explosions
Self explosions are usually fine overall. They’re not broken or anything, but they should serve a use as a close ranged combo option then pure damage. Due to the startup buff, self explosions will do slightly less damage.
- Damage: 10-15% less
Placed Explosions
Placed explosions should definitely be good at stopping players attacks and be a good overall option for range. There are a few nerfs in compensation for the startup.
- Damage: 15-20% less
Defense (Block)
Defense
Blocking
Blocking is your main way of taking defense from any attack. It’s pretty much only good to use whenever you can’t dodge an attack and need to block. The biggest issue currently is the amount of endlag being too much to the point where you can’t pblock barrages.
- If you perfect block an attack, you receive way less endlag so you can try perfect blocking attacks again.
- Able to move at a walking speed when blocking on the ground.
Movement (High Jumps, Dashes)
Movement
High Jumps
High jumps are a basic crucial movement option due to the way combat is made. They feel weirdly restrictive as movement plays such a big role. They can be adjusted to feel way better and give more control to the player on how they want to move.
Stamina High Jumps
Stamina high jumps are your main movement option to gain height. Their startup and vulnerability make them feel off to use and can be changed otherwise. You shouldn’t feel like you’re left this vulnerable while doing a jump.
- Startup: 20-30% less
- No slowdown when you jump (more similar to AA)
- Able to react out of a jump way sooner (A quarter-halfway through the jump?) (Limit BodyVelocity and MaxForce)
Magic High Jumps
Magic high jumps are more of a positioning tool mid-air currently. This should still be one of its purposes, but should still be used effectively to dodge and gain height. The cooldown is big enough where it doesn’t feel natural to know when you’re able to use the spell and should definitely be changed to flow better with the combat.
- Ability to angle the high jump by just holding wasd. Might just be changed so it angles automatically instead of being an option.
- Angled High Jump Change
- Potentially change this to not stop momentum like AA. This works fine with shift lock users, but doesn’t quite help those without it.
- Cooldown: Probably can’t say anything related not listed
- Strength of magic jumps will change the speed of it.
- Shorter jumps: Less startup (0.1 - 0.2 seconds?)
- Higher jumps: More startup (0.6s - 0.7s)
- Height: 35-50% increase
Dashes
Stamina Dashes
Not much I can fully say about them, but they are very likely to be like AA dashes. They should be used as a basic movement option alongside high jumps. Stamina shouldn’t drain too much as well letting players freely move. They also shouldn’t be fully locked in a certain way and can still angle themselves. Dashes should feel natural to use and not something you use once in a while.
- Base dashes should go a fair distance (Around the same as AA)
- Shouldn’t take too much stamina (Less than AA)
- Minimal startup (0.05s -0.1s?)
- Ability to jump while doing a dash
- Forward dashes exist (They aren’t in AA)
Magic Dashes
We don’t know too much about magic dashes. Based on the information we know, there are some changes that I feel should be made to make them more natural and smoother to use.
- Dashes should go in the direction of the key you press (wasd) instead of only going one way (Ex. A + Dash = Left Dash)
- Minimal startup
- Grounded: 0.05s - 0.1s. Should be as fast as grounded dashes.
- Aerial: 0.1s - 0.15s. Due to it being in the air, people should get some leniency to try and hit you.
- Slight end-lag after the dash if used in the air. You’re able to move still but cannot attack.
- Minimal cooldown (3-5 seconds)
- Goes further distances compared to standard dashes (15-20% further)
Scaling
Scaling
Level Size Scaling
Magics at earlier levels should be way higher, then later on slowly start increasing less and less. Think of how stats like magic speed and casting speed are, but use that system for level size. This makes it much easier for new players to progress as they don’t need insane precision to hit an enemy, but still doesn’t make endgame too insane
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Magic Charge Cancelling
If you input anything during like a block or an attack while you’re recharging magic, you’re able to go straight into that new attack. This makes it easier to go from a charging state to attacking state much quicker. Charging shouldn’t restrict you too much.
Magic Charge Movement
You will be able to move slightly slower than walking while charging. You shouldn’t have to be fully immobilized during a charge and should give some leniency for it. Potentially only make this for grounded charging, but it could work in the air too. Walking animations may need to be implemented to make this look natural. Standard would be a slow walk, coward would be crouching over slowly, etc.
Skill Startup Movement
During the startup of any skill, you’re able to move if you’re on the ground at a reduced speed (walking?). Once active frames start, you’ll be locked until your endlag has finished. This gives some skill on the ground a bit more utility then full locking. There is absolutely no reason to move on the ground compared to jumping then attacking. It’s much harder to aim up on the ground as well as easier to hit. Additional animations may be required to make this look good.
Additions
Additions
These are potential additional stuff that can be added to the game.
Magic Drop
Would be a pretty interesting mix-up you can use on your opponent. Lets you land way faster and can have a version where it does damage too. This can probably just be a lost spell instead.
Magic Drop
Counterpoints
Counterpoints
These are just a few counterpoints that I can think of from the top of my head.
Won’t casting speed fix these issues?
The game shouldn’t revolve around having to get a stat to make the base mechanics fun. Stats should be something more extra than a necessity.
Why don’t you just level up and wait until then?
The game should remain fun from start to finish. I don’t want to wait to level 200 just for our attacks to get big enough and a decent spell lineup to even start having fun. Even with new spells, the pace of combat will usually remain slow and can definitely be faster.
Why should the pace of the game change? It’s perfectly fine as is.
This is a more subjective point. I personally believe that arcane styled combat is best when everyone plays aggressive and quick thinking and reactions are involved. When you take a game like WoM, it can feel slow and sluggish to move around in, which is the complete opposite of how I see combat.
Wouldn’t more mobility make slower magics worse?
In theory, yes it would. This doesn’t mean that slower magics can’t be buffed to fit the combat much better. Their focus is still close ranged play in the end, but buffs may need to happen to compensate.
Wouldn’t this make the game very ping dependent?
Every combat system is ping dependent. In the end, there is nothing a game can do to fully counter it. There are ways to make things a bit better such as buffering which I’m more than okay with seeing added. Buffered Inputs
Changes: (12/26/2020)
Beams: Cooldown: 0.25s - 0.35s
Explosions: Cooldown: 0.3s - 0.35s
