Okay so I am making a game in unity and I am not really sure how I should make the knife, I can do it when you press a button on the keyboard it switches to the knife then plays a knife animation and switches back to your previous weapon, OR I can make it so you press a button on the keyboard and it switches to then knife but requires you to click to knife and switch back to your old weapon. In other words Call of duty like knifing or Battlefield like knifing.
How should I make knifing in my game?
If you are going for military realism -- I would check within that dominion for more expert advice.
However it comes down to what it is you are seeking - knife work in BF and CoD work on the instakill approach which means in immediate melee range it is far more practicable to use the knife which is faster than using a gun which is not always instakill (not to also mention quieter kill and saves bullets). It is not very realistic in many ways but then it appears to be a preferred form of gameplay.
You might approach it from the angle that the knife is wielded by the left hand and a 1 handed weapon (i.e. a pistol) can be held with your right hand then you when you wield the knife your gun comes back straight away but if you are wielding a 2 handed gun type (such as a midigun) you drop it while using the knife and need to pick it up again.
It should depend on the style of play that you're going for, and how powerful the weapon is. Like Stormynature brought up, is a knife an insta-kill, or does it deal normal damage?
Using the knife with a hotkey seems geared more towards emergency or opportunity situations, usually with fast paced gameplay and high damage.
Drawing the knife and using it as a weapon can work when there's a little strategy involved in the combat itself, like CounterStrike knife duels, but you'd be at a severe disadvantage in a normal situation against armed enemies. The time and effort it takes to swap to and swing the weapon might not be worth it, especially if the damage is comparable to any firearms you could be using instead.
Another good question to ask is the mobility of units in the game. Will accuracy be diminished while moving, emphasizing cover, or will it be more strafe oriented? And what kind of damage will units be able to sustain before death? Which knife method you use should complement those aspects.
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It should depend on the style of play that you're going for, and how powerful the weapon is. Like Stormynature brought up, is a knife an insta-kill, or does it deal normal damage?
Using the knife with a hotkey seems geared more towards emergency or opportunity situations, usually with fast paced gameplay and high damage.
Drawing the knife and using it as a weapon can work when there's a little strategy involved in the combat itself, like CounterStrike knife duels, but you'd be at a severe disadvantage in a normal situation against armed enemies. The time and effort it takes to swap to and swing the weapon might not be worth it, especially if the damage is comparable to any firearms you could be using instead.
Thank you, I am going to go with both because I notice on battlefield almost rarely do I see players use the knife. I am also choosing the knife that you choose as a weapon for knife matches.
Personally I've never really cared for the hot key insta-death knife that some games use. Always made it feel far too cheap when I came around a corner and found someone I wasn't expecting when they weren't expecting me either. One of us would end up dead in a cheap kill.
I would much rather see a 'melee' hot key than a magical knife option. If I pop up behind someone unexpectedly then I can bash them in the head with my rifle to stun them. If I hit, then the other player gets a chance to drop their weapon, vision goes wonky for a bit, and hopefully I either have time to aim a proper kill shot, or switch to the knife for a near silent take down. (Which should take a second or two, leaving me open to counter attack from their allies if I try to do it somewhere too exposed.)
Such mechanics can also make hacks on your game a little less critical. many games over the years have become far less fun due to players zooming through levels like lightning insta-killing everyone they come across with a knife.
I think the knife should use a hotkey to equip it and then it should be a weapon that deals major damage, like 2 hits your dead.
I quite like the run-faster-with-knife-equipped effect in CS. Although it is sort of an exploit, it opens an avenue to player skill. For me, knife use would focus on being a skill-kill. So I agree with the earlier poster that it should deal major damage. And again with earlier posters that it should not be an insta-kill. I think it should be a click to switch, and another click to switch back again. (And put on mouse-wheel, if for PC.) That said, if supporting game pads you might experiment with a double-press-and-hold for knife out; release puts it away.
Will the knife collision be a sweep, a stab, or just (transient) proximity?
I quite like the run-faster-with-knife-equipped effect in CS. Although it is sort of an exploit, it opens an avenue to player skill. For me, knife use would focus on being a skill-kill. So I agree with the earlier poster that it should deal major damage. And again with earlier posters that it should not be an insta-kill. I think it should be a click to switch, and another click to switch back again. (And put on mouse-wheel, if for PC.) That said, if supporting game pads you might experiment with a double-press-and-hold for knife out; release puts it away.
Will the knife collision be a sweep, a stab, or just (transient) proximity?
For the knife collision, maybe a sweep?
It depends a lot on the pace of your game, and how special you want knife kills to feel.
If you want your combat to be quick and heart pounding, go with the melee instakill option.
If you're looking for a more methodical pace, go with the take out slash put away approach.
Bear in mind how long it would take to pull off each manoeuvre, that will tell you a lot about where players will feel comfortable using it confidently.
Maybe you don't want that, maybe you want them to feel the thrill of risk every time they decide on it. These are things you have to decide on, and then tune into how the knife behaves.
And like everyone else is saying, decide first how much damage you want the knife to do.
If it instakills, it will feel more special than if it takes a fair few chops, in which case it would feel more like just another part of the arsenal.
Finally, when choosing swipe, stab, stab then carve etcetera, again that should be determined by how you want the player to feel when they do it, assuming all three are viable options on the back end.
For me, a stab feels more direct and efficient, while a slice is a bit cooler in some ways, and more flashy. The stab then carve is definitely the more brutal that someone might be happy to do to someone who's killed them a lot.
The takeaway is that you should be reinforcing how you want the player to feel or not feel with every part of their experience
If you want your combat to be quick and heart pounding, go with the melee instakill option.
If you're looking for a more methodical pace, go with the take out slash put away approach.
Bear in mind how long it would take to pull off each manoeuvre, that will tell you a lot about where players will feel comfortable using it confidently.
Maybe you don't want that, maybe you want them to feel the thrill of risk every time they decide on it. These are things you have to decide on, and then tune into how the knife behaves.
And like everyone else is saying, decide first how much damage you want the knife to do.
If it instakills, it will feel more special than if it takes a fair few chops, in which case it would feel more like just another part of the arsenal.
Finally, when choosing swipe, stab, stab then carve etcetera, again that should be determined by how you want the player to feel when they do it, assuming all three are viable options on the back end.
For me, a stab feels more direct and efficient, while a slice is a bit cooler in some ways, and more flashy. The stab then carve is definitely the more brutal that someone might be happy to do to someone who's killed them a lot.
The takeaway is that you should be reinforcing how you want the player to feel or not feel with every part of their experience
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