just my 2 cents...
1) Ranged weapons should be less effective at very close range than melee weapons. In a brawl I would feel much more comfortable with a knife than a gun - who knows where that damn thing can go off...
2) All ranged attacks should be MUCH less likely to hit than close range attacks. The most effective way of disposing your opponent with a single attack is with a melee weapon (or a sniper... maybe).
Also in general, a large melee weapon should do INSANE amounts of damage compared to projectile weapons. A bullet wound is nasty and will probably kill you, but being almost sawn in half by a 4 ft of steel will leave you VERY, VERY dead. period.
So, two main character types emerge - spraying bullets from afar, hoping some will hit or closing in as fast as you can and sticking your opponent. If you go for PC diversity, you got basic two types here.
never trust geeks bearing gifts
How useful are melee weapons in a game with guns?
Well, you''re using this in a sci-fi context, so anything is possible. But rather than balancing the weapon classes by adding properties such as jamming and overheating, you might be better off restricting other elements, like rate of fire or ammunition capacity.
What kind of guns are you going to have? If the "bullets" you fire are slow, like the plasma rifle in UT, then aiming would be complicated by the flight time. Having to lead your target leads to more wasted ammor and rarer hits.
If you''re going with instant impact guns, maybe a slower rate of fire. Two rounds per second is not too slow to lay down cover fire or engage multiple targets, but it''ll require a bit more focus and aim, and preclude the "spray ''n'' pray" of many FPS games.
Restricting ammunition capacity could also help balance them. Even in Goldeneye, where "reloads" were almost instantaneous, it was still a factor. Make it take between .5 and 5 seconds for small arms, and you''ll have another fairly innocuous tactical element.
And let''s not forget switching weapons. Unless you''re decked out SWAT style, it can be rather a chore to bring a gun out of the holster, especially if it''s concealed under a coat. If you''re switching from a shotgun to a handgun, or vice versa, you have to do something with what you''ve got in your hands first.
These last two could be worked into your RPG system. An attribute for weapon skill could govern not only accuracy, but reloads, draws, and transitions. Of course, many of these complications (draw, holster) would apply to melee weapons as well, and so the rate at which they''re learned could be a balancing element. That''s the beauty of an RPG. Sure, any goon can learn to shoot a rifle in under an hour, and be nailing beer cans at a hundred yards ten minutes after that, but carrying it around, swinging it into action, and hitting a moving target within ten yards or so can take years of training.
Fool around with it, I''m sure you''ll get some balance into it.
What kind of guns are you going to have? If the "bullets" you fire are slow, like the plasma rifle in UT, then aiming would be complicated by the flight time. Having to lead your target leads to more wasted ammor and rarer hits.
If you''re going with instant impact guns, maybe a slower rate of fire. Two rounds per second is not too slow to lay down cover fire or engage multiple targets, but it''ll require a bit more focus and aim, and preclude the "spray ''n'' pray" of many FPS games.
Restricting ammunition capacity could also help balance them. Even in Goldeneye, where "reloads" were almost instantaneous, it was still a factor. Make it take between .5 and 5 seconds for small arms, and you''ll have another fairly innocuous tactical element.
And let''s not forget switching weapons. Unless you''re decked out SWAT style, it can be rather a chore to bring a gun out of the holster, especially if it''s concealed under a coat. If you''re switching from a shotgun to a handgun, or vice versa, you have to do something with what you''ve got in your hands first.
These last two could be worked into your RPG system. An attribute for weapon skill could govern not only accuracy, but reloads, draws, and transitions. Of course, many of these complications (draw, holster) would apply to melee weapons as well, and so the rate at which they''re learned could be a balancing element. That''s the beauty of an RPG. Sure, any goon can learn to shoot a rifle in under an hour, and be nailing beer cans at a hundred yards ten minutes after that, but carrying it around, swinging it into action, and hitting a moving target within ten yards or so can take years of training.
Fool around with it, I''m sure you''ll get some balance into it.
Combining and expanding upon a few ideas already mentioned...
Since the balancing is being done in the sci-fantasy realm, it really shouldn''t be much of a problem. A decently sized melee weapon could be usable as a shield, or could deflect shots from range weapons with a swing. Other variations could gain extra power from absorbing energy weapon attacks. Consider using wide arcs (something around or greater than 180 degrees) with a range long enough to actually be useful. Another possibility could be sending targets flying, inflicting further damage on whomever they collide with. How about the ability to smash apart whatever range weapon your target has equipped (itself balanced by the ability of others to shoot a melee weapon from your hands)?
Since the balancing is being done in the sci-fantasy realm, it really shouldn''t be much of a problem. A decently sized melee weapon could be usable as a shield, or could deflect shots from range weapons with a swing. Other variations could gain extra power from absorbing energy weapon attacks. Consider using wide arcs (something around or greater than 180 degrees) with a range long enough to actually be useful. Another possibility could be sending targets flying, inflicting further damage on whomever they collide with. How about the ability to smash apart whatever range weapon your target has equipped (itself balanced by the ability of others to shoot a melee weapon from your hands)?
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