How useful are melee weapons in a game with guns?
Author
I have been working on a science fiction RPG/FPS game, and I have been wondering if anyone would bother to use a sword if they have a shotgun or some other ranged weapon.
So far I have come up with these pros and cons of ranged and melee weapons.
Ranged weapons
Pros:
If the monster you are fighting is has only melee attacks, you can pick it off from a distance without getting hurt at all.
Doesn''t require that much stamina to use.
Cons:
You have limited ammunition (But if you have a lot it wont matter much)
Ammunition has weight.
Not quite as much damage as a melee weapon.
Melee weapons
Pros:
More damage than most ranged weapons
Doesn''t require ammunition
Cons:
You need to get right up close to your target to attack the creature, and by then you would probably already be dead if they are attacking you with a ranged weapon.
Uses up stamina a lot faster than ranged weapons.
Any ideas to further balance this? Or should I only keep the high-tech melee weapons such as the vector blade.
What''ll hit a close enemy more accurately in a almost pitch black corridor, a swing from a sword or five rounds from a pistol before you have to reload?
RandomTask.
RandomTask.
Author
quote:Original post by RandomTask
What''ll hit a close enemy more accurately in a almost pitch black corridor, a swing from a sword or five rounds from a pistol before you have to reload?
RandomTask.
Hmm, good point. That would be a good use for a melee weapon. I guess that if you aren''t very skilled with a ranged weapon you will end up wasting a lot of ammo.
Guns : Cost a great deal of money
Need reload
Need some skill (A newbie can''t use a sniper)
Bigger gun have a greater recoil effect
Produce loud noise
Are not hidden easily (Rifle take a lot of place in a jacket)
Not selled everywhere, need permit
Melee weapon : Can be hidden easily
Can be buyed anywhere
Don''t produce lot of noise except if it hit something hard.
Well I don''t have other idea right now but still... Melee weapon have advantage, you should include them
Need reload
Need some skill (A newbie can''t use a sniper)
Bigger gun have a greater recoil effect
Produce loud noise
Are not hidden easily (Rifle take a lot of place in a jacket)
Not selled everywhere, need permit
Melee weapon : Can be hidden easily
Can be buyed anywhere
Don''t produce lot of noise except if it hit something hard.
Well I don''t have other idea right now but still... Melee weapon have advantage, you should include them
Well here''s a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. Are you keeping the game realistic (i.e. you get shot, your pretty much dead) or using standard RPG takes alot of hits to get killed.
-If you go with the first, then guns are definately going to pretty much OWN in open areas. My suggestion here is to add in a lot of confined spaces (rooms, twisting hallways) that make it so that range is cut down quite a bit, to give melee an even footing.
-If you go with the second you need to ask yourself, what sort of effect does getting hit do for you...If you get shot, does it slow you down or stop you for just a second, (if so, then even alot of hit points won''t help since they''ll be stunned long enough to get shots off, allowing you to just keep shooting at them till they fall) OR will they just lose the HP and continue moving at you without a break in speed? (If thats the case then depending on hp and damage done by melee, they are already on even footing...)
Just my two cents
1. Are you keeping the game realistic (i.e. you get shot, your pretty much dead) or using standard RPG takes alot of hits to get killed.
-If you go with the first, then guns are definately going to pretty much OWN in open areas. My suggestion here is to add in a lot of confined spaces (rooms, twisting hallways) that make it so that range is cut down quite a bit, to give melee an even footing.
-If you go with the second you need to ask yourself, what sort of effect does getting hit do for you...If you get shot, does it slow you down or stop you for just a second, (if so, then even alot of hit points won''t help since they''ll be stunned long enough to get shots off, allowing you to just keep shooting at them till they fall) OR will they just lose the HP and continue moving at you without a break in speed? (If thats the case then depending on hp and damage done by melee, they are already on even footing...)
Just my two cents
Guns vs blades. Its a tough call both have their uses and it all depend on the context and concept of your game. Generaly guns are more useful then blades since they are easier to handal and have longer range. But then again it depends on the game for instance if you can quicly cover the distance between you and the enemy then blade had the advantage sine you''''d be hard to hit. Also you could give them shields that can block bullets. Or since it future have blades made of energy that expense but can cut people in half.
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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
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Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
melee is stealthier
melee weapons can be anything
melee weapons can disarm guns from opponents
perhaps if character is skilled enuf they could deflect bullets
melee weapons can be combined with martial arts for more deadliness
melee weapons are alot more abundant
monsters with melee could have extra speed an dodge
melee weapons are harder to dodge and usually need to be paried
guns need reloading all the time
guns can jam an break
guns don''t require much stamina but need more skill to use effectively
guns are pricey cause they''re complicated to make
guns can be used as melee
characters could have battle shields to defend against guns
the list can go on an on an on. its not to hard to come up with benefits for melee.
melee weapons can be anything
melee weapons can disarm guns from opponents
perhaps if character is skilled enuf they could deflect bullets
melee weapons can be combined with martial arts for more deadliness
melee weapons are alot more abundant
monsters with melee could have extra speed an dodge
melee weapons are harder to dodge and usually need to be paried
guns need reloading all the time
guns can jam an break
guns don''t require much stamina but need more skill to use effectively
guns are pricey cause they''re complicated to make
guns can be used as melee
characters could have battle shields to defend against guns
the list can go on an on an on. its not to hard to come up with benefits for melee.
It''s a little hard to balance out the two...
In an open area, long-range weapons will own. Especially in a one-on-one battle. No matter how skilled you are with a sword, someone with enough presence of mind to aim and pull a trigger could very well take you out in less than a few seconds. Your only chance is if that person really, really aims bad. To top it off, a gun would definitively do more damage than a baseball bat, and even a sword. A shot to the head or chest will most likely kill you on the spot (depending where you''re hit, exactly). A cut from a sword, let''s face reality, won''t chop you in two. Though it could still kill, much better than a baseball bat at that.
In an enclosed space, long-range weapons still have somewhat of an advantage. It''s very hard to swing a sword in a tight hallway. Maybe a piercing weapon, like a spear, could work out nicely... Though if you''re going down a long hallway, the gun''ll get you for sure. And if there are many tight twists and turns, the spear becomes totally useless. Wide, frequent turns in a large passageway would give you an advantage though.
Basically, this is what I can think of on top of my head.
Guns
- Undodgeable (pretty much) but require a bit of accuracy.
- Require ammo.
- Can have a low firing rate.
- Can require room to set up, fire, manoeuvre, etc depending on the size of the gun. Void if it''s a handgun or the likes.
- Loud. Gives away anyone''s position.
- Can jam or run out of ammo, thus becomming useless.
- A mishap (with older, much older rifles) could result in personal damage.
- Easy to conceal. Or hard, size-dependant.
Swords/Whacking Utilities
- Can be blocked with average ease.
- Involve momentum, so swinging speed could be an issue. Keep in mind recovering from a missed swing, as well.
- Short range, of course.
- Unlimited ammo.
- Can break if striking something too hard with sufficient force.
- Silent, for the most part.
- May or may not be easy to conceal.
- Looks dang cool if it''s medieval.
- Can cause more violent damage (hacked off limbs, for instance).
- Not very hard to use.
In an open area, long-range weapons will own. Especially in a one-on-one battle. No matter how skilled you are with a sword, someone with enough presence of mind to aim and pull a trigger could very well take you out in less than a few seconds. Your only chance is if that person really, really aims bad. To top it off, a gun would definitively do more damage than a baseball bat, and even a sword. A shot to the head or chest will most likely kill you on the spot (depending where you''re hit, exactly). A cut from a sword, let''s face reality, won''t chop you in two. Though it could still kill, much better than a baseball bat at that.
In an enclosed space, long-range weapons still have somewhat of an advantage. It''s very hard to swing a sword in a tight hallway. Maybe a piercing weapon, like a spear, could work out nicely... Though if you''re going down a long hallway, the gun''ll get you for sure. And if there are many tight twists and turns, the spear becomes totally useless. Wide, frequent turns in a large passageway would give you an advantage though.
Basically, this is what I can think of on top of my head.
Guns
- Undodgeable (pretty much) but require a bit of accuracy.
- Require ammo.
- Can have a low firing rate.
- Can require room to set up, fire, manoeuvre, etc depending on the size of the gun. Void if it''s a handgun or the likes.
- Loud. Gives away anyone''s position.
- Can jam or run out of ammo, thus becomming useless.
- A mishap (with older, much older rifles) could result in personal damage.
- Easy to conceal. Or hard, size-dependant.
Swords/Whacking Utilities
- Can be blocked with average ease.
- Involve momentum, so swinging speed could be an issue. Keep in mind recovering from a missed swing, as well.
- Short range, of course.
- Unlimited ammo.
- Can break if striking something too hard with sufficient force.
- Silent, for the most part.
- May or may not be easy to conceal.
- Looks dang cool if it''s medieval.
- Can cause more violent damage (hacked off limbs, for instance).
- Not very hard to use.
one word: halo (probably one of the most commonly used word to describe good games lol)
w/o the backside of the assault rifle, i would have been dead much much more... plus, in multiplayer, it''s extremely fun smacking your friend in the back of his head with somthing heavy. lol -PmanC
"Ford, you''re turning into a penguin. Stop it." - HichHiker''s Guide to the Galaxy
w/o the backside of the assault rifle, i would have been dead much much more... plus, in multiplayer, it''s extremely fun smacking your friend in the back of his head with somthing heavy. lol -PmanC
"Ford, you''re turning into a penguin. Stop it." - HichHiker''s Guide to the Galaxy
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