Dwarf Fortress combat system

[Tycn]

Y'know, with the locational damage and layers. Is there any game with something similar? It would be great to see it implemented in a proper roguelike, or even better a non-roguelike.

 

[clockradiospeakers]

Wizard's Crown, Eternal Dagger, Nahlakh, Natuk (and probably PoWS?) all have locational damage, iirc.

 

[Malakal]

DF COMBAT is ridiculous but INJURY system with all those things that can be damaged and bled is quite nice. Still it makes a sorry mess at the moment (like mauling someone with cats or something).

 

[Virtz]

Slaves to Armok I, the predecessor to DF, had a similar (identical?) health system. It also had a magic system that made use of this, allowing you to teleport someone's internal organs out of their body or turn their head to stone. It was pretty difficult to use, though.

Unreal World has a locational damage system and a combat system that allows you to use different parts of your weapon.

 

[Tycn]

@clockradiospeakers: I guess I meant the whole simulated tissue, bone, organs and all that gory stuff.

Yeah, quite broken but it's nice that death is caused by bleeding or damage to the CNS instead of a somewhat arbitrary value reaching zero. A well implemented system would also make different armours and weapons usable. I want to see (read?) swords bouncing off plate and mace blows smashing through mail but being absorbed by the underlying gambeson. Plus being able to exploit creatures' anatomical weakness in order to defeat them to a greater extent than Fallout's universal "go for the eyes" seems like it could be promising.

Slaves of Armok looks interesting, giving it a try. I never really thought about why Dwarf Fortress was a sequel.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I think it's hilarious how iron chain and up seems to turn everything into a club in DF these days. My adventuring swordswoman gets most of her kills by bruising people's lungs until they suffocate, with a rare decapitation thrown in the mix.

 

[DraQ]

I'd like to see something like this in a proper RPG or FPS, tied to the 3D engine - it would be the incarnate of awesome.

 

[Haba]

Hrmm... I.V.A.N. comes to mind. If the fags only kept updating it :/

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I'd like to see something like this in a proper RPG or FPS, tied to the 3D engine - it would be the incarnate of awesome.

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/die_by_t ... _expansion
Possibly the only game where you can chop someone's arm off and then beat them to death with it.

 

[1eyedking]

Possibly the only game where you can chop someone's arm off and then beat them to death with it.

There's Rune.

And also Severance: Blade of Darkness.

They're both worth a look.

 

[Azrael the cat]

It saddens me that Deus Ex had locational damage - very simple locational damage, but it was there - but modern shooter/crpgs don't.

 

[roll-a-die]

It saddens me that Deus Ex had locational damage - very simple locational damage, but it was there - but modern shooter/crpgs don't.

Erm, I can name one off the top of my head Dead Space. I could probably give a few more if you give me a moe.

 

[roll-a-die]

Fallout 3.

 

[ironyuri]

Fallout 3.

Fallout 3 locational damage made no sense. I could still jump with no legs and fire assault rifles with no arms.

The problem with implementing locational damage in games is that you can't simulate it for the whole game. Let's use an example:

Level 1 Warrior engages in battle with some kobolds, a kobold arrow pierces his arm, rendering it lifeless but salvageable. Ok.

Level 10 Warrior engages in battle with some bugbears, a bugbear rips off his arm and beats him with it. Somehow the brave warrior manages to defeat the bugbear and completes his quest. He now has one arm.

You cannot regrow bones or limbs so locational damage can only ever be implemented in some half assed way that suggests that your limbs have been paralysed or injured but never completely hacked off in perpetuity.

Given the trend toward regenerating health can you imagine how much people would complain about permanent limb loss from getting a gangrenous limb infection or having a leg hacked off by an enemy? Those are things you can't "fix" and so implementing them becomes a huge time and design sink:

How far do you go with locational damage? The dwarf fortress route is cool but think about how much rendering and texture design work would be needed for each character model to show various stages of lung bruising or kneecapping.

 

[Tycn]

Magic. If resurrecting people is possible then growing back/replacing limbs shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Reminds me of another roguelike, IVAN, that also has dismemberment. If you lose an arm you can pray for your god to give you an iron one. Can't remember whether it was any good though.

Plus any situation where you'd lose a limb would probably cause death in a game where dismemberment isn't simulated. It doesn't necessarily have to be more difficult, though lesser injuries should be more prevalent.

I was thinking more roguelike or tactical RPG where it's normal to have text but for an actioney game the effect could be achieved with just sounds and decals. It's not like you'd need to know exactly what your hits are doing anyway.

 

[Ruprekt]

The Phantasie games?

 

[Topher]

Damn, I really need to play DF.

 

[Norfleet]

I think it's hilarious how iron chain and up seems to turn everything into a club in DF these days. My adventuring swordswoman gets most of her kills by bruising people's lungs until they suffocate, with a rare decapitation thrown in the mix.

This is actually rather accurate. Real medieval swords are not especially sharp and essentially are just flat metal edges for concentrating the force of impact, as sharp blades would be too easily damaged in a fight when you're using them to whack things that are wrapped in metal. Death by ensuing blunt force trauma was a far more common result.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Materials mean a lot more in the new version. With a +""$"^steel battle axe%&$%*$*£% I don't have much problem cleaving in twain pretty much everything I come across that isn't a bronze colossus. I think I actually get a lot more full-body-cleavings than I used to, wading through an elf village feels even more badass.

 

[Haba]

You cannot regrow bones or limbs so locational damage can only ever be implemented in some half assed way that suggests that your limbs have been paralysed or injured but never completely hacked off in perpetuity.

I.V.A.N. again. You lose a limb, you risk dying instantly. Should you make it through, you can wish for a new body part from gods. Preferably one made from superior material.