Suggestion: Common weapons for all, more varied close-quarters combat, plus pistolwhip!

gravithicc

Suggestion:

1) All players can use common weapons like blasters, blades, polearms, grenades, shields, and of course hands & feet. This is a roleplay or tactical alternative to class weapons, or a supplement to be used in the off-hand.

2) Using ATTACK will attack with your wielded weapon's normal method of inflicting damage: a gun will shoot, a blade will stab/slice, electro-batons will electrify, and random wielded objects will bash them over the head. Using PUNCH will perform an alternative non-lethal attack with certain weapons: pistols will pistol-whip, blades will hiltbash, electro-batons will just whack them with no electricity.

3) KICK can become a low damage, short balance attack used to fine-tune the timing on bashing routines.

4) Floor combat! Players can KICK and TRIP while on the floor (it just uses more balance or deals less damage). Some class attacks can still work while on the floor if it makes enough sense.

5) Using other entities as COVER temporarily. This seems like a scoundrel thing to do, but I could also see it as a basic self-defense tactic against multiple enemies. The victim-turned-shield takes a percentage of damage that was meant for the player.

Reasoning:

I read the recent monthly discussion and agree with the sentiment of wanting to use a pistol after the tutorial as a non-scoundrel. I know I can technically wield other class weapons, but I don't feel enough freedom and utility-gain from using basic weapons like PIECEs, knuckles, and generic blades (if they exist). I don't think it takes much skill to pull a trigger on a pistol, to punch someone with knuckles, to (crudely) swing a blade at someone, or to press a button on a grenade and throw it. More options for classless combat, like fighting from the floor and feasible multi-enemy combat, is always a plus because it benefits every single player in the game. Also, I read somewhere that people want a pistol-whip ability. This suggestion accomplishes all of these things using existing commands: ATTACK, PUNCH, KICK, TRIP, COVER.

Cubey

1, 2, 3: This is fine. I don't see much use for it outside of dedicated roleplaying scenarios or deliberately playing a classless character, but this shouldn't be too hard to implement either. Especially if the improvised/classless weapons aren't actual weapons (as in, they don't have power), just props that allow a certain type of attack to be performed, and the attack's effectiveness is only level/stat dependant, such as KITH BURN or what have you.

4: I'm not a fan. Knockdown doesn't happen in a pve scenario so you're looking at pvp here - and in pvp, it's used to slow down the enemy. If you can still attack while on the floor then it eliminates the point (except for if you're a scoundrel, but with enough internal damage that floor attack won't save you if you get binded and forcefed anyway).

5: This is not a bad idea but I think it should be done passively instead of actively. If you get attacked by multiple people, they get in each others' way so their attacks are less effective. This should make group combat a bit less one-sided when one side has a clear advantage in numbers, and more importantly: make group combat with equal numbers more interesting than just "everyone focus fires on one enemy at a time".

It's a pvp thing but could possibly work in pve as well - for mobs, but definitely not for faction guards. Fluff it as them having a perfect defensive position so they know how to fight without blocking each other, or something.

Ikchor

I don't think it takes much skill to pull a trigger on a pistol, to punch someone with knuckles, to (crudely) swing a blade at someone, or to press a button on a grenade and throw it.

Well, excuuuuuse me, princess.


Snark aside, I too would like a bit of weaponry choices outside of class-specifics, or alternative class weapon options. Like instead of just knuckles for scoundrels we get a choice of knuckles, vibroshiv, truncheon/club/space stick, shock glove, and they affect different wetwiring systems maybe. (knuckles - muscular, vibroshiv - internal, truncheon - sensory, shock glove - wetwiring.)

Shields though... I dunno, unless we're talking about wearable full body energy shields. Hand held, arm strapped shield is not something I'd wanna have a return to since that just smacks too much of medieval-fantasy to me. Even if it were to be made of paristeel.