Where the Tumeroks, Lugians and Humans Meet...

News

Gallery
ScreenShots
ConceptArt
Models
Wallpapers
Movies

Articles
Lore & History
Teasers
From the Dev
Newsletters

Links

 The Combat System

“War is a matter of vital importance to the state; a matter of life or death, the road either to survival or to ruin. Hence, it is imperative that it be studied thoroughly.”

--Sun Tzu, The Art of War

For a truly successful massively multiplayer (MMP) game, combat must not simply be an activity needed to level and gain loot. It must be fun in its own right, and with that goal in mind Asheron's Call 2 sets itself a high bar. Expect a combat system more intense, more dynamic, and more fluid than any other MMP experience.

Battle tactics

Of characters
The AC2 combat system has been designed to keep players on the edge of their seats, fully involved at all times. Tactics play a critical role. Actions lead to reactions necessary to overcome your opponent's strategy--be they AI opponents or your fellow players. Gone are the days when players sent their characters into battle, leaving them to win or lose on their own. Combat dynamics now change constantly. As fights progress, characters need continual instructions in order to best survive.

   
Say your character, Kokas the Lugian, is engaged in melee with a towering Brutish Monouga. Overpowered by the Monouga's greater size, it's all Kokas can do to hold his ground. Suddenly Auken, a companion of Kokas, arrives to lend a hand. If the Monouga turns its attention to Auken, this means Kokas can launch special attacks that do extra damage against the Monouga's side or back. Kokas can now press his attack and drive through more punishing blows.

Auken the Tumerok, meanwhile, learns a new technique that helps him beat his foe more decisively. He notices that when he hits the Monouga with his Disease magic, which always does some damage, sometimes the Monouga also shakes and looks especially sick. If Auken notices this and immediately uses another special "chill" attack--and succeeds--the Monouga suffers greatly from the combined effects. 
 
At their heart, MMPs remain a social gaming experience. Despite this, the best way to fight in AC1 often meant fighting alone, with players entering collective fellowships only for the experience point bonuses or to complete certain quests. In AC2, while the solo adventurer can still do very well alone, group tactics play a larger, more decisive role.

In their battle, Kokas has worn down the Brutish Monouga to the point where it can no longer defend itself against every kind of attack. By concentrating on melee defense, the Monouga makes itself more vulnerable to missile attacks. Kokas, however, cannot switch from his sword to hurling boulders in time to take advantage. For that, he'll need to rely on an archer in the group.

Of opponents
In a truly advanced combat system, the tactics of AI opponents must feel as competitive as that of living players. As such, the world of AC2 has been populated with truly impressive AI creatures. While a given creature can handle a finite number of reactions, these reactions can be combined in any number of ways.

   
After defeating the Monouga, Kokas and Auken part company and continue on their respective journeys. For Kokas, he next encounters a solitary Drudge Robber. An easy foe, Kokas the mighty Lugian thinks. Yet when he presses his attack, the Drudge Robber knows to call for help. Suddenly, Kokas finds himself facing an entire pack of Drudges, armed with cruel knives and heavily spiked clubs.

Auken, meanwhile, enters a wooded glen--and intrudes upon the Thornlings inside. While their leader casts beneficial spells on the Thornlings, they maintain their distance, pelting Auken with thrown darts. To survive the encounter, Auken will likely need to take out their leader first. . . if only he can get there. 
 
When taking on the occasional group of AI creatures, players can no longer pull one or two away and draw them into ambush. In AC2, the creatures have learned greater strategy. Instead of following after, they may bombard waiting ambush parties with missile attacks. The same band of creatures may even switch to different tactics the next time they're encountered. The idea is to keep players on their toes, to keep them playing at their best.

Vital statistics
In AC2, vital statistics have been divided into Health and Vigor. Health, naturally, follows a character's current status. (Other indicators include the character's appearance, as detailed in the graphic systems of the Turbine 2 Engine ). Vigor combines the previous systems of Stamina and Mana. It serves as an all-purpose reservoir, tapped to perform specialized combat maneuvers such as maximizing combat damage and using weapons defensively.

In general, the AC2 combat system looks to speed up the pace and present a minimum of downtime. When not in battle, Health and Vigor regenerate at very fast rates. In addition, there are no more spell components or arrow counts. Running out of crucial supplies just leads to tedious "milk runs" for more, and we prefer to drive our player economy in other more exciting ways.

The spoils
The reward system in AC2 has been scaled to match the challenge of a given encounter. As with experience points, the treasure system now reads the characters and rewards them accordingly--pushing the players to continually challenge themselves. If Kokas defeats a Veteran Reedshark, a creature many times his level, he'll be rewarded with greater loot. By the same token, fighting a lowly Drudge Whelp, a creature below his level, will lead to less. MMPs often reward players for just the opposite: not challenging themselves and simply macro-farming XP. In AC2, those who fight bravely, and fight well, can expect to reap the benefits.

    In developing the treasure system, creative efforts were made to expand upon the historical standards. Such weapons have been added as double-bladed staffs, strange pole arm designs--even a double-bladed boomerang--providing an incredible variety in the weapons and equipment visuals. One weapon model can boast dozens of appearances, whether shiny, rusty, new or old. Dozens of particle effects can be added, and unique items generated through the treasure system, or even tweaked by hand. To the victor fall the spoils of war. . . which have grown to encompass a true hoard.  
 
On the battlefields of AC2, combat has become a far more fluid system, with the dynamics of combat changing constantly and movement integrating with tactics. While a more sophisticated system, it has been designed to keep players involved, and interested, in the moment-to-moment of every encounter.