Skill-based combat system

[NachoNinjaGnome]

I love PZ, despite all its imperfections, the RNG just kills me (literally IG and figuratively IRL).  It would be nice if there were some sandbox options to switch PZ from an RNG-based combat system to a skill-based combat system.  Idk how many times I've died because my character missed a swing, or because he didn't turn as fast as I moved the mouse, etc.  I get you guys have to do things to keep it challenging, but to limit character control to this degree is just a bit much.  Missing 5-10% of your swings early game is just brutal.  Toddlers have better consistency in their aim.  And that movement delay while turning around is just excessive as well.  When you hold the aim button and walk, it takes a full second to do a 180.  That's WAY too long.  My old, decrepit self can spin faster than that.  Hate to reference toddlers again, but they're the only humans I've seen turn so slowly.  And after they've had a month to practice their new found walking skills, they can probably beat that.

[Axezombie]

Sorry to tell you that but your character doesn't miss any hit, you're the one missing. Combat is already based on skill, sure your damage can decrease based on RNG stuff, you may do minimum damage but you won't miss and each attack is going to stun the zombie, I can guarantee you that with a new character I don't miss any zombie except if I hit too early and therefore it's my fault.

 

Turn on the Aim Outline for any weapon in Display settings, it will help you a lot. You will see an outline when your character can hit the zombie (in terms of reach and placement), it also helps you to notice which zombie you will hit if several are in your reach.

 

I agree on the speed of the character, the very first time I've seen those new animations for build41 I complained about it, I knew it would be a pain in the ass to play such a slow character but I guess they wanted  to make the game more difficult and now we have to deal with it... You can be faster though if you level up greatly your nimble skill and also if you're not encumber. 

[NachoNinjaGnome]

2 hours ago, Axezombie said:

Sorry to tell you that but your character doesn't miss any hit, you're the one missing. Combat is already based on skill, sure your damage can decrease based on RNG stuff, you may do minimum damage but you won't miss and each attack is going to stun the zombie, I can guarantee you that with a new character I don't miss any zombie except if I hit too early and therefore it's my fault.

 

Turn on the Aim Outline for any weapon in Display settings, it will help you a lot. You will see an outline when your character can hit the zombie (in terms of reach and placement), it also helps you to notice which zombie you will hit if several are in your reach.

 

I agree on the speed of the character, the very first time I've seen those new animations for build41 I complained about it, I knew it would be a pain in the ass to play such a slow character but I guess they wanted  to make the game more difficult and now we have to deal with it... You can be faster though if you level up greatly your nimble skill and also if you're not encumber. 

I already use the aim outline and have since my second playthrough.  If I'm missing due to early clicking, that's due to the aim outline occurring too soon then.  If my PC wasn't 10+ years old, I'd record it and show you, but it gives me overheating warnings just playing the game.  It never overheats unless I open other programs, but that warning pops up every time I play PZ.  Just opening my browser will send it over the threshold, I can only imagine trying to run OBS.

 

I know for a fact you can miss though, I do it quite often.  Even standing on top of a downed zombie, I can swing and stomp and swing and stomp and not get any hit SFX or blood splatter.  And it could be due to fighting unarmed, some of the time, but I know, on multiple occasions, I've went to swing at multiple outlines and had one or two bypass the attack.  So it could also be something to do with the Multi-hit mechanic as well.

 

I might have to disable my mods and do some testing.  Some of those deaths might be due to the Martial Artist Trait.  I know I saw my vanilla characters, more than once, go to push a zombie and the zombie just kept moving in like I hadn't done anything to stop him.

[Axezombie]

On 3/2/2022 at 10:34 AM, NachoNinjaGnome said:

I already use the aim outline and have since my second playthrough.  If I'm missing due to early clicking, that's due to the aim outline occurring too soon then.  If my PC wasn't 10+ years old, I'd record it and show you, but it gives me overheating warnings just playing the game.  It never overheats unless I open other programs, but that warning pops up every time I play PZ.  Just opening my browser will send it over the threshold, I can only imagine trying to run OBS.

 

I know for a fact you can miss though, I do it quite often.  Even standing on top of a downed zombie, I can swing and stomp and swing and stomp and not get any hit SFX or blood splatter.  And it could be due to fighting unarmed, some of the time, but I know, on multiple occasions, I've went to swing at multiple outlines and had one or two bypass the attack.  So it could also be something to do with the Multi-hit mechanic as well.

 

I might have to disable my mods and do some testing.  Some of those deaths might be due to the Martial Artist Trait.  I know I saw my vanilla characters, more than once, go to push a zombie and the zombie just kept moving in like I hadn't done anything to stop him.

Now that  you mention it it's true that I miss sometimes zombies on the ground even though the aim outline is green, I don't think it has something to do with RNG though, it's a problem of hitbox. 

You could also hit and move at the same time which would change your character's angle enough to miss, or the zombie could move at the same time you start to hit and then you would miss too.

Anyway, I don't think there is a RNG factor (Morrowind's style for example), it's the hitbox detection that may not be perfect (it's pretty damn good in my opinion). A dev/moderator should confirm it

 

[NachoNinjaGnome]

1 hour ago, Axezombie said:

You could also hit and move at the same time which would change your character's angle enough to miss

This might explain some of those misses.  I play with the Movement Disruption setting turned off so I can move while swinging.  And I tend to do a perpetual circle.  A habit I started a few zombie apocalypse games ago.  It's an easy way to group them up while whittling them down and avoiding their lunging attacks.  But, I've seen zombies move through the unarmed push and weapon shoves plenty of times.