Suggestion talk:20100218 Glancing Blow

Glancing Blow

Timestamp: Johnny Yossarian 11:01, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Type: Human and Zombie skill

Scope: Melee attacks for both humans and zombies.

Description: Basically, after a miss with a melee weapon, you have a 10 percent chance to score a 'glancing blow', basically just nicking the target and dealing one damage. In the dark the percentage is halved. For both zombies and humans the skill is called Glancing Blow. For zombies, it is under the Vigour Mortis tree, and for humans it is under the the Hand to Hand tree. Note that this works for all melee weapons of all types, including the zombie bite attack, however a glancing blow with a bite does not result in an infection even with the skill. Flavor text: Failing to hit your target dead-on, you glance your target for one damage.

Discussion (Glancing Blow)

Do you get XP for it? Aside from that clarification, it looks okay, balanced... maybe half damage instead of one though. Enigma179 11:55, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

I imagine it might add a fair bit to server load as it has to check twice for every missed attack. More to the point in balance terms it will disproportionately affect low levels as they have a much lower hit chance.--Honestmistake 12:41, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

That's a fair point. However you have to consider that you would need to be at least level three before you can get this skill and you're probably more concerned with getting free running, lurching gait, the essential skills before you get this.. But you're right about it affecting those newbies who choose to take it early, maybe a half damage instead of one is due as Enigma suggested. Any other input? --Johnny Yossarian 12:54, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Half damage is an awful idea. It overly complicates a simple execution. I would, however, suggest that this does not in any way work with Tangling Grasp, either being boosted by it or enabling it. 14:31, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

The typical way a lot of these sorts of hits/misses are calculated in games is that a random number is generated (e.g. somewhere between 1-100), and if the number falls in part of that range (e.g. 1-40) it counts as a hit, while if it lands in other parts of the range (e.g. 41-100), it counts as a miss. All you'd have to do is change it so that rather than having the entire remaining part of the range correspond to a miss, take a few of those numbers (e.g. 41-45) and make them correspond to a glancing blow instead. It'd require no extra computation at all and would have the desired effect. —Aichon— 15:40, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Number wise it seems very easy to do it Aichon's way so no server issues and a slap on the head for my idiocy ;) Mis. is bang on the money about not using half damage and (almost) spot on about no tangle bonus/effect. However I am now thinking that this will be of a lot more use to survivors than zeds. This sounds a little counter intuitive as zeds get no firearms but they also spend a lot more of their time chewing cades (fruitlessly!) Low level survivors (scouts esp) could use this to level a hell of a lot faster with the minimum of time searching etc so I suggest adding the following small Buff: "Zombies using this and Bite against Grasped targets will be 20% less likely to lose their grip, however such near escapes will not cause any damage!" This change would boost the skills use for all zombies as well as make zombies actually eat folk occasionally. --Honestmistake 16:57, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Good suggestions. I'll add them into the finished product when I actually take it to Suggestions for voting. --Johnny Yossarian 17:32, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

This seems like an unnecessary survivor buff. "Waaaah, waaaah! But zombies get it too, I put that in my suggestion!" Yes, you did. But let's examine it. This only effects missed attacks doesn't it? Hmmmm, who misses more often? Zombies with their 50% (60% TG) hit rate? Or mindless DEM zergs with a maximum of 40% with an axe or less with other weapons? Yep, this a pointless freebie for survivors. Notice as well the nerf to infection, a bite attack lands under this in a glancing manner i.e. those teeth coated in virulent venom cause a flesh wound, still dumping a health dose of the good stuff subdermally into the target. But still no infection? That sound you don't hear is the logic train, because it's not stopping at this suggestion's station. Funny how the other attack based status effect, headshot, isn't removed... I wonder if that has to do with the fact that it's a survivor only bonus....

This is an unnecessary survivor buff, combined with an infection nerf and wrapped in the worst type of camouflage since Naked Snake donned a tuxedo and a Raiden mask. -- . . <== DDR Approved Editor 05:31, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

You're right about Headshot, that's a mistake on my part. A kill with a glancing blow shouldn't result in a headshot. As far as the bite not being infectious, it makes sense in that it is a glancing blow, not a direct bite or even the teeth necessarily touching the body at all- your head could simply hit them as they lunge forward.

Hell yeah, Naked Snake in Tux and Mask, best way to finish game ever! Cookies and Cream 13:45, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Also we could do without the accusations of the DEM zerging... That's neither here nor there. --Johnny Yossarian 06:07, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

So you want to create a new system, pro-survivor in its bias, that is conveniently the exception to headshot? Never mind that a punch, or a strike from a tennis racket causes headshot, you want this to be new and special? Yeah, right. A glancing bite doesn't use the teeth? Then it's not a bite, it's a lick or a kiss. The very definition of a bite is to sink teeth into something, a glancing bite, as I pointed out, would still leave venom under the skin. Unless of course you want to say it's a headbutt instead, unfortunately that already exists and causes three damage. Brilliant idea to call them the same thing and confuse the newbies.

Accusations of zerging? I think the multiple members proven as zergers over many years means they're no longer accusations. It's a valid concern that this will make little zerg armies more effective with their axes, one that you have chosen not to defend, neither have you chose to defend the fact that it is still so obviously a survivor buff with absolutely no downside. -- . . <== DDR Approved Editor 06:23, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Good god, man. Shooting down a survivor buff partly because "it'll be used by DEM Zergs" has got to be the worst reasoning ever. Seriously, shut your whining. --Karloth Vois ^¯\(°_o)/¯ 04:19, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

Does this effect barricades?--Yonnua Koponen ^{Talk ! Contribs} 09:31, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Would be rather hard to come up with a way that it could, aside from a horribly broken straight up 10% hit increase... Enigma179 08:30, 18 February 2010 (UTC)

If it doesn't effect cades, it's very unbalanced.--Yonnua Koponen ^{Talk ! Contribs} 10:17, 18 February 2010 (UTC)

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