COMMUNITY - FORUMS - THE TAVERN
Intimidation

My question comes from a combat focused stand-point, will SbS add some type of "Intimidation" to the fighting mechanics of Elyria, and i'll clarify even more. Back during the Middle Ages if a man who was well trained in the form of combat (Sword/Shield/Axe/Range) that he gained reputation as a renowned fighter among the army he served, with that comes intimidation. So my question is when the game launches and some people grind to a high level Tier in combat like Renowned for example and among their daily lives some people who are a lot less skilled than them but don't know this show aggression towards the skilled fighter thinking they can win the battle because they have a nice sword they want. Will the less skilled fighter somehow start breathing heavy? or will their screens start to shake? are they going to start visibly profusely sweating with their hands shaking confusing the controller of said character with the skilled fighter saying "you don't want this". basically will there be a technique or mechanic where the fight will already be over before it begins because the renowned fighter showed "Intimidation" and is way out of the less skilled fighters league. During the Middle Ages when bad people come upon well known fighters their natural human body response of fight or flight will activate and 90% of the time they fled in terror because they know they have no chance of winning now this only works when there is such a huge gap of skill difference like in Chronicles of Elyria between Renowned+ and journeymen-. Even in anime's you have this type of "Intimidation" like Haki for one piece and Chakra for Naruto and the whole key aspect of that is that the more you train your Haki/Chakra against strong opponents the stronger it gets. and if a weakling or a group of them comes upon your path you can easily intimidate without sheathing your sword and win the fight before it begins. now i know SbS is trying their best to add realism to CoE where there will be no flying mounts or fancy crazy stuff like other MMOs, however this is very realistic and happens everyday in the day to day lives of people can SbS utilize this method to add more immersion to the game as it supports the fundamentals of CoE as well.


12/2/2018 4:00:06 PM #1

An interesting question and concept.

one could Argue (maybe) that the Fame system carries the same weight !!

X amount of fame = X amount of skill ?


12/2/2018 4:05:16 PM #2

I'd argue against a mechanical implementation of this, because I feel it removes player agency from the equation. Being forced into a handicap because of an arbitrary stat just feels bad. Instead, I'd want those stats to be made known somehow through gameplay (something like an ominous message- "You are severely outclassed in this matchup", or similar), and let the player feel that dread. Let the player play around that fact, don't force that fact onto the player.

12/2/2018 5:45:57 PM #3

I agree with you Mickdude. And I think this is where SBS is sort of headed, if you look at the Janoa armor concept they described recently.

Make their armor a testament to their past triumphs and accomplishments: Their armors are made from the materials harvested from their hunts. The more armor you see on a Janoan, the more likely they are to be one of the premier hunters and warriors of their settlement.

Janoa Tribal Armor Concept


12/2/2018 7:04:50 PM #4

Janoan armor not being like other armor, there is also a balancing aspect to that as well. Janoan's are quite possibly the most athletic and impressive physical specimens and thus will provide some of the strongest physical combatants in the game. If they weren't at some sort of an armor disadvantage against others then that might even be a situation that some would consider OP.

Yet despite the armor capabilities of what they wear, what they wear should be able to add to their reputation values such as fame. Whether that has an affect in a fight or not, that sounds like something we work on in testing but since their armor isnt about protection so much as it is about their standing in society, it needs to have some kind of affect in that regard.

There are some ways that it could be used to affect your character in a fight. That intimidation might have a very slight affect on your speed of action in the fight. This goes back to that old debate that happens around here in regards to how much of a survival game CoE will inevitably be.


12/3/2018 2:20:47 AM #5

I agree with mickdude, If your character recognizes someone as that statue of some legendary fighter then you may get a alert.

But forcing it mechanicly is taking it a bit to far. Perhaps maybe if your Combat/Observation skills are high enough your character can roll to determine the enemies skill level. So a low observe with medium combat may state against someone with grandmaster combat may state. "I'm not sure, But he holds his blade like it is a extension of himself and his footwork is some of the most balanced I have seen."

Maybe the ability to recognize a combat style you have seen/read about. These are interesting mechanics that could strike fear into your enemies. Or make them laugh at you.


12/3/2018 2:22:58 AM #6

As I understand it... The NPCs gossip (I think there's another name for it in CoE) and word of your deeds does spread through them and can effect how they react to you.

PCs can pick up info from NPCs (though I'm not sure how) and, presumably, word of your deeds etc could precede you, for better or worse.