weapon "to hit","criticals" and "shield modifiers"

[sgeos]

You want to give reasons to use different weapons, but these things can be hard to balance. Different damage types are one way of relatively simple way of doing this (slash, bash, pierce).

Gimmicks such as hitting from two spaces away will require extra time/iterations/feedback to balance. Unless the game is being actively developed, one or two weapons will probably outshine others. FWIW, isn't long sword one of the better skills in Nethack? (For a lot of classes at least?)

[ragface]

You want to give reasons to use different weapons, but these things can be hard to balance. Different damage types are one way of relatively simple way of doing this (slash, bash, pierce).

Gimmicks such as hitting from two spaces away will require extra time/iterations/feedback to balance. Unless the game is being actively developed, one or two weapons will probably outshine others. FWIW, isn't long sword one of the better skills in Nethack? (For a lot of classes at least?)

Yeah cause it's boring always using the spear shield combo, and I just wrote the idea, without actually thinking about it.. MY BAD. sorry
I will start a new thread and think it through this time..

[UnknownSoldier]

One of the most ignored quality of weapons in computer game, roguelike included, is the notion of reach/wieldyness (is that a word ?)
A long sword or a rapier will always be better in a RL fight than a dagger because the dagger will not be able to close in safely. The sword/rapier are fast enough and long to prevent the dagger to be even remotely effective.
Against a pike, which is really long (macedonians pikes were reported to be longer than 4m (12 feet)), The dagger become again useful because the pike is really unwieldy. It will have one chance of scoring a hit and that's all. This is realist : pikes were only useful in formation, not for a single fighter.

So I would like to see implemented some notion of this ratio : it is not only the speed of the weapon that is important but also the reach.

[vogonpoet]

it is not only the speed of the weapon that is important but also the reach.

Is that not effectively implemented currently in ADOM via long swords having better damage than short ones, which in turn are better than daggers - 1d8, 1d6, 1d4.

[UnknownSoldier]

Is that not effectively implemented currently in ADOM via long swords having better damage than short ones, which in turn are better than daggers - 1d8, 1d6, 1d4.

Not exactly:
A fight between a dagger and a sword "should" be this way :
- the dagger try to close in, taking some damage when it is not in reach and inflicting none
- the sword try to stay out of reach and when it is in reach of the dagger takes some damage and inflict little.

Morality : the fighter that can stay the most at the correct range of engagement will win, with a bonus to the heavier weapon that will inflict more serious damage and bypass armor more effectively.

[Ars]

Having melee weapons strike across multiple tiles sounds like a bad idea to me. But what could work out is that weapons would have different energy costs and/or to-hits depending if the enemy hit you his last turn, and/or if you hit the enemy last turn. It could be a bit complicated, to balance and for the player to optimize.