Suggestion for Combat & OP Birds - Aimable Melee Weapons

Instead of nerfing the new bastard killer birds (I like the fact the birds are now tough), maybe the solution is to fix the player's fighting abilities.

Specifically, I think the ability to aim our melee weapons would go a LONG way in improving combat. All melee weapons currently attack left or right on a horizontal plane only. This makes spears and other weapons with special attacks that shoot out electricity / fire much less useful than they could be if we could AIM. Not only could we fight birds effectively, we could fight mobs that were below us, something which is presently VERY difficult to accomplish.

 

I have mixed feelings about this.

Guns on one hand have an aiming mechanic but the melee weapons don't. Sure that may seem feasible to do a sweeping attack at the feet or in a downwards angle, but it sort of defeats the purpose of a platform game. Being on their level to attack brings the challenge in the game.

Now, if both the enemy and the player has the ability to angle attack with a melee weapon, I'm thinking the difficulty curve will increase.

 

Omni already hates us as it is for asking for aim-able spears.

Now you want all the melee weapons to be aimed?

 

If we can do it, so should they. I mean, birds currently have the ability to aim their attacks (not to mention fly), which is one of the reasons they're so difficult. I don't see any reason why mobs with spears shouldn't be able to aim them up or down either. It only makes sense. Terraria did a pretty good job with aimable melee weapons, particularly flails & spears. Presently those weapons seem the least useful in SB because they have such a tiny are of attack.

 

Last I checked, spears were melee weapons I don't think swords need to be aimable, but things that you poke with or shoot with should be more functional. Aimable for that type of weapon is intuitive.

 

This might be a smart move since atm it seems like there isn't much benefit in using melee weapons if you can get a ranged one with similar damage. However balance is so out of wack right now that it's kinda hard to give any good suggestions.

 

Eh... I still say we should get some more ranged weapons in the first two tiers that aren't just the bows.

 

I would love to have all melee weapons that don't swing in an enormous vertical arc aimable, because that would actually make spears viable and it would suit my favorite race (Avians) better. Right now, the 2h swords and maces seem to be the only obvious choice because they have high damage and swing in a wide vertical arc, which allows you to hit things above, in front of, and even slightly below you. This makes any other melee weapon, unless you always have a shield equipped, somewhat obsolete in comparison. But using a shield is kind of annoying in my opinion because you have to constantly re-equip it after equipping your one-handed weapon by holding shift and scrolling with the mouse wheel or pressing a number key, making it take twice as long to equip versus a two-handed weapon unless you take up both center slots on your hot bar, which would remove the ability to easily switch between a melee and ranged weapon by pressing Z. I would also really like to see a one-handed spear variant added.

 

You wouldn't have the shield problem if you equip it in your R-hand. Any time you're using something one-handed, including flashlight, the shield will automatically be there. Right click to use.

 

I think only spears should be aimable.
2h Swords already do an arc, and i wouldnt need the special "shooting" ability of it aimable. Hammers also seem to have an arc, axes dunno, never used one.
As for daggers, well, they are stabby stabby weapons, so they, err.. stab. I am currently using a dagger successfully, and if i cant reach a birdie, bow usually does the job.
But thats just my opinion

 

I'd be fine with only spears being aimable, but something needs to be!!

 

My problem with the shield is that even when it is equipped in my right hand, I often have to re-equip it, and I don't have the convenience of being able to swap between my melee and ranged weapons just by pressing Z.

Spears, 1h swords, and possibly other weapons, can only hit whatever is directly in front of you. I think that weapons like these should be aimable, so you can say... hit a bird that is flying above you, or a mob that is just below you, without having to swap to your bow/gun everytime something like that happens.

 

That's weird, cuz it works fine for me. Maybe we're doing it differently. I typically put my 2H weapon in slot 1, my 1H weapon (or gun) in slot 2, flashlight in slot (L) and shield in slot (R). If I hit "2" on my keyboard, it equips my 1H weapon and, since it's a one-hander, my shield pops in place automatically. If I hit "2" again, the weapon disappears and the flashlight appears in its place, with the shield still in the right hand. I can hot swap between 2H and 1H weapons this way, always with the shield showing up when 1H things are equipped.

 

You're right, we are doing it differently. I always had my one-handed weapon in slot L. This will be quite helpful, thank you.

 

Glad to be useful