The City of Dis (And the Stats Dilemma!)

@Julian928
That sounds good, it should certainly encourage more balanced character builds, are you just going to make it so that if someone chooses an option that increases a stat that was specifically low (ie. <20) the increase would be 3 instead of 5 - *say_in_overly_posh_voice* or some shit like that.

Also what are the physical training options going to be like? (eg. different styles of martial arts, for example one that’s particularly more brutal than all the others)

@Ajax I played the demo, which is why I asked.

Yes, the katana is intimidating, but it’s also a tool of grace, which is why I mentioned it. As to tranqs… Ehhhhh. I’ve never been wild about that sort of weapon, only because it either makes you drowsy or renders you comatose, with a very small margin that functions as a straight knockout, and while it’s not the “real” world, I’m going for fairly realistic reactions to stuff. You can go without firearms, just as you could go without melee weapons, but the standard is that whatever you carry, it’s gonna put 'em down in a hurry. I might try to figure out more nonlethal weaponry, but at the moment it comes down to fists, electricity, or an impractical amount of time avoiding killing strikes.

@Julian928
How about having an option to have a character trained in pressure-point strikes. For example if such a character sneaks up on someone he knows to cut off blood flow to the brain instead of performing the lengthly choke-hold. Another idea is that if a character wants to be more brutal have him focus on bone breaking or dislocating strikes, as opposed to knockouts and disabling strikes; if you want a character to be more villainous have him employ needles and Krav Maga style attacks to cause pain at nerve clusters in order to bring someone down.

Also was the last time you played the demo before chapter 2 got taken down, because if so there’s been a fair bit of new stuff added which elaborates a lot more on The Hellions and past relationships.

@Ajax I played the demo today, so I have only played the chapter 1 version.

I like your suggestions, and similar choices are available, but not for the role I used as an example. The Labefacti take on a sort of rear guard role, and have to fend off significant opposition. This makes a focus on 1v1 pretty impractical.

@Julian928
That’s why most of the strikes I’m talking about are designed for quick takedowns - a matter of mere seconds per person.
Also you talked about firearms in your example (the sawn-off) and I was just wondering what other kinds are available - I’m a fan of sniper riles myself (which you could argue fit into a Graceful/Intimidating slot).

That would be available to a Percutiet, as their role is to provide hyper-long-range support to the rest of the team. Actually, the high-powered rifle is a required piece of equipment if that’s the path you take, but there are variations on noise, firing speed, clip size, etc.

Just because I’ve now detailed 2/4, I may as well finish it out:

The Novacula on the team has the job of disabling security systems and crippling the enemy’s ability to respond, which will almost always include a lot of stealth gameplay and good tactics to succeed.

The Perforatum is simultaneously the most and least essential member of the team. The job associated with this particular role is to actually complete the objective. If it’s an assassination and a whole team is deemed necessary, then it’ll be the Perforatum who charges deep into the facility and actually executes the target. This path has the most varied gameplay options, as you can just as practically stealth your way through the enemy as gun them down with dual-wield revolvers and charge in head first. It also requires the most well-rounded character to have a decent chance of success.

@Julian928
I like it, all of those classes sound like something I’d enjoy playing; and that certainly adds a ton of replay value.

@Ajax Well it’s good to know I’ll have at least one player! And that replay is what I’m going for. The downside is that I have to code four very distinct and equally detailed sequences every time the MC’s group is dispatched.

@Julian928
Yeah, it does make things a bit more complicated in that respect; but, hey, the things worth doing in life are seldom easy :wink:

To folks who may be interested, I’m also doing some work on another game concept I had. CoD is truly a labor of love, and it’s gonna be a good long while before it’s even demoable. As such, I figured that I’d cut my teeth on something a little bit less heavy, and a fair bit less complex. Turn your eyes unto “Muse: A Life in the Sky” if you’d like to spiritually join me whilst I hammer away at my keyboard to the tune of (don’t you pop my ego if you’re faster) 70 wpm.