Howdy folks.

Parry stance points will now automatically re-allocate themselves into shield skill if parry skill would normally be bypassed (generally ranged/TM attacks).

If shield stance hits 100, the overflow is allocated into evasion.

This required a complete gutting of many areas of combat. Likely I broke something, so please let me know if it looks odd...

---

"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

If it works :/ I really need folks help to test this extensively with different stance combinations.



I'll likely be adjusting some other things over the coming week:

* Improve parry more at melee. Considering weapon balance giving chance for critical-parry with special messaging.

* Give shield special messaging when it critical-blocks.

* Give brigandine and plate armor a chance to critical-protect against damage with special messaging. Brigandine hasn't been adopted as widely as chain/plate, so it needs a little something.

* Rewrite stuns to factor in existing wound damage less, but also infrequently occur from any hit (modified by force).

* Reduce vitality regeneration speed when in combat, increase it when sitting.

* Finally increase bleeding damage

---

"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

Well its definitely working, I was in a parry stance in cabalists and I was auto-switching to use my shield against fire shard and stuff.

But there is something weird going on, not sure what is related or not tho so I'm just gonna kinda post everything.

Compared to even a couple nights ago, now I can't hit just about anything with backstab, even hundreds of ranks down from where I normally hunt.

Your blade is a little awkward, but usable.
You slip out of concealment and backstab a hulking Xala'shar magus!
< Moving poorly, you thrust a fuligin nightmaster's blade accented by a blackened moonsilver grip at a hulking Xala'shar magus. A hulking Xala'shar magus dodges, just managing to get out of a tight spot.
[You're winded, nimbly balanced and in strong position.]
[Roundtime 3 sec.]

You slip out of concealment and backstab a hulking Xala'shar magus!
< You thrust a kertig dao at a hulking Xala'shar magus. A hulking Xala'shar magus dodges, barely managing to get out of the way.
[You're winded, adeptly balanced and in superior position.]
[Roundtime 2 sec.]

You slip out of concealment and backstab a hulking Xala'shar magus!
< You thrust a tyrium hawkbill at a hulking Xala'shar magus. A hulking Xala'shar magus dodges, leaning to one side with no room to spare.
[You're winded, adeptly balanced and in dominating position.]
[Roundtime 3 sec.]

As you can probably see even the messaging is a little off... there's no "moving with powerful grace, or like a striking falcon" message or it says poorly.

I have yet to land a single backstab against anything within about 400-500 ranks of where I should be training, but if I drop even further down to like Misenseor resuscitants, then I can actually hit.
____________
Also the appraise sometimes goes... weird.

Sometimes I get this:
Taking stock of its defensive abilities, and attacking with a fuligin nightmaster's blade accented by a blackened moonsilver grip, you are certain that the Xala'shar magus is a quite difficult opponent.
If you attacked with a fuligin nightmaster's blade accented by a blackened moonsilver grip, you are certain that the enemy would train somewhat poorly.
If you threw the blade at the enemy you are certain that it would train very well, provided you can land a blow.

And sometimes I get this:
Taking stock of its defensive abilities, and attacking with a fuligin nightmaster's blade accented by a blackened moonsilver grip, you are certain that the Xala'shar magus is well beneath your abilities.
If you attacked with a fuligin nightmaster's blade accented by a blackened moonsilver grip, you are certain that the enemy would train somewhat poorly.
If you threw the blade at the enemy you are certain that it would train very well, provided you can land a blow.

That's back to back appraisals of the same critter, and again these guys are way down the food chain from where I would normally be using SE.
______

Also throwing my SE non-throwing weapons (30 stones) is training/checking HT instead of LT. My LT/SE still works fine tho.

Lastly, I still can't hit anything within 400-500 ranks of my ranks with any ambushes besides screen (but that's probably not related).

This sounds amazing but I'm not sure I'm understanding it right before I test.

If I have basically equal shield/parry skill, and I go into an invasion stanced all evasion/parry (no shield stance, no shield even worn), and something shoots at me, it will test my evasion and shield?

<<well ignore my previous post you already did it! Good job that was quicker than anyone expected I think.>>

K is clearly a coding beast/robot/guy who doesn't sleep.

<< Parry stance points will now automatically re-allocate themselves into shield skill if parry skill would normally be bypassed (generally ranged/TM attacks).

Holy crap, this is awesome! Sounds perfect in theory and felt even better in practice. This is without a question the best solution offered so far.

<< This required a complete gutting of many areas of combat.

Based on my brief testing i wouldn't say it completely broke things but maybe some monsters out there, that were relying on ranged attacks to bully on their pray might be due for an upgrade but otherwise it seemed fine.

<< do monsters autostance?

Yep, sounds about right. Since backstabbing should be one of those skills that normally bypasses parry/shield. I hope there is a way around that. Maybe add a few exceptions for certain skills.

>>Yep, sounds about right. Since backstabbing should be one of those skills that normally bypasses parry/shield. I hope there is a way around that. Maybe add a few exceptions for certain skills.

Ugh ogh... can o worms. Was a huge bru haw haw about an ability bypassing shield a while back till it was nuked cus of PvP this would be in the same vein and likely not generally accepted and/or well liked.

>>Ah, stancing, I thought it was going to let me actually not carry a shield. Good addition to make parry less dangerous to the user though.

Agreed except for:

-Shield is pretty usless now other than you need to carry one you dont actually have to train it.
-PvP is gonan get interesting unles your bashing each other in Meele ranged attacks just got pwnt pretty good.
-Creatures use same combat mechanics players do...Spells will hit a LOT less now same as ranged weapons.

I suppose Debilitation pretty much = absolute MUST for combat still not sure how I feel about this.

Really smakcs of "Easy Button = Win"

>>I don't think that's accurate. Literally all this does is push parry stance points into shield if you're stanced in parry and it's bypassed. If you have 0 shield skill, you're going to get shot in the face when the autostance shifts over.

Hmm... I still missing my coffee so slow a tad still not quite grasping this. So basicaly if I have 200 ranks in shield and 800 ranks in parry and stanced Evasion/Parry and I get shot at the "Auto stance" thing will convert my Parry ranks to shield ranks up to 200 ranks cus thats all I got in shield??

If that is how this works GREAT!! Three thumbs up... yeah

Still need to figgure out how creatures dont benefit from this to the point of you cant hunt now as well and how things like Backstab get get PWNT.

>>backstabbing always ignored shield

I dont think Backstab ignored shield ever but pretty sure it either ignored X of parry or flat out ignored parry. Now that the system has been changed to recognize "parry bypassing" attacks as pretty much ranged weapons/spells, Backstab now counts as a regular meele attack against parry perhaps?

>>Not so much as convert your ranks but convert your stance allocation. If you have 100% in parry stance and you're targeted by an attack which is not contested by parry at all, you will automatically stance to 100% shield instead.

Yeah I get that part thats the eze part to understand. What I was asking once that is done it uses what Parry Ranks or Shield Ranks? The logical answer is Shield Ranks and I'm hoping its Shield Ranks otherwise sounds like a HAX.

>>Yeah I get that part thats the eze part to understand. What I was asking once that is done it uses what Parry Ranks or Shield Ranks? The logical answer is Shield Ranks and I'm hoping its Shield Ranks otherwise sounds like a HAX.

Nothing changed other than not having to switch your stances yourself. Everything about how stances worked with ranks is the exact same. You just don't have to stay in an evasion/shield stance 100% of the time now.

Another question. When it "auto shifts" and I block the arrow/bolt/spell/thrown with my shield do I learn Shield from EXP standpoint or still only parry cus my stance is Evasion/Parry only... cus if I used a shield to block... should be shield. Now THAT be pretty awsome.

<< do monsters autostance?

No, this change only applies the players.

---

"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

I totally forgot about how EXP should work - but tested and it does appear that shield skill is correctly awarded. Let me know if you see otherwise please.

---

"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

>>Wonder how this affect buff spells and other boosters to evas/parry/shield when it's one or the other and goes all flip flopping around
This change ONLY affects STANCE POINT allocation. Buffs will buff their appropriate skills like normal.

I was just trying to think of some goofy things that might break it, like when you move stance points around creativly and can squeeze out a few extra stance % (might've been fixed - its been a few months since it told me I didn't have enough stance points when restancing to my presets), or like if you stance down attack and reallocate to a defense, or i think there's a paladin spell/skill(could be wrong on that) that adds to it?


_________________________________
An agonizing pain fills you as you feel your tongue turn to powder in your mouth! Through a haze of uncertainty and loss, you realize that something you just said was very wrong.

I found a bug with critters and defense-ignoring attacks. I'm having to gut another crapload of code and rewrite it :( Just give me a bit here please.

---

"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

Kodius, is there any way you can set the auto stance as a toggle option?

I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but there are occasions where I don't want shield checked for training purposes. I could just not wear or hold a shield I guess, but I'm incredibly lazy.

>But I have no clue why you'd ever want ranged attacks to ANNIHILATE you rather than shield block? By the time you have enough ranks to avoid the attack entirely with evasion, you'd be incapable of learning. And how is TOGGLE more/less work than STOW SHIELD?

Probably because sometimes you want to get hit with dillo webs to learn athletics? You could stance parry/evasion and defend against them but the shield would defend their web attack.

<<Probably because sometimes you want to get hit with dillo webs to learn athletics? You could stance parry/evasion and defend against them but the shield would defend their web attack.>>

=D. I can just stow the shield.