Stuns, Knockbacks and other "Friction"

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Spaghoodles#7017 wrote:

This post is meant as feedback for some of the game mechanics like heavy stuns, knockdown, knock back effects, etc.

There's a category of effects in this game that seem aimed at creating "friction" for the player. In other words, mechanics that are designed to slow the player down by presenting obstacles and challenges. Obstacles and challenges are obviously important in any game: the game places problems in front of the player, the player develops solutions to those problems and experiences a sense of reward.

Some obstacles/mechanics in this game create a degree of friction, obstruction or risk that FEEL disproportionate to the obstacle in question. Some examples of those obstacles are:

jars and ground debris - often very small, trivial, non-threatening, yet cannot be rolled over or otherwise moved around, despite being tiny in size and seemingly easy to step over. Generally feel like a nuisance.

falling while sprinting - feels like tripping over your shoe laces, incredibly punishing, even if you are just getting tapped by a small mob or struck with a stray projectile.

Monster knock back and push effects - small, relatively non threatening monsters that push your character large distances with no apparent visual or mechanical logic (the monster doesn't look like it should be pushing you, the attack animation or monster model does not signal it is going to push or pull you out of position)

When small or seemingly inconsequential obstacles produce high amounts of friction or risk it often feels like the player is being obstructed by the game system rather than by legible in-game effects. It feels buggy, glitchy, or overly frustrating.

Some suggestions to adjust the friction of these obstacles or redesign their visual game representations:

jars and ground debris - allow players to break these by rolling. Still prevents unimpeded movement but allows player to use a simple and logical movement mechanic that everyone has access to.

Monster push and knock back effects - reduce the frequency of these, and tie them to monsters with specific push/knock back or pull animations (for example the lost men that charge you with a shield). Rather than pushing players across the screen, apply a stagger or knock back animation on the player that functions like a light stun. Something similar to when the player sprint is interrupted by a wall.

Falling while sprinting - remove the heavy stun and replace it with a light stun, stagger effect that interupts the player's sprint for majority of incoming attacks. This could use the stun bar in the same way that active block does. Apply a full knockdown only if the player stun bar is filled while sprinting, otherwise treat it the same way as when the player sprints into a wall. Maybe the player is sent momentarily reeling from small hits but recovers at the same rate as a light stun.

just some thoughts, though obviously there are probably many ways to address these issues while still presenting the game play the devs want.