Combat sucks

[Kaios]

What exactly is the issue with IP stacking?

Opening up a spar with an ally or allies allowed a player to build IP on their friends before battle and then switch to their target to use that IP when they needed to lower their openings. This was fixed by making defenses give IP instead of cost it but honestly I think that has been the worst change made to combat so far.

[Sevenless]

So the giving IP is an issue because you can use it on the enemy I'm guessing?

Sounds like the fix would be to make IP unique to each combat relationship and keeping the "defenses don't cost IP" to me. That way you can't gain any benefit by having an alt stack on you. Seems like defenses giving IP as a cost would need a rework though, since switching your combat relationship would negate that cost.

Unless I'm missing something?

[Kaios]

So the giving IP is an issue because you can use it on the enemy I'm guessing?

They give IP now, they used to cost IP before. Dash, Artful Evasion and Zig-Zag Ruse all give IP to your opponent when you use them instead of them costing your own IP. This is the change that was made to negate IP stacking on your allies in spar because when those defense cards cost IP instead you could switch over to your spar ally and use the IP you built on them to lower your openings.

As well due to this change there was less of a need for IP in fights so you could get by with using take aim only which prompted the next changes to take aim and think adjusting their cooldowns and making them mostly useless.

Sounds like the fix would be to make IP unique to each combat relationship and keeping the "defenses don't cost IP" to me. That way you can't gain any benefit by having an alt stack on you. Seems like defenses giving IP as a cost would need a rework though, since switching your combat relationship would negate that cost.

Unless I'm missing something?

IP is unique to each combat relationship already but nothing else is which is why it worked so well to build IP on an ally since it's not really possible or logical to also make the openings unique to each combat relationship.

[Sevenless]

Ok, I thought you meant IP stacking on allies was still useful (I didn't realize IP was unique per combat relationship, or at least hadn't thought about it enough. I misread what you meant and thought that you meant IP wasn't unique). I understand what the various moves in combat do fairly well, but not how it all comes together in group or solo pvp.

So what exactly are the issues you see with the combat system as it stands currently? I see you don't like it, but I don't understand what about it you don't like specifically.

[Kaios]

I already explained I thought, IP stacking on allies was/is a bad thing but the resulting changes from attempting to fix it are what made combat worse in my opinion. Combat was in a fairly good state before other than the IP stacking on allies being a thing.

IP building using take aim and think with the new cooldowns is slow and in a fight it's very difficult to build any meaningful amount of IP using them so the alternative to building IP with take aim and think is to build IP with other means instead. Whether that be using quick barrage or death or glory or just spamming punches in order to force the opponent in to using IP giving defenses. However this creates a scenario that favours stats over skill as it's obviously much easier for a higher stat player to withstand your attacks and build IP on you or simply keep the pressure on you instead, whittling you down with punches and the occasional cleave/sting/full circle whatever they are using.

[Sevenless]

Much clearer for me now, thanks Kaios.

[ChildhoodObesity]

the only way to beat someone who outstatted you heavily was to surprise them with some combat med shit which can be predictable still and now combat med strats arent viable due to the high ip requirements need maybe some surprise type moves (nooby suggested some that could be cool), a reversal of the ip change or a much smaller cap. DoG may be better working similar to legacy where its giving ip every time someone uses any type of move on you even if its take aim. currently trying to gain ip with DoG just to switch to combat med to try some kind of upset requires you to just sit there gaining ip as someone beats the shit out of you with uppercut xd

[Kaios]

When two fighters are using combat med against each other it really speeds up the momentum of the battle and I think it's moments like that which determine who is winning because of their stats and who is actually more skillful of a fighter. It made me think that bringing back something like combat intensity could make combat a little more challenging and interesting but I am uncertain how that would effect the current combat we have now and whether or not it would meld together well.

Uppercut too powerful 30 damage punch for no ip cost plz nerf.

[jorb]

Working on it.