Shattered Kingdoms

Let's imagine that 100 giant spiders all tried to attack Bob at the same time.

Two strange things would happen.

One: Bob would be able to concentrate just as much energy, and have just as much success in parrying, dodging and shield blocking the attacks of each of the 100 spiders, as would he have success against just one spider. His defense is apparantly entirely passive and instantaneous. Even though he can only attack six times, he can block forty times in the same time period.

Two: Each of the 100 spiders would be able to attack him, just as effectively as if there was only one spider. The spiders would not get in each other's way in the race to get a bite out of Bob. Even if Bob was in a formation, effectively limiting his supposed exposed surface area by having allies behind him and flanking him, the 100 spiders could fit into the 180 degrees in front of him (with one spider for each 1.8th of a degree) and each would attack him, undisrupted by the other spiders.

Is this realistic? No.

Is this how we want the game to function?

?

Because the algorithms to make the game realistic to that point would be a nightmare for one person to code.

Of all the things SK needs to change, this is not one of them.

What he said.

If you want to be realistic then you should make it so that the little agile guy with a box cutter mutilates that guy with the greatsword. Fights are won with speed in the real world, smaller faster weapons mess you up. Armor is nice and all but it limits your movements and makes you vulnerable to other types of attacks. So if we want to get all realistic, armor should be broken down into subcategories and then material type. Armor should impact your speed and ability to dodge based on type and material and make you vulnerable to specific attacks that will decimate you. Now when we go up into weapons, the bigger and heavier it gets the more damage it does but it's really hard to swing big weapons. So if you want to be realistic great axes, great swords, bills, and other massive weapons should never break one attack without haste, their accuracy should also depend highly upon the target, smaller and faster is going to be harder to hit big lunks in plate are going to be easier. Then you have to factor in shields and the different types of shields, material of the shield, weight of the shield, application of the shield. While we're making things realistic ALL magic needs removed from the game and once you are dead you are dead. Get rid of hitpoints too, if you get hit it should factor in the surface that got hit and what major organs or arteries were damaged.

Seriously though smaller weapons should be more feared, I will take my box cutter over my machete in any fight.

If you are taking it as just space filled and attacking. If you are factoring in a swarm pattern you need to calculate the position of all the attackers in relation to the target and each other. The amount of accuracy would be variable as the attackers move around the attacked. The one being attacked would also have variable concentration based on the location of the attacker. being able to see three attackers allows you to track and react to their movements, being unable to see your third attacker makes it much harder to track his movements, this will increase and decrease vulnerability.

I wasn't thinking in 2d

Have you ever been in a fight? You sound like you've never been in a fight.

Real fights or training?

The effective threat range of a person wielding an edged weapon is the length of their arm and the length of the edged weapon. The longer weapon has an inherent advantage. Just as a spear has an advantage over a shortsword. The threat radius the spear wielder has is larger than your supposed knife wielder. The only scenario where the guy with a box cutter holds an advantage is if both opponents are already within threat range of each other, and the guy with the greatsword has not yet drawn his weapon.

Armor is also not that heavy. A well-crafted suit only has to weigh about 40 lbs. And that is distributed over your body. That is less than most soldiers in the US army carry around in their packs, you know, because reasons.

You negate their range by stepping into their swinging arc. Once you are up close and stop their ability to use their reach they are pretty much sol, at this point they either have the choice to drop the large weapon and go hand to hand or attempt to switch weapons. Lighter materials are going to offer less protection and it also depends on the type of armor being used. I should rephrase that I will take my box cutter in the majority of fights, the machete or short sword would be advantageous in some fights. General rule of thumb is the smaller the blade the harder it is to follow in a fight, it makes parrying, dodging, or even tracking it more difficult and easier to land a blow. Any armor will restrict your movements, I don't care the weight, when you strap something rigid over your body it interferes with natural body movement, even chain will tug at you and slow you down.