Fixing Melee

#1

Dynamic interactions equal engaging gameplay. For example, part of the reason playing fireteam can get boring is the monotony of the missions, because they always have the same submissions and outcome. (Maybe sometimes the target should not be a body double or sometimes disabling the pump station should not lead to shooting all the pipes)

Anyway, I was thinking that one way to fix melee (make predator melee more intimidating, but not overpowered) would be to add a dynamic multiplier attached to health. For example at full health, melee would be about 25% stronger than it is currently, at 75% Predator health, melee would back to current values, at 50% health melee would be about 75%, and at 25%, and less, melee would be 50% of current values.

Example of clear numbers.
Hunter damage
100 - 76% health 37.5 damage with wristblades
75 - 51% health 30 damage with wristblades
50 - 26% health 22.5 damage with wristblades
25% or less health 15 damage with wristblades

Ranged damage would remain unchanged, giving the incentive to change tactics after taking damage as the predator, leading to more dynamic battles.

A similar mechanic could be applied to fireteam stamina by tying stamina and remaining health, so low health equals less stamina.

Thanks for reading.

@OldKingHamlet
@Courier

6 Likes
#2

I’m ok with melee actually being intimidating

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5 Likes
#3

As long as the the mission length is the same I’m fine with that.

As for melee I don’t think it’d fix melee outright but I like the idea.

Also remove parries

#4

There could be a tree that goes to different submissions. So let’s say the “predator body” is in the first location on Excavation. Rather than ending by destroying the body, the mission could continue into the caves to complete a new objective, like securing technology or destroying records.

1 Like
#5

Just removing parries completely would make melee much too powerful. Maybe making parries COMPLETELY drain fireteam stamina would be a balanced approach.

#6

When you consider melee leaves you way more vulnerable then ranged does, it’s still balanced. In fact I say melee would still be worse.

#7

Maybe the FT can get 2-3 parry’s off before he’s out of stam?

1 Like
#8

Maybe that would help?

I don’t have much of a problem landing my melee attacks by varying the timing of my attacks. I’m just trying to think of what might help predator players that feel like parry is too strong.

#9

A single parry should drain all the stamina of a fireteam player. This would make it so that a sole fireteam player is unable to win a 1v1 with the predator. If a predator catches a fireteam player while they are isolated from the team then the predator should be able to easily kill that player.

The whole purpose of the parry is to stun the predator long enough so that the rest of the team can damage the predator. The parry is not supposed to be abused in 1v1 situations.

6 Likes
#10

I don’t think a single parry should. I’m definitely more in line with 3 strikes and you’re out line of thinking. I say that because in reality most players are so potato that they don’t react to a melee pred enough to find their teammate getting railed and shoot. So for fairness in that regard I think at least 2, maybe 3 parries is fair

#11

One parry is enough, this will allow melee playstyles for predators to be more viable. Maybe a fireteam class that has more stamina can perform an extra parry.

Potato players deserve to get annihilated by a melee predator.

2 Likes
#12

I don’t think this would work as right now the biggest deterrent for.melee.play is ft.dps at close range and far range to some extent so

If all were doing is making the first hit do more dmg but then on the 2nd hit the predator has lost half or more hp nothing has changed

And again if we’re assuming predator started attacking from a position that ft couldn’t shoot him then nothing has changed and this addition doesn’t help at all aside from making bad ft player feel like Predator melee is too strong like they already do I’m sure

To make.melee more viable we either need to make parry worse reduce ft.dmg output or give some kind of active toolset that affects predators melee

1 Like
#13

Well, if you attack from a position where you can get shot from, you’re not really playing predator well. Especially since the cloak invisibility buff from way back.

#14

Except they removed that buff to cloak because FT complained it was too op

#15

Came to post this.

#16

I thought they mentioned parry takes away stamina, but you are still able to parry with no stamina like 10 times in a row with a support.

Guess they need to make that work first eh?

#17

I don’t think so. Still invisible at 45m last time I checked.

#18

Melee is weird in this game because it messes up the way most of the game functions. Predator range weapons are more skill-based, FT weapons are hitscan, but in melee, predator can mash buttons and hope that the tracking keeps the accuracy up and a FT member can do things to ensure a parry. A FT member that wants to parry can increase their odds if they maintain distance, watch timing, aim correctly, and move correctly.

As FT, to solo a pred that is meleeing, you should maintain about 2 steps distance from the Pred (if you get too far, pred can melee attack without FT being able to parry). If pred backs up out of parry range and melee attacks, strafe to the right to dodge (pred’s melee attacks have a bias towards Pred’s right shoulder to make melee attacks make more sense with pred’s over-the-shoulder camera). Timing-wise, FT should swing the knife just after the pred’s attack animation starts. For aim, bearing in mind how the over-the-shoulder camera adjusts where the attack is coming from on the pred, FT should be aiming halfway between the predator’s right shoulder and sternum, that’s more or less right under where the pred’s camera view is and so where the pred’s attack is actually “coming” from.

Preds don’t have nearly as much influence in the chances of their melee strikes actually hitting.

Melee is balanced the way it is in terms of outcomes because Illfonic wants to encourage the predator to do hit-and-run tactics, get in, kill, get out, heal, come back and just slowly whittle away the team. But melee is broken mechanically, it encourages predator to just mash button without thinking to do the combo and gives FT the skill option. A predator engaging in melee is ceding a lot of influence of their own skill and giving FT member skill more influence.

#19

I think they increased the amount it takes away, but it’s inconsequential.

It would have to take about half your stamina per parry to really make a difference, because stamina is constantly regenerating.

#20

Actually, the first wristblade attack is too fast to reaction parry, so, in a 1v1, you can control the battle by circling the FT and picking them apart with single attacks, as long as you don’t become predictable.

You can similarly use the Eder sword and Alpha sickle at an angle to the FT and the edge of the attack is either extremely hard or impossible to parry.

Finally, the combistick can inflict damage beyond parry range, so that’s easy to exploit.