Development Cycle Archive
Thread: IC 1-9: Combat Roles; Pikeman
Given the basic considerations listed above, please answer the following questions:
What defines thePikeman role in combat?
First, the role of the pikemen in combat in medieval times were as massed polearm infantry. That is of no interest whatsoever in the star wars universe, however. The pikeman class encompasses the fighting style of two characters seen in the movies - Darth Maul and the Imperial Guard - and neither were in any way, shape or form near the medieval pikemen in equipment or fighting style. (We never did see the imperial guards fight, but a common impression - in the EU, definitely (Crimson Guard series)- seems to be they would probably be ... impressive. Most impressive.
Why do I claim this? It is obvious - the vibro lance is the weapon the guardsmen used, and pikeman is the combat template for the double lightsaber wielders.
However, going from there to say what role that actually was... that is beyond me, unfortunately. Darth Maul were highly mobile, highly aggressive, and took on two jedi with quite a bit of success. (He killed the master of the two, after all, but as a villain, he just had to go.). He did best in 1 vs. 1 but were also able to handle 1 vs. 2 successfully - which is why saying what that role is is beyond me, because it must be balanced.
Q. What basic combat elements should they possess?
Q. What offensive abilities?
A. Ability to take on crowds of people. Ability to do sweeps. Longest range of all melees
Q. What defensive abilities?
A. Ability to block.
Q. What unique abilities?
A. Single Target Knockdown with a hit combo.
Q. Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
A. Can knockdown, dizzy, stun, hit groups of targets.
Q. How could/should they interact with other professions?
A. Weaponcrafter for Lance. Can team with a heavy swordsman to be very effective. (Pike knocks down, swordsman hits with bonus cuz they are knocked down). Pikeman can deal the most damage out of all melees.
Q. What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
A. Pikemen are less maneuverable vs other melees when ranged combat is concerned. They should take the most damage vs ranged.
Q. What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
A. Foot Soldier
Q. What defines the Pikeman role in combat?
High Damage out-put, ablity to maintain aggro.
Q. What basic combat elements should they possess?
A form of Meditate as should all brawler elite classes since they all are a Martial Arts form and thus should all share in that benefit, keep the current stlyes and move the AOE and Spin attacks in the same line would make more since, and add a meditate line over the stances one.
Q. What offensive abilities?
A. Only miss 1/4 the time instead of over half the time, I have died more times then I can remember because I couldn't hit the mob one last time to finish it off.
Q. What defensive abilities?
A. Dodge and type of parry would be nice to see, so that the mitagation is not the only real damage defense we have in pvp.
Q. What unique abilities?
A. More then 4 weapons to choose from
Q. Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
A. Higher knockdown rate, with a AOE type attack.
Q. How could/should they interact with other professions?
A. They should be around to protect the range attackers agenst melee combatents.
Q. What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
A.Well currently they are dependtent on doctors to rez them since their attacks kill them more then most mobs do, but a range fighter is a good dependancy since most melees cant kill people who stay at 55m out, well except TKA since they seem to be gods for some stupid reason.
Q. What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
A. Front of the charge going in at clearing a base out.
Or it can be based on your weapon.
Use a fast, lightly damaging highly accurate pike for when you want to be defensive. Use a slow highly damaging inaccuracte pike for when you want to put out massive amounts of damage.
My personal view is that they should be able to hold off entire groups of enemies at a time.
The weapon a Pikeman weilds is used to block attacks while simultaneously damaging another attacking oponent. It is all about versatility. If you are one vs. one you will be able to recover from blocking a blow very quickly and be able to strike back in an instant. If you are one vs. multiple targets you will be able to block multiple blows while hitting multiple targets. A single move with a polearm against multiple targets should be able to block and hit.
The only decent example of a polearm in action and it being used properly is (God forgive me for this
) in the matrix. When Neo is in the courtyard and fighting hundreds of Smiths, he picks up a sign post and starts swinging away. I'm really really sorry that i brought that movie into this, lol, but that particular seen illustrates very effective usage of a polearm. It depicted AoE KD's and several other moves indigenous to the pike.
What defines thePikeman role in combat?
The Pikeman is the melee crowd controler. The Melee Fighter's Heavy Tank, does less damage per hit than a heavy swordman, doesn't hit as fast as a fencer, but is damn good at tanking and very hard to kill.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
A great melee defense, good melee offense, and crowd control abilities.
What offensive abilities?
Pikemen should be able to keep on close combat a whole group of ennemies. To do that, they need Point Blank Area of Effect KnockDown moves.
What defensive abilities?
As they don't hit as hard as TKA or Heavy Swordmen (wich isn't normal), they should have better defense. Polearms are great weapons, protecting the whole body from attacks, from the feet to the head, that's why pikemen should have big defenses versus knockdown or dizzy and a better melee defense.
What unique abilities?
Pikemen should be the unique melee profession able to fight while mounting because their long weapon allow them to hit an opponent from very far away. They also should be able to use their melee specials while mounting.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
Pikemen are the group's main tank, or really should be. To do that, it should be able to keep ennemies on close combat with him, in order to let medics and range fighters do their job without being attacked, that's why AE Knockdowns/Dizzy/Posture Down and crowd control abilities are needed. Pikemen also needa better melee defense.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
Pikeman isn't a support profession, it goes fast into close combat, the interactions between it and the other professions are the same than other melee professions.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
To me, each combattant is different, hits a different pool, but the four combattants should be balanced. I mean that if the fencer hits 3 times when the pikeman hits 1 time, the pikeman should be able to make as much damage in one hit than the fencer in 3 hits. Other melee combattants are here to help the pikeman tank by taking on them other ennemies, and ranged fighters just hit the ennemies that are fighting with the pikeman as hard as they can, to reduce tanking time.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
I had a dream last time ... in my dream, there was an army, a rebel army defending Hoth. There was snipers hiden into the snowy mountains and headshoting stormtroopers, there was artisans using turrets, there was carbineers doing support fire for the melee fighters that were charging ... The melee fighters were of 4 types. First, there were Teras Kasi Artists, they were just few because Teras Kasi is a jedi art, then came fencers and heavy swordmen on close combat with stormtroopers, and finaly came Pikemen ... a Pikemen Cavalry ! There was a great charge of pikemen mounting taunt-taunts, that type of strange snowy cu-pa, charging very fast and hitting ennemies with their long heavy polearms ... that was beautiful ! The unique role of pikemen in the GCW should be ... two roles as well 
First, melee tanker, then, cavalry.
Addition
WE NEED TO BE FIXED, WE CAN'T HAVE ANY ROLE IF WE DON'T HIT OUR ENNEMIES ! PLEASE MAKE PIKEMEN MORE USEFUL ! GIVE US MORE ACCURACY !
To add a bit of science to the discussion of offense vs. defense...
A melee weapon's innate force on impact will be mainly due to its momentum (conservation of energy). Momentum is mass x velocity. The longer the lever arm (i.e. the length of the shaft), the greater the velocity of the end of the weapon for a given swing. The heavier the mass at the end, the more momentum. So, a long weapon with a big heavy thing on the end has the most force on impact per a given swing.
Translation into Polearm v. fencer v. Swordsman v. unarmed:
Heaviest damage dealers should be swordsman- longest lever arm, greatest mass at the end (axe, powerhammer, etc.). Its not easy to block with a heavy weapon though, so weak defense.
Second should be polearm- second longest lever arm, less mass or equal mass than swordsman weapons. Don't be confused into thinking polearm has the longest lever arm- watch the animations. They are held in the center. Moreover, to swing a heavy polearm head downwards, you are also brining up the other end- this is harder to do. Less velocity. On the other hand, because of thier overall length, they are excpetionally good at area attacks and blocking. Accordingly, high defense.
Then Fencers-lighter weapon, more accurate, perhaps stronger specials as they can pinpoint specificweaknesses in armor due to their controls. Should have decent defense due to the ability to get the weapon around to block.
Unarmed- blah. Should be weakest as things are now. Throws and grappling are really the only way they would beeffective against someone holding a weapon.
So, i think Pikeman should be the best or second best defenders, and the second best offensors (i didn't want to say "offenders"). Maybe overpowering, but hey, you've been gimped long enough...
Also,i suggest a damage bonus to large targets such as rancors-the truevalue of a really long weapon.