Fine points of defense with Melee weapons

[Hedge-o-Matic]

I love Duel, and have been playing it almost exclusively since v2 came out. But I was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers regarding the manner in which defense works. I often see weapons clash even during attacks, but it seems to me that defense (alt-fire) seems to be an invitation to get cut. Badly. My attempts to practice this online have resulted in a string of kills. For my opponants. Until I can get a grip on this, my dueling will be a bit attack-heavy.

BTW: Daggers and Katana. Rock on.

[Shadowstar]

Hitting block doesn't automatically make you block all incoming attacks. You have to aim the block. This may be a little difficult online due to lag, and probably isn't even possible on 56k, but it's basically what you have to do. It would be virtually impossible to code the game to automatically make your character move your weapon wherever it needed to go to block an attack, since that would require actual code manipulation of the model. Since models rely on animations to move, there is just no way to do it from the code level, without creating a specific animation for each possible location the weapon could be moved to in relation to the facing of the body, and then designing a complicated code system to somehow read an incoming attack, and then cue the proper animation to block it. Not to mention how much more lag that would add to online play, what with all that extra processing and info needing to be sent over the net.

Either play offline, get a faster connection, or dodge instead of block.

[Hedge-o-Matic]

I've got an excellent connection, don't want to play offline, and have absolutely no problem learning by doing. Okay, I understand you have to interpose the weapon with the attack. Good enough. I guess the defense button just puts the weapon in a position to defend? If so, very nice. Even better than an auto-defense, as it requires more skill. Thanks!

[Shadowstar]

Yes, that's basically it. Also, the blocks you see during attacks are actually parries. It is possible to block with an attack. Basically, the only real rule when it comes to defense is that if thier weapon hits your weapon, it's a block. The secret to blocking effectively is to find some way to put your weapon between thier weapon and you. If you can do that, you'll be able to block. If you've got a good connection, you should be able to do it online just fine.

The blocking moves are generalized, basically, it tries to put the weapon in the best position to block most incoming attacks. It doesn't always work, but some things you can try:

Crouch while blocking: This creates less leg and foot space to be struck by an attack. People will often crouch and attack to get in a shot to the legs, which are typically unguarded.

Block while retreating: The further you are from your opponent, the less chance they will be able to get a sustained hit on you, and thus the more likely they will be to hit your weapon instead of your flesh.

Circle-strafing: This is probably the most effective defensive tactic. If you block while strafing, the weapon should move to a side-angled position, ideal for blocking an attack from an opponent to the side you're strafing away from.

With the new patch, melee combat has changed, namely it is no longer possible to get egregiously wounded by being hit at the beginning or end of an opponent's swing. So, all you have to do is focus on blocking the brunt of thier attack (mid-swing) and you should be fine, though you may still get a flesh wound or two.

[Hedge-o-Matic]

Got it. Sweet. Finally, a game that uses the actual models to strike and block! Don't change this!