The Anticipated update to the combat system…Opinions?

Well?

It's definitely one of those wait-and-see things

It'll no doubt cause massive economic turmoil and change most known strategies in game, and whether that'll be worth it for the rebalancing we get, who knows?

It's not enough. While I'm glad that stats will be shifted around and the LP will be boosted through armor, they refuse to split Magic and Ranged, meaning that their classes won't have as much specialization, and I don't think their going to rework the way armor is made.

The stats may be shifted, but the classes are still gypt in the way their equipment is made and specialized.

They could always just make attack non-specific to melee. Your general combat prowess is controlled through attack, as well as the skill to wield weapons. Your physical strength, mental brawn and dexterous endurance are controlled by Strength, Magic and Ranged respectively.

Will this rework hit cost-per-damage?

Good question. In theory, no. Cost-per-damage is governed by the economy so, in time, it should go back to what it was before hand.

In practice, yes. JaGex will probably throw us a curveball that messes everything up. I dunno what it will be, but the odds are something will be put in that confuses everything...

Melee's high upfront cost with little risk; verses range with both high upfront and moderate cost-per-attack; and then magics mere cost-per-attack.

Does death treat stacks as singular items with net worth, yet?

I dunno, they changed death's mechanics recently, but I can't honestly say I've been running around getting killed enough to know how they work now.

Why do you ask?

They are other issues with combat beyond just damage potential and defence potential.

Yup and Jagex also said that even though they aren't creating a split in magic, they'll award combat and non-combat spells differently? Which would be in essence two skills, right?

Lunar Magic is still a glaring flaw in magic. While using it, combat magic doesn't exist.

But it wasn't designed to have combative purpose...

And for some reason that won't be a problem when the update happens when people use combat magic to train themselves in combat magic, thus somehow getting more adept whereas if you spend your time alching shit, you have a significantly reduced advantage.

It is weird and can be made so less complex...

3mptylord wrote:They could always just make attack non-specific to melee. Your general combat prowess is controlled through attack, as well as the skill to wield weapons. Your physical strength, mental brawn and dexterous endurance are controlled by Strength, Magic and Ranged respectively.

Will this rework hit cost-per-damage?

I'm actually under the impression that this is a planned part of the combat overhaul. Attack being just your general attacking ability, and accuracy, Strength governing Melee damage, Ranged governing Ranged damage, and Magic governing Magic damage.

Slayer Noir wrote:Good question. In theory, no. Cost-per-damage is governed by the economy so, in time, it should go back to what it was before hand.

In practice, yes. JaGex will probably throw us a curveball that messes everything up. I dunno what it will be, but the odds are something will be put in that confuses everything...

I hope they throw a curveball that works I'd really like to see more strategy-based combat, almost like the way League of Legends works, in terms of the attacks and such, in that you have basic attacks, and then a few stronger specials.

If magic was to become a more versatile combat style, the price of runes would skyrocket as would essence, meaning a good line of trade for people who supply the resources, meaning law running could become a big thing again, with people after the runes for training and people crafting for the money.

Perhaps this is what RuneSpan is about and most likely will be released at roughly the same time. Mage is still very disadvantaged against melee, their only advantaged being cited as binding, but it is an advantage that promises little and many don't use it. If it were to be given a boost by the combat overhaul, rune prices would rise tremendously under normal circumstances and magic would become a harder to train skill. RuneSpan would counteract a market scare by becoming a highly versatile means of training rune crafting so that the more valuable runes are more easily attainable (sadly Death Runes are still a tricky one) and prices would remain steady.

See, if doesn't take a WoW-style list of abilities to make combat engaging. League of Legends manages with 4.

OMG, Dharok's is so going to have Undying Rage. So OP. >_<

Morb, the developers of the RuneSpan think it'll push rune prices up because people will no longer make them to train.

push it up? I agree with morb in that it would allow people to make more runes. Also, with the anticipated combat update, maybe people's expectations will drive the prices up back to their normal equilibrium...although the RS economy is known to rather extreme...

I dunno, I trust the developers on this one. I think they'll know better than we do whether the majority make runes for money or for training.

And yeah, the RuneScape economy is a monster. So many things stop it acting like a normal one.

Runes like Death, Blood, Law and Nature would face a steady decline in price with Runespan's release, by some of the runes that sit inbetween elemental and the more sought after could have an increase in price.

With less of the mid-level runes being crafted for training because Runespan is more effective, they'll become more scarce. However, with players seeking higher level runes, more will craft them and their prices will drop.

Thank goodness for RuneScape Wiki; it finally made sense.

I hope Summoning is included in being modified.

well the max level is going to be level 200. wtf. The formula punishes me for having defense my third highest combat stat. I will become level 159. I like being 103. -.-

and fuck; to get cb xp on my warped terrorbird assignment I have to fight those damn 149 birds. Those three from the Path of Glouphrie quest sucked balls. I like my level 81 birds which still challenging to kill 25 in a full invy. Level 70 slayer...you will come slowly.

and you know, it will be impossible to cheaply train ranged. Now I have to use chins on mummies in the Chaos Tunnels. I am not made of money.

Why must my life suck trying to keep my combat level low?

also to level my magic level properly for Void Stares Back, it will raise my level again... to 160!

I have to admit...I was a little shellshocked when I saw the new formula. Simple is a good thing, if I can do the calculations easily in my head that's good, but when you make it so simple that combat level tells you nothing...what the hell? I mean seriously. Consider two simple level 200 accounts, 99 def+99attack, hell, give em both 99 strength too. If one of those has 99 summoning and the other none, if one has 99 prayer and the other 70, if one has some high power mage spells up his sleeve, then they will destroy the other.

Ikr! it seems so drastic and unlbalanced. Apparently they will talk about it more the next OG Blog comes out. Maybe they were thinking along the lines of the Crucible where everyone has outrageous stats and willbe paired up against an enemy with similar stats, forgetting the effects of the game as a whole. It might become a meaningless stat that people only care about to train on something (since you can only gain combat xp from monsters who are within 30/50 levels under you and any above) .

I have another theory as an attempt to bring importance back to the defense skill as I've noticed from whatever they talked about in the blog.

Whatever it is, I believe that the new combat level doesn't adequately display a person's capabilities. Sure someone with a level 99 combat stat can have the same combat level as me (159) with having 58 defense. It is horribly deceiving.

The new combat level feels fine in PVM. But in PVP they should definitely add a support level (like they currently do with Summoning).

Perhaps simply: Prayer + (1/2 * Summoning) + (if > 80, Herblore - 80, 0)

Also, I think that the actual formula does represent all you need to know. A level 200 has access to everything offered by at least one combat style: they can wield everything, use every ability. It doesn't matter what other skills they have: since it's apparently "balanced" now. You can't hide 90 Magic behind 200 combat level...

The current formula tells you nothing anyway. It ignores Magic and Ranged if you have high Attack, as it will now. The only thing that's changed is your ability to deceive by having high support skills has been removed.

New combat formula is terrible. I've been waiting to say it here since I saw it.

Hmm, they are apparently going to add double wielding to the game. I think that this feature could be an intresting one, and give a fairly fun playing experience if done correctly