                         
                         * MELEE Tactics *
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When your Warrior is challenged to a contest in the Arena by another
on-line player, he had better be prepared to fight smartly.  The Combat
Strategy option, available in the Main Menu, allows you to select an
appropriate strategy for your Warrior.  The letters shown in brackets
for each of the following items refer to the choices available to the
strategy options.
     
[A] FIGHTING STRATEGIES

A Warrior's strategies can be loosely grouped into three basic modes:
Defensive, Cautious, or Aggressive. Each of these modes can further
be defined by other combat determinations, but the overall strategy will 
often set the tone for any given melee.

A Warrior in the defensive mode is often characterized by a very deliberate
or nonexistent advance, and will often attempt to use an opponent's
aggressiveness against him. Defensive strategies are often employed by those
who lack great physical speed or who are using a slow, powerful weapon.
One who is a master of the smooth, quick counter is fantastic to watch and
usually admired by the crowds. There is something that seems appealing in the
cool customer who systematically takes apart an opponent strictly by using
the other guy's attacks against him....

But not all Warriors have the physical attributes or mental discipline to
start--and stay!--with a defensive strategy. Many lose their cool after
taking a wound or when their active defense is used against them.

A Warrior practicing caution will still probe his opponent, seeking the weak 
spots while attempting to leave as little an opening as possible for his 
opponent to capitalize on. This is perhaps the safest strategy for someone 
who has given little thought to his weapon selection with regard to body 
type, mental attribute, and/or combat environment.

Lastly there is the aggressive Warrior. The strategy is simple rely on
strength, speed, stamina, ability to sustain wounds, armor and guts or luck
to rain enough blows on the enemy to overwhelm him before he can hurt you
too badly. It takes a special mind set and physical build to make this
strategy pay off consistently, since the aggressive attacker must expect to
incur wounds and be able to continue the attack. But boy, do the crowds ever
love to watch two of these types go against each other!

[B] PRIMARY TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY

This tactic allows you to select the body area of your opponent where your
Warrior will direct most of his attacks. While this can be an emotional
decision, the wise, old Warriors set this tactic in their minds only after
doing thorough research on an opponent, and they use this mind set to take
advantage of a real weakness in the opponent.

[C] PERCENT OF THE TIME TO ATTACK THE PRIMARY TARGET

There is a real subtlety to using this tactical mind set. One who spends all
his energy attacking a perceived weakness in his opponent becomes
predictable, allowing other potential challengers to prepare for such attacks
by beefing up their armor and defensive strategies. On the other hand, the
Warrior who doesn't go at the enemy's weakness often enough is likely to be
less effective in combat.

[D] PRIMARY FOCUS OF DEFENSE

Obviously, the area which the Warrior has identified as either 1) his weak
point or Achilles Tendon, or 2) that area where his opponent is expected to
target most of his attacks. Warriors who try to out-think their enemies can
get into as much trouble here as those who don't think about their enemy at
all! This is where you will you choose the area of your body that you will
cover with your shield--if you have one. If you are covering this portion
with your shield when the enemy tries to hit it, you will automatically
block the blow and take no damage.

[E] PERCENT OF THE TIME TO DEFEND THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF DEFENSE

Naturally, a Warrior who always protects his head is soon going draw hosts
of opponents who are determined to chop his legs out from under him. Varying
your defensive focus will throw some uncertainty into the equation, making
your defense less predictable. How often do you want to cover the body area
you identified in [D] above?

[F] PRIMARY DEFENSIVE OPTION

Which particular defense are you going to use most often, the block, the
parry, or the counter? A block is usually the best, percentage-wise, but is
also the most damaging to one's equipment, since it is without finesse and
is tossed up there simply to catch the opponent's blow before it clobbers
you. Blocks tend to be hard on weapons and have even been known to shatter
weapons which have not been properly maintained.

The parry is more difficult to master, but is much easier on your equipment:
the idea is to deflect an attack rather than simply stop it. Ideally the
deflection will leave the attacker open for a riposte. It is possible for a
clumsy, hard parry to shatter a weapon, but it is MUCH less common than the
block.

Lastly, the counter is the hallmark of a master. The idea is simply to avoid
the blow and strike your own, taking advantage of the opening that is offered
by every fully-committed attack. The counter requires exquisite timing,
coordination, and awareness all backed by lots of experience. Few Warriors
without a fair amount of time spent training under a master, can execute a
successful counter with any reliability. Note that you cannot kill someone,
or beat them into submission with a counter. You can, however, stun them,
leaving them with no ability to fight; then you can deliver the Coup de
Grace at leisure.

[G] PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME TO USE THE PRIMARY DEFENSE AGAINST A SURE HIT

It takes little training for a Warrior to know when an opponent's attack is
going to strike home. This tactic is merely a programming of the subconscious
to use a specific defense a certain amount of the time when it becomes
apparent that a blow is going to hit. Plain and simple, it allows a slightly
better chance of catching that uncatchable attack. The wise Warrior will not
lose sight of the fact that to be predictable is to be beaten, and that only
the foolish will use the same last-resort defense all the time. When you pull
your attack to execute this last-ditch defense, it throws off your timing a
little, and will more than likely force you to pass your next attack
opportunity, so it is not wise to set this too high, or you will spend all
your time defending and not throwing attacks of your own!

[H] GRANTING QUARTER TO A BEATEN ENEMY

Ah, here is where things really get tense in the Arena. All else being equal,
how often will you spare an opponent who has either surrendered or been
knocked unconscious by your attacks? In a Blood Match it's expected that you
take the other Warrior's life, but what about a normal match?

Reputations are made here, and a Warrior's Infamy is directly tied to his
decisions at such times. On the other hand, if a Warrior gains a name for
killing all his opponents, no matter what, then he's certain to end up 
fighting every match to the death, since it is suicidal to surrender to
him ... and every round fought increases the chances of that unlucky 
critical hit.

[I] SURRENDER CRITERION

At what point will the Warrior surrender the fight? A Warrior can decide he
will surrender at first blood or he can decide that he will fight to the
death. The Warrior falling into the latter category often wins a large prize,
but rarely lasts for long; after all, there is only so much that modern
medicine can accomplish, and only a fool tests the fates with EVERY fight.
It also takes a remarkable amount of Will to fight even unto death. Warriors
who consistently fight until they lose consciousness suffer a pretty fair
chance of being maimed to the point where their loss of Strength, Agility,
or other attributes becomes permanent.

[J] WHEN WILL THE WARRIOR GO BERSERK?

Occasionally one happens across a Warrior who, when sorely wounded, loses all
capability for rational thought--he "berserks." A Warrior gone berserk will
never bother to defend against anything, but will instead concentrate upon
nothing other than inflicting as much damage, as rapidly as possible, upon
the enemy. Some Warriors will never berserk, while others will go into the
death-rage at the very first wound. Berserking Warriors often attack more
often than they might be capable of while in full control of themselves, and
their rage might give them extra strength, but it will also tend to make
their attacks less calculated, and therefore less accurate.

They are also easier to hit. It takes a great deal of endurance to remain 
berserk for very long. And, once berserk, the character is out of control 
and fights without guidance until he manages to control his berserk rage 
... or is hacked to doll rags.

[K] HOW OFTEN WILL THE WARRIOR ATTEMPT A COMBINATION ATTACK?

Most experienced fighters will say that combination attacks are the key to
getting through an opponent's defenses. Combination attacks are the rational
Warrior's substitute for berserking. However, like berserking, combination
attacks take a lot of energy, and very few can keep them up for long without
tiring to the point where they can't even fight anymore. The combination
attacks don't usually inflict any more damage per blow, like a berserker's
attack might, but neither do they suffer the loss of accuracy, due to loss
of mental control.

[L] WHEN WILL THE WARRIOR CEASE BERSERKING, OR COMBINATION ATTACKING?

While some Warriors consider it glorious to swing, keep swinging, and swing
away, even unto death, most Warriors find it wiser to save some strength and
fatigue for the end-game. If a Warrior can do enough damage during a berserk
or with combination attacks, then he may be able to slow back down and
outlast the other guy. However, while someone practicing combination attacks
can slow back down at will, a Warrior who's gone berserk will have to have a
strong will to regain control of himself. This value sets the point at which
he will plan on beginning the attempts to regain control.

[M] WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PRIMARY WEAPON BREAKS

Very few Warriors will ever be so lame as to be overcome by someone who is
fighting with his bare hands. Therefore, if a Warrior's primary weapon breaks,
or if he is disarmed, or if he just flat doesn't have a secondary weapon,
then he might consider it wisest to surrender, take the loss on his record,
and avoid the serious wounding or death that might result from attempting to
continue the fight.

[N] WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SECONDARY WEAPON BREAKS

While there is little chance of winning a melee if both your weapons are
broken--unless your opponent is much, MUCH worse off then you -- there is
nothing that forces a Warrior to surrender. This mind set is for those
Warriors who would rather risk losing their life than their pride.


