Spear Weapon

#1

Some may remember the weapon that was shown in testing about a year ago, which the Valkyrie used. From what I’ve seen, most people didn’t like it because it was essentially the same as a sword but with a bit more range, therefore offering nothing unique.

Wands have 9 range, pierce and have good damage.
Staves have 8.55 range, 2 shots and decent damage.
Bows have ~7 range, 3 shots and pierce, having good damage at low def.
Daggers have ~5 range, don’t pierce but offer alright damage.
Katanas have a bit less range and share the same DPS as Daggers, but with the ability to pierce, which makes them useful and powerful.
and Swords have the shortest range along with the highest damage.
Spears offered a bit more range a bit less damage but nothing really special, they were essentially a sword with more range and less damage as I’ve said before.

That’s why I wanted to propose some 3 models I came up with and I’d like for you to share which one you think is the best and/or help me balance them. Tell me which one you prefer and why.

They are as follows:

Spear (Armor Pierce + Boomerang):

Damage: 187.5 avg; T12
Range: 4.5
Proj. Speed: 50 tiles/sec (500)
Proj. Lifetime: 180 milliseconds
Pierces through obstacles.
Pierces through armor.
Shots boomerang.

Spear (Damage + Boomerang):

Damage: 200 avg; T12
Range: 4.5
Proj. Speed: 50 tiles/sec (500)
Proj. Lifetime: 180 milliseconds
Pierces through obstacles.
Shots boomerang.

Spear (Range + Boomerang):

Damage: 150 avg; T12
Range: 6.3
Proj. Speed: 72 tiles/sec (720)
Proj. Lifetime: 175 milliseconds
Pierces through enemies.
Pierces through obstacles.
Shots boomerang.

Here’s the DPS chart for the 3 Spears.

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Dark Green: Damage
Beige: Armor Piercing
White: Range

(All classes had their DEX and ATT values put to 75 so that the DPS differences for weapons show correctly)

Please test these in Haizor’s Weapon Editor to see how they would work in game so you can give more accurate feedback on balancing the weapon by giving your input.

Note: Numbers are not final. This is just some I came up with to illustrate my idea.

And if you’re wondering why I’m touching on Spears is because I’m making a heavy armor class but didn’t want it to be another sword + heavy armor class with only the ability being different so I decided to go for a different weapon and after discovering Spears were actually in the game at one point (even if it was testing) I decided to go with that. Plus, I was already thinking of using a weapon close to a Spear or Pike but just hadn’t fully decided yet.

#2

I do kind of like the idea of spears.

However, there are some problems i see:

  • Spears are thrown, curving up and then down towards the enemy. They don’t boomerang?
  • Because of the throwing curve, does this mean as well: if you are very close to the enemy, they hit, if you are far enough from then enemy they hit as well, but in between (going over the enemy) or too far away (landing before they hit), they miss?
  • Back in history, when spears were being used: the spear throwers didn’t have heavy armor! They needed lightweight gear because they would need their arm to be able to make the entire throwing motion. At most they caried a small, lightweight shield, but they didn’t give much of protection either.
#3

The way I see the spear being used is not by being thrown but rather being used like a regular weapon (such as a sword, with more range due to the long wooden stick. You don’t throw Swords either, but in game, they are a projectile.
It boomerangs to mimic the thrusting movement you do with a spear.
(To add on that, it’s also something I’m considering whether to leave or remove so let me know if you like it more with or without the boomeranging shot)
Also, Spears were not only used by individuals with light armor but also heavy armor as well. Depending on the kind of spear they weren’t all made to be thrown like a javelin is but rather, have more reach than others’ weapons to take advantage of the fact that they outranged opponents.

#4

Spears can and have been used as hand-to-hand weapons, so without throwing. Think e.g. of [Roman] soldiers lined up behind shields with spears sticking out between them. More generally swords were expensive, difficult to make, and not very long lasting. Spears were much simpler and cheaper. Knights might have swords but commoners might have to make do with spears. Commoners were probably unarmoured, but armour would not stop you making stabby motions with a spear.

I guess we think of spears as throwing weapons as that’s how they are used by hunters. If you throw a spear at a boar and miss you can pick it up and try again. Not really an option if you throw it and miss the opposing army charging at you. Also modern athletics has spear thowing, a.k.a. the javelin, as one of its disciplines, but that has little to do with combat.

#5

I think you mean the pikes for the roman soldiers; a special kind of spears?

This comes from the Collin’s Dictionary:

  1. COUNTABLE NOUN
    A spear is a weapon consisting of a long pole with a sharp metal point attached to the end.
  2. VERB
    If you spear something, you push or throw a pointed object into it.

@Oijfdpofds: looking at definition 2, a push is not curved, and therefore not “boomeranged”. A Sword is more “boomeranged” as you make a curving swing with it for maximum result. If you want the spear to be used as a pushing weapon, then “boomerang” makes no sense at all (in fact: if you swing a spear around, you will end up breaking it more likely).

#6

The way I think of the motion is not from left to right but from inside to outside and back to inside. The same motion you do when you stab someone with a sword. I guess that would make swords boomerang too but I’m just trying to do something unique that stands out from the others. Daggers don’t have a longer range than swords either but in game they do.

#7

By ‘spear’ I mean anything of that class. Pike, spear, javelin, lance are modern terms for them. I would think ancient and medieval armies had multiple names for them. Actually I can check this on Wikpedia. Here we go, three sorts of Roman spears:

#8

So after thinking for a while and taking in some constructive criticism I came up with this model.

Spear (Range + Armor Pierce):
Damage: 175 avg; T12
Range: 6.3
Proj. Speed: 42 tiles/sec (420)
Proj. Lifetime: 150 milliseconds
Ignores defense.
Pierces through obstacles.

image
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White is Spear DPS.

Tell me what you think.

#9

I’ve envisioned a spear to be more hybrid when it comes to weapon type. Instead of one high/mid damaging bullet, its three. Take this into account:

The spear will consist of three bullets. Each will pierce through the enemy. Each will boomerang and line up in a straight line when it boomerangs back and forth.

  • The first bullet goes about maybe 6 range, but does very menial damage
  • The second bullet goes about 4 range, but does the average bulk of damage
  • The third bullet goes about 2 range, being the highest damaging (and possibly armor piercing)

This adds a multi-stage weapon that can be played at many different styles for many different armor types. For example, the previously tested Valkyrie would probably make most use from all three bullets (she was heavy armor), and a more robe-oriented class could make use of the outer bullet (but still have the option to go deep).

#10

That is indeed a fun idea but I’m afraid it might be way too complicated for a Tiered weapon. Probably something nice to have as a UT tho.

#11

OP request