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LEFT mouse button moves and attacks. You can attack while moving: for example, you can run after someone while shooting a bow. Your character cannot block attacks in this state.
RIGHT + LEFT stops your character in place and attacks if you are in range to your target, but you are able to block. Blocking is automatic--your character will use the shield to block attacks whenever possible, including attacks from ranged weapons. This is based on some random chance of blocking, whether or not you are mid-swing, etc.
RIGHT mouse button stops your character and puts you in purely "defensive" mode. You block physical attacks with your shield, but this mode also invokes your "magical" shield that reduces the damage of magic attacks. I envision this being some sort of cool glowing transparent shield, but I don't really have anything specific in mind. It could be anything from just an "egg" like in Xenimus to the energy shields in Halo, except floating around you.
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This setup, to me, plays very fluidly and naturally. Left click is offensive, right click is defensive. Plus, this mode gives some nice balancing for ranged melee, close melee and casters:
- Ranged weapon users can hold the right mouse button to stay still while firing off shots--this way, you won't start moving at your target, since the goal is to keep you far away.
- Ranged weapon users can still chase after targets while shooting, if desired
- Close-up melee types (fighters/paladins) can very naturally follow targets while attacking
- This provides a nice balance between offensive and defensive skills--to get more benefit from one, you sacrifice the other
- The system is simple and intuitive
(also: I make new posts for each controls idea so that it's easy to separate which idea we're talking about)
