I need help with swing routing.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

I have problems with directions of swings. Im not talking about "how to hit from left hand side". What I mean is: how to consistently control the exact direction of left or right swings? Like I want to hit from right high corner to the left low corner or perfectly parallel to the floor from left to right?
For example I can take Voulge: I simply place cursor in one point and keep spamming hits from the right hand side and... it just hits randomly. The problem being that sometimes character wields this weapon to hit opponent's head, which is absurd, because it strongly decreases attacking range and opens my whole body for the incoming strike, while I want to hit lower or middle parts with abilitity to defend myself while attacking(basics of fencing or HEMA). It's so inconsistent, which makes this weapon almost unplayable in agressive or tactical playstyles. Instead I have to dodge and block, waiting for the time to strike and hope random is on my side.
Also I wrote about blocks before - this weapon is perfect example for that problem too. Blocks are horribly done, even when my character is perfectly still and an enemy performs a swing from above with a great sword... he/she does nothing. At all. Simply stands and takes in all the damage coming from above, which also happens randomly.
Maybe I just miss something, but there's almost 0 info about this crucial problem. Maybe it is not as big as I make it to be for some people, but Im not playing in full armor with polearms, I try to become a very good fencer, who can handle anything without any damage taken. In such scenario being so inconsistent in hitting enemies in needed directions is crucial and unacceptable.

Almost forgot to mention one off top question: can character block thrusts automatically?

[Jean Valjean]

Pretty sure you can only have fine control over your attack by moving the body in certain ways before said attack. Test it yourself : if you stay still and chain left to right and right to left, the movements will almost always be the same. It is the way your body is positioned before the attack that will determine where the hit lands. In other words, it all about positioning and footwork. Hope this helps.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by Jean Valjean:

Pretty sure you can only have fine control over your attack by moving the body in certain ways before said attack. Test it yourself : if you stay still and chain left to right and right to left, the movements will almost always be the same. It is the way your body is positioned before the attack that will determine where the hit lands. In other words, it all about positioning and footwork. Hope this helps.

Funny thing is that maybe it’s just for me, but it’s pretty random. Sure, some weapons usually hit in the same way, but others, likr voulge, do not. I tried different ways with footwork as well, but still got no effect. This weapon, voulge, leaves me almost defenseless every time and I have to get behind enemies with shields to hit them, while two handed swords allow me to slash their legs and have more control over the swings.

[Jean Valjean]

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

Funny thing is that maybe it’s just for me, but it’s pretty random. Sure, some weapons usually hit in the same way, but others, likr voulge, do not. I tried different ways with footwork as well, but still got no effect. This weapon, voulge, leaves me almost defenseless every time and I have to get behind enemies with shields to hit them, while two handed swords allow me to slash their legs and have more control over the swings.

Heavier weapons tend to be more difficult to control, and you're taking two extremes here : the voulge is very heavy, while all swords are relatively light. Light weapons will be nimbler, giving them more flexibility in the way they attack. I tend to aim for the legs and shoulders when using voulges (or halberds, which are straight up upgrades).

You mentioned being defenselss, and that's quite right, you will have a hard time parrying with heavy two-handed weapons. I will always advise to keep your distance and prioritise evading over parrying. Parrying is the last chance to not take damage for two-handed users. Now if you got a shield that's an other story, you've got more wiggle room to parry (still, I'd evade most attacks anyway).

About fighting shields though, almost all heavier weapons force you to attack from the side unless you have very good footwork. With adequate positioning, you can bypass any defence, even those annoying kite shield wielders.

I have described previously in these threads a move I often use to defeat shield users with a polearm (I am a polearm main). I'll write it here if you want, but I just got a call for something urgent while writing this so I'll do that later.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by Jean Valjean:

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

Funny thing is that maybe it’s just for me, but it’s pretty random. Sure, some weapons usually hit in the same way, but others, likr voulge, do not. I tried different ways with footwork as well, but still got no effect. This weapon, voulge, leaves me almost defenseless every time and I have to get behind enemies with shields to hit them, while two handed swords allow me to slash their legs and have more control over the swings.

Heavier weapons tend to be more difficult to control, and you're taking two extremes here : the voulge is very heavy, while all swords are relatively light. Light weapons will be nimbler, giving them more flexibility in the way they attack. I tend to aim for the legs and shoulders when using voulges (or halberds, which are straight up upgrades).

You mentioned being defenselss, and that's quite right, you will have a hard time parrying with heavy two-handed weapons. I will always advise to keep your distance and prioritise evading over parrying. Parrying is the last chance to not take damage for two-handed users. Now if you got a shield that's an other story, you've got more wiggle room to parry (still, I'd evade most attacks anyway).

About fighting shields though, almost all heavier weapons force you to attack from the side unless you have very good footwork. With adequate positioning, you can bypass any defence, even those annoying kite shield wielders.

I have described previously in these threads a move I often use to defeat shield users with a polearm (I am a polearm main). I'll write it here if you want, but I just got a call for something urgent while writing this so I'll do that later.

Thanks for advice. I understood that during duels with voulge, but how do you aim at legs? It's pure random and sometimes character can hit them without crouching and sometimes performs hit from the high right or left positions for no reason. That's my point.
Sure, I watched a video from GilGamesHello, where he makes good points about footwork, but that won't do much, when your character ruins everything with absolutely random swings, which hit unwanted parts.

[Jean Valjean]

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

Thanks for advice. I understood that during duels with voulge, but how do you aim at legs? It's pure random and sometimes character can hit them without crouching and sometimes performs hit from the high right or left positions for no reason. That's my point.
Sure, I watched a video from GilGamesHello, where he makes good points about footwork, but that won't do much, when your character ruins everything with absolutely random swings, which hit unwanted parts.

Really not man. I mean, I understand what you are trying to say, but there is nothing random about it, it is all about positioning. Depending on the position of your body and weapon, attacks will hit at different bodyparts, and the only thing you can do is learn how to move your character well in order to perform those attacks on purpose instead of by chance. I assure you, rondomness is not a factor in your ability to make the same move. What is "random" is the enemy in fact, because you can't be sure how they're gonna react to your own attempts at hurting them. If you managed for example, through practice, to perform the exact same movements before and during an attack, the hit would be similar. The issue is that, unlike a Tekken or Street Fighter, when you press a key in Exanima, your character doesn't perform a scripted attack that will always be like that no matter what (apart rom standing still without moving the mouse and pressing LMB, yeah the right-to-left will be similar). Add to the problem that in fights you are always moving, managing to find the perfect moment to do your move and actually hit is the real medium difficulty of the game. After that you've got wrestling moves, and that's a whole other level of mastery.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by Jean Valjean:

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

Thanks for advice. I understood that during duels with voulge, but how do you aim at legs? It's pure random and sometimes character can hit them without crouching and sometimes performs hit from the high right or left positions for no reason. That's my point.
Sure, I watched a video from GilGamesHello, where he makes good points about footwork, but that won't do much, when your character ruins everything with absolutely random swings, which hit unwanted parts.

Really not man. I mean, I understand what you are trying to say, but there is nothing random about it, it is all about positioning. Depending on the position of your body and weapon, attacks will hit at different bodyparts, and the only thing you can do is learn how to move your character well in order to perform those attacks on purpose instead of by chance. I assure you, rondomness is not a factor in your ability to make the same move. What is "random" is the enemy in fact, because you can't be sure how they're gonna react to your own attempts at hurting them. If you managed for example, through practice, to perform the exact same movements before and during an attack, the hit would be similar. The issue is that, unlike a Tekken or Street Fighter, when you press a key in Exanima, your character doesn't perform a scripted attack that will always be like that no matter what (apart rom standing still without moving the mouse and pressing LMB, yeah the right-to-left will be similar). Add to the problem that in fights you are always moving, managing to find the perfect moment to do your move and actually hit is the real medium difficulty of the game. After that you've got wrestling moves, and that's a whole other level of mastery.

This is misinformation. Your hits don't change depending on your positioning, except for thrusts. I can simply stand in one place, facing the wall, keep pressing left mouse button and holding it to the end of an attack, not moving mouse at all. Character will simply change the trajectory of the attacks for no reason. Don't spread misinformation.

[Jean Valjean]

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

This is misinformation. Your hits don't change depending on your positioning, except for thrusts. I can simply stand in one place, facing the wall, keep pressing left mouse button and holding it to the end of an attack, not moving mouse at all. Character will simply change the trajectory of the attacks for no reason. Don't spread misinformation.

If you're gonna be like that, you can just as well go and figure sh*t out yourself. Misinformation my *ss, I just tested it.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by Jean Valjean:

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

This is misinformation. Your hits don't change depending on your positioning, except for thrusts. I can simply stand in one place, facing the wall, keep pressing left mouse button and holding it to the end of an attack, not moving mouse at all. Character will simply change the trajectory of the attacks for no reason. Don't spread misinformation.

If you're gonna be like that, you can just as well go and figure sh*t out yourself. Misinformation my *ss, I just tested it.

And I tested just standing still and hitting in the same spot, while not moving mouse at all. So I know that your words are just misinformation. You can't constantly hit enemy's legs with swings using vouge.

[Jean Valjean]

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

And I tested just standing still and hitting in the same spot, while not moving mouse at all. So I know that your words are just misinformation. You can't constantly hit enemy's legs with swings using vouge.

Tested it again with a two-handed sword and a voulge just to see, and I confirm : the movements are almost exactly the same. The tiny differences that you can find are so minute that it doesn't impact your gameplay. Now, you annoyed me with your "spreading misinformation" bullsh*t, throwing that at my face when you're the one asking for help, so f*ck off and good luck. I'm out.

[Roryn]

Misinformation, my favourite buzzword. Madoc has said that the initial windup of attacks is somewhat random, but you can have an astounding level of control if you learn how to position and move yourself. It's not simple and does take time to get used to, but you can do it pretty consistently with practice.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by Roryn:

Misinformation, my favourite buzzword. Madoc has said that the initial windup of attacks is somewhat random, but you can have an astounding level of control if you learn how to position and move yourself. It's not simple and does take time to get used to, but you can do it pretty consistently with practice.

Agreed, I already know how to practically hit any bodypart with windup like from right top to the bottom left. Angles, footwork, etc. But certain weapons, like voulge, have random starting movements, which makes such pinpoint hits almost impossible. I like to play with longswords and greatswords, they have absolutely stable and consistent windups, which allow me to play with more precision.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by Jean Valjean:

Originally posted by Unventiere Eslivel:

And I tested just standing still and hitting in the same spot, while not moving mouse at all. So I know that your words are just misinformation. You can't constantly hit enemy's legs with swings using vouge.

Tested it again with a two-handed sword and a voulge just to see, and I confirm : the movements are almost exactly the same. The tiny differences that you can find are so minute that it doesn't impact your gameplay. Now, you annoyed me with your "spreading misinformation" bullsh*t, throwing that at my face when you're the one asking for help, so f*ck off and good luck. I'm out.

Hysteria isn't the best thing to have. Also two-handed sword doesn't have this issue at all. And no, difference is significant, especially when you want to hit lower parts of the body. Check bardiche as well. My point about misinformation is still relevant. If you are indeed out - fine, I didn't ask for help to read hysterical strangers.
It's even funny how one word managed to get you so mad.

[Unventiere Eslivel]

Originally posted by tonyzur:

regarding the final question in your post, your puppet will attempt to parry any incoming attack, including thrusts, so long as you keep your finger off of the left mouse button and are properly positioned. proper positioning doesn't necessarily mean facing your opponent or facing the direction of their attack, i find that the best way to defend against incoming attacks is to position my puppet in such a way that its held weapon will be between the puppet and the opponent, aka a basic guard stance. a parry attempt can fail, so if possible, you'd wanna move out of harm's way instead, but there are circumstances where parrying is your best tactical option.

p.s.: if you have the "fend" skill, you can initiate an attack to quickly move your puppet's weapon into a more favourable defensive position, however this technique can lead to serious injury on your end if you let go of the attack button too late.

Thanks for info. I will try to check best blocks for each weapon type then.