I absolutely love freeform combat. In fact, my original RP playground was made up entirely of freeform. Ayenee was a great place, and those people came up with a lot of the rules that have carried on to the turn-based combat of today.Â
I will certainly say that it can come with its issues. I have no problem with losing a battle, but I won't let someone just.. well. Win. If the person is going to run around and do backflips and dance around and try to be flashy, that simply isn't going to win a fight--not in any realistic sense. I also have an issue with Dragoons that seem to think that jumping super high into the sky and landing on someone is the best thing they can possibly do. I've ran into more than one that believe that their attack is instantaneous rather than requiring the time to jump, ascend, descend, etc.
..But, as others have pointed out, there are some really great and amazing people out there that do it and know how to do it properly. Several of these people have managed to beat Val. He's got several flaws that these people know how to exploit, and it's incredibly fun watching them do so. Others, well--they just don't, and unless there's a specified outcome beforehand, if their characters make mistakes that Val would see, they'll likely pay for it.
I try to operate as realistically as possible within the bounds of lore and physics. Val can't do a triple somersault and kick someone. I mean, I suppose with practice he could, but anyone in their right mind would just.. you know. Step away. He knows this, and he knows what works and what to watch for. After all, the majority of his career has /been/ fighting. All of his attacks are precise and quick. He gets in close, does damage, and gets out.Â
My other character isn't nearly as skilled at combat and, should the poor guy ever find himself in a true situation, he'll likely lose. I also have a caster that specializes in ranged combat and can do some absolutely amazing damage at a distance. However, if anyone ever manages to get in close, he's pretty much lost the fight. I try to find a balance with all of my characters that, if the opponent can find the weakness of said character and exploit it, there's nothing my character can do. If the person simply outsmarts the character (which many have done with poor Val and others), then they're sure to win as well.
I will certainly say that it can come with its issues. I have no problem with losing a battle, but I won't let someone just.. well. Win. If the person is going to run around and do backflips and dance around and try to be flashy, that simply isn't going to win a fight--not in any realistic sense. I also have an issue with Dragoons that seem to think that jumping super high into the sky and landing on someone is the best thing they can possibly do. I've ran into more than one that believe that their attack is instantaneous rather than requiring the time to jump, ascend, descend, etc.
..But, as others have pointed out, there are some really great and amazing people out there that do it and know how to do it properly. Several of these people have managed to beat Val. He's got several flaws that these people know how to exploit, and it's incredibly fun watching them do so. Others, well--they just don't, and unless there's a specified outcome beforehand, if their characters make mistakes that Val would see, they'll likely pay for it.
I try to operate as realistically as possible within the bounds of lore and physics. Val can't do a triple somersault and kick someone. I mean, I suppose with practice he could, but anyone in their right mind would just.. you know. Step away. He knows this, and he knows what works and what to watch for. After all, the majority of his career has /been/ fighting. All of his attacks are precise and quick. He gets in close, does damage, and gets out.Â
My other character isn't nearly as skilled at combat and, should the poor guy ever find himself in a true situation, he'll likely lose. I also have a caster that specializes in ranged combat and can do some absolutely amazing damage at a distance. However, if anyone ever manages to get in close, he's pretty much lost the fight. I try to find a balance with all of my characters that, if the opponent can find the weakness of said character and exploit it, there's nothing my character can do. If the person simply outsmarts the character (which many have done with poor Val and others), then they're sure to win as well.
![[Image: ValForumSignature.png~original]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/Kendei/ValForumSignature.png~original)
