Basically the Fallen Earth combat system is balanced with the following goals in mind:
- If a guy with a rifle attacks someone a decent ways out (10+ meters or so) the rifle guy wins.
- If a melee guy attacks someone with a rifle who is close by (10 meters or less) the melee guy wins. Rifle users suffer a penalty to their Evade skill when attacked in melee, meaning melee combatants can really chew up rifle users if they get in close.
- Pistols can be used in both ranged and melee combat. They are sort of the middle range, doing the least damage overall but having the most flexibility in their use.
The developers have tried to create a combat system that favors certain types of combat in different environments, and to provide enough of these different environment so each combat skill gets its fair share of being effective. For example, on the open areas of the Plateau a good crossbow (which falls under Rifle skill) will trump most other weapons since it's pretty easy to see your enemies a good ways off. In the depths of Kaibab Forest or one of the many caves that dot the Grand Canyon Province, melee weapons will be more useful since fights will be more up close and personal. Pistols again are useful in both situations, but are not as powerful. So essentially, for a melee character to beat a rifle character on open ground, he has to get close to the rifle character without being hit. This is where the Stealth skill comes into play.
Related Articles
- PvP
- Stealth
Sources
- Question of the Week: May 02, 2007 - Melee vs. Ranged. Fallen Earth.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.