                         
                         * MELEE Tactics *
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When your Warrior is challenged to a contest in the Arena by another
on-line player, he had better be prepared to fight smartly.  The Combat
Strategy option, available in the Main Menu, allows you to select an
appropriate strategy for your Warrior.  The letters shown in brackets
for each of the following items refer to the choices available to the
strategy options.
     
[A] FIGHTING STRATEGIES
        A Warrior's strategies can be loosely grouped into three basic
modes: Defensive, Cautious, or Aggressive. Each of these modes can further 
be defined by other combat determinations, but the overall strategy will 
often set the tone for any given melee.
        A Warrior in the defensive mode is often characterized by a very
deliberate or nonexistent advance, and will often attempt to use an
opponent's aggressiveness against him. Defensive strategies are often
employed by those who lack great physical speed or who are using a slow,
powerful weapon. One who is a master of the smooth, quick counter is
fantastic to watch and usually admired by the crowds. There is something
that seems appealing in the cool customer who systematically takes apart an
opponent strictly by using the other guy's attacks against him....
        But not all Warriors have the physical attributes or mental
discipline to start--and stay!--with a defensive strategy. Many lose their 
cool after taking a wound or when their active defense is used against them. 
A Warrior practicing caution will still probe his opponent, seeking the weak 
spots while attempting to leave as little an opening as possible for his 
opponent to capitalize on. This is perhaps the safest strategy for someone 
who has given little thought to his weapon selection with regard to body 
type, mental attribute, and/or combat environment.
        Lastly there is the aggressive Warrior. The strategy is simple:
rely on strength, speed, stamina, ability to sustain wounds, armor and
guts or luck to rain enough blows on the enemy to overwhelm him before he
can hurt you too badly. It takes a special mind set and physical build to
make this strategy pay off consistently, since the aggressive attacker must 
expect to incur wounds and be able to continue the attack. But boy, do the 
crowds ever love to watch two of these types go against each other!

[B] PRIMARY TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY
        This tactic allows you to select the body area of your opponent 
where your Warrior will direct most of his attacks. While this can be an
emotional decision, the wise, old Warriors set this tactic in their minds
only after doing thorough research on an opponent, and they use this mind
set to take advantage of a real weakness in the opponent. 


[C] PERCENT OF THE TIME TO ATTACK THE PRIMARY TARGET
        There is a real subtlety to using this tactical mind set. One who
spends all his energy attacking a perceived weakness in his opponent
becomes predictable, allowing other potential challengers to prepare for
such attacks by beefing up their armor and defensive strategies. On the
other hand, the Warrior who doesn't go at the enemy's weakness often
enough is likely to be less effective in combat.

[D] PRIMARY FOCUS OF DEFENSE
        Obviously, the area which the Warrior has identified as either 1) 
his weak point or Achilles Tendon, or 2) that area where his opponent is 
expected to target most of his attacks. Warriors who try to out-think their 
enemies can get into as much trouble here as those who don't think about 
their enemy at all! This is where you will you choose the area of your body 
that you will cover with your shield--if you have one. If you are covering 
this portion with your shield when the enemy tries to hit it, you will 
automatically block the blow and take no damage.

[E] PERCENT OF THE TIME TO DEFEND THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF DEFENSE
        Naturally, a Warrior who always protects his head is soon going
draw hosts of opponents who are determined to chop his legs out from
under him. Varying your defensive focus will throw some uncertainty into
the equation, making your defense less predictable. How often do you want
to cover the body area you identified in [D] above?

[F] PRIMARY DEFENSIVE OPTION
        Which particular defense are you going to use most often, the
block, the parry, or the counter? A block is usually the best,
percentage-wise, but is also the most damaging to one's equipment, since
it is without finesse and is tossed up there simply to catch the
opponent's blow before it clobbers you. Blocks tend to be hard on weapons
and have even been known to shatter weapons which have not been properly
maintained.
        The parry is more difficult to master, but is much easier on your
equipment: the idea is to deflect an attack rather than simply stop it. 
Ideally the deflection will leave the attacker open for a riposte. It is 
possible for a clumsy, hard parry to shatter a weapon, but it is MUCH
less common than the block.
        Lastly, the counter is the hallmark of a master. The idea is simply
to avoid the blow and strike your own, taking advantage of the opening that
is offered by every fully-committed attack. The counter requires exquisite
timing, coordination, and awareness all backed by lots of experience. Few
Warriors without a fair amount of time spent training under a master, can
execute a successful counter with any reliability. Note that you cannot 
kill someone, or beat them into submission with a counter. You can, however,
stun them, leaving them with no ability to fight; then you can deliver the
Coup de Grace at leisure.

[G] PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME TO USE THE PRIMARY DEFENSE AGAINST A SURE HIT
        It takes little training for a Warrior to know when an opponent's 
attack is going to strike home. This tactic is merely a programming of the 
subconscious to use a specific defense a certain amount of the time when it 
becomes apparent that a blow is going to hit. Plain and simple, it allows a 
slightly better chance of catching that uncatchable attack. The wise Warrior 
will not lose sight of the fact that to be predictable is to be beaten, and 
that only the foolish will use the same last-resort defense all the time. 
When you pull your attack to execute this last-ditch defense, it throws off 
your timing a little, and will more than likely force you to pass your next 
attack opportunity, so it is not wise to set this too high, or you will spend 
all your time defending and not throwing attacks of your own!

[H] GRANTING QUARTER TO A BEATEN ENEMY
        Ah, here is where things really get tense in the Arena. All else
being equal, how often will you spare an opponent who has either surrendered
or been knocked unconscious by your attacks? In a Blood Match it's expected
that you take the other Warrior's life, but what about a normal match? 
Reputations are made here, and a Warrior's Infamy is directly tied to his
decisions at such times. On the other hand, if a Warrior gains a name for
killing all his opponents, no matter what, then he's certain to end up 
fighting every match to the death, since it is suicidal to surrender to
him ... and every round fought increases the chances of that unlucky 
critical hit.

[I] SURRENDER CRITERION
        At what point will the Warrior surrender the fight? A Warrior can 
decide he will surrender at first blood or he can decide that he will fight 
to the death. The Warrior falling into the latter category often wins a 
large prize, but rarely lasts for long; after all, there is only so much 
that modern medicine can accomplish, and only a fool tests the fates with 
EVERY fight. It also takes a remarkable amount of Will to fight even unto
death. Warriors who consistently fight until they lose consciousness suffer 
a pretty fair chance of being maimed to the point where their loss of 
Strength, Agility, or other attributes becomes permanent.

[J] WHEN WILL THE WARRIOR GO BERSERK?
        Occasionally one happens across a Warrior who, when sorely wounded, 
loses all capability for rational thought--he "berserks." A Warrior gone 
berserk will never bother to defend against anything, but will instead 
concentrate upon nothing other than inflicting as much damage, as rapidly 
as possible, upon the enemy. Some Warriors will never berserk, while others 
will go into the death-rage at the very first wound. Berserking Warriors 
often attack more often than they might be capable of while in full control 
of themselves, and their rage might give them extra strength, but it will 
also tend to make their attacks less calculated, and therefore less accurate. 
They are also easier to hit. It takes a great deal of endurance to remain 
berserk for very long. And, once berserk, the character is out of control 
and fights without guidance until he manages to control his berserk rage 
... or is hacked to doll rags.

[K] HOW OFTEN WILL THE WARRIOR ATTEMPT A COMBINATION ATTACK?
        Most experienced fighters will say that combination attacks are the 
key to getting through an opponent's defenses. Combination attacks are the 
rational Warrior's substitute for berserking. However, like berserking, 
combination attacks take a lot of energy, and very few can keep them up for 
long without tiring to the point where they can't even fight anymore. The 
combination attacks don't usually inflict anymore damage per blow, like a 
berserker's attack might, but neither do they suffer the loss of accuracy, 
due to loss of mental control.

[L] WHEN WILL THE WARRIOR CEASE BERSERKING, OR COMBINATION ATTACKING?
        While some Warriors consider it glorious to swing, keep swinging, 
and swing away, even unto death, most Warriors find it wiser to save some 
strength and fatigue for the end-game. If a Warrior can do enough damage 
during a berserk or with combination attacks, then he may be able to slow 
back down and outlast the other guy. However, while someone practicing 
combination attacks can slow back down at will, a Warrior who's gone berserk 
will have to have a strong will to regain control of himself. This value 
sets the point at which he will plan on beginning the attempts to regain 
control.

[M] WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PRIMARY WEAPON BREAKS
        Very few Warriors will ever be so lame as to be overcome by someone 
who is fighting with his bare hands. Therefore, if a Warrior's primary 
weapon breaks, or if he is disarmed, or if he just flat doesn't have a 
secondary weapon, then he might consider it wisest to surrender, take the 
loss on his record, and avoid the serious wounding or death that might 
result from attempting to continue the fight.

[N] WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SECONDARY WEAPON BREAKS
        While there is little chance of winning a melee if both your
weapons are broken--unless your opponent is much, MUCH worse off then you!
--there is nothing that forces a Warrior to surrender. This mind set is for 
those Warriors who would rather risk losing their life than their pride.
