With Javascript being done I did some actual work and wrote it down in my journal. The rough transcript is this;
Third person combat games.
So this week I've taken to looking into third person melee combat, as it's a system we want in our game and one that I probably see done wrong more often than right. As a result, to try and avoid this I went trawling through the internet to see what the people's favourites are.
The most popular by far for their combat system seem to be (in no particular order) Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and God of War. So, the next question is what do these three have in common? Well, the first thing that jumps out it interchangeable weapons. In all three games you get multiple weapons that can be used to your advantage, but they are not necessarily essential to defeat any opponent which leaves it up to player preference and playstyle. It also allows players to keep combat fresh by switching to something new if they get used to mashing the same combos over and over.
Queue smooth transition. Another thing these games have in common is combos. Not necessarily the "up-up-right-X-down-O" combos either. In these games you can usually juggle an opponent and can keep a combo going potentially infinitely, similar to fighting games but without the dead space between move execution. What I feel is interesting about this is it sets a really high skill ceiling, with a player potentially being able to begin the fight with a combo, and, assuming they don't get interrupted, still be on the 465th button press of that combo by the time the fight finishes. Fluid, continuous ability and skill usage combined with a mix of ground and aerial combat is what facilitates this type of play, and I can vouch from personal experience that when well executed it's extremely satisfying to perform.
It is also worth noting that the combat in these games takes place unanimously in the third person, likely due to this combo oriented playstyle. While first person melee combat could work (I have yet to see it executed well) the need to chain between attacks requires a superhuman situationally awareness only granted to us by a third person perspective. It's actually mostly just the necessity of knowing where opponents are attacking from, which can be disorienting in the first person.
So, a brief summary of where we're at so far before I really get into the guts and gears of the mechanical combat. The three most popular games I've found from surfing online user forums are Devil May Cry, God of War and Ninja Gaiden (DMC, GoW and NG from here). They have been given this position by their fluid, skill based, combo oriented and fun gameplay and specifically in regards to NG, difficulty. In addition to having those traits in common they all take place in the third person for the sake of player awareness and all have changeable weapons and multiple different usable abilities.
With that said, lets look at some of the games in detail going alphabetically.
Devil May Cry:
DMC is a 3rd person action hack and slash sometimes platformer game. It features a protagonist (usually called Dante) controller by the player and pits you against various demonic entities in a bid for survival. The combat system of this game is the one I can speak about most knowledgeably because I have spent the most time playing it out of the three. Interchangeable weapons are the norm for this franchise, each with different specialisations and very different feelings when used. A good example of this would be (from the first game) the sword Alastor compared to the armoured gauntlets Ifrit. Alastor lends itself to aerial combat and a very quick fluid and reactive style of play, whereas Ifrit is much stronger on the ground (and indeed its aerial abilities tend to bring the opponents there) and has a less reactive and more brute force playstyle.
On top of the interchangeable weapons available the game has consistently had special abilties, admittedly these are usually linked to your weapon. Examples include the ability to transform into a demonic form in DMC1 or the ability to use a demonic hand to grab, slam and overpower opponents in DMC4.
The game also features ranged combat, which is able to be included in your combos (the most notably "DMC" one is from the first game, knocking your opponent into the air with your melee weapon then holding them there with your pistol fire). This style does however tend to play second fiddle to the melee combat in the game, which is clearly the main focus. Indeed, ranged is mostly only used to tie your combos together or in specific situations.
One mechanic I would like to point out from DMC that I think has particular merit in a steampunk setting is the Exceed capability from Devil May Cry 4. In short, the protagonist, Nero, has a mechanism within his sword that coats the blade with a flammable solvent that ignites when he hits people. Something potentially usable in a Steampunk setting I think. Mechanically it is charged by holding down a trigger button, which builds up charges (of which you can hold 3).
A good example of DMC combat may be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeFPHgNRS4
Note the extremely combo oriented gameplay, mix of ground and aerial combat, weapon interchangeability, combos, use of staggering attacks to interrupt opponent, mobility and use of the dodge mechanic. I also feel it's worth noting the combo meter in the top right, which keeps the player motivated and gives them something to strive for.
As a result my combat system is probably going to be heavily influenced by those two games. If I ever get round to Ninja Gaiden being written up I'll feature it too but I think I have what I need.
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