We sat down with Funcom's Martin Bruusgard (Lead Designer) to talk about the melee skills in The Secret World and how the team came up with all the different types... and more importantly, why hammering a guy in the face is so fun.

MMORPG: You have created skills around melee weapons and martial arts, tell us how you added these together?

 

Martin Bruusgaard: Well, we sat down and brainstormed cool fighting styles, and what identity  we wanted the different weapons to have. We came down to hammer-guy, being a brutish, powerful who knocks people down and beats the crap out of them. The swords-guy is a more elegant fighter, in a wushu-kind of style. Master of dashing into a group and do flourishes of fancy moves, which damages everything around him. And lastly the fist weapons, which is more like claw-weapon-guy. He has powerful multihits and combos he can use to suppress anyone, and he is also one of the three healers and specializes in healing-over-time-spells. 

Read more of Garrett Fuller's interview with Martin HERE.

Interesting post. I can't wait to try the game on the next beta weekend. 

Try melee in PvP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xXRwL60K6M

The next open beta is 6/15 according to the official announcements board.

http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/showthread.php?t=31976

Originally posted by GreenishBlue

Try melee in PvP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xXRwL60K6M

the guy had no stun, no dash, didn't even know what he was doing, seriously, in the start of the fight he was running away while being shot....

I like how the screenshot is a 2h Axe, even though Axes aren't in the game.

Originally posted by Albred

I like how the screenshot is a 2h Axe, even though Axes aren't in the game.

 

Axes are in the game, they fall under the "Hammer" skillset.

Yeah I started with the the elemental trinket and after I notice I cause a second one and try chaos then blood trinket... I stick with the blood trinket for the blood shield and healing skills after  on the second beta I use a sword and Blood trinket was having fun. Wish there was more fashion selection on Pangea clothing store...  like white long coats and dress shirts with ties.. some stuff was too pricie but heck at time I wanted an outfit change was had already made 3million lol.. I like how the game is not hung up on having top gear or items and is base on skill and player abilities.... you can have the lowest items and still kill your mobs..

Looking forward to see if they can pull the animations out of the gutters for the more advanced teirs... But i am not holding my breath.

Originally posted by tawess

Looking forward to see if they can pull the animations out of the gutters for the more advanced teirs... But i am not holding my breath.

PR as usual. There is a good reason why they kept the advanced tiers locked tight in both Public Beta weekends.

Originally posted by BillMurphy
@Allbred: They are. They fall under hammers. Consider it a graphical model more than anything.

i think TES categorizes hammers, 2handed axes, and 2handed swords as all 'blunt' force weapons, as well.

I want this game to be good, but already a low hype score on this site, and then, of course, who can forget FunCom's disasterous Age of Conan launch?  Well, still hoping, but certainly not pre-ordering...

Sigh, why didn't you ask about how all attacks have a totally lame sound effect? And why the attacks are totally NOT visceral, as opposed to the powerful attacks in AoC? I used claws. I could not tell if I had hit the mob or the air. And the sound effects... gee like some plastic weapon. The pistols sound like children playtoys. (And don't tell me that's not true. I have pistols and swords. I know how that stuff sounds.)

Why am I never there when people are interviewed?

Originally posted by Elikal

Sigh, why didn't you ask about how all attacks have a totally lame sound effect? And why the attacks are totally NOT visceral, as opposed to the powerful attacks in AoC? I used claws. I could not tell if I had hit the mob or the air. And the sound effects... gee like some plastic weapon. The pistols sound like children playtoys. (And don't tell me that's not true. I have pistols and swords. I know how that stuff sounds.)

Why am I never there when people are interviewed?

Things change my friend :) especially in beta. A LOT.

Aw you didnt ask them why the animations are still terribad 2 years after they stated they are simply placeholder anims.

Originally posted by thamighty213

Aw you didnt ask them why the animations are still terribad 2 years after they stated they are simply placeholder anims.

They are placeholders.

Most NPCs do not even have the actual faces yet. Character creation is a placeholder. Hell even the combat itself is not "complete" yet.  Its something that is getting fixed over the course of next week. Well not fixed, but patched.

Next beta weekends should reveal an entirelly different game :)

I've seen on another forum that the updated graphics and animations are now in place for closed beta players. Supposed to be very nice. I'm looking forward to the next beta.