I think the key to making a successful AC 3 would be to keep the spirit of AC but not necessarily just make a clone of AC with updated graphics and controls.  I've been playing Age of Conan lately.  It's gotten a lot of attention over its melee combat system.  I have been pleasantly surprised by how good it feels and fun it is.  In some ways AC 1's combat could be though of as a  very primitive version of the AOC combat.  Players could modify the height of their attacks as well as the rate of attack.  I think if AC 3 was ever made, Age of Conan's melee combat (or something inspired by it) would be perfect for the game. 

Asheron's Calls melee combat system is outdated and, by design, very poor. But, I disagree in using AoCs...I beta'd AoC since around christmas and found it very refreshing the first couple of weeks, but it got very old and quite the annoyance after awhile.

I think an Asheron's Call 3 could safly use the same combat turbine used in Asherson's Call 2; fast and twitchy.

Agreed, AC2 combat was probably the best feature about the game.   Its going to be more about how implementing a freedom of character development that will be the biggest challenge.  I preferred AC2's method because it was much more fun and that at the end of the day is crucial, because combat is 90% of what you do in MMO's.   You still had complete freedom to multiclass and choose skills that you wanted, but it was also much more engaging for melee, and missle classes.   AC's magic combat holds up in either game.

I'm afraid I never really got into AC2.  What was unique about its combat?

Just looking at some of the videos, it seems pretty standard.  Honestly I think the revolutionary combat in AOC has been a major factor in the game's initial success.  I guess I'll see how it holds up myself, but I really think that Turbine would do well to use some evolution of this action oriented melee combat system.  That doesn't mean they have to copy it exactly.

Originally posted by Wrymstrum

I'm afraid I never really got into AC2.  What was unique about its combat?

Just looking at some of the videos, it seems pretty standard.  Honestly I think the revolutionary combat in AOC has been a major factor in the game's initial success.  I guess I'll see how it holds up myself, but I really think that Turbine would do well to use some evolution of this action oriented melee combat system.  That doesn't mean they have to copy it exactly.

Well, the system wasnt so much unique in it self, but still there was little things that set it apart from other games.

• Semi twitchy...meaning you could manually dodge attacks, which you saw coming towards you.
• Fast combat - No interupting spell casters (except for stun),  your health could vanish in seconds, a selection skills could be cast while running (great for using while dodging) and all skills were more or less instant cast (some animations took a second longer than others)
• Balanced..the balance between missile/melee/magic was surprisingly good
• Collision.. You couldnt run through unfriendly models
• Items...AC2 combat didnt rely on you having super gear. it helped at times, but you didnt need anything better then your avarage loot.
• Buff System was really nice, imo. You just buffed your self and when you entered a group, they automatically got all your group buffs, meaninh you couldnt buff people outside your group. no buff boots. no tweaking. this made grouping really rewarding.
• No timesinks ... All classes had access to small healing spells to both health and vigor. If you survived the fight, your health and vigor filled up as fast as your could heal them - no just standing around and waiting for it to fill up.

Probably more though, but this is what made it god for me.

In a game like Asherons Call, where you have an open world and a more sandbox style game, I think, a more simple combat system fits better than AoCs system. Tried grinding/hunting monsters with a AoC combat system? its downright awful...No, in my opinion, these kind of combat systems fits better in games like DDO where grinding is minimal and you dont fight outside quests.

Originally posted by BesCirga

Originally posted by Wrymstrum

I'm afraid I never really got into AC2.  What was unique about its combat?

Just looking at some of the videos, it seems pretty standard.  Honestly I think the revolutionary combat in AOC has been a major factor in the game's initial success.  I guess I'll see how it holds up myself, but I really think that Turbine would do well to use some evolution of this action oriented melee combat system.  That doesn't mean they have to copy it exactly.

Well, the system wasnt so much unique in it self, but still there was little things that set it apart from other games.

• Semi twitchy...meaning you could manually dodge attacks, which you saw coming towards you.
• Fast combat - No interupting spell casters (except for stun),  your health could vanish in seconds, a selection skills could be cast while running (great for using while dodging) and all skills were more or less instant cast (some animations took a second longer than others)
• Balanced..the balance between missile/melee/magic was surprisingly good
• Collision.. You couldnt run through unfriendly models
• Items...AC2 combat didnt rely on you having super gear. it helped at times, but you didnt need anything better then your avarage loot.
• Buff System was really nice, imo. You just buffed your self and when you entered a group, they automatically got all your group buffs, meaninh you couldnt buff people outside your group. no buff boots. no tweaking. this made grouping really rewarding.
• No timesinks ... All classes had access to small healing spells to both health and vigor. If you survived the fight, your health and vigor filled up as fast as your could heal them - no just standing around and waiting for it to fill up.

Probably more though, but this is what made it god for me.

In a game like Asherons Call, where you have an open world and a more sandbox style game, I think, a more simple combat system fits better than AoCs system. Tried grinding/hunting monsters with a AoC combat system? its downright awful...No, in my opinion, these kind of combat systems fits better in games like DDO where grinding is minimal and you dont fight outside quests.

Some of the things you list there are present in AOC's melee combat (collision, semi-twitch) and a lot of it isn't really germane specifically to the melee combat. which is all that I'm talking about  You loved AC2.  That's great, but I'm not talking about a remake.  I'm talking about a new game that is about capturing the spirit of the predecessors, not copying all the mechanics.  I'm not talking about copying AOC's combat exactly either.  You could easily modify it to make it less tedious over long, repetitive hunting sessions.  Give it two modes- one that's an auto attack and another that gives you total control (like AOC) along with some bonuses.  That way you could have a simpler system for mindless grinding, but you could make it more interactive in other situations where you might want or need an edge over your opponent.  If i'm not mistaken that's similar to how the ranged combat works in AOC.  You can aim FPS style and get a damage bonus or something or you can have the computer auto target for you. 

Two combat systems in one game? hmm sound fishy concerning balance. DDO has a auto-attack system, and I know if you use that, you out nerf your self to high heavens. But hey, if they could accomplish it, im all for it...

FYI.. I wasnt trying to remake AC2, but rather putting AC2 combat into AC1s open world and sandbox gameplay.

Originally posted by BesCirga

Two combat systems in one game? hmm sound fishy concerning balance. DDO has a auto-attack system, and I know if you use that, you out nerf your self to high heavens. But hey, if they could accomplish it, im all for it...

FYI.. I wasnt trying to remake AC2, but rather putting AC2 combat into AC1s open world and sandbox gameplay.

Well I haven't played a ranger in AoC yet, but supposedly there is a FPS style combat mode and an auto targeting mode that you can switch between. 

Anyway, I get what you're saying here, but when you say AC2's combat you are talking about a very complex system that was interdependent with many other aspects of AC 2.  So even if you tried to replicate AC 2's combat, you might end up with something that didn't really resemble the original.  I guess I'm just personally hoping for a game that is more advanced and pushes new boundaries while capturing the spirit of AC rather than trying to replicate old systems.  I don't want AC 2's combat.  I want something more evolutionary.

AC2's combat for the time was pretty great.   Look at WoW, released 3 years after video footage had been out of AC2's combat and how similar they are.