Button-mashing? You're doing it wrong

[JAFO]

Button-mashing in combat.

Does anyone really like it? I dunno.. but I'd guess those who like it are in the minority. And people with CTS, RSI, and so on hate 'em. So why do gaming companies go for it so often?

Guess what. Hinterland DO NOT use button-mashing in TLD! But most people think they do, and think the combat mechanic is hard and unpredictable, and/or that they're just not fast enough. I recently (and coincidentally) had a revelation about combat (and dealing with wolves, but that's another story), over a couple of days before and after the release of Story Mode.

It turns out, the combat mechanic is not about speed at all. But thanks to a little psychological misdirection, we tend to instinctively think it is. We're under attack by a vicious creature which wants to kill us, painfully. So our adrenaline pumps, and we are in a semi-freakout state of mind.. and we frantically strike at that button as fast as we can. The bar seems reluctant to rise, so we try to go even faster.

Our instincts are sabotaging our gameplay.

That's not what it's about at all, as I learned when I had to perform the very first task as Will McKenzie. It turns out that it's about maintaining a steady rhythm, at a speed of roughly (needs testing) a click every half-second or so. Once I started doing this, I could pump that bar up like a bicycle tire.. I'm still kind of unsteady, but I'm getting there.

It turns out a few people do know about it, but I suspect they suppose most people already know, so it's never much mentioned.

 

So slow down, click up a steady beat on that button, and see what you think.

[IsVaz]

You mean you don't have to click so many times?

If i understood well,  maybe it works, according to the stamina of the character and additionally there can be a hidden stamina bar when you're get attacked and the efford you put to fight, i guess.

[JAFO]

5 minutes ago, IsVaz said:

You mean you don't have to click so many times?

Correct.

5 minutes ago, IsVaz said:

If i understood well,  maybe it works, according to the stamina of the character and additionally there can be a hidden stamina bar when you're get attacked and the efford you put to fight, i guess.

I don't have any theories about it. I just know it works better if you go slower. One click every half-second works best, it seems. As @Nervous Pete can confirm.

 

[ChapnCrunch]

This is great news. I literally wore out another mouse playing Clicker Heroes a few years ago (I'd just gotten divorced ... I can't imagine any other justification for that utterly meaningless, soul-sucking time waster of a game), and I really hoped I wouldn't end up wearing this one out. 

[exeexe]

I do wolf fights with just one click.
You just say actions = q instead of mousebuttons

Then you say mousebutton 7 should have a macro

And the macro should be a Q every 0,1 second repeat 80 times
And then thats it

[ChapnCrunch]

Neat. Sounds like that would eliminate any variation from wolf encounters though. Or do you get different outcomes each time? I don't know what determines exactly what injuries or torn clothing you get.

[Mel Guille]

Something to be aware of: a lower frame rate can cause clicked to be "missed" by the game. If you are having difficulty filling up a bar when clicking, try adjusting your settings for improved performance.

You can find steps for different ways to optimize performance in our Technical FAQ.

[exeexe]

2 hours ago, ChapnCrunch said:

Neat. Sounds like that would eliminate any variation from wolf encounters though. Or do you get different outcomes each time? I don't know what determines exactly what injuries or torn clothing you get.

You get different outcomes every time because the dmg u take is random (Sprain ankle? or clothes torn apart? etc) and it is what was happening before the wolf encounter that really matters - like how tired you are etc. Likewise it is also what you do after the wolf encounter that makes a difference.

[ChapnCrunch]

Ah. Makes sense.