Directional Melee Combat

Directional Melee Combat

A combat system for melee weapons, built for PvP but just as good in PvE. Attacks and parries are chosen by direction, and the hitbox follows the sword model.

Controls

• Move the mouse up, left or right to pick a direction, shown on the triangle crosshair.

  

• LMB attacks in the chosen direction.

• RMB parries. During a wind-up RMB feints instead and cancels the attack.

Attacks

• Three directions — overhead, left and right — each with its own animation.
• Every attack has a wind-up, a damage window and a recovery. Damage is dealt only in the damage window, when the blade actually passes through the target.
• The hitbox is computed from the blade animation, the same way on the server and on screen. Press F3+B to see what the server tests.
• Repeating the same direction deals half damage. After an attack its direction is unavailable for 0.9 s and turns red on the crosshair.
• You can feint until the damage window opens. After a feint you cannot attack for 1 s.
• A struck player is pushed along the swing: side blows shove sideways, overhead blows don't push. Fighters don't fly apart after every hit.

Parrying

• A parry only stops an attack of the same direction: overhead with overhead, left with left, right with right.
• It covers the front and the sides (±105°), never the back.
• 2.5 s cooldown. A successful parry nearly resets it: the next one is ready in 0.5 s.
• A parried attacker loses the rhythm: no attacks for 1.5 s, parrying still allowed.

PvE

• Parrying works against mobs too: the mob is knocked back and briefly slowed, and mob blows from the front are deflected for the next 0.5 s.
• Arrows, explosions and other damage cannot be parried.

Movement in combat

• With a sword or an axe, walking backwards is slower (55%): you can't backpedal out of a fight.
• Combat stance, when another armed player is within 4 blocks:
  • strafing is slower (70%), so circling behind can't outrun turning;
  • during your own wind-up and damage window your feet are planted: forward and sideways 65%, backwards 40%, diagonally backwards 30%.
• No jumping during an attack, and no attacking for 1.5 s after a jump.
• No sprinting for 3.5 s after your own attack and after being hit.
• While your attack is in progress, hits from fists and other non-weapon items don't knock you back.

Axe

• Same mechanics as the sword, but slower: wind-up 20% longer, damage window 8% longer.
• Shorter hitbox (from the haft to the edge of the head), higher damage.
• Aimed at a block, the axe stays a tool: chopping and stripping logs work as usual.

Requirements

• Minecraft 1.21.1, NeoForge 21.1.
• Player Animation Library 1.1.6.
• Required on both client and server. In singleplayer or a world opened to LAN, every player just installs it.