Does a Monster Changing Facing Take Up Game Time?
#1
Being an avid Classic Diablo Ironman I'm always on the lookout for ways to reduce taking damage practically all situations. I've observed this, but wonder if it is “true” or just a “perception”.

It seems that (circumstances permitting) when my warrior stands to “one side of” a doorway -- either above or below it or to the left or right -- rather than directly in the tile adjacent and perpendicular to it, he gets a bit more time to swing and damage opponents before they return the favor(especially Familiars!). It seems that not only must they enter the doorway tile, they must THEN change facing and THEN they can finally begin their attack animation.

To illustrate, imagine a sequence broken into 1/2 units of time (an arbitrary length here) where it takes a full unit of time to enter a tile. The warrior is swinging into the doorway tile all the while without cease.

In scenario one, with the warrior directly adjacent and perpendicular to a doorway tile, the foe would start in the room one tile away from the warrior. In a half unit of time, it moves 1/2 way into the doorway tile. In another 1/2 unit of time (assuming it isn’t hit and knocked back) it moves INTO the doorway tile. Now the foe is adjacent to the warrior, facing him, and ready to
begin the attack animation. One full unit of time has elapsed.

In the second scenario, if the warrior is in a tile above (or below) the tile opposite the door tile, it still takes the foe one full unit of time to enter the doorway tile. The monster is now facing directly out of the room, toward an empty tile, with the warrior in the tile diagonally above the foe. Does it then take another 1/2 unit of time (or some lesser quantity of time?) for the foe to change facing, turning to a diagonal, and THEN begin the attack animation? If so, the warrior gets that much extra time to swing and damage the opponent.

I guess it would depend upon whether it REALLY takes some unit of time for monsters to “change facing” or not. If so, then this is some slight advantage. If not, then it is merely a perceptual thing (or wishful thinking coloring reality).

Anyone know? Any thoughts/opinions?


Attika
Reply
#2
I am not certain about melee attacks, but I know for ranged attackers it doesn't work like that.

They fire where you are at, period. Them facing in a reasonable direction is just cosmetic. It is pretty easy to notice this when telekilling witches as you can get hit by their star just after teleporting before they chance direction. Once I actually saw a blood star fly exactly perpindicular to the direction the witch was firing, it looked pretty funny. Soon they are going to start shooting around corners!

My guess is that it would work the same way for melee attacks.
--Lang

Diabolic Psyche - the site with Diablo on the Brain!
Reply
#3
IMO, there's difference between how you are approaced when you are standing right in a doorway and having that extra second you get at the corner. It's as if the foe has to (1) see you and (2) acquire you as a target. That extra second can mean a lot sometimes.
[Image: Sabra%20gold%20copy.jpg]

I blame Tal.

Sabramage Authenticated!
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)