combat

The Dusk world is a dangerous place, and a little force is sometimes necessary. Combat on Dusk is generally non-lethal, and requires a bit more skill than the fire-and-forget method common on DikuMUDs. Each combatant chooses a style which defines what attacks and defenses they have available to them, as well as what kind of equipment they can use.

Unlike traditional MUD combat which revolves around hitpoints, Dusk's combat has four unique stats: pain, fatigue, unbalance, and intimidation. Each of these numbers starts at zero. Each time an attack is successfully landed against you, these numbers go up according to the attack type. For example, standard attacks (punches, kicks, and most weapons) will cause pain. A legsweep or charge may cause unbalance. Insults or battle cries will cause fear. Fatigue is rarely caused by attacks, but rather increases as you defend (especially dodging) and as you execute your own attacks.

a simple combat encounter

Here we see a standard combat between two soliders, attacking one another with swords. Combat is initiated with the engage command. Attacks are launched by typing their name; if you do not chose an attack, one will be chosen for you automatically. Defenses are chosen automatically based on your current fighting style and the type of attack you are defending from.

...read on to part 2