Allow colonists to carry ranged AND melee weapon

[TimTumm]

If I were a colonist that lived in a world where my M16/shotgun/pistol would be useless against an angry squirrel, I would also carry a club with me.  We already have the option to make our colonist melee OR shoot the enemy.  It would be easy to let them carry weapons for each as well.  (Frankly I think it is illogical for them not to carry one of each).

Brawlers can of course chose not to carry a ranged weapon.

[BattleFate]

I think perhaps allow them to carry one large weapon, or a medium and small weapon. Thus, you could carry a knife and an SMG, a sniper rifle and a handgun or a LMG/rocket launcher and nothing else. Perhaps also allow them to carry one grenade each too (instead of grenades being repeat use weapons, have them be consumables with only 1-2 being allowed per colonist. Maybe 1 and +1 if no small weapon is used).

[tommytom]

I think perhaps allow them to carry one large weapon, or a medium and small weapon. Thus, you could carry a knife and an SMG, a sniper rifle and a handgun or a LMG/rocket launcher and nothing else. Perhaps also allow them to carry one grenade each too (instead of grenades being repeat use weapons, have them be consumables with only 1-2 being allowed per colonist. Maybe 1 and +1 if no small weapon is used).

This was already discuss not long ago, but I do like your suggestion. Would make melee guys not so terrible at the start. Pistol + shiv.

Later, you have R4 only guys or Gladius/Longsword+PS only guys (if you want to spec for ranged or melee, that is).

[BattleFate]

Brainstorming here, maybe make it so that if someone uses all of their equipment slots (both the medium and small weapon, or a single large weapon), then they wouldn't be able to haul anything (pretty much saying they are carrying too much to be able to haul anything sizeable).

[ctgill]

Equip certain rifles with bayonets

[Doomlord9]

Besides anything to do with game balance, I fail to see why there is any reason at all everyone can't keep a knife on them no matter what else they have equipped. They are default melee weapons in almost every armed force in the world for that exact reason, there is always room to put a knife in your kit and a sharp bit of metal is one of THE most important survival tools you can have.

Now, larger melee weapons like a sword or spear would be restricted and would restrict other choices, but a basic shiv/knife at minimum you just tie it to your belt and it doesn't matter if you have an SMG or triple rocket launcher, when you need to melee you can always pull out the knife.

[praguepride]

This might dig deeper into a whole "encumbrance" system but what if weapons required "hands" to hold. A pistol or knife requires one hand while a larger weapon like a rifle or shotgun requires two hands.

Therefore you could have either a pistol/knife combo or a larger weapon.

In addition you should be able to make belts, backpacks etc. that would add additional "inactive hands" to a colonist's carryable capacity. Therefore you could have a mid-game or end-game colonist carrying a shotgun and a longsword but they have to switch between the two, an activity that could either be instananeous or could be a factor of weight and colonist attributes to determine how quickly they can switch weapons.

This would also allow situations where a colonist has a long range weapon like a sniper rifle but can switch to a pistol as the enemy gets closer.

Overall this has the advantage of being able to use more weapons at the expense that now more weapons are tied up in a single pawn who can't possibly use them all AND it takes time (and effort on player's part) to switch active weapons. Finally you can limit overall equipment by only allowing one "belt" slot which adds say "two inactive hands" to the pawn's inventory so at most you could carry two two-handed weapons (or four one-handed weapons or some combination therein).

Ultimately this would allow an early colony to say have one "warrior" armed with a rifle, pistol, and knife. As he is charged by angry squirrel he first uses the rifle, then switches to the pistol, then finally pulls out the knife for melee...

Perhaps combat experience could play into how quickly you switch TO a weapons, so better shooting is better switching to a gun, better melee is faster pulling out the knife...

[SuperCaffeineDude]

I think this is one of the big ones people want (winces at the thought of someone barking the contrary), I'd love to see something like what you suggest.

My suggestion is always that there are two slots for anything (perhaps with exceptions) and that this would compliment some sort of tool system (< a huge ask I'm aware). So a miner might have a pick-axe and a pistol for instance, whilst a trooper carries a rifle and knife.

Obviously time for development's not infinite though, but the heart wants  .

[cultist]

Within the current frame of the game, I would suggest one of the following:

a) All pawns can carry one melee and one ranged weapon. When they switch, the previous weapon is dropped on the ground as usual when  changing equipment. Melee weapon switch is automatic if the pawn is attacked in melee. Ranged weapon switch is manual (or range-based, but I prefer manual).

b) change the pawn's melee damage/speed/accuracy depending on the type of ranged weapon wielded. Bulky weapons like rocket launchers and miniguns can't be used in melee. Perhaps introduce advanced weapons that have a melee component. Or just stick a bayonet on them, as suggested above.

[b0rsuk]

A related idea would be to make Melee skill give a chance to dodge melee attacks. Because the idea is redundant with the ranged-and-melee one, it would have to be one or the other.

[BetaSpectre]

Support. However lets have the melee be interchangeable with a one use rocket !!!

[Johnny Masters]

A related idea would be to make Melee skill give a chance to dodge melee attacks. Because the idea is redundant with the ranged-and-melee one, it would have to be one or the other.

I suggested in some forgotten topic that a way to built in dodge into melee was:
Average hit chance is 50%, minus or more the difference in skill of opponent. So, for example, a pawn with melee level 1 against a level 1 raider would have a 50% chance of hitting, and vice-versa, not hitting would either be an abstract of the attacking missing or the defender dodging. A 20 x 20 would be 50%, because they both know what they are doing. But a 20 x a 1 could be something like  95% to hit and dodge vs 5% of them hitting or dodging (or 10%, or 15%...).

Then you could add or take based on other type of equipment worn, like heavy clothing/armor could penalize your dodging (but not your attack) or drugs and implants improve it.

[b0rsuk]

I think this formula is too extreme. Melee skill already gives a big benefit, chance to hit in melee and probably damage. Anything on top of that is a bonus. Curently characters with both Shooting and Melee skill are pointless, especially nobles.

[Kagemusha12]

I agree that this would be a good idea.
Not only for the colonists, but also for the raiders.

At the moment in a raid, as soon as the enemy melee fighters have been killed by the combined fire of my turrets and rifles (while they tried to storm my positions), the enemies are lost, because I can then just send my shielded melee fighters to attack the remaining enemy ranged troops ... with just risking a few bruises, as in melee the enemy ranged troops have only their fists to defend themselves against my melee soldiers.

With a secondary melee weapon this tactic would be much riskier for my troops (at least if among the enemy ranged troops there are soldiers skilled in melee) 

[Johnny Masters]

I think this formula is too extreme. Melee skill already gives a big benefit, chance to hit in melee and probably damage. Anything on top of that is a bonus. Curently characters with both Shooting and Melee skill are pointless, especially nobles.

How exactly this formula is extreme? If anything it would be balancing.

I'm not suggesting this formula on top of the currently system, i'm suggesting a superposition. Instead of melee skill giving progressively higher chance to hit, it would actually give progressively higher chance to hit compared to a lower skill enemy.

A master against an amateur hits often and is hit less. A master against a master would hit/miss half the time and dodge/block half the time. Same thing for an amateur against an amateur. Damage is still the same and depends on weapon (or fists) and quality. Although that too could be modified.

Optionally, other things could factor into hit and/or dodge chance. Or don't.

Thus, both shooting and melee would be useful. For someone with a ranged weapon, melee would be useful so even if you are not equipped with a good melee  weapon, at least you'd have a higher chance to dodge and hit back, perhaps even providing a few dodges so you could actually shoot back with a gun (usually denied because of reset cooldown).

Then again this is not a melee revamp post (sorry for the diverge)