Create Your Own Melee Weapon

Game Talk The Bunker
1

So lately I’ve been experimenting with editing jsons in order to put items into the game that I think should be there.
Most of what I make is usually melee weapons or guns/ammo, cool stuff…

but I’m interested in seeing what you have either made yourself in the game, or suggestions for me to make, which I will do if it’s a good suggestion.

I will post the jsons with a spoiler, which you can download and slap in the corresponding json file and play with the weapon.

these are for the experimental version, by the way.
(I’m playing on version 0.C-12466-g2b4d317)

I will post the first one:

The wooden baton, a step down from the pre-apocalyptic police batons, but is still a pretty great bashing weapon:

{
    "type":"GENERIC",
    "id" : "baton_wood",
    "name" : "wooden baton",
    "description" : "A short wooden baton. It has been carefully designed for melee combat.",
    "weight" : 750,
    "to_hit" : 3,
    "color" : "brown",
    "symbol" : "/",
    "material" : ["wood"],
	"techniques" : ["WBLOCK_1", "WBLOCK_2", "RAPID", "PRECISE"],
    "flags" : ["DURABLE_MELEE"],
    "volume" : 4,
    "bashing" : 12,
    "price" : 10000,
    "price_postapoc": 700
},

and also the recipe, if you’re interested in making one with one of your characters:

{
“type” : “recipe”,
“result”: “baton_wood”,
“category”: “CC_WEAPON”,
“subcategory”: “CSC_WEAPON_BASHING”,
“skill_used”: “fabrication”,
“difficulty”: 1,
“time”: 1200,
“reversible”: false,
“autolearn”: true,
“qualities”:[
{“id”:“CUT”,“level”:1,“amount”:1}
],
“components”: [
[
[ “stick”, 1 ],
[ “broom”, 1 ],
[ “2x4”, 1 ],
[ “pool_cue”, 1 ]
]
]
},

2

How about the Ripper and Power Fist from Fallout?

3

Here’s something I’ve been tinkering with for a little while.

{
“id”: “fist_shotgun”,
“copy-from”: “shotgun_base”,
“type”: “GENERIC”,
“name”: “shotguntlets”,
“description”: “Two single barreled shotguns attached to the backs of a pair of home made gauntlets, creating the perfect combination of melee prowess, devastating firepower, and risk of losing a finger.”,
“weight”: 1000,
“volume”: 6,
“price”: 20000,
“bashing”: 10,
“material”: [ “steel”, “wood” ],
“skill”: “unarmed”,
“ranged_damage”: 2,
“dispersion”: 280,
“durability”: 8,
“clip_size”: 2,
“modes”: [
[ “DEFAULT”, “single”, 1 ],
[ “DOUBLE”, “double”, 2 ]
],
“reload”: 100,
“valid_mod_locations”: [ [ “accessories”, 1 ], [ “mechanism”, 4 ], [ “sights”, 1 ] ],
“flags”: [ “RELOAD_ONE”, “NEVER_JAMS”, “RELOAD_EJECT”, “UNARMED_WEAPON”, “DURABLE_MELEE”]
}

I’ve run into a problem though, I get an error on game start saying that the “clip_size” variable wasn’t set. Dunno what could be causing it, the variable is defined as far as I can tell, but otherwise it still can be spawned and used.

4

[quote=“Hibou, post:3, topic:12701”]Here’s something I’ve been tinkering with for a little while.

{
“id”: “fist_shotgun”,
“copy-from”: “shotgun_base”,
“type”: “GENERIC”,
“name”: “shotguntlets”,
“description”: “Two single barreled shotguns attached to the backs of a pair of home made gauntlets, creating the perfect combination of melee prowess, devastating firepower, and risk of losing a finger.”,
“weight”: 1000,
“volume”: 6,
“price”: 20000,
“bashing”: 10,
“material”: [ “steel”, “wood” ],
“skill”: “unarmed”,
“ranged_damage”: 2,
“dispersion”: 280,
“durability”: 8,
“clip_size”: 2,
“modes”: [
[ “DEFAULT”, “single”, 1 ],
[ “DOUBLE”, “double”, 2 ]
],
“reload”: 100,
“valid_mod_locations”: [ [ “accessories”, 1 ], [ “mechanism”, 4 ], [ “sights”, 1 ] ],
“flags”: [ “RELOAD_ONE”, “NEVER_JAMS”, “RELOAD_EJECT”, “UNARMED_WEAPON”, “DURABLE_MELEE”]
}

I’ve run into a problem though, I get an error on game start saying that the “clip_size” variable wasn’t set. Dunno what could be causing it, the variable is defined as far as I can tell, but otherwise it still can be spawned and used.[/quote]

The fact that you didn’t give this thing some sort of cheesy sexual innuendo for a name disappoints me greatly.

5

Well… since I don’t know JSON I’ll just decribe my weapon in one word.

MOOSEHAMMER

6

I like shotguntlet, it’s cheesier.

7

[quote=“Hibou, post:3, topic:12701”]Here’s something I’ve been tinkering with for a little while.

{
“id”: “fist_shotgun”,
“copy-from”: “shotgun_base”,
“type”: “GENERIC”,
“name”: “shotguntlets”,
“description”: “Two single barreled shotguns attached to the backs of a pair of home made gauntlets, creating the perfect combination of melee prowess, devastating firepower, and risk of losing a finger.”,
“weight”: 1000,
“volume”: 6,
“price”: 20000,
“bashing”: 10,
“material”: [ “steel”, “wood” ],
“skill”: “unarmed”,
“ranged_damage”: 2,
“dispersion”: 280,
“durability”: 8,
“clip_size”: 2,
“modes”: [
[ “DEFAULT”, “single”, 1 ],
[ “DOUBLE”, “double”, 2 ]
],
“reload”: 100,
“valid_mod_locations”: [ [ “accessories”, 1 ], [ “mechanism”, 4 ], [ “sights”, 1 ] ],
“flags”: [ “RELOAD_ONE”, “NEVER_JAMS”, “RELOAD_EJECT”, “UNARMED_WEAPON”, “DURABLE_MELEE”]
}

I’ve run into a problem though, I get an error on game start saying that the “clip_size” variable wasn’t set. Dunno what could be causing it, the variable is defined as far as I can tell, but otherwise it still can be spawned and used.[/quote]

Fallout: New Vegas has that exact weapon. They call it the Ballistic Fist.

8

I am pretty poop at JSONing but I had a great idea, the apache revolver, brass knuckles, a shank, and a gun in one!

9

Things like that have actually existed (pick up a book on the history of weapons some time - really nifty stuff), but they were fairly rare, as it seems not to be worth the trouble, generally speaking.

Coolest thing I saw in one of those was that someone a few centuries ago took a mace-like weapon from a few centuries before that and, since it had a hollow haft, added a pistol mechanism. Seemed like a good way to injure your wrist to me, but a single surprise shot in a melee could certainly save your life, I’m sure.

10

{
“id”: “pipe_solid”,
“type”: “GENERIC”,
“category”: “spare_parts”,
“name”: “metal rod”,
“description”: “A long, narrow, and solid piece of metal, seperated by force from whatever it was attatched to. Though heavy and unwieldly, it makes an excellent melee weapon if you can handle it.”,
“weight”: 4850,
“volume”: 6,
“price”: 7500,
“price_postapoc”: 1700,
“to_hit”: -2,
“bashing”: 26,
“material”: [ “iron”, “steel” ],
“symbol”: “/”,
“color”: “dark_gray”,
“techniques”: [ “WBLOCK_1”, “BRUTAL” ],
“flags”: [ “DURABLE_MELEE” ]
},
{
“id”: “pipe_solid_spear”,
“type”: “GENERIC”,
“category”: “weapons”,
“name”: “sharpened metal rod”,
“description”: “A solid wrought shaft of metal, sharpened and given a leather grip to provide it more versatility. Still somewhat ungainly to use, and too heavy to use as a proper spear.”,
“weight”: 4705,
“volume”: 6,
“price”: 7500,
“price_postapoc”: 5100,
“to_hit”: -1,
“bashing”: 26,
“cutting”: 8,
“material”: [ “iron”, “steel” ],
“symbol”: “/”,
“color”: “dark_gray”,
“techniques”: [ “WBLOCK_1”, “BRUTAL” ],
“flags”: [ “DURABLE_MELEE”, “SPEAR” ]
}

when you really, really need to bust some skulls.

Also has the distinct advantage of being in my mod and balanced to not be OP-as-Sin.
They make good early game weapons though, ill admit. Skip right over the whole crappy melee weapon thing. And they are viable if you are stronk in midgame.

But, most crafted weapons will  be better suited for real defense.  too heavy, to large.

Can be found by bashing iron wrought fences, iron bars, and guard rails on bridges.

11

I’d like some sort of weapon specifically for insanely strong characters, along the lines of a sledgehammer but heavier. A decently strong guy can wield a sledgehammer, I want something only a hulking gym rat (or minotaur/bear hybrid) would be able to use. Even if it’s just something relatively improvised, like a bunch of rebar bundled together with a massive lump of steel on the end. Though something more skillfully made, like an oversized axe, sword or spear would be really cool too.

12

I’m thinking this would be along the lines of Guts’s pre-dragonslayer sword from Berserk.

13

hahahaha totally.

Any ideas as to how these should be crafted in Cataclysm? I want to make sure they’re ~relatively~ balanced.

14

[quote=“Sharklaser, post:5, topic:12701”]Well… since I don’t know JSON I’ll just decribe my weapon in one word.

MOOSEHAMMER[/quote]

sounds OP

15

this… is doable… but seems a little bit overpowered… and I’m not sure if it’s even possible to balance this in terms of crafting…

16

I’ve actually seen something akin to this floating around the forums… something about overpowered melee weapons/crazy weapons for super strong characters… I’ve never coded anything like this into my game because I don’t really like the idea of a weapon this powerful, but I also don’t use really strong characters, like, ever. haha

This would be really easy to cook up in the json though. I’ll work on it and get back to you with the final product.

17

this… is doable… but seems a little bit overpowered… and I’m not sure if it’s even possible to balance this in terms of crafting…[/quote]
It’s a real thing! Here is the Wikipedia page. Apache revolver - Wikipedia

18

this… is doable… but seems a little bit overpowered… and I’m not sure if it’s even possible to balance this in terms of crafting…[/quote]

The basic premise is that it’s really just a trench knife with a weaker blade, and a revolver attached to it. Stat it at Bash 6/Stab 8 for the melee, and it’d be the 9mm variant (unless we wanted to introduce 7mm exclusively for this gun, since I don’t believe we have 7mm pinfire in Cata for anything else). Another alternative is that [a]ctivating it could bring up a menu to change it between two/three states (either melee and firearm states, or a state for exclusively the knife, the knuckles, and the revolver) that changes the stats to reflect the superior abilities of the current state the weapon is in (easier to stab in knife mode, so higher stab, or better at punching in knuckles mode, so better bash) and effectively makes the firing mechanism useless while it’s folded into its melee state(s).

Crafting would probably follow some amalgamation of a survivor’s six shooter and a punch dagger’s recipies. Omit the pipe for obvious reasons (no barrel) and increase the charge cost for the forge/torch(/welder?) and you’ve suddenly got yourself an apache revolver.

19

8bash6pierce. thats op for a knuckle dusting pocket knife thrown off balance by a rdvolver of suspect quality

add to it tge flimsy looking nature of the joints and i doubt it could block more than a punch.

nit that you can’t try to add it; but tgere is reason it wasnt more widespread irl.

20

[quote=“pisskop, post:19, topic:12701”]8bash6pierce. thats op for a knuckle dusting pocket knife thrown off balance by a rdvolver of suspect quality

add to it tge flimsy looking nature of the joints and i doubt it could block more than a punch.

nit that you can’t try to add it; but tgere is reason it wasnt more widespread irl.[/quote]
It was hideously inaccurate, had ill repute due to its association with French apaches, and rare. (I think)