ToME WikiRavenRed: Quick idea of the day - Possibly give bows the COULD2H flag. If used two handed (which when defined in this sense means “without a shield”), they gain a +1 to Shots. This allows a degree of realism without crippling the character with the “reading a spell with one hand whild holding a sword in the other hand and a shield in the other hand and a lantern in the OTHER hand and a bow in the *OTHER* hand” silliness.Another thing may be to make Heavy Crossbows MUST2H.
Bow-heavy characters would then be motivated to be equipped lighter, rather than as tanks.
Realistically (don’t worry, I’m not trying to use the word provocatively), I’d like to see us return to the old Moria situation where swap weapons were used, with a single slot for “weapon” rather than a separate one for ranged and melee. I realise, though, that this would be a moderately big change for ToME players.
2cworth and counting...
NeilStevens: A generic system for using the arms, in order to support that, would be interesting. It'd also allow for two-dagger combat, too, I imagine.
SimonSorc: It would be nice if we could have the slots we have now, but only change combat style to show which ones are active.
So when I'm with my sword and shield and I want to go crossbow, I just spend part of a turn changing combat style. The sword and the shield DO NOT go in my inventory (in other games, I tended to lose great swords that way when intentory was full - like most of the time).
Inventory-involving switch bad! Active slot changing good! (Even if it costs half or a full turn).
Bandobras: If the changing of combat style is automatic, each time you attack or "f"ire, or cast a spell, then this would be nice. Then, pehaps, when you move, you would automatically have your shield readied, your weapons dangling at your back. Of course there should also be possible some manual control and pehaps some form of an automatizer and macros, as well.
SimonSorc: if I don't have to even change melee style, that would be so cool.
And if I would become "coward" when disarming a trap and return to my previous state just afterwards, instead of doing it by hand, it would be icing on the cake!!
...that and being able to make 99 ID scrolls with one command using alchemy. That would spare me so much grief...
Automation good! Forcing the (possibly computer illiterate) user to write extremely obvious macros bad!
RavenRed: However, fixing the system so that there are no consequences to coward mode - bad. Some stuff should still be done by hand. Macros are still doing things by "hand" more or less (they need to be programmed by hand, and invoked with a specific keypress, and are also DUMB). Otherwise all you've done is artificially boosted the disarm chance for a turn. If you want to make a macro that engages coward mode and then asks for a direction, then good. However, you'd still have to re-engage non-coward mode... But making that intrinsic to the disarm command is (for mine) not desirable.
But you're right in that the "stowing" command for weapons shouldn't be too complex. HOwever, I think shields should be a manual change. Why? To give people equipping dilemmas... which is the essence of ToME! 