How are fractional blows suppose to work?

[bron]

I'm not understanding how "fractional blows" are suppose to work. For instance, I'm weilding a weapon that give "2.3 blows/round". I would *expect* that to mean either that every so often I would get 3 blows instead of 2 in a round, or else that when trading blows with an opponent of equal speed, I would get 2 blows per round, but occasionally get an extra round. But near as I can see neither one of these things is actually happening. When trading blows with something with a lot of h.p., I swing twice, then it acts, swing twice, it acts, etc., etc. What I *do* see is that when the thing *dies*, this seems to take only a fraction of a turn (i.e. if I'm fighting a line of orcs in a corridor, and kill the head of the line, I occasionally get to act again before the next in line steps up). But if the thing doesn't die right away, I seem to always get exactly 2 blows in between my opponent's actions. Can someone tell me what "2.3 blows" really means and how that plays out in melee?

[Derakon]

You get a turn every time you accumulate at least 100 energy. At normal speed, you get 10 energy for every "game turn", thus 10 game turns = 1 normal-speed turn. Actions in the game are not allowed to take more than 100 energy. Your blows per round indicate how many blows you could make using 100 energy -- another way of putting it is that each attack uses 100 / (blows per round) energy.

So when you have 2.3 blows per round, that means you can make 2 full blows before going over the 100-energy-per-action maximum. However, you haven't used the entire 100 energy (at 2.3 blows/round, you'd instead have used 87 energy), which means that your next turn comes sooner. So what you should see in a prolonged fight with a matched-speed enemy is that occasionally you get a free turn, where the enemy didn't manage to accumulate 100 energy between the end of your last turn and the start of the next turn.

[bron]

what you should see in a prolonged fight with a matched-speed enemy is that occasionally you get a free turn

Ok, so the second of the two options I listed. I'll watch for this more carefully. Thanks!

[tussock]

I'm finding it a pain for a pure melee character at the moment. That extra bit of time usually sees @ just blunder forward into extra attacks. Much rather the partial attack was randomised than make me relearn my attack patterns every time Str or Dex or the weapon changes. Vastly more common than speed changes.

I suppose I should hack my own copy and do that now, not hard or anything.

[Derakon]

I recommend using the control key when attacking, which will keep you from moving if there's nothing in the space you try to attack (though it will waste your turn).

[tussock]

Sure, but that's another keypress too. Changed it to a random chance for an extra attack instead, and it's definitely much easier to play in melee. It's only more game turns to kill off a bunch of wimps if you get surrounded, more chance to fail a save for something annoying thereby, but groups aren't deadly enough to worry about killing them quickly thus far, and the extra game time gives them a chance to get to me.

Really should fix up that blows table again too, or the weapon weights, or both. I should try and find my old edits.

[LostTemplar]

I have added fractional blows to FAangband, so fractional part gives probability of extra attack, and it works well.

[Timo Pietilä]

So when you have 2.3 blows per round, that means you can make 2 full blows before going over the 100-energy-per-action maximum. However, you haven't used the entire 100 energy (at 2.3 blows/round, you'd instead have used 87 energy), which means that your next turn comes sooner.

This is very obvious when you have multiple blows against group of weak fast monsters like insects. You can kill as many of them as you have blows before they get a move. It's like entering matrix bullet time, you are suddenly much much much faster than before. Very useful against spiders and canines.