Making the spear more desirable

[Pernicious]

I only play with a small group of friends, none of who chose the spear as their preferred weapon. But I was wondering if it's a general observation that few people use spears? 

 

For me personally, the advantage of the longer reach isn't enough to forego other weapon benefits such as bleed out, stopping bites, or knock down chance. And the ability to throw instead of power attack is actually a down side. In fact, I thought I saw some comments that the throwing ability was going to be removed.

 

So it got me thinking, what are some fun alternatives that would add some  mechanics that don't already exist? Not all of the below ate balanced or easily implemented, but hey, this is the dream thread, right?

 

1) Block - no weapon currently has that, but the staff (more than the spear but hey, a stick is a stick, right?) - especially the iron shod staff in Asian martial arts is fairly well known for disarming and blocking maneuovers.  Might introduce an interesting mechanic?

 

2) Shield and pike - Similar to block, but more passive. You need to hold a broken door during horde night? This will do it. But you can't actively attack, zombies take damage like wooden spikes, blocked attacks damages the durability of the weapon, and it drains stamina so you can't do it for long - just enough to buy your team mates time to reload/drop a new door/retreat.

 

3) Lunge - maybe too similar to the knock down effect of sledge hammers, but a power attack "jumps" you forward one block, and a successful hit on the chest hit box sends the zombie back 2 and stuns/stagger them. A miss staggers you instead and puts you in the dangerous position of having the zombie closer or worse - behind you. Again,  a bit of a crowd control tactic.

 

Any other thoughts? Or does anyone like any of these mechanics?

[zztong]

There have been other suggestions regarding the spear. My favorite was to let it strike through bars as if it were a gun or an arrow.

[Riamus]

Note that the spear will be changed in the next alpha so you have a real power attack instead of throwing it.  Also, I believe I saw that you will be able to attack through holes and bars with it.  I think with the increased reach compared to other weapons, it will become a good option for many people.

[Javabean867]

I personally love all of the melee options.  The new power attack that is planned in a21 I'm even more excited.

 

 

[Melange]

After crafting my initial stone axe, I craft a spear. It keeps distance between me and the relatively 'soft' early game zeds. Soft or not, they can still infect me, and it will be awhile before I can gather any honey. Great for taking out a chicken or an unlucky rabbit too.

 

I like your block idea. And I'm looking forward to the lunge/thrust mechanics promised for A21. Maybe it will morph into what you describe. Indeed, we can dream.