I had an idea tonight that we could possible put in a shove type attack with some differences that would replace kicking.
Intriguing, could you elaborate on this a bit? I do think that there should be some kind of high risk/high reward move that will keep melee from becoming too monotonous. Not decisive, but no cheap gimmick either. And its use should definitely depend on skill, since that is what melee is all about.
Here is a collection of ideas I've come up with and borrowed from elsewhere (mostly borrowed):
Parry/"Perfect" Block - Block (or attack) at the precise time and the enemy will be knocked off balance or something like that; too early and it's just a normal block, too late and you get hit. It could also be separated from the blocking and attacking functions (e.g. parry button), so that being too early as well as too late could prove fatal.
This is kinda like M&B's chambering bug/feature.Dodging - A quick sidestep or hop to get out of the way, but you can't block or attack while doing so.
If you can dodge a wrench, well you will probably still not be able to dodge a cannon ball. Could probably use some ducks, dips, and dives as well.Feint - A quick little jab which has no effect but is intended to distract the opponent.
Not sure if this would have any use at all, since it's already kind of possible to do this by canceling an attack with the block button.Heavy/Power Attack - Swing harder for extra damage, and possibly break someone's block or stagger them, though it should be reasonably avoidable, even taking long enough to execute that someone could fit in a normal attack during the windup.
This could make bayonet battles interesting if it were to become the only way to score a 1-hit kill (excepting the damage boost conferred when the officer calls a charge).Sprinting - Sometimes it helps to be just that much faster. Like in the BF1 example above, a sprinting attack can be lethal but hard to aim. You could also sprint to get to a teammate in time to help them. Maybe limited to skirmishers and light infantry.
I would hope not to see people sprinting around like coke-addicted COD fanboys.Stamina - Every physical action costs stamina, the more strength and agility it requires, the more stamina it uses. When the player is tired, the most strenuous activities, such as heavy attacks, sprinting, dodging, etc. will become unusable. When the player is completely winded, they will be slowed to a crawl, attacks will do less damage, and blocks will be less effective (ex. always get staggered or even take damage on a successful block). Stamina regenerates the fastest while sitting, and slowly while marching. Musicians could give a stamina regen boost. Medics could load their needle shooters with adrenaline and fire at teammates to give them a stamina boost, or at enemies to give them lethal adrenal gland ruptures (just kidding).
Not so sure if this would make fights end quicker because everyone gets winded and blocking becomes useless, or if it would make them take longer because everyone would stop to rest before fighting and be more hesitant to attack during a melee (to counter this, the blocker could lose more stamina than the attacker, and holding blocks could also drain stamina over time.) Could also help against spamming and spin-to-win. This could be a "hardcore mode" feature or server option.Note when I say possibly I'm not indicating probability, excessive RNG is bad for competitive play since even the most skillful players can be defeated by sheer bad luck. Melee should be won by skillful play, not by luck and overpowered moves. The system should also be kept as simple as possible, and not overloaded with cheap gimmicks. Not sure what the community agrees on, but this is what I think.