Originally Posted by
biotek
Jumping around like a gymnast doing a floor exercise is a terrible example of dodging in combat. Look at boxing and martial arts... short quick motions that avoid the attack just enough, that's all it needs to be. It would be hindered by encumbrance, but not as much as many might think.
About the lock-on versus manual aiming - there's a place for a both, and it's based entirely off of opinion. RPGs were originally about the character, not the player - the whole point was to break your own real-life limits. And while manual aiming does have some degree of skill involved, so does stats/probability planning. Both of them are secondary to other variables such as positioning, timing, and equipment.
It's been a long time since I've played it, but Tabula Rasa had a good hybrid system, I remember right. It was primarily fps controls with a retical. But it was fairly lenient and used a soft-lock system so that you could maintain a target during crowded/messy fights. I liked that system because it combined some of the FPS manual aiming with RPG style stat based combat. It felt quick, fluid, and fun.
Some might argue that combat should be about personal skill (manual aim/target) instead of stats or gear (which if designed correctly takes skill, not grind). However, this point of view often ignores the technological advantages that some players will have in real life - essentially claiming that good gear is unfair in-game where everyone has access, but expensive accessories out of game are completely legit.
In the end I still think it's more a matter of preference. I happen to prefer a well done hybrid of the two.