Control

## Information

Control is a very common term among the users in Overgeared. The usage generally refers to the exercise of combat abilities by a user, from practically non-existent to complete mastery, but also beyond it. Although the term is not exclusively related to combat, it has not yet been used for non-combat. The term control itself denotes a category of proficiency grades in use, ranging from lacking control to good control to godly control. The proficiency grades describe the extent to control the body and mind while doing something more intense. Representing the ability to fight properly, the grade good control is an important step for Rankers. Control can also describe the different abilities of NPCs, which reproduce it through their artificial intelligence.

Since the characters in Satisfy are driven by the thoughts of players like the real bodies, the term control is not associated with an input device. The control of the character as a body is no different from the real-world body control, except for the influence of the System Correction Effect. Control is thus the mastery of the inner body processes from sensing to thinking to moving in order to move the character efficiently. The processes consist of those competencies that make a prediction of the upcoming close situation, deduce a predetermination of the coming own moves and coordinate the next actions with the help of the own senses and judgment.

In the broader context, control is about controlling the opponents, taking advantage of the opponent's gaps, and firing powerful Skills while avoiding the opponent's attacks. The control of oneself is necessary in order to do it. But control differs from Group Control which is the implementation of a dedicated Strategy. Control is the execution of the individual actors making a decision to act in time and doing the plannable exactly, but also reacting precisely to the unplannable, usually caused by the opponents. There are various combat abilities under control that affect the opponents and can be applied sequentially either individually or combined. They are reflexive moving, evading of Non-targeted Attacks, blocking or counterattacking of any attacks, precise attacking, accurate hitting of Weak Points, carefully utilizing skills, and many more.

The purpose of control is the perfect handling of all abilities available to one in order to utilize every advantage and prevent every disadvantage. It applies equally to combat and non-combat. An example of distinguishing criteria for the combat utilization are the unavoidable attack or counterattack, while the target is most defenseless, and the impenetrable block or immediate evasion, while the hit on oneself is imminent. The light-footed assassin as a master of attacking and evading has no need for armor or accessories with a strong defence. But not all classes are the same. Especially tanker classes that are fully armed with heavy armor and shield need more control over blocking and counterattacking. Accordingly, the purpose of control is different for everyone.

Rankers are the closest to the distinguishing criteria for the full utilization of control but they are not perfect. Therefore every ranker trains the control to increase their own proficiency, for example with a spar against each other. Even non-combat rankers need a constant level of control when handling their tools. In every combat case, good control helps the weak to win against the strong by limiting the opponents' options or pulling the right amount of aggro related to the situation. But it also makes the strong even stronger, allowing them to better use purposefully their overwhelming power and overcome the difference from a fierce losing struggle to an equally hard but winning fight. People with excellent control over their weapons leave their opponents with lacking control without a chance.

## Control from Lacking to Godly

### The Initial Level of Lacking Control

An example of someone with lacking control is Grid who was always hit at the beginning of the novel. It is the opposite of control with the sequence of hitting, being hit, drinking potions, and hitting again. Grid drank potions as a substitute like water whenever his health was low. He constantly risked the situation to lost health against ordinary opponents and wasted his invincible passive once per 24 hours. Grid tended to depend on his items and skills, but there is a fatal weakness. If the skills are not available due to the cooldown time, he had no choice but to be weak. Even the best armor could not endure being hit repeatedly. Grid faced a crisis when he succeeded in unleashing all kinds of skills, but also when he was attacked by monsters in a pincer or when his reaction was too late. Not only was his stamina bad, but Grid wasted it all the time and the passive resistance intensified it even more.

After finally becoming aware of it, he overcame the weakness of no talent for control, dull movements, and lack of combat sense due to the thorough education from Piaro and trying to make an effort to exceed his capabilities. After all, the outstanding ability mentioned by Grid, represented by Overgeared, to maximally utilize items as tools has to do with control. The best items are useless when they cannot be used properly in combat. If Grid completely loses control over his thinking power, Grid's lack of control also occurs later again. But then it would not just be Grid.

### The Ordinary Level of Normal Control

Anyone playing without particularly outstanding control is able to accurately estimate the timing of predicted attacks, track the trajectory, offset attacks by concentrating, and utilize their insight. Anyone could approach a target currently unable to control his body properly, for example, if slowed down from pain. They can attack the weak spot and use maneuvering techniques, such as avoiding subsequent counterattacks to then triggering a skill. If few enemies suddenly surround and attack from all directions, this level of control is characterized by being able to move backwards in time and avoid the attacks from the front. Appearing gaps caused by confusion or fear, which occur through the unexpected, are quickly exploited by attacking first. If there are several opponents, the timely advancing towards the weakest one always has priority. For comparison, only a slightly trained Grid by Piaro is able to let his sword follow the movements of Sword Dances while occasionally avoiding attacks.

### Advanced Factors

An important factor is also the adaptation to harsh terrains severely limiting the movements. Even in the desert walking with heavy boots has to be like in a plain area to not bury the feet into the sand, which can run loose every time. An incorrect weight transfer like putting weight on the feet's tip can cause a sinking on any terrain when moving, especially when speeding up and running. Experts in combat are able to adapt immediately to exert the full power and are accustomed to various terrains by valuable experience. Adaptation does also refer to further restrictions due to state effects. The desert's heat and other extremes, for example, are enough to make stamina fall faster than usual, so that more frequent breaks are needed. It forces to eliminate unnecessary movements and be as efficient as possible during the full of resilience consuming stamina, including the adaptation to new circumstances through temporary debuffs.

### The Level of Rankers with Good Control

For the control used by ordinary rankers or combat NPCs, some optimizations must be implemented to be considered as someone with good control. By moving the muscles well, the movements should be reduced for efficient use to complete a sequence of defensive to offensive actions in the shortest possible time to attack faster and more accurate the weak points. A faster use of skills causes a combat situation to rapidly become advantageous. Rather than avoiding attacks that use a lot of time and movements, it is better to aim for defense or a counterattack by the inevitable timing, in particular against Targeted Attacks. Skills can be used to cancel or overwhelm other skills, even if these are not intended to counter.

If countering is not possible due to the delay after one very powerful strike in attack mode, the cooldown of skills or the opponent is stronger, then it is important that one keeps moving and does not give time for their opponent's recovery, as well as avoid causing their own gaps to occur. This fighting method makes it easier to defeat opponents. To increase the hit ratio, attacks should be launched while taking evasion action. If combat does not go as well as expected, then essentially thinking has to be as calm as possible to take every advantage while being full of wounds. Otherwise, the natural act of agitation is the loss of control, an advantage for the opponents. For comparison, this is something that was impossible for the Non-Great Swordsman Grid.

### The Peak Level of Godly Control

The peak of control practiced by Kraugel is called godly control, into which rankers like Grid grows more and more in order to fully utilize their own other abilities. It is pure control that neutralizes the targets by using good senses and judgment in every situation, not fully reproducible by artificial intelligence. Of course, powerful and efficient skills cannot be handled by control alone but the swiftest and smallest movements are used to advance precisely. It is achieved by the ability to predict the opponents' paths in an exquisite manner and to determine the best route for guiding the weapon. Utilizing these insights, not only are decisions made for the heat of the moment but also several moves ahead are predetermined as in chess. It is the complete control of the own body, supplemental factors, and those of the opponents using one mind. Whether a targeted or non-targeted skill must or will be used is an essential thought process. Every time a crisis arises, one is able to reliably adapt and manage the aggro in order to control the opponents.

## References

1. ↑ Chapters 12, 144, 215, 433-434, 578, 930 | partly described indirectly
2. ↑ Chapter 689
3. ↑ Chapters 12, 144, 215, 229, 689, 965
4. ↑ Chapters 229, 277, 460
5. ↑ Chapters 215, 229, 433
6. ↑ Chapters 215, 389, 399, 460, 484, 541, 739
7. ↑ Chapters 389, 433, 460, 578, 769, 930 and 943