Unnecessary Combat Roll: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"It is impossible to punch or kick someone while they are rolling. Try to time your somersaults so that you pass through your opponent's attempts to hit you. "''|Advice for a fighting game}}
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For no apparent reason, the protagonist will tuck into a roll, coming out shooting. If this is during some sneaky activity, rather than outright combat, they may do the roll to cross any open space, for no apparent benefit. In [[Real Life]] of course, coming out of a roll into a shooting position puts the person in a less-stable stance, wastes a lot of time and energy, and is likely to be very disorienting. Often parodied, through sheer gratuity, through the rolling individual just being really bad at it, or through [[lampshading]].
Video games tend to fall victim to this as the negative consequences of rolling are often omitted as [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality]]. This often leads to repeated diving rolls being a better choice than flat-out running when moving from place to place, something especially evident in [[Speed Run
Closely related is the preferred method for passing through a [[Laser Hallway]], only in that case the flipping and rolling makes perfect sense, it's the layout of the lasers that doesn't.
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== [[MMORPG]] ==
* The [[World of Warcraft]] expansion "Mists of Pandaria" adds the Monk as a playable class. One maneuver a Monk can perform is a forward roll. This somersault miraculously propels the Monk 20 yards forward at a pace far faster than the Monk's normal running speed.
* In ''[[Star Trek Online]]'', the player character can throw themselves into a roll to get behind cover or away from an enemy (useful) or diveroll to a aiming crouch from a run (very useful). The player character's AI companions will put the Unnecessary in
* ''[[Champions Online]]'' has an unnecessary roll during the Holdout Shot maneuver. The character rolls to one side, pulls a gun from the lower leg and comes up firing a final shot. If executed in flight, the roll will be replaced by [[Everything's Better with Spinning|a mid-air pirouette.]]
* In ''[[Dungeons and Dragons Online]]'' any character with ranks in the tumble skill can hold SHIFT while pressing move, to do a roll instead of normal movement. There is no limit to how much you can do that and it is as fast as regular movement. The downside is that you suffer a penalty to attack rolls shortly after moving, even by rolling, and you can't attack while rolling. You can also use it for Necessary Combat Rolls, when surrounded by a kobold horde to leave safely. Likewise, if you have the Mobility feat, such tumble rolls can offer a +4 bonus to Armor Class. And finally, if you have enough ranks in Tumble, the rolls turn into flips that take the character -just- enough distance from their starting point to be [[High-Speed Missile Dodge|out of the radius of a Fireball, or similar spell]].
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* Players can also do this in the online game ''[[Gunz]],'' which is one of the primary defensive techniques of the game. Also in ''[[S4 League]]''.
* The Jaden Korr from [[Dark Forces Saga|Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy]] can do both forward and backward rolls, and add a lightsaber stab at the end of a forward roll. Justified in the early stages of the game because a forward roll into stab is one of the few reliable ways to kill enemies with lightsabers (Reborn mostly, though it can work on cultists).
** Given how painful a lightsaber to the crotch is, you'd think they'd learn to guard low when you crouch or roll. The slash marks left by this attack are somewhat buggy, because no other saber attack actually stabs your enemy. After one successful hit, it's possible for [[Memetic Mutation|9001]] slash trails to appear, centered on where you hit them. Averted with later enemies in the game, who will attack you mid-roll or dodge your attack, making
* Sora from ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' could do this in the first game. In the sequel it was removed in favor of a new ability called the Quick Run, which had a somewhat different feel to it and minor lag issues. In the [[Updated Rerelease]] [[Limited Special Collectors' Ultimate Edition]], [[No Export for You|Japanese gamers]] saw the beloved rolling maneuver return as well and rejoiced.
** Sora could do this in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]: Chain of Memories'' and doing so allowed one to avoid certain attacks. Riku had the much preferred dodge jump, where he jumps... and lands behind the opponent, facing his back letting you unleash hell.
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* In ''[[Fable]]'' this is the fastest way to move around the game world that many speed runs make use of. You're also invulnerable to 99% of enemy attacks other than few special boss moves when rolling. It is also not only possible to keep your bow drawn, but to keep drawing your bowstring ever tighter to increase damage, all the while rolling to dodge counterattacks. Even if you're wielding an endgame bow that's as long as you are.
* In the [[King of Fighters]] series, rolling allowed all fighters to bypass attacks and go behind opponents, adding another layer of movement in a 2D fighting game and subverting this trope.
** ''[[Street Fighter]]'': [[Joke Character]] Dan Hibiki actually teaches people to use
** Vega both optimizes and subverts this at the same time.
** In general, rolling is often used in the [[Street Fighter]] series to bypass projectile attacks; particularly for characters who lack a projectile of their own. Simply ducking, however, is more common.
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** Elites would roll away from grenades as well, though one can consider the necessity of it considering Elites had energy shielding. Sometimes they [[Artificial Stupidity|would roll off cliffs too]].
* As seen in the Multiplayer Beta, when ''[[Halo]]: Reach'' comes out, the "Evade" armor ability available to Elites in multiplayer means that now players will be able to do this trope as often as they'd like! It's a good way to cover ground quickly, too.
** The evade, both useful and practical, can save your butt if you run into too many enemies at once, is about to get hit by the games different [[BFG
* The Skaarj in ''[[Unreal]]'' have this as a dodge move. It actually helps. Although this is mostly because they [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|automatically dodge-roll every time you fire a rocket at them]].
* Trilby in ''[[Chzo Mythos|The Art of Theft]]'' can roll to make his way through vents and other openings. It's also useful for getting across open areas quickly. Since the guards take a few seconds to register Trilby's presence, it can be used to get past a guard you're standing close to right after they turn around.
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* As the website [[The Agony Booth]] [http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Star_Trek/the_animated_series/Mudd_s_Passion.aspx put it] when discussing ''[[Star Trek]]'', "Even when animated, James T. Kirk never misses the opportunity to do a head roll."
* Any attempt by [[You Suck|Ron Stoppable]] to do one of these usually results in loss of pants, or at least some kind of painful fall. Unsurprisingly, Teen Cheerleader, [[Kim Possible]] can do these and include doing the splits for a finish.
* Parodied in ''[[The Boondocks]]'' when Ed Wuncler the III, after a vicious attack on a bookstore, uses an
* When Chief Wiggum of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' wanted to look cooler while making arrests, he did an
* In ''[[Transformers Animated]],'' Sentinel Prime did this, as one more sign of just how much of a walking ego he is.
* Done by [[Adam West]] in ''[[Family Guy]]'' (the episode where Peter establishes the country of Petoria) so he can get to his desk.
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