I can't help but feel you are doing too much with one system. I'd probably split it across multiple stats. Action points to determine what you can do in a turn with carry over to allow you to unleash big combos by saving up action points. Hp can be used to degrade all stats. Every 10% drop in hp reduces all stats by 10% rounded up for instance.

Navezof, on 18 Oct 2013 - 11:28 PM, said:
Can you give me some examples?
You're going to laugh when you hear this but... Madden. There is player stamina/fatigue, which you can't actually see the values to, as well as an option to turn it off.

The two games I think your game should follow are Madden, which I mentioned, and Fire Emblem 3DS, in which I believe the game plays a little differently for experienced players if they choose that option. You can make it like both these games and cater to gamers like me if you give players the option of not having limited stamina and having it on for more experienced players if they so choose.

Well, I laugh a bit, sorry. But it reminded me of Blood Bowl, I think there is a stamina/fatigue system.

The possibility to disable stamina depending on the difficulty is an idea. I should think more about it. But I'm not here yet

I can't help but feel you are doing too much with one system. I'd probably split it across multiple stats. Action points to determine what you can do in a turn with carry over to allow you to unleash big combos by saving up action points. Hp can be used to degrade all stats. Every 10% drop in hp reduces all stats by 10% rounded up for instance.

I fear that if characters can stack up Action point (if this is what you mean by "carry over") player are encouraged to play defensive. It's better to let the enemy lose his action point by coming at you, and once he is at range, then you can use many actions. Then maybe add a limit to the Ap, but this is the same as the stamina, but with a different name

Using the health to degrade characteristics is a good idea.

I didn't plan to add Action point, at least not directly. Or each character as only 2 Ap by turn, and one simple action cost 1 point, and complex cost 2 points.

Navezof, on 18 Oct 2013 - 7:25 PM, said:

- At the beginning of his turn the character regain some of his stamina. The amount of stamina recovered depends on the previous situation the character is in. If he is surrounded by enemies, he will regain less Stamina, than a character who is safe.

So the one who needs it most gets it least.

Yes, the idea is to make the action of falling back on safer place (far from the enemy, behind some friends) more usefull.

Navezof, on 18 Oct 2013 - 7:25 PM, said:

- The stamina is taken into account for most calculus. (for example : damage = Force * stamina)
I wouldn't multiply, it has a way too high effect(being on half stamina = half damage, being on 10% = 10% damage)
instead maybe damage^2 = force^2 + stamina^2 ?
stamina should not be allowed to be higher then force i guess

Of course this calculus is not balanced, it's just to illustrate the fact that the stamina is used for many actions

Navezof, on 18 Oct 2013 - 7:25 PM, said:

- When a character take a hit and is about to die because of it, he has a chance to use a large amount of stamina to evade the attack or reduce the impact of the attack. If the evasion don't work, he die. If it work he is safe but exhausted.
This uses stamina as cost, but isn't about stamina itself, it's about making a random(?) "safe or die" and being safe while 2 seconds ago you were in a big fight breaks immersion a lot.
I 'm not sure why you want to add this, just have a character fall unconscious and rejoin the party at the next fight instead ?
ps. it uses a large amount of stamina as cost, while i expect a character that is about to die/faint to have already exhausted his stamina

Imagine a fight between to swordfighter, one of them, Jean-petit, is dominated, and his adversary throw a big swing which surely kill him f he don't evade/parry. So in a last effort, Jean-petit rise his sword. He succeed in saving his head, but he is thrown off-balance and exhausted. For the player what does that mean : he didn't saw this attack coming, but instead of just giving up on his character because of his mistake, he has a chance to save him. If the character survive, he is less and less useful as he is attacked. But, if the player manage to save him, he can get some rest and be more useful (except he can be injured/lost some of his maximum stamina.)

As for the "over-powerful unit", with the stamina, even if he is powerfull, if he lose to many stamina, he is vulnerable. But I think this will need a lot if balancing. And maybe make the characters differents by their actions, more than their characteristics. This, I should see when testing.


Thanks for the feedback people, it really help me :)

I suggest trying very hard to split generic stamina into multiple types of "action fuel" to provide a genuine difference between character types and escape the direct proportionality between the rate of stamina recovery and average damage per turn.

For example, using ranged weapons could spend "concentration" (usually recovered at a generous constant rate and demanding some turns of aiming for difficult shots).

Fencing moves could spend and gain, according to their outcome, "positioning" (you unbalance yourself and/or worsen your guard to put the opponent in a worse situation); a less refined fighting style could spend more positioning and a lot more stamina to simply hit hard and/or fast, and it would be profitable as long as the opponents don't take advantage of bad positioning.

If your game has magic, spellcasting could spend continuously gathered "energy", with stronger effects costing more.

There's an option for characters in a bad situation that hasn't been mentioned yet: convert damage into action fuel, only in limited cases. You might be too tired to dodge or attack properly, but you could overexert yourself desperately by damaging your muscles (driving your stamina under the floor, but suffering less damage than by limping around).

Depends on the game mechanics

Usual use for stamina limitations is movement and melee fighting

Moving fast to attack an enemy by suprise or in a flank can be an advantage

You dont want the game mechanics to give advantage without tradeoffs (or else everybody will use the loophole)

Ex - Flanking maneuvers may or may not work depending on the terrain -- the enemy sees you coming and can be ready (training factor) and YOU are now tired.

Longterm stamina for melee can work but only as long as the melee lasts (when you may be vulnurable to ranged fire)

Fighter jets have limited stamina (fuel) when they go to full (afterburner) power (excessive activity burns stamina at a greater rate)

Excessive use of stamina can almost permanently wear out the unit for the battle (napoleonics minitures rules for cvalry charges)

Many games allow you to run for a while until your stamina limit is reache and then you are limited in speed (usually actually having to stop moving to recover/build back up your stamina reserve)

Hmm, you wrote the character would be "safe" yet he wouldn't be safe if he(she) was still standing surrounded by enemies,
so he would have to move or be protected somehow for the rest of the turn.

True, if the character is surrounded by 3 enemies and he manage to take 1 down, there is still 2 more and he is now exhausted. But with this feature I wanted to create kind of tense situation. I wanted the player not to give up on dangerous situation, and allow him to give him a chance to perform a spectacular action (getting his strenght potential to the max for a short moment, make a rush through enemies' rank) I also wanted to make "rescue mission" possible, for exemple sending the surrounded character a friend to help him, or carry him to a safe zone if he fell during a fight.

Secondly a skill(because that is what it is) that only works when you're about to die is still a bit strange

I intended to make possible to use this mechanics of stamina over-burning even for offensive action, not ony if you are about to die. In fact, you should be able to use an extra-stamina whenever you want. It could be used to move farther in order to make kind of quick attack, hit and run. With maybe more and more malus if you perform to many over-burning. I think it could be nice to give the choice for a player to play risky. He can burn all of his character's stamina in order to quickly gain an advantage (maybe taking out powerful but frail enemies, like mages or cleric), but it would mean that after your attack youe characters are exhausted and vulnerable.

Maybe first write out the other skills and then see whether the game still needs this skill, maybe in some other form ?

Still in testing, so I will try it and see if it fit in the gameplay :)

I suggest trying very hard to split generic stamina into multiple types of "action fuel" to provide a genuine difference between character types and escape the direct proportionality between the rate of stamina recovery and average damage per turn.

It's an interesting idea, it remind me of world of warcraft, with the warrior who have a rage bar, the mage a mana bar, etc... . I will search a bit in this direction.

There's an option for characters in a bad situation that hasn't been mentioned yet: convert damage into action fuel, only in limited cases. You might be too tired to dodge or attack properly, but you could overexert yourself desperately by damaging your muscles (driving your stamina under the floor, but suffering less damage than by limping around).

That could be done, but this is more or less the same as I wanted to do with the stamina. (losing value on a long term in order to have a short term bonus)

Fighter jets have limited stamina (fuel) when they go to full (afterburner) power (excessive activity burns stamina at a greater rate)

Excessive use of stamina can almost permanently wear out the unit for the battle (napoleonics minitures rules for cvalry charges)


Many games allow you to run for a while until your stamina limit is reache and then you are limited in speed (usually actually having to stop moving to recover/build back up your stamina reserve)

The analogy with the jet is good :) , and this is what I want to obtain. Burning your stamina over your character's limit make him powerful for a moment, but after he will have to rest in order to re-build his stamina. I also wanted to lessen his maximum Stamina.



Thanks for the help and feedback, I really appreciate it.

Running out of stamina can force the player to have to change tactics, which brings in the tactics/strategy of WHEN/WHERE to make use of the actions which burn it up/out.

I recall medieval battles where swinging a sword and shield in heavy armor could go on for hours and at the end the winners basicly being the ones who still could be standing (similarly cavalry running after someone who just keeps retreating, but then being tired and in a bad defensive position when a less battle capable enemy can come back at the advantage)

Even in static situations like a siege being able to hold out and outlast the enemies attempts (usually with a large defensive advatage require assault ratios of 3 and 5 to one to have a chance)