Originality is certainly not a bad thing, and a worthy goal. But it''s far from the be-all and end-all of any sort of gaming. Since we''re discussing RPGs here, worry first about the storyline and the game setting. Then design the battle system so that it fits the game. Some games may be better suited to simple turn-based or ATB; others may call for something completely different.
A disembodied battle engine doesn''t do you much good.
My NEW RPG battle system
Trust me, the battle system is the last thing I am worrying about, mostly because I have developed most everything else already, storyline, settings, everything. the battle system is the only thing I need.
JMAN2050, your idea sounds like "Vandal Hearts" 1 & 2 for PSX by Konami. That is a tactical battle game but the ideas are similar, you move your character at the same time an enemy moves (sort of in pairs) so if you guess right you can move a character that they are attacking out of the way and have them miss. (He moves to attack you, while you move somewhere else)
However ther are some things to keep in mind:
#1: Battles are going to take awhile and be involved. This means battles should probably happen less often or be somewhat avoidable. The average random encounter in say Final Fantasy takes about 1 minute. Under this system even a simple batte would most likely take 4-5 minutes.
#2: Battles really should take a while. if they only take 1 minute there wasn''t much point in it being tactical because it isn''t making a big difference. If the best strategy is just walk straight ahead and attack you might as well not bother with any tactics.
--------------------
Now, this is for the person who suggested aiming a body parts. That really depends on the style of game. In a game where people have different weapons and armor it makes sense, otherwise it doesn''t.
For example, in Front Mission (SNES Square game with sequels) you fight robots who have guns, shoulder mounts, etc. If you destory their legs they move slower, destory an arm with a gun and they can''t use it, that makes sense.
However if you are just fighting animals it doesn''t make too much sense. Basically hitting in the head will do more damage but miss more, and it is a simple opitmization problem to figure out whether aiming for the head is worth it or not.
JM
However ther are some things to keep in mind:
#1: Battles are going to take awhile and be involved. This means battles should probably happen less often or be somewhat avoidable. The average random encounter in say Final Fantasy takes about 1 minute. Under this system even a simple batte would most likely take 4-5 minutes.
#2: Battles really should take a while. if they only take 1 minute there wasn''t much point in it being tactical because it isn''t making a big difference. If the best strategy is just walk straight ahead and attack you might as well not bother with any tactics.
--------------------
Now, this is for the person who suggested aiming a body parts. That really depends on the style of game. In a game where people have different weapons and armor it makes sense, otherwise it doesn''t.
For example, in Front Mission (SNES Square game with sequels) you fight robots who have guns, shoulder mounts, etc. If you destory their legs they move slower, destory an arm with a gun and they can''t use it, that makes sense.
However if you are just fighting animals it doesn''t make too much sense. Basically hitting in the head will do more damage but miss more, and it is a simple opitmization problem to figure out whether aiming for the head is worth it or not.
JM
Author
WE already have the plot, story, backstory, characters, setting, and other stuff decided, i just made the battle system to see how i would implement it, and what the idea is for it.
Oh, black_mage_s, sorry for invading your topic, I just didn''t want to make a duplicate. Anyways, my battles should take a while, but it won''t be like the NES Ultima. Battles there could take up to 15-20 minutes and they happened so often it was frustrating. I used an early version of the strategic movement battle system.
Sorry to dredge this topic up... I was sifting through old posts to see what I''d missed while I was... basically too busy to visit this board. Anyway...
The position meter intrigued me, but also... didn''t Arcanum do something similar to what you''re thinking about? Where characters were aligned either toward mech or magic, and actually staying a "balanced" character (keeping your meter in the middle) left you worse off in the long run.
Of course, that''s just what I remember from previews.
The position meter intrigued me, but also... didn''t Arcanum do something similar to what you''re thinking about? Where characters were aligned either toward mech or magic, and actually staying a "balanced" character (keeping your meter in the middle) left you worse off in the long run.
Of course, that''s just what I remember from previews.
"Why, in RPG''s are the monsters and villans just a generic block of hitpoints? If i''m wearing a super-duper-magic helmet and you hit me in the head, chances are it''s not going to do much damage. But if you caught me taking a bath or planting my seed in a cortisan and I don''t have any pants on and you slash me in the rear, chances are you''re going to do more damage."
This is actually a good point, though it depends on the focus of the game. Games such as Chrono Cross, the Final Fantasy series, and many old SNES titles are centralized almost entirely around a deep story, so a complex combat system might actually detract from the atmosphere of the game.
For a game that is based more on character development than story progression, a system that takes individual body part statistics into account would be a definate plus. Games in this catagory rely more on features than on an engrossing story to sell, so every little nifty bonus you can throw in will be a benefit.
Ghardoan
This is actually a good point, though it depends on the focus of the game. Games such as Chrono Cross, the Final Fantasy series, and many old SNES titles are centralized almost entirely around a deep story, so a complex combat system might actually detract from the atmosphere of the game.
For a game that is based more on character development than story progression, a system that takes individual body part statistics into account would be a definate plus. Games in this catagory rely more on features than on an engrossing story to sell, so every little nifty bonus you can throw in will be a benefit.
Ghardoan
I may be one of the only people in the world doing this, but my RPG actually uses a Real-time Battle system. Not like Soul Reaver''s, though, where it''s like an action game. My system is a mix between FF battle systems and 3rd person shooters. You fight, gain abilities and strengths, but the problem with constant attacking is that you can end up overpowering your opponent. I''ve overcome this by having an Endurance meter. The more you attack (and get attacked) the more your Endurance drops. When your endurance reaches zero, your Battle Defense drops (that is, the defense for that one battle) and continues to drop. This makes you more vulnerable to enemy attacks. So say you''re original defense blocked 25% of an attack. An attack that caused 25 points of damage would not cause 100 points of damage, and if you continue to attack your defense can even go into the negatives, so if the defense becomes -25% (which, in my game, is the equivilent of x25), the attack causes 250 points of damage. Of course, your endurance grows throughout the game, so it becomes harder and harder to lose your defense points. You can, of course, restore your endurance, and therefore your defense as well, by using Endurance restoring items or spells.
As for menus, I''ve mostly gotten rid of them. Instead of a menu where you select a spell, you assign spells outside of battle to different numbers on the keypad. This way you don''t have to take any real time out of battle. Which spells you have assigned are shown in a small picture in the upper right corner of the battle screen. The same goes with Items, except they are assigned to the keyboard numbers, much like in Diablo II (which is where I got a lot of inspiration). This is only the skeleton of the battle system, though. There''s a lot more to it than this, but I thought I''d just share my 2 cents, seeing as I''ve worked through a lot of problems of Turn Based and Active Time systems.
"I have been waiting to fight you Thurgood. I find you to be an adequate challenge."
"Adequate? You have no idea what you''re getting into PAL!"
Barition and Thurgood from Street Gang
"The world is my posession. My jewel. My toy. Mine. And neither you or you''re C.I.A. can have it back."
Oushaki Lamuncha from Gamma Hunter
"Nobody can be told what The Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."
Laurence Fishburne/Morpheus from The Matrix
Just like The Matrix, don''t judge me before you''ve seen me. The same goes for my games.
MAGIC CARD
As for menus, I''ve mostly gotten rid of them. Instead of a menu where you select a spell, you assign spells outside of battle to different numbers on the keypad. This way you don''t have to take any real time out of battle. Which spells you have assigned are shown in a small picture in the upper right corner of the battle screen. The same goes with Items, except they are assigned to the keyboard numbers, much like in Diablo II (which is where I got a lot of inspiration). This is only the skeleton of the battle system, though. There''s a lot more to it than this, but I thought I''d just share my 2 cents, seeing as I''ve worked through a lot of problems of Turn Based and Active Time systems.
"I have been waiting to fight you Thurgood. I find you to be an adequate challenge."
"Adequate? You have no idea what you''re getting into PAL!"
Barition and Thurgood from Street Gang
"The world is my posession. My jewel. My toy. Mine. And neither you or you''re C.I.A. can have it back."
Oushaki Lamuncha from Gamma Hunter
"Nobody can be told what The Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."
Laurence Fishburne/Morpheus from The Matrix
Just like The Matrix, don''t judge me before you''ve seen me. The same goes for my games.
MAGIC CARD
Magic Card: is your system kind of like the one for Secret of Mana then? With it, each weapon swing would start a meter climbing back up, and unless your meter was at full you would do less damage.
quote:Original post by draqza
Magic Card: is your system kind of like the one for Secret of Mana then? With it, each weapon swing would start a meter climbing back up, and unless your meter was at full you would do less damage.
Quite. Only in 3D and with some big-ass weapons. Check it out for yourself. www.danavisiongames.com/NightRise/nightrise01.htm
Eternity is relentless
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement