Changing Elements

Hi, I had this idea: 

In my game my mage is able to use all 4 elements, but only one at time. So if you choose Fire you can't change it until the end of the battle.

My question is, where and how I do it?

Should you change from the menu, or in battle?

that depends on how you have defined your element.


In RM, the damage-elements are always fixed to a skill or a weapon and you cannot change that connection.


What you could do is define different skills with different types that are named after each element.


Then you can use a dynamic features script to allow changing the skill types usable by the actor, and have an event change that in a way that only one skill type is on the actor at any given time.

Yes, I knew that. I didn't explain well.

You can only use skills that are from the element you choose.

What I wanted to know is: when should I let the player choose the element for the battle?

When you start the battle you have to always change element? Or should I let change the element from the menu? 

I'd suggest looking at the sample RPG Maker game, Chrysallis. There's an element changing system in it created fully with events. Open it up in the editor and take a look.

If it's about when to trigger the change, then it depends on how your game works - more preciesly how often the player has to change elements.


If he needs to adapt that for every battle due to changing enemy resistences, then you need to ask before every combat. That however can get tedious or distracting if the player rarely needs to change the selection.

I don't think the player will need to change at every battle. So maybe I can add a "neutral" element that is the default element, than in battle when you need to have a different element you can change it through skill. 

In my game, I have the character equip an item for each element (and its in a slot where they cannot have two of them equipped at once). Then, with the Yanfly Equip engine, they can change their equip mid-battle, though only once per turn (and you can set that in the script if you wish that changed). Worked so far, though my game is only up to two elements at the moment.

I rather like the idea of being able to set an element on the menu screen, or being able to leave it Neutral and use a skill in battle (at the cost of your turn) to pick whatever element you'd like for that battle.

Just be sure to adjust game balance around areas where the player would be able to easily take advantage of choosing an element in advance - e.g. in an ice dungeon.

Yes, that was what I had in mind^^

Then I will go for it. 
Thanks for the advices :D  

What about using states? Give the character skills to change their elemental state. Each elemental state gives the character access to its respective elemental skills. You may be able to do this with no scripting or events if it works the way I'm thinking (haven't personally tested it yet).

Edit: Okay I just tested it out in a new project and it seems to work rather elegantly. Here's how I set it up.

1. Create three skill types: Element Shift, Fire Magic, Ice Magic

2. Create a state named Fire Shift. Features > Add Skill Type > Fire Magic. No auto removal or removal after battle.

2a. Create a state named Ice Shift. Features > Add Skill Type > Ice Magic. No auto removal or removal after battle.

3. Create a skill named Fire Shift. Scope: User, Skill Type: Element Shift.

Features > Add State > Fire Shift. 

Features > Remove State > Ice Shift.

3a. Create a skill named Ice Shift. Scope: User, Skill Type: Element Shift.

Features > Add State > Ice Shift. 

Features > Remove State > Fire Shift.

4. Create a skill named Fireball. Skill Type: Fire Magic, HP Damage: 100.

4a. Create a skill named Snowball. Skill Type: Ice Magic, HP Damage: 100.

5. Add the Element Shift skill type to your character's class.

6. Make the class learn the Fireball and Snowball skills at level 1.

Now your character will be able to shift his/her element at will. The Fireball spell will only be usable under the effect of Fire Shift, and the Snowball skill only during Ice Shift. The state will persist between battles and the character can shift states at any time either during battle (takes a turn) or on map in the menu.

The reason why I added Fire Magic and Ice Magic as separate skill types is so that you can have the character learn new spells naturally as they level. Even though they learn the skills, they can't actually use them unless they are in the appropriate state. Where as if you simply had the Fire Shift and Ice Shift states add all your fire and ice spells to one generic Magic skill type, you wouldn't be able to control at what level your character learns new spells; it would be all or nothing.

You can of course (and should) expand this by adding more elements and more skills. Just remember when creating new element shifts that all your elemental shift skills need to remove all the other states when used. That is, if you add a Wind Shift state and skill, remember to have Fire and Ice both remove the Wind Shift state, and have the Wind Shift skill remove Fire and Ice states.

It takes a fair bit to setup, but it seems like the easiest method to me without using scripts or events. You could also use a similar concept for things like martial artists who have stances, with stats and skills that are unique to each stance. Be creative and good luck.

Edit: You can choose whether you want the skills that shift elements to cost MP or be totally free. How you implement something mechanically conveys a lot to the player about how your character does something. A free-cost at-will ability means that shifting elements is completely trivial. On the other hand, costing a small amount of MP, coupled with the fact that it requires a full turn to shift during combat, tells your player that it requires some amount of effort for the character to change his element, and that can also emphasize the strategic nature of that character's abilities. It also gives the character a sense of growth as the player progresses through the game, if at first changing elements required a bit of forethought and resource management, and gradually throughout the game changing elements takes much less of their resources thanks to an ever-growing MP pool.

Just thought I would throw my two cents in there since this is Game Mechanics Design, after all.