Features Feedback

I feel like systems like this can lead to a lot of "save scumming", the act of reloading a save file until a favorable outcome is achieved. This is usually fixed by having save points rather than save from anywhere though you would still have to strategically place the save points because if you put one a stones throw away from a boss battle then it was done for naught. 


The system will punish the player correctly if you do use save points, either it can be abused with save scumming.

Mmm. This sounds like a problem of flavor to me. There is no need to have all mage actions be actual magic. In the universe of Conan: The Barbarian, magic was also a dark thing, something "brought to mankind by demons from beyond the stars". Dangerous and stuff. The magicians in that universe don't cast actual spells all that often, they rely on powders and alchemist tricks most of the time, stuff that people perceive as magic but what is in fact just superior (and rather secret) knowledge of physics/chemistry/biology. Instead of having your magician cast a "Sleep" spell, you can have him throw a portion of purple lotos powder around, for instance, which has the same effect, but won't land the mage in the Hollow, if I am correct.


Only when nothing else will help, the mage would really do some magic, full well knowing the risks. Tension building...


(I admit this does not help you with your mechanic, but it might save you a lot of balancing issues.)

Hey, everyone, just made an account here because I wanted to share some ideas I had for an open world RPG I've been fantasizing. I should clarify that I don't plan on making this game and it is simply a project in my mind. Why? Because the scope and ambition of this project is simply too risky for even the biggest studio now. It would be nice to get feedback regardless.


First off, a short introduction of the setting of this project. A tropical island set out in the Pacific Ocean cut off from the rest of civilization in the 1800's. The island has been isolated for hundreds of millions of years. As such, dinosaurs were able to evolve and become even more fearsome creatures. Ice Age animals were also able to survive extinction on the island. Think of it as being inspired by Skull Island from King Kong.


Now, some key features of this project:


-Open world RPG


-530 sq. miles map


-Tropical island setting with jungles, swamps, grasslands, oceans, mountains


-Dynamic ecosystem with prey-predator interactions


-Over 35 species of wildlife, consisting of dinosaurs, Ice Age mammals and modern day animals


-Dynamic day and night cycle


-15 different tribes


-Several villages and towns of various sizes


-Complex dating system, leads to marriage


-10 bachelorette to choose from, each with different backgrounds and personalities


-Improvised farming system


-Explore dungeons and mines for ores


-Dialogue system


-Combat system involving humans and animals


-1800's weapons, including swords, spears, bows and simple bombs


-Simple, yet effective crafting


-25 hours long main quest line


-60+ side quests, over 50 hours gameplay


-Mounting and taming system


-Form hunting parties


-Part time jobs for income


There are some other features I'm still planning out and will post if this topic gets enough replies. Criticism is more than welcome.


Just to add, obviously there are heavy inspirations from other games such as Harvest Moon, The Witcher 3 and Far Cry Primal.

This is not really about the design of a particular game mechanic, but ideas for features in a game.  I am, therefore, merging this with the Features Feedback thread.

Sure. Sorry for the mistake, I'm new after all

A while back I had a dream that I wanted to make use of in a story or game, the more I thought about it the more I thought "game" for it. Anyway, without going into a detail about the story I'll try to explain the setup of the features that would have the biggest impact on the player and see what you guys think of it.


The main character has the ability to tear holes in the fabric of reality and store things in the void between dimensions, this ability and the stuff he or she stores there are the backbone of the ultimate skillset(the character has multiple skillsets to draw from, this is the strongest, but also the most dangerous). To counter the sheer power of this there is a MAJOR drawback to using that skillset, it weakens the fabric of reality every time it gets used. The fabric of reality can recover over time, but with each use reality warps, becoming more chaotic and dangerous, if used too closely together too many times this can lead to the world becoming impassable, enemies becoming super-powered, and the very world becoming hostile...or even to an instant Game Over.


Essentially there are 5 versions of every map, "Normal" > "Chaos Variant Lv.1" > "Chaos Variant Lv.2" > "Chaos Variant Lv. 3" > "Chaos Variant Lv. 4" > "Game Over" (featuring a cinematic where reality itself rips apart into a swirling mass of pure chaos), Each use of a skill from that skillset advances it by one "Chaos Variant Level", a certain amount of time without use of that skillset will allow it to go down by one "Chaos Variant Level" eventually leading to the world returning to "Normal". 


By "Chaos Variant Lv.4" even the air itself is unbreathable causing a steady HP drain and Poison status, while water burns with purple flames, and the plants themselves attack you. 


I'm considering the warping of reality extending to the player's character as well, with abilities, items, and equipment functioning differently depending which "Chaos Variant Level" the player is in.

I started a project the other day that I expect to be around 20 min long, maybe less.


The idea is you are inside a dream.


You have fractured pieces of your mind, or more specifically 5 imaginary friends you must find.


In order to become strong enough to defeat the robotic nightmares inside your mind, you will need them.


Survival horror in the sense that I want the player to feel like they could run out of ammo, if they are not careful.


The robotic creatures are similar to SOMA.


Fighting these creatures does not exactly make you stronger, damage done to you results in your 'insanity' rising.


If your insanity get's to high, an insane lunatic inside your mind begins to hunt you down.


The idea is to avoid combat as much as you can, and conserve your ammo. Of course sometimes it's necessary to enter combat.


The combat system is similar to "Resident Evil Gaiden"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAD9XUtlYRo&feature=youtu.be&t=23m1s


I'm unsure about using RPGmaker MV... I do have some experience with Game Maker. I thought I might be able to achieve the features I was thinking of in game maker.


I imagine the backgrounds being more object based then traditional sprite based.


Also liked the idea of a glow around the character.


Here is a mockup of a room.

Well, if it was a long game, it would be kind of annoying. But since it's only 20 minutes, that survival concept should be alright if not expected. Good luck anyways.


In other news, I thought of this idea a while back that I like to call "The Insight System". This is where in every battle where the player encounters a new enemy, a magical something or someone scans them. Details about the enemy in question then open up and get added to the bestiary from that point on to remember.


Would that get too annoying though? Since I imagine that would happen in a whole lot of battles including all boss fights. I think it can be pretty handy in making things fair if players are given some information about the boss including warning about which attacks the player may need to beware of. It removes the issue with certain boss designs where you need to refight them at least once to understand the mechanics well enough to win. Kind of like scan in the Final Fantasy games except players don't need to worry about wasting a turn to get info.

If you wanted something less complex to implement, it is possible to have scan which does not waste a turn.  This is how I did it in my last project.


Yanfly's Instant Cast script (this was a VX Ace project, but I think he has a similar plugin for MV)


Scan skill designated as an instant cast, so it comes before the actor's ordinary turn.


BUT


The player may spam that skill, so I sealed the skill for the rest of the turn by applying a state using the damage formula box


a.add_state(53)   with 53 being the id number of the state concerned.


Feedback from players was that they used the scan skill quite frequently instead of usually ignoring it, as they had in other games.

Hi All,


Firstly, I am posting here so that people can give me as much feedback on this as possible! :)


So Here it is:


My Game:


The game itself is based around 1 main character, in a fantasy (semi open world RPG) - who gets multiple companions)


The game is based around the concept of "Bloodborne" beings. These beings link together, as Bloodborne fall, the remaining ones gain strengths, power and skills.


You play a Bloodborne.


The Feature:


It works (on the very baseline) similar to a Morality System. You make decisions, and the game adapts and changes to those decisions, I want to just see if people have a better idea of how to approach it then I do.


So I have Multiple Variables: (BB=bloodborne)


21:BBkilled


22:BBassist


23:BBreputation


24:BBbloodlust


V21 will be used to store a number (which increases) as you kill bloodborne. this variable will judge on how certain bloodborne respond to you (if the count is too high, they may fight you, ask for your assistance and betray you, applaud you for your deeds etc.)


V22 is basically the opposite of V21, but I would like to be able to adjust events according to both variables, you could have killed 5 and assisted 3 so again, a person may react differently then if you killed 5 or just assisted 5. (I hope that makes some sense?)


V23 will be used as a % so to speak, it starts as 50 (seen as neutral) and can drop to 1(evil) to 100 (saint) - the scale names are just an example.


This variable will be a lot more random than the other variables (you kill someone, V21 goes up by 1 etc.)


So you could assist 5 bb, which puts your reputation up to 70 (looking pretty angelic right now!) then you could kill one well renowned bb(the person is renowned not him being bb) which could then drop this variable to 20 for example (making you look pretty evil), this variable will adapt how bb will act around you in general (another level of how bb can adjust to your choices).


v24 will be used for to additionally support interactions with weapons and skills, you will be able to use certain items and skills only when you are above a certain bloodlust level, on the flipside, other items and skills become unavailable if you have too high bloodlust. (this will generally change if you win/lose optional boss fights and arena fights etc.)


The variables themselves will be used a lot, villages will fall if you dont kill certain bloodborne before making them to powerful and such, your decisions will change events in the game depending on one way or another.


However do you think there is a way I could better refine this process or do you think, as long as its put in well enough, that I could create varying outcomes using it?


Thanks for any help and critique!

Game Mechanics Design is for discussing the mechanics that might apply to several games, it is not for giving feedback on a specific game.  That belongs elsewhere.


I am merging this with the Features Feedback thread.

Bit of a broader design question, but I tend to get tunnel vision while working.


My Game:


I've been working on an idea for an RPG with solo combat, one player vs one enemy at a time. Currently, combat is a based off of Magic Pengel's: Attack interrupts Magic, Magic bypasses Guard, Guard counters Attack. Support lets you buff or heal, but does no damage. You can't use the same type of action twice in a row, which allows for strategy. Ideally different enemies will follow different choices: For example, favoring powerful magic, playing against the hero's strengths (by stats), trying to second guess you and get a reversal.


Unlike Magic Pengel, which determined your skills and stats from your skill at abstract impressionism with a PS2 joystick, I'm planning to use something like Materia, or Paper Mario's badges. A bunch of identical equipment slots that grant stat bonuses, passive effects, and new spells for Magic and Support. Rather than having a selection of 'mons to use against different enemies, the player has the option to make changes to their equipment before the fight.


The Feature(s):


My first concern is that even these changes and additions won't make rock-paper-scissors against a computer feel particularly fun.


My second concern and more immediate concern is balancing the Magic and Support actions.

1. Attack and Guard are single actions, while Magic and Support are skill types with more options, like poison vs blind, or healing vs boosting damage. Does that make Attack and Guard too boring? Should I make them all skill types, and have different Attack and Guard skills with different effects?
   
2. Initially, I was considering that Magic would use MP, but should Support also use MP, since it's basically magic? Or should I use individual cool downs for both, such as "megadeath laser can only be used every 6 turns"? A full half of your tactical options eating away at your MP feels kind of harsh, even if you do get some natural MP recovery.
   
3. A part of me thinks I should replace the Support spells with access to recovery Items, but I also feel like being required to use items as part of tactical maneuvering might be too harsh on the player, when compared to a resource you can recover between fights (like cool downs) or from healing at a save point (like MP).
   

My game is a sort of retelling of the journey to the west. It is still in the prototype stage, using the default assets for now. The atmosphere is humorous without being disrespectful to the source material.  For those that do not know, the journey to the west is divided into a hundred chapters and this inspired me to do the leveling in my game based on sidequests, not fighting monsters. The game will still have random encounters (who would mainly yield gold to buy items) and bosses, but the main leveling will be done by completeting quests or chapters of the tale. 


The game is supposed to have a central hub. In addition to the usual inn, shops etc there are a sort of quest giver where the NPC:s post problems they have. When completing a quest the player is awarded with experience points. The quests will be divided into those that further the storyline (you need a certain level to be able to take them) and larger and smaller quests. The smaller quests will be easier and yield less experience whereas the larger will be harder and yield more. In this manner the player can focus on a more challenging quest or pace themself with a few easier one.


The main inspiration is the trouble center from Paper Mario. I think a game centered around such an institution could be used not only to make the game more quest-based (and thus more fun) but also give additional exposition and character developement when speaking to characters, people posting their problems etc. I think this could be mostly achievable with eventing, but if there was a script to make the quests easier to manage, I would use it.     

From my recent experience with Paper Mario's trouble center, having a good quest log / quest organization system is a must for that kind of setup. It's also nice when you can accept multiple quests at once- though that might conflict if taking a quest changes too many events.


Are you imagining quests to be "instances" that take place in their own maps, or is there a persistent map around the hub that just opens up as quests advance?


I also found some plugins that might be what you're looking for:


http://primehover.gufernandes.com.br/ph-quest-book


https://mrtrivelrpg.wordpress.com/2016/05/03/quest-log/

@Canini: Having played Paper Mario 2 rather ravenously as a child, I remember my least favorite part of the Trouble Center was the absolutely tremendous amount of backtracking involved. Many of the quests required you to redo dungeons from much earlier in the game with the same enemies, which was a boring slog. If you were to create a game based on these quests, you would have to carefully evaluate how much time your player will spend questing versus going place to place. Having a radiant hub is fine, but if it takes too long to get from point A to point B to even start a quest, and then to walk from point B back to A after it's finished, then it could get old really quickly.


Here is a VXA script that may help: Basic Quest System


@Doktor_Q: Please forgive me if I am interpreting these mechanics wrong, I've never played the game you are referring to. If you are going to limit the player's ability to perform the same action twice in a row, then I would agree that it would be wise to implement a variety of options for Guarding. Why would the player bother guarding, when they could do more damage with another casting of Megadeth Laser and simply end the battle sooner? Guarding is inherently a reactive option, and when your character is alone, it doesn't contribute in any way to ending the battle. The minute you guard, you have said, "Okay, this turn I will not affect the fight in any way, and if my opponent uses magic, I lose." However, with magic, you are saying, "This turn I may deal some damage, and if my opponent attacks, I lose." This setup also has the side-effect of making the default Attack the strongest skill in the trio, since if you Attack, your opponent can only hurt you by also selecting to Attack.


There are lots of ways that one could approach making guarding more engaging. A counterattack stance, or a magic-reflecting shield, or one that absorbs health or mana based on the damage it blocks...in fact, many skills in the Support category (also inherently reactive, but it at least contributes to your position in the battle) could be modified and made into guard skills. Making guarding stronger and more proactive would help balance out the main three forces in your triad.

I definately agree that the player should be able to take on multiple quests at once. However, only one storyline quest can be open at a time. I think that most quests would take care in a persistent map, although some may have a instance of its own. Depends on the quest.


Thanks for the script tip!


Well when I meant the trouble center was an inspiration I meant the concept, not the quests themselves (Which I agree are boring).

A slight miscommunication- guarding DOES inflict a counter attack of you block with it. "Counter" might be a better name for it than "Guard," or something like a physical-only one-turn Bide.


Absorbing guards definitely sound like a good idea, though- maybe having them change effect based on badges / actual weapons? A "holy sword" that absorbs incoming damage, or the like?

Alright, so I'm looking for some feedback regarding an idea I had of a game I'm currently planning.


In the game the player starts with one character (Mage) and eventually recruit two or more characters (A knight and a rogue/thief-like character) and I was thinking it would be cool if wherever their main base was (castle, town or some kinda camp) they could have two characters (at a time) train with one another, which would increase one of the characters stats. For example. Pos(ition) 1 is the one training with Pos(ition) 2 who is the one teaching/training, Pos 1


Pos 1, Pos 2. Result.


Mage, Knight. Knight trains with the Mage and becomes better at using magic. (Would probably have more healing/support magic with a few offensive spells)


Or.


Knight, Mage. Mage trains with knight and builds up physical strength, getting more phys attack/defense.


Having either of the previous two train with the rogue they'd probably get more speed/luck, while having them train the rogue would have her(him?) get more physical or magical abilities.


I think the system would provide an interesting twist to party mechanics, and provide some interesting strategy options for the player. (Limit number of times they can train? Or by having it so they can't max out both areas. Ex, The further on the Phys training the Rogue gets the distance (s)he can get on the mag side decreases.)


Well any feedback is appreciated.  :)

For a game that I'm making, I was thinking about tying your skill pool to your elemental affinity, or the other way around, actually.


The idea is that to learn a certain kind of ability, you have to attune to its source. 


For example, if you study fire magic, you get more and more attuned to fire. This means that you slowly become the fire in a sense. And from that point on, water magic will hurt you even more than normal, but flames will make you stronger.

Hello everyone.


In my game, being based on the ideas of a friend of mine, most player characters are not humans but hybrids. In fact, only the main is. That is both a story point and, hopefully, a battle one.


You see, being only part human, the others got stats geared for their stronstronger talents. The black mage got high magic but low defenses, the thief high speed, low attack and defenses, but attacks use speed too for both damage and enemy resistance, the berserker high attack and defenses but weak to magic and really slow... but the main character is perfectly average. For better or worse.


So I thought I'd give him access to almost all skills from others, making him useful anytime.


But I also thought of a system for learning the skills. You see, as a pure human he learns faster than average. Not calling the others stupid, but learning was one of humanity's greatest weapons. Still is.


So I planned on giving him a learning system based on Disgaea's vassals. In there, if your vassal is beside you, you temporarily get a weaker version of their skills, and you can use them until they are learned enough you can use them even by yourself.


In my idea he would learn by watching the other party member use the skill enough times while in the battle group.


Of course, stats would.not change.


So... thoughts? Is it a good idea? Too OP?