Tuesday 2 February 2010
Tuesday 24 November 2009
How the fighting works!
The most laborious part of the process of this game was the design phase. I spent sleepless nights puking blood and slitting my wrists because the battle system would just NOT work. Then on glorious evening, I finally cracked it. Whilst I still have to program the special attacks, the main flow of battle seems to work.
Let’s explain the battle system so even your grandma could understand it. But be warned, this game is not for simpletons. There’s quite a complex strategy behind the battle system which you need to get your head round. Here’s the basic flow of a normal, turn-based battle:
1. Kruz starts first. He can either: attack, use a skill, use an item or run. Simple enough. If you select attack, an enemy flashes white, this means he’s selected. You can deselect an enemy by pressing back.
2. When you attack an enemy, you’ll be using a very cool device which relies on the input = output theory. A special element powers this device. When you attack, some kind of quick puzzle or mini-game will emerge known as a Zone, meaning you’ll have to solve it in order to attack. In this
Zone, you become a small icon representing yourself and have to reach the enemy icon in order to attack it. This icon basically has to complete the task at hand, and you control it just like the main character.
3. It gets more complicated because you find items throughout the game, referred to as “Zone Icons”. As I explained, when you attack, you enter a “Zone” which is a small
field or space with a small mini-game or task to complete. You must complete the small task, otherwise your attack will fail. Now, Zone Icons basically “juice up” your average, everyday attacks into ultra powerful attacks with healing properties, poison damage, critical hits and more. They have various effects and can be equipped up to a certain number. For example, if you have the Zone Icon called
“Raw Power”, these are the stats implemented into it:
- +1 damage
- 30% chance of appearing
- Level 3 difficulty to grab
Don’t panic. These 3 stats will be explained very simply.
-What this means is that in the Zones, there is a 30% chance of this icon appearing once it’s equipped.
-If you grab it before attacking the enemy, you’ll do one extra damage. -
-It will be difficult to grab, since the difficulty is level 3.
If you look at it that way, if you have a Zone Icon equipped that you have found, there is basically a 30% chance that it will appear in a Zone when you attack.
Some Zone Icons with weaker effects have a higher chance of appearing, whilst ones
like “Instant Critical Hit” have less chance of appearing during an attack. Once it’s
appeared, you still have the task of retrieving it in the Zone. If you don’t collect it
during an attack, it has no effect during that turn.
4. Once you attack, the enemy commences with a special attack. ALL attacks in the entire game can be dodged. As enemies get harder, logic puzzles and faster reaction-time mini-games will appear, making the game more challenging. The only enemy attack at the moment is the blaster attack. The outside of the panels show where the red will appear, you then have to get out the way. The longer you stay on, the more damage you take.
5. It then repeats.
If you’re confused as hell, don’t worry. It’s really not that complex when you
try it. However, it does potentially offer the most insane amount of customization
ever imaginable. Attacks can be modified to hell, down to the slightest detail, to give you the perfect match-made-in-heaven character.
This battle system is not gimmicky or tiresome. It may take a small while to pick up, but it works… and it’s really fun. I mean REALLY fun. Jesus Christ! I mean REALLY, REALLY fun! It’s like playing God, but having to compensate for being able to do anything. So in that sense, it balances out pretty well!
Tata people!
Let’s explain the battle system so even your grandma could understand it. But be warned, this game is not for simpletons. There’s quite a complex strategy behind the battle system which you need to get your head round. Here’s the basic flow of a normal, turn-based battle:
1. Kruz starts first. He can either: attack, use a skill, use an item or run. Simple enough. If you select attack, an enemy flashes white, this means he’s selected. You can deselect an enemy by pressing back.
2. When you attack an enemy, you’ll be using a very cool device which relies on the input = output theory. A special element powers this device. When you attack, some kind of quick puzzle or mini-game will emerge known as a Zone, meaning you’ll have to solve it in order to attack. In this
Zone, you become a small icon representing yourself and have to reach the enemy icon in order to attack it. This icon basically has to complete the task at hand, and you control it just like the main character.
3. It gets more complicated because you find items throughout the game, referred to as “Zone Icons”. As I explained, when you attack, you enter a “Zone” which is a small
field or space with a small mini-game or task to complete. You must complete the small task, otherwise your attack will fail. Now, Zone Icons basically “juice up” your average, everyday attacks into ultra powerful attacks with healing properties, poison damage, critical hits and more. They have various effects and can be equipped up to a certain number. For example, if you have the Zone Icon called
“Raw Power”, these are the stats implemented into it:
- +1 damage
- 30% chance of appearing
- Level 3 difficulty to grab
Don’t panic. These 3 stats will be explained very simply.
-What this means is that in the Zones, there is a 30% chance of this icon appearing once it’s equipped.
-If you grab it before attacking the enemy, you’ll do one extra damage. -
-It will be difficult to grab, since the difficulty is level 3.
If you look at it that way, if you have a Zone Icon equipped that you have found, there is basically a 30% chance that it will appear in a Zone when you attack.
Some Zone Icons with weaker effects have a higher chance of appearing, whilst ones
like “Instant Critical Hit” have less chance of appearing during an attack. Once it’s
appeared, you still have the task of retrieving it in the Zone. If you don’t collect it
during an attack, it has no effect during that turn.
4. Once you attack, the enemy commences with a special attack. ALL attacks in the entire game can be dodged. As enemies get harder, logic puzzles and faster reaction-time mini-games will appear, making the game more challenging. The only enemy attack at the moment is the blaster attack. The outside of the panels show where the red will appear, you then have to get out the way. The longer you stay on, the more damage you take.
5. It then repeats.
If you’re confused as hell, don’t worry. It’s really not that complex when you
try it. However, it does potentially offer the most insane amount of customization
ever imaginable. Attacks can be modified to hell, down to the slightest detail, to give you the perfect match-made-in-heaven character.
This battle system is not gimmicky or tiresome. It may take a small while to pick up, but it works… and it’s really fun. I mean REALLY fun. Jesus Christ! I mean REALLY, REALLY fun! It’s like playing God, but having to compensate for being able to do anything. So in that sense, it balances out pretty well!
Tata people!
A bit of self-defence for you, right there.
Meet Kruz
This is who you'll be playing. Now, he lacks in brawn... a lot. In fact, he's a scientist, so why would he have any experience in fighting whatsoever? Wouldn't it be good if there was a special device, like a watch, which allowed him to convert wasted energy into any form of energy he wanted? Wait... there is one!?
Meet The Display Quasigen Converter
In idiots' terms: big, scary attack comes flying your way, you tap into this machinery and complete a tricky task to be given the opportunity to completely prevent all damage, or even counter the attack!
This is what separates this game from your standard, vanilla RPG. Rather than selecting your moves, attacking, then taking your punishment like a docile twat, you can use your tricky skills to slide out of danger's way.
Stick around for full coverage on how this is used in the battle system.
A nice introduction to my game.
In case you're new to my little world, my name's Zuhane (well my username is) and I've been developing games for a few years. With this game in particular, I hope to set the standard of showing what RPG Maker is capable of. My head's also brimming with ideas, so I'm making this game to express some of the wacky locations, characters and gameplay ideas in my head, which will hopefully satisfy even the most worn out RPG player, sick of the monotony of tapping X for 5 minutes to make character A kill monster B. My head is a quirky, eccentric and colourful place, of which I hope to project the thoughts into this game.
The premise of the game is simple... kind of. You play the role of a young man named Kruz. He has a strange accent and a rather false charm. He's kind of likeable in an odd sense. He's just got a Master's Degree in Linguistics and Bio-Engineering, which he's been told will get him nowhere. Anyway, after job hunting, he comes accross a website advertising the dream job. It's set on a tropical island and the pay's fantastic. The employer needs someone who fits the description, which just so happens to be Kruz. Surprisingly, very few people seem to even know about this "dream" job. It consists of helping out, designing, naming and creating technology to harness new species from the island.
Once you get there, you find the owner of this business to be - at lack of a better term - a bit of a senile nutcase. However, the pay is so good, and no other jobs in the world exist focusing on Linguistic Bio-Engineering. He gets sent on his first little task, which is to grab some blueprints from a nearby science bunker on the island. The research on this island is priceless, so security systems are about everywhere. It just so happens that the senile owner of this business has not deactivated anything and is completely incompetent beyond belief. The island, in some areas, has gone to wreck and ruin. Extremist, hateful mutant bio-terrorists quickly assume control, preventing any escape from the island. They want Kruz's marvellous brain for themselves, to use for their wicked ways.
The way the game is heading can only be described as a strange mixture of:
-Jade Cocoon
-Final Fantasy X
-Warioware
-Farcry 2 (but good)
-Portal
-Ratchet and Clank
Saying that, the actual battle system is something new and fresh. I'll cover it in my next blog post. Tata for now!
The premise of the game is simple... kind of. You play the role of a young man named Kruz. He has a strange accent and a rather false charm. He's kind of likeable in an odd sense. He's just got a Master's Degree in Linguistics and Bio-Engineering, which he's been told will get him nowhere. Anyway, after job hunting, he comes accross a website advertising the dream job. It's set on a tropical island and the pay's fantastic. The employer needs someone who fits the description, which just so happens to be Kruz. Surprisingly, very few people seem to even know about this "dream" job. It consists of helping out, designing, naming and creating technology to harness new species from the island.
Once you get there, you find the owner of this business to be - at lack of a better term - a bit of a senile nutcase. However, the pay is so good, and no other jobs in the world exist focusing on Linguistic Bio-Engineering. He gets sent on his first little task, which is to grab some blueprints from a nearby science bunker on the island. The research on this island is priceless, so security systems are about everywhere. It just so happens that the senile owner of this business has not deactivated anything and is completely incompetent beyond belief. The island, in some areas, has gone to wreck and ruin. Extremist, hateful mutant bio-terrorists quickly assume control, preventing any escape from the island. They want Kruz's marvellous brain for themselves, to use for their wicked ways.
The way the game is heading can only be described as a strange mixture of:
-Jade Cocoon
-Final Fantasy X
-Warioware
-Farcry 2 (but good)
-Portal
-Ratchet and Clank
Saying that, the actual battle system is something new and fresh. I'll cover it in my next blog post. Tata for now!
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