Planning on making a RPG and want input on Battle System
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fractalfeline
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Depends on what kind of RPG it is 
fractalfeline
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A run down of good systems I've come across, and a little about what I'd like as a gamer (for myself):
1. Menu based timed turn based combat. Kinda like the various Final Fantasy games. I think the best I've encountered in that genre was Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy Tactics. Both incorporate a sort of terrain and positional effect, and I especially like Chrono Trigger's combo attacks between two or three characters.
2. Click and hit with pause and pick. Kinda like Secret of Mana or Planescape: Torment. Typically select a character or party, click a monster, they attack it, and if you need special abilities or items, there's a pause-out function where you can pick one.
3. Console or combo based. Typically a very action and skill oriented battle system, in which you control a single character, and the combo buttons you use determine what kinds of moves and hits you land. B B B B+A UP DOWN+A-hold-RIGHT+A take that evil doer! It's especially fun when you "unlock" new combos as you go. I'm thinking kinda Soul Calibur and Zelda here.
4. Aim and fire. The Fallout series is good here. Shoot shoot shoot, and if you need help aiming, that's what the PIP boy's for, pause and assess where the weak spots are and hit them with a weapon they're weak to!
5. MMO or ability based. Hotbar or action keys linked to various abilities, usually with a click and hit element. Generally it's good if movement is governed by a different system than the abilities (stupid Diablo 2 sorceress, stay in the back and SHOOT the monsters, you're not a melee dumb girl -- gah killed by a lightning bug AGAIN )
SO again, what kind of RPG you want to make? Party based? Single character? Multiplayer?
1. Menu based timed turn based combat. Kinda like the various Final Fantasy games. I think the best I've encountered in that genre was Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy Tactics. Both incorporate a sort of terrain and positional effect, and I especially like Chrono Trigger's combo attacks between two or three characters.
2. Click and hit with pause and pick. Kinda like Secret of Mana or Planescape: Torment. Typically select a character or party, click a monster, they attack it, and if you need special abilities or items, there's a pause-out function where you can pick one.
3. Console or combo based. Typically a very action and skill oriented battle system, in which you control a single character, and the combo buttons you use determine what kinds of moves and hits you land. B B B B+A UP DOWN+A-hold-RIGHT+A take that evil doer! It's especially fun when you "unlock" new combos as you go. I'm thinking kinda Soul Calibur and Zelda here.
4. Aim and fire. The Fallout series is good here. Shoot shoot shoot, and if you need help aiming, that's what the PIP boy's for, pause and assess where the weak spots are and hit them with a weapon they're weak to!
5. MMO or ability based. Hotbar or action keys linked to various abilities, usually with a click and hit element. Generally it's good if movement is governed by a different system than the abilities (stupid Diablo 2 sorceress, stay in the back and SHOOT the monsters, you're not a melee dumb girl -- gah killed by a lightning bug AGAIN
)SO again, what kind of RPG you want to make? Party based? Single character? Multiplayer?
Well, I have a story that could be party based with multi characters as Secret of Mana.
That said, any still works. I want to get the feel of other gamers. My favorite styles are turn based and click pick as my favorite RPGs are Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and FF9 and prior, Grandia series, Tales of Destiny and that line.
I've felt that the genre has been lacking some as these "new improved" battle systems have developed. Seems you like the older systems too. I am still learning the ins and outs of programming so I have time to see opinions. My dr disabled me and I dislike that so I am attempting to retrain myself. I've lucked upon some good programming tools so I thought this is the perfect thing to attempt. It also gives me a chance to try to create something more enjoyable to me than the current things. Also a great excuse to break out my carts of SoM, Chrono Trigger, Earth Bound, ect. =^,^=
However I do not want to arrogantly go off trying to create what I feel would be the perfect RPG system. I've heard so many complaints about the new ones from when I was a game vendor at a flea market that I felt I should ask what people want in a game first. I have my basic storyline and it should be rather good. I'll be asking other questions as I develop things but first I want to build a good battle system so thats what I want to learn. If possible I might try to do turn based & R.T.S. selectable like FF8 had.
That said, any still works. I want to get the feel of other gamers. My favorite styles are turn based and click pick as my favorite RPGs are Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and FF9 and prior, Grandia series, Tales of Destiny and that line.
I've felt that the genre has been lacking some as these "new improved" battle systems have developed. Seems you like the older systems too. I am still learning the ins and outs of programming so I have time to see opinions. My dr disabled me and I dislike that so I am attempting to retrain myself. I've lucked upon some good programming tools so I thought this is the perfect thing to attempt. It also gives me a chance to try to create something more enjoyable to me than the current things. Also a great excuse to break out my carts of SoM, Chrono Trigger, Earth Bound, ect. =^,^=
However I do not want to arrogantly go off trying to create what I feel would be the perfect RPG system. I've heard so many complaints about the new ones from when I was a game vendor at a flea market that I felt I should ask what people want in a game first. I have my basic storyline and it should be rather good. I'll be asking other questions as I develop things but first I want to build a good battle system so thats what I want to learn. If possible I might try to do turn based & R.T.S. selectable like FF8 had.
fractalfeline
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Yeah it's true, I like the older systems, mainly because I've had more exposure to them. I don't have a wii or PS3 or any of the new consoles, I mostly play PC games nowadays. I mostly play RTS and MMOs, and it's sorta difficult to get the immersive storyline and character development in those setups (but not undoable).
One thing you're going to have to account for is the AI and how much AI control you want over the characters in your party. I personally find AIs will do stupid things if you allow them too much control (frak! Rafa! DO NOT RUN UP TO THE COUNT AND CAST arggh) but it can help you if you like focusing on one character at a time. The joy of menu-based or pause-menus is that you have large amounts of control over the whole party, but you sacrifice real-time action for that. The joys of having a single PC controlled character with lots of AI controlled party members is that you can focus on combat abilities of your one character, and put more focus on real-time action, but I sure wish the casters would stay in the back and not waste all their mana, yeah? You don't want to combine the two extremes (single player control and multi-character control) too much, because then you get player fatigue, the player gets upset that they have to micromanage everything, and you start getting into the realm of RTS. (This brings to mind Warcraft III night elves... God do I have to micromanage ALL their abilities?!? !)
If it were me, I'd like a system where I control one character at a time, with easy (hot button or click) ways to switch between party members, and some AI control of characters while I'm not focusing on them. Highly customizable AIs, perhaps write the AI for each character to match their personality and role, and some options like Aggressive, Balanced, Defensive. With the other members suitably in good hands managing themselves, the player can focus on pulling off those heroic combos and aiming those blows and using their abilities in a real-time action sort of way.
Shrug. Just one more opinion to the box
One thing you're going to have to account for is the AI and how much AI control you want over the characters in your party. I personally find AIs will do stupid things if you allow them too much control (frak! Rafa! DO NOT RUN UP TO THE COUNT AND CAST arggh) but it can help you if you like focusing on one character at a time. The joy of menu-based or pause-menus is that you have large amounts of control over the whole party, but you sacrifice real-time action for that. The joys of having a single PC controlled character with lots of AI controlled party members is that you can focus on combat abilities of your one character, and put more focus on real-time action, but I sure wish the casters would stay in the back and not waste all their mana, yeah? You don't want to combine the two extremes (single player control and multi-character control) too much, because then you get player fatigue, the player gets upset that they have to micromanage everything, and you start getting into the realm of RTS. (This brings to mind Warcraft III night elves... God do I have to micromanage ALL their abilities?!? !)
If it were me, I'd like a system where I control one character at a time, with easy (hot button or click) ways to switch between party members, and some AI control of characters while I'm not focusing on them. Highly customizable AIs, perhaps write the AI for each character to match their personality and role, and some options like Aggressive, Balanced, Defensive. With the other members suitably in good hands managing themselves, the player can focus on pulling off those heroic combos and aiming those blows and using their abilities in a real-time action sort of way.
Shrug. Just one more opinion to the box
Nice and incredibly complex idea. It brings to mind slightly, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Phantasia tho. I want to keep enough aspects that this game will be possibly unique in one perspective. If I can convince one of the console companies to help me, I'd like this to be the first comercial game to be on console, Windows, and Linux (I have no hopes of Apple handing over a dev kit of any kind I'm sure) so a clean menu control system is preferred to me vs something like WoW's tho I'm sure it would be possible to make a nice hotkey system and maybe menu bar too...
I remember playing all those old games, and in my opinion, using the similar combat engine is going to make you look and feel like yet another FF/Japanese-RPG clone. It's become a little over-done and lacks originality; the gameplay is also not going to appeal to audiences who do not want to sit through a 30-minute boss battle - and that's being kind. (As I recall, between the bloody repeating animations and lack of save-points amidst very long boss-battles, there were occasions when I sat for up to 2 hours strategizing through a turn-based battle.)
I personally prefer games that have managed a marriage of tactical play and real-time fighting. A few roleplay-heavy shooters, like Mass Effect 2, have started to catch on to this. Generally, if I can just run head-long into an area and blow things away by holding down the trigger button, it'll get boring fast.
I personally prefer games that have managed a marriage of tactical play and real-time fighting. A few roleplay-heavy shooters, like Mass Effect 2, have started to catch on to this. Generally, if I can just run head-long into an area and blow things away by holding down the trigger button, it'll get boring fast.
The turned-based system is really old and playing games with that style system has really become rather boring compared to some of the newer things. The best thing I think you can do is find elements from multiple styles that you like and merge them together. Look at Borderlands for example, they took the action based system from a fps and merged it with rpg style gameplay. Granted, if you level yourself up a fair bit it becomes far too easy to play so like sbonner said, there need to be tactical elements within it as well.
As for 30 mintue boss battles, I would have no issue if the battle was constantly changing and kept me thinking and moving the entire time, especially if the changes were based upon my actions. Games where your actions determine how things happen is always ammusing and if good enough allow for replays to be much more unique as well.
As for 30 mintue boss battles, I would have no issue if the battle was constantly changing and kept me thinking and moving the entire time, especially if the changes were based upon my actions. Games where your actions determine how things happen is always ammusing and if good enough allow for replays to be much more unique as well.