So, on Thursday I woke up to a really, really nice fan letter from...a fan. That basically motivated me to stop dicking around and making excuses and make a combat demo. So...I didn't do any work on writing a short story that day and instead I began programming. Took me three days, but I've now got a VERY rough prototype for the combat system in place. You can download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/sr4q613t8w1rrnr/Shield_High_Combat_Demo.7z
Things to note: 1. It's imbalanced as shit. I'd like feedback on how you think it might be better balanced. At the moment every roll gets a +1 because flat stats, this will be changed soon.
2. Reverse doesn't work. I don't know why. I will investigate this later. For now just tell me what you think of it all.
3. The enemy AI is...bad. It just randomly selects attacks. If it ducks it will duck forever until grappled. If tripped it will repeat it's last action forever. The AI will be better later, right now it's just to test functionality of things.
4. Damage adds roll modifiers. Submission makes it harder to strip your opponent, humiliation results in you getting stripped more, arousal makes it harder to resist damage. At least, that's how it SHOULD work. If you guys love me could you keep track of numbers and see if you're finding anything unusual?
5. I'm taking suggestions for additional actions. Things that let you apply submission damage would be GREATLY appreciated.
6. The graphics are shitty. This MIGHT get fixed.
7. If you can't click on an action, click on the grey button.
That should be everything. Please test it and enjoy~ When the system is finalized I'll add in the sexy writing, and release a teaser.
Pudding Earl
EDIT: GLITCHES DISCOVERED SO FAR:
-Resisting humiliation etc. would cause damage when the player won, and not inflict damage when the opponent won. This has been fixed.
-Reverse wasn't working. I had mis-set a number. The number is now correct. Reverse will be functional in the beta.
I think the most effective goal to have in mind would be to make sure it isn't just a fancier and more sophisticated diceroller game. A bare minimum in that regard might feel more hands-on than a Rube-Goldberg style system that is still pure probability.
ReplyDeleteTo achieve this, one thing you might do is create hidden weaknesses which the player needs to find. This might entail asking people who have lost to that one, sneaking contact with abused and resentful slaves of theirs, or even watching matches as a spectator. It might even be a lock-and-key system which RPGs typically use; the way ahead remains locked until you find whatever constitutes the key.
Also yay shorts. Hoist the flag, strike their colors.
The goal was to keep the dice-rolling core, but make the game deeper and more tactical by adding more choices and tactical considerations...without going overboard with it.
DeleteI've got about half of the modifiers in place, actions counter each other, and there is the stat modifiers, even if they are currently uniform. I need to add bonuses for using certain actions from certain states still.
I'd rather not make a lock and key style resolution, and text-based games have limited choices when it comes to combat systems that aren't either RNG, or can be broken down into a simple formula of how to win everything ever. If you have a suggestion for one, I'd love to hear it.
I have mixed feeling about the combat system but with time and refinement I'm sure my worries will go away. One thing I would like to see is more options to strengthen your self for fights. Also i would like to see some school events that are put on and depended if your a slave or how many you own effects the event.
ReplyDeleteI DESIRE TO KNOW YOUR MIXED FEELINGS, SUCH THAT I MAY UNMIX THEM.
DeleteAnd yeah, leveling up will be a thing, it won't provide huge bonuses, but it will allow you to specialize a bit. Exactly how I work leveling I haven't decided.
Yeah, I think you've hit on the problem with text/story adventure combat. Thing is, with a linear game of this type, most people want predictable combat due to the fact they want to win or lose depending on the story path they want. I think most of issues people had with the current system is they have to either replay lots of battles, or quick save/load to get the desired result. The better and more varied the story paths, the more this can become an issue as you try the different paths.
ReplyDeleteSo anyway, in your demo I'd say it doesn't need to be more complex really. If the holds and the counters make it it more predictable or making good choices more obvious (or bad ones if that's what is desired,) I think people who didn't like the current system would be happy. One thing to look out for though is the snowball effect of stats/bonuses. As in if you're losing, how do you turn things around with RNG style combat if with each round of losing, the odds get worse.
The snowball effect leaves me in this really weird state. On the one hand, the ability to turn things around is great. On the other hand momentum and mind-set are a huge part of combat, even more so when the combat is about humiliating your opponent, not beating the shit out of them. So snowballing makes sense if you look at it that way.
DeleteI'll probably just put an upper limit on how high stats can go, and probably tweak the bonus calculation a bit to see if I can get it to function in a more stable way. Right now the bonuses get a little bit weird, and I can't work out why. The goal is to get it such that the momentum won't make you less likely to win, but will make you more likely to lose, if that makes sense.
One thing that could be done for the combat is instead of leveling, do the hidden key idea, but just have that like up the number on a certain move by +1 or +2, give an advantage without it being game breaking and then reset after that person. As far as snowballing I would keep it in but say when you are low like -5 snowballed and you land a strike have it jump considerably like maybe -1 because just like being humiliated loses moral, a small victory among chaos can bolster moral to an insane level.
DeleteSo like, a +1 bonus for talking to Joyce prior to any given fight? Give you more reason to make use of her, and also make it a more limited resource, so you want to take that carefully?
DeleteAnd I will see what I can do about the momentum aspect, probably include a way to heal damage through inflicting it, or something like that.
I do plan to keep leveling though, or at least experiment with it a bit before I completely rule it out.
Yeah, game design always has tradeoffs. The usual counter to snowballing is making a good move, but that depends on the game complexity. In chess, you can slowly get into a bad position but due to it's nature there might be a move that turns it around. Or as in Card combat games (Magic the gathering etc.), when a perfect card comes out.
DeleteI think I get your meaning, as you both can get weaker at the same time, the snowball might mean you're being taken down easier.. but it doesn't prevent you taking her down at the same time.
One thing you could also do, is make a reversal a sacrifice thing. So during the fight, you could make a deal, call in a promise, use an item etc. that will cost you something later in the game. Could be a one scene deal to keep things simple as it's adding complexity, you've had one similar with a rescue scene after losing to Karen iirc. Also means if someone's going the path they don't want (win/lose), they might be able to change it around without a replay.