DOING IT! - WEEK NINE

So, anyway, it works exactly the same for the other stats, just with different numbers and increases for each one. But this is only the beginning. These stats are way too low for a serious challenge, and are only suitable for the earliest areas of the game. But that's where area increments come in.

My games have always been divided into unique sections, separated by a boss fight and geographic location. Between areas, these stats increase by half their maximum value. That means, while the scale above would be Defense in area 1, in area 2 it would look like...

Def scale : Def stat
1 : 12
2 : 14
3 : 16
4 : 18
5 : 20
6 : 22
7 : 24
8 : 26
9 : 28
10 : 30

...and in area 3, the min/max would be 22/40, and so on. Apply this to the whole game, and the end result is remarkably well-balanced. At least in RM2000. Now if only my games didn't suck for other reasons, maybe all this wouldn't be so wasted on me.

Ah, but that's the other set of numbers I tweaked, too! In the previous PH's, elements played almost no role in battle whatsoever. Weaknesses and resistances made little sense, and what few there were were inconsequential because they didn't make a big enough difference. But, in my latest project, I upped the ante by allowing exploited weaknesses to double the strength of a spell while a resistance would halve it. Also, weaknesses and resistances are now based on logical combinations (and not on Pokémon's existing bullshit system of bullshit). There might be some player expectation issues there, but only time will tell. I also changed around the effect rates of status problems (thanks to Craze's thread on the subject).

So, my numbers are pretty thoroughly crunched at this point. Now all I have to do is finish the damn game so no one can play it and appreciate all this effort.

In my current project, every character and every critter has a Level and a Scale. Those two factors largely determine what the stats of that particular actor is. As an example, the easiest critter in the game is considered a "worthless" critter. Rewards for defeating it are fairly minimal, and they are only a problem with continuous fighting.

Characters are whatever level his or her experience field says he or she should be. They are all considered "normal" scale. However, their stats are also based on roles. If a character gains a bonus to one stat, the "opposite" stat gets a decrease. Examples: Goho has the highest STR, but the lowest INT. Toshie has the highest HP, but the lowest MP. Katai has the highest SPD, but the lowest DEF.

Monsters get bonuses and decreases as well, but those are linked to what element they are most attuned to. Fire-based critters trade STR for INT. Wind trades DEF for SPD. Water trades INT for STR. Earth trades DEF for SPD. Divine trades HP for MP. Damned trades MP for HP.

Weird how there's two posts in a row that deal with numbers, but don't actually print any. o_0

Here, have a damage algorithm.


Offense Stat is the statistic - either the attacker's Strength or Magic - relevant to the attack in question. Obviously, a claw attack uses Strength, while an explosive spell uses Magic. Some skills specifically break this rule - for example, Chi Blast uses the Magic stat for its damage despite its Physical element of damage.

Defense Stat is always, at this point, the target's Vitality. It seems to be overwhelmed by offense when one glances at the formula - each point of offense increases damage by 2, while each point of Vitality decreases damage by only 1. However, Vitality wards off both physical and magical damage, making it a viable - and perhaps even necessary - investment.

Offense Buff the enhancement applied to the attacker's damage output for that type of attack - i.e., a physical damage buff applied to a physical attack. The modifier is 1 normally, increasing by 0.1 for each stack of the relevant offense buff that the attacker carries, up to a maximum of 1.4. For example, if the attacker has been buffed twice, their damage is increased by 20% (a multiplier of 1.2). This makes an opponent that has been stockpiling heavily very dangerous. For offense reduction, the modifier is instead reduced by 0.1 for each stack of the debuff, to a minimum of 0.6, or 60% of normal damage.

Defense Buff is the enhancement applied to the target's damage mitigation - i.e. buffs that reduce the damage that the target takes from attacks. The modifier is 1 normally, decreasing by 0.1 for each stack of the buff applied, to a minimum of 0.6. A full defensive stack of buffs reduces damage to 60% of its normal result (a multiplier of 0.6), making a heavily entrenched enemy extremely difficult to dislodge. Defensive debuffs, on the other hand, increase this modifier by 0.1 for each stack, to a maximum of 1.4. This means that a fully exposed enemy isn't long for this world.

Skill Damage Rate is the modifier that gives the action its innate damage potential. For standard physical attacks, this modifier is 1. For every other skill in the game, this varies. For example, the physical HP-draining skill Devourer, this modifier is 1.75. However, Devourer has a cost of 20% of the user's HP. The costs of the heavier-damage skills cause bulkier stallers to avoid them, favoring the standard physical attack, weaker skills, or support actions. Frailer sweepers, on the other hand, favor the added power of these attacks, and usually build themselves to deal with the drawbacks. The highest Skill Damage Rate modifier is 10, held by the elemental kamikaze skills. The lowest is 0.5, held by Stone Touch, a weak Petrification attack. Skill Damage Rate averages in the 1.0 to 2.5 range.

Elemental Affinity is the obvious modifier for striking an elemental weakness, resistance, immunity, or absorption. The modifier for weakness is 1.5, the modifier for resistance is 0.25, the modifier for immunities is 0, and the modifier for absorption is -0.75. If the attack is a critical hit, the modifiers become 2.25, 0.375, 0, and -1.125, in order. (i.e., an additional 50% increase.)

Elemental Boost is the modifier for the attacker's bonuses with attacks of that element. The base of this is 1, which is then multiplied by each of the attacker's bonuses. For example, the passive skill Fire Boost multiplies this modifier by 1.25 if the bearer attacks with a Fire skill. The passive skill Mana Flare increases all outgoing magic damage by 1.5; this occurs in this modifier. The command skill Magic Zone multiplies the damage of the attacker's next magic attack by 2.5. When a sleeping target is damaged, this modifier is multiplied by 2. This modifier acts as a catch-all for the many erroneous effects that impact the damage calculation. The Elemental Boost modifier usually averages around 1 to 2.5, sometimes reaching 4 or so with specialized mono-element builds. If one single-mindedly stockpiles boosts and enhancements, this can be as high as 15 or more - but the preparations and risks involved, as well as the ease of disruption, heavily discourage such a build.




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sieg numbers

EDIT: Thanks to Tonfa, a rather glaring defense buff issue has been fixed.