GIVING AN ENEMY RANDOM HP, GOOD OR BAD?

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Is it a good idea to give an enemy a random HP?

Is it necessary for all enemies of the same type to have exact same HP?

One of my action-shooting game have random enemy HP mechanism. Some enemies die in 2 shots. Some die in 3 shots. And the players complaint a lot that it's frustrating.

Do we have to make everything predictable?

Or do we need to give a clear explanation that all the enemies will be given a random HP?
Yeah, I think you need to state how you randomised the HP.

Did you use something like: hp += (hp * rand %)
(increase/decrease by percentage from a base value)
or: hp = rand
(hp is set to a random number)
or something else?

Other than that, you don't really need to keep everything predictable. Just keep the game's mechanics consistent.
Sure, I set max and min HP of an enemy. The HP will be randomly chosen between the min and the max value. Each type of enemy will have a different max and min value.
It's an idea and it can work. Monsters that have levels and learn attacks/have stat increases based on those levels might work a bit better. It still offers the random factor but with a reason for it. If you can level up, it's not hard to figure that a monster can as well.

But I see no issue with random between two points, as long as it's balanced.


With shooting games, though, you need to keep a constant or at least allow the player to see what damage they're doing in relation to the monsters' health. If it takes two shots to kill a normal zombie then another takes three, it makes it hard to calculate and plan, and with shooter types where ammo is a limited resource, hard facts are most important for players to have so that they can figure out if they're going to have enough ammo for an assault. Taking away the hard facts leaves them without the ability to plan and that can fall flat on it's face in a game like that.
Actually, if you're going that route, you should randomize more than just HP - just let your players be aware of possible changes.

You could do it like randomized items and give enemies affixes that clue in on what is different - a Zombie would be the default, a Tough Zombie would have more HP, an Elusive Zombie would have greater evasion/move speed and a Pyrokinetic Zombie of Paralysis could throw fireballs and stun you with his melee attack etc.
But then you're creating whole different enemies instead of just plugging in a script to randomise an arbitrary monster...
Wouldn't having variety ranges in attack and skills damage result in practically the same thing?
It can be interesting if you have a "class" of monster, defining the basic range of stats, and then you randomize the stats within the range, including the amount of reward given. At that point, you can subtly change the monster's appearance and name based on how it ended up getting randomized. Those monsters that were randomized to be stronger also give more reward; randomized less, less reward.
If I can't see their remaining health it will be slightly frustrating. Randomly shooting more or less or waiting around seeing whether it's enough will feel annoying for me.
If I see a bar upon hitting them first or see their image change according to the damage taken, then that it is good to react to and can up the fun.
But I suppose it also depends on how fast-paced it is, and how well I need to juggle between different enemies.
Rhyme
Tear Harvester Rhyme
7582
Does the monsters with more HP look pretty much the same to the ones with less HP?

There should be some indicator that a monster is slightly stronger than usual (bigger sprite? different or prefixed name? slightly different color? different animations? a glowy aura?) whatever it is, the player will know and expect that the enemy is different.

It's betraying the player's trust by presenting what seems to be the same thing but is actually different - no matter how small the difference. Not everything needs to be explained, but when something that looks identical to something else acts differently, you should expect confusion from the players.
author=Milennin
Wouldn't having variety ranges in attack and skills damage result in practically the same thing?


Not really. There's a script that allows you to add a level-up feature to monsters and trigger skills based on the levels they are at. It also allows for stat increases in the monster based on those levels. ^.^)b
Oh right. I suppose it could also be useful if you plan on making a Pokémon-like game where you can catch monsters you encounter, and they can have different stats, so there are stronger and weaker versions of the same type of monster.
Craze
why would i heal when i could equip a morningstar
15150
Rhyme
Does the monsters with more HP look pretty much the same to the ones with less HP?

There should be some indicator that a monster is slightly stronger than usual (bigger sprite? different or prefixed name? slightly different color? different animations? a glowy aura?) whatever it is, the player will know and expect that the enemy is different.

It's betraying the player's trust by presenting what seems to be the same thing but is actually different - no matter how small the difference. Not everything needs to be explained, but when something that looks identical to something else acts differently, you should expect confusion from the players.

LightningLord2
Actually, if you're going that route, you should randomize more than just HP - just let your players be aware of possible changes.

You could do it like randomized items and give enemies affixes that clue in on what is different - a Zombie would be the default, a Tough Zombie would have more HP, an Elusive Zombie would have greater evasion/move speed and a Pyrokinetic Zombie of Paralysis could throw fireballs and stun you with his melee attack etc.

These are the correct replies.

Is the randomized amount of HP going to matter at all? Like is 45 versus 55 HP gonna take another full attack from the player or anything? If not, there's literally no point. It's just pointless SYSTEMZ that add literally nothing to the game. If it does change the enemy's interaction with the player, you could have a way cooler game by doing what rhyme and lightninglord2 suggested.

In Super Battle Kiddo Experience, every enemy had a visible level in their name (all set by me -- I didn't use a script, they were all hard-coded this way). Higher-level enemies within the same area would be slightly palette shifted, enough for the player to notice they're different and see that they're 1-2 levels higher. They'd have a meaner AI and a little bit more HP/damage. The enemy pools were still randomized, but the enemies within were very clear about their power level/differences to the player.

edit: which is basically how dragon quest does it
author=Mysticphoenix
Is it a good idea to give an enemy a random HP?

Is it necessary for all enemies of the same type to have exact same HP?

One of my action-shooting game have random enemy HP mechanism. Some enemies die in 2 shots. Some die in 3 shots. And the players complaint a lot that it's frustrating.

Do we have to make everything predictable?

Or do we need to give a clear explanation that all the enemies will be given a random HP?


Depending on the tone of your game an arbitrary and otherwise bad mechanic can work in your favor. Assume you have a survival horror with zombies. If the player knows "ok 2 shots and they're gone" they ease up and know what they'll have to do when they encounter the enemy. This removes tension from the game. If you (assuming the ammunition is available enough for it to not become an issue down the road) however make zombies take a random amount of shots, you can scare the player into wasting ammunition to make sure the zombie stays dead.

That being said, if combat is fairly frequent in your game I wouldn't opt for this as the randomness would eventually erode into a nuisance like Craze said. With rare encounters however a bit of arbitrariness can shake up player expectations and actually provide for fun situations in which the player gets caught off guard - provided that these "mistakes" don't punish the player too hard.

But as previous posters pointed out, at least give the players a hint about the HP randomness. Otherwise they will quickly grow frustrated with mechanics they can't see through. Shaking up core expectations of players is always a gamble.
author=Sated
A survival-horror is the worst time to use random HP. In a good survival horror movie, items and ammunition are supposed to be at a premium, so the player should have a good idea of how much they're going to need in order to get through a particular encounter. Randomising that somewhat defeats the point. I'd go so far as to say that enemies in most survival-horror games are fairly trivial outside of certain set-piece enemies, because they're not really the threat.


Having tough enemies whose durability can't be predicted does make for a horrific atmosphere - moreso than any jumpscares would do. If you know exactly how much you need to get by an encounter and have that much to spare, all tension is gone for the entire encounter.
Craze
why would i heal when i could equip a morningstar
15150
i guess there's a difference between REAL survival horror and "rpg maker survival horror"

regardless that would make more sense in a suspense game, i think, than a survival horror game. something like a meaner visions & voices than, like, silent hill
If a basic enemy is not meant to be a threat at all, there's no real point in it being there in the first place. Few exceptions exist, such as in shmups where smaller enemies are basically walking/flying score multipliers and potential powerups.

Also, if only specific set-piece moments have any challenge in the game, it's not a survival horror, it's a vanilla RPG with a zombie/monster/etc. theme.
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