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RPG MECHANICS IV : BOSS BALANCING AND STRATEGY
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LouisCyphre
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CloseRPG Mechanics IV : Boss Balancing and Strategy
Ideal Questions
Firstly, what strategies do your boss fights employ? Do any act as tanks, high HP or DEF? Do they resist elements in order to pester the player? Can these resistances be negated? Do bosses negate your resistances? Do they cast IKO moves, or do their attacks IKO? Do they rely heavily on status effects, or buffs and debuffs?
Second, is there a way to severely disrupt a given boss? That is, do bosses have a given weakness? Does negating poison make the Snake King your bitch? Or does a lack of weakness MAKE a boss?
Thirdly, what skills to bosses have? Do they negate your buffs? Do they cast any boss-specific skills? Or do they employ they exact same skills as the player characters can?
Next, what resistances to bosses have?Do they absorb elements, and are they weak to any? Do they negate all but a certain few status effects, or do they resist only the most devastating ones? How are their resistances decided - what determines their affinity? Their body structure, or their location? Maybe their color, or an insignia on their body? Is their status resistance predicated on what the monster uses, or what the player has access to? Do they attack with multiple status conditions, or a specific one?
Finally, do your bosses have minions? Are these support units, additional firepower, or kamikazes? Do they heal the boss, or attack the player? Are they smaller versions of the boss, hired mercenaries, or subordinate soldiers? Are any of them plot-relevant, or are they nameless drones? Are they normal monsters found in random encounters, or are they specific to the fight?
This is part of a series of topics that will deal with aesthetics involving the detailed analysis of the numbers and mechanics of RPGs, what can be kept, and what should be discarded.
...Damn it's been a while.
I'm tinkering with one of my back-burner projects for the time being, at least long enough to get back into my groove. I'll have something on 1873's bosses when my groove has returned.
I'm setting my bosses up beforehand, based on the story's requirements. In here, my mini-boss fights are often a monster from later in the game, or a specific combination of random monsters that results in pain. Often mini-bosses introduce a mechanic that major bosses capitalize on. Most of the time, a given dungeon will have a theme such as poison or fire damage. Later dungeons have more such themes as play, since the player will have access to equipment that can nullify a given element, status condition, or environmental hazards.
Going with these themes, one monster group might cast poison on you, one might cast sleep, and another healing magic; the mini-boss might cast poison on you and Regen on himself; and the big jefe might put you to sleep, poison you, put Regen on himself, and halve your attack. The idea is to have a progression from a basic idea to a devastating combination.
Ideal Questions
Firstly, what strategies do your boss fights employ? Do any act as tanks, high HP or DEF? Do they resist elements in order to pester the player? Can these resistances be negated? Do bosses negate your resistances? Do they cast IKO moves, or do their attacks IKO? Do they rely heavily on status effects, or buffs and debuffs?
Second, is there a way to severely disrupt a given boss? That is, do bosses have a given weakness? Does negating poison make the Snake King your bitch? Or does a lack of weakness MAKE a boss?
Thirdly, what skills to bosses have? Do they negate your buffs? Do they cast any boss-specific skills? Or do they employ they exact same skills as the player characters can?
Next, what resistances to bosses have?Do they absorb elements, and are they weak to any? Do they negate all but a certain few status effects, or do they resist only the most devastating ones? How are their resistances decided - what determines their affinity? Their body structure, or their location? Maybe their color, or an insignia on their body? Is their status resistance predicated on what the monster uses, or what the player has access to? Do they attack with multiple status conditions, or a specific one?
Finally, do your bosses have minions? Are these support units, additional firepower, or kamikazes? Do they heal the boss, or attack the player? Are they smaller versions of the boss, hired mercenaries, or subordinate soldiers? Are any of them plot-relevant, or are they nameless drones? Are they normal monsters found in random encounters, or are they specific to the fight?
This is part of a series of topics that will deal with aesthetics involving the detailed analysis of the numbers and mechanics of RPGs, what can be kept, and what should be discarded.
- RPG Mechanics 3 : Random Encounter Design Theory
- RPG Mechanics 2 : Unique Action Command Theory
- RPG Mechanics 1 : HP to Damage Ratios, Other HP Related Discussion
...Damn it's been a while.
I'm tinkering with one of my back-burner projects for the time being, at least long enough to get back into my groove. I'll have something on 1873's bosses when my groove has returned.
I'm setting my bosses up beforehand, based on the story's requirements. In here, my mini-boss fights are often a monster from later in the game, or a specific combination of random monsters that results in pain. Often mini-bosses introduce a mechanic that major bosses capitalize on. Most of the time, a given dungeon will have a theme such as poison or fire damage. Later dungeons have more such themes as play, since the player will have access to equipment that can nullify a given element, status condition, or environmental hazards.
Going with these themes, one monster group might cast poison on you, one might cast sleep, and another healing magic; the mini-boss might cast poison on you and Regen on himself; and the big jefe might put you to sleep, poison you, put Regen on himself, and halve your attack. The idea is to have a progression from a basic idea to a devastating combination.
S. F. LaValle
1069
I think you're on the right track in terms of coming up with boss fight strategies. It's important to recognize what items, equipment, and abilities are at a player's disposal, and test how well the player uses these resources. Themes do help a player develop a preliminary strategy before the big baddie (i.e. fire-breathing lizards in a lava cave that are weak to water).
That being said, negative, debilitating status effects can be ok, but not when they are constantly being shoved in the player's face. Swift removal of a bad status effect is one thing, but I wouldn't perceive round after round of throwing out restorative items or spells as difficulty.
That being said, negative, debilitating status effects can be ok, but not when they are constantly being shoved in the player's face. Swift removal of a bad status effect is one thing, but I wouldn't perceive round after round of throwing out restorative items or spells as difficulty.
Inflict some sort of ailment that the player HAS to live with, and can only be lessened if the player did something extra/really well previously. Like... cancel out crits or evasion, make skills cost x2 MP, every other turn stun a character (unstunning the previous stunee)... stuff like that makes boss status effects worth it.
S. F. LaValle
1069
Craze has some great ideas. Time spent in a dungeon that isn't on the direct path to reaching the boss can be spent getting a better understanding of or making the boss fight easier. Collect relics that will weaken some of the boss's terrible abilities. The player could then even set their own challenge level by deciding to collect or use these items or information gathered while exploring. I'd be prepared to offer a nice reward to players who down a boss by using a strategy based off of information gathered by only fighting the boss.
author=ChaosProductions link=topic=3144.msg61713#msg61713 date=1234573029All currently implemented bosses tend to be the same strategy with a different wrapping so far: Throw debuffs/negative status then unload. I'm not too concerned with it so far (I've only got the first two bosses done so far) but it's something I need to improve on with later bosses.
Firstly, what strategies do your boss fights employ? Do any act as tanks, high HP or DEF? Do they resist elements in order to pester the player? Can these resistances be negated? Do bosses negate your resistances? Do they cast IKO moves, or do their attacks IKO? Do they rely heavily on status effects, or buffs and debuffs?
author=ChaosProductions link=topic=3144.msg61713#msg61713 date=1234573029If a boss can't be cheesed using strategy, skills, or exploits then I don't like it. I always leave a way (ideally multiple) to cheese bosses. Sure you can kill bosses if you buff your party and use the most damaging skills but if you use the right moves or gear then you can completley screw over the boss and beat him with almost no problem.
Second, is there a way to severely disrupt a given boss? That is, do bosses have a given weakness? Does negating poison make the Snake King your bitch? Or does a lack of weakness MAKE a boss?
author=ChaosProductions link=topic=3144.msg61713#msg61713 date=1234573029All enemies have unique skills (well, technically. Plenty of enemies have various "Do Damage of type X" skills. Bosses do have some cards up their sleeves that the player hasn't seen up to that point in the game. The first boss is the first enemy to throw debuffs at the player while the second knows some powerful negative status effects.
Thirdly, what skills to bosses have? Do they negate your buffs? Do they cast any boss-specific skills? Or do they employ they exact same skills as the player characters can?
I do like the "enemies use light versions of what the boss throws at you" though, and I've got some ideas how to throw this in.
author=ChaosProductions link=topic=3144.msg61713#msg61713 date=1234573029Resistances vary, but I do make sure bosses are vulnerable to status effects. I do make boss versions of status effects that would completely ruin a boss (ex. poison: Do 5% damage per Rm2k3 turn would kill any boss in no time flat so if a boss is poisoned he only takes the 1-2% damage per turn version). For elemental weakness mid-late game bosses don't have any but at that point the player can start inflicting weaknesses on bosses. As for what their elemental resistances are, half of it is pseudo-arbitarly assigned but some weaknesses can make sense. Burning Passion? Weak to ice because of the name! Blight's immunity to air?
Next, what resistances to bosses have?Do they absorb elements, and are they weak to any? Do they negate all but a certain few status effects, or do they resist only the most devastating ones? How are their resistances decided - what determines their affinity? Their body structure, or their location? Maybe their color, or an insignia on their body? Is their status resistance predicated on what the monster uses, or what the player has access to? Do they attack with multiple status conditions, or a specific one?
author=GreatRedSpirit link=topic=3144.msg61895#msg61895 date=1234685929
Resistances vary, but I do make sure bosses are vulnerable to status effects. I do make boss versions of status effects that would completely ruin a boss (ex. poison: Do 5% damage per Rm2k3 turn would kill any boss in no time flat so if a boss is poisoned he only takes the 1-2% damage per turn version). For elemental weakness mid-late game bosses don't have any but at that point the player can start inflicting weaknesses on bosses. As for what their elemental resistances are, half of it is pseudo-arbitarly assigned but some weaknesses can make sense. Burning Passion? Weak to ice because of the name! Blight's immunity to air?
YES. Karsuman taught me to do this, and my world has never been the same.
Yeah, that technique is awesome.
People in rm2k/3 should also use the element tab for buffing up the magic stat.
People in rm2k/3 should also use the element tab for buffing up the magic stat.
Bosses are a culmination of what you've learned so far as a player. The monsters you're eased into during the level prepare you for your encounter with their overlord. Self-contained bosses with strategies unique to themselves, offering your battle with them as the only lesson, are best left for optional content.
A strong, recent example of this philosophy is Twilight Princess:
1) Kill stuff with your sword.
2) Kill stuff with bombs.
3) Find a Boomerang.
4) Solve puzzles by grabbing bombs with your Boomerang.
5) Solve puzzles by hitting several targets in one throw with your Boomerang.
6) Dodge for dear life, grab and redirect bombs at the boss with your Boomerang, and then obliterate him with your sword.
A strong, recent example of this philosophy is Twilight Princess:
1) Kill stuff with your sword.
2) Kill stuff with bombs.
3) Find a Boomerang.
4) Solve puzzles by grabbing bombs with your Boomerang.
5) Solve puzzles by hitting several targets in one throw with your Boomerang.
6) Dodge for dear life, grab and redirect bombs at the boss with your Boomerang, and then obliterate him with your sword.
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