AESTHETIC ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

Basically...my problem is this. I am developing a game with RPG Maker XP using the standard battle system, and during combat I need a picture display to be present on screen at all times displaying a number.

This number is utilized during combat and changes any time a character performs a skill.

My problem is in XP anytime a character has their skill window open, it takes up the entire screen. So my question is, where should I actually display this number?

Should I just stick it in the skill window area and accept that it will slightly cut off the names of skills? Should I stuff it down by the battlers? Should I put this number in a box to make it more noticeable at the cost of obscuring even more of the screen, or should I just drop this gameplay mechanic entirely because it would look terrible?

I am at at a total loss and not really competent enough with scripting to find a work around, and would appreciate any advice regarding this.

There are some problems there. One is that I have no idea how to slide it off screen during skill selection without using scripting. The other is that the type of skill used changes the number in different ways(ie: punch adds +1, kick adds +2, etc.), so the player really needs to see it on screen when the skill list is open so they can plan their next move accordingly.

It sort of acts as a counter for the entire battle and is effected by every party member and every enemy when skills are used.

Hmm, I suppose I might be able to slide it into a corner of the help window without having it be too distracting.

Thanks for the advice, I'll take it into consideration.

Here's what I've got so far. I couldn't make it in the exact same style as the help window since the help window itself is semi transparent. Pictures also always appear on top of everything else. The help window is also not always displayed, but I think having the box present at all times doesn't look too bad.



Thanks for the help, I'm pretty satisfied with how this looks.