Noise Waltz

I've always wanted to make a game where you can create your own things, or find unique equipment in the field akin to Diablo! Loot based! Something unconstrained to the limits of the database!



So in Noise Waltz, the game generates weapons and armor, and allows the player to change practically any aspect of the equipment they make. It extends very slightly to consumable items, but I do not want to focus on it as much.

And in this blog I hope to be a bit more transparent with my development method and talk a bit in depth about how the design of each equipment works.

Equipments are divided into Types, each of which has their own "base" base parameters. Weapons have 5 types, and 3 different distinctions on each type, and is the ONLY THING actually input in the database.

From these "Base Forms", the game picks one out (or the player does), and generates a proper item from the situation given:
For example, if the Player decide to create a Greatsword using the Iria material, the game takes the base Greatsword parameters, and multiplies it with the Iria material multipliers, creating the base stats for an Iria Greatsword (the default name is (material) + (form), but can be changed during the creation process. The form, regardless of the new name will always be visibel under the Type field in the item detail pane.)


On each equipment, there may be a small +# next to it: this is the equipment's strength, or in game, called Amplification.
All equippable items have a max Amp of +8, which is a 1.5x modifier on their base parameters.
Amplifying an item increases it's stats but costs Noise, a special currency that is only spent during customizing equipment. +5 onwards requires a Catalyst item!
Amplifying is important! Not only do you have a flat 50% bonus to the equipment's base parameters, but it also allows you to unlock a special Property called Arcana, which I will probably talk about later.

It's straightforward and simple, but this is one of the many ways a piece of equipment can be strengthened.



Note that the Phys Def Bonus stat isn't Amplified along with the base parameters! That's because it's a Property, and not part of it's base parameters.
Properties may well be the meat of all the equipment customization, as it is probably the most flexible way to change the equipment's feature set.
All equipment can have up to 4 Properties, and weapons in specific own an Arcana Property which is almost unique to each weapon.



It's easy to imagine how overpowered a single actor can get if you truly max out all the equipment he/she is wearing, isn't it! With an interesting combination of Properties, you may be able to create a Sword that's good at healing, a Shield that increases damage, or even a Gun usable for tanking! This can also be combined with innate class skills to further enhance and deepen the actor's features and abilities.

Weapons specifically will have access to Arcana Properties, which are extremely powerful properties only a weapon can have.

The roman numeral in the white box above represents the "innate", sleeping Arcana of a weapon. Unlocking it requires the player to reach +8 on a weapon!
Once unlocked, the weapon will passively apply a special effect, depending on the Arcana of the weapon. These effects are very powerful, and very potent. With the right Arcana, and the right skills, even impossibly strong enemies can be defeated in the blink of an eye!



That's all for equipment customization! I'll probably end up writing a much more detailed look at each feature of the equipment customization system, such as transferring Properties and Arcana, calculating item values, and crafting your own items in the future! Thanks for your time reading~