CRAZE'S PROFILE

i read about half of this one day, closed it without having any coherent thought to add, then opened it again today to see Wine & Roses mentioned. yay darken!

i don't like grinding. i'm currently making a game with an emphasis on hitting gold and xp targets, but trying to make enough content where the grind will only exist if you choose -- but that it will also definitely be rewarding. a few things i'm doing:

1) to raise each guild member's level cap by 5-10-15-20, you must max their xp and then go on a date with them. this is also when they learn new abilities, making it a marked and dramatic increase in power. and, because it's more story, i expect a lot of players will be excited to hit the next threshold.

2) in dungeons, everything is one-and-done. however, there's only a few dungeons. most area are repeatable "monster zones" that offer a KILL KOUNT. every fight you complete in a row raises your xp, gold, and drop rates by 10% while also encouraging more and stronger enemies to spawn.

3) also, you can only get the rarest monsters to appear by hitting high kill kounts, which can be pretty difficult due to limited Energy (MP) and consumables. (you don't buy consumables, they refill up to a cap when you rest. again, limiting grinding-per-session to support better tacticz.) BUT, killing those rare monsters ALWAYS drops a trophy that can be turned in to the local hunting lodge -- rack up Hunting Score to get unique and powerful gear!

4) trying to create enough quest content to push story motivations for getting enough experience in the field, literally and figuratively. worldbuilding ho!

okay bye

https://rpgmaker.net/games/11187/

wee. download will probably be up before 3ish est tomorrow.

hey worms.




i need to make that action window smaller. hmm

EDIT: HOLY NECROPOST BATMAN what were you doing, Irog.

Ramshackin's suggestions are pretty good and easy to handle in RM*. Marrend brought up Suikoden's strong rune theming, which is a major plus for the series as it's consistent throughout the games and relates to the worlds' lore.

But, looking at this from a pure gameplay level, I'd prefer to see skills themed around that character and what their fantasy is meant to be. This might not coincide 100% with your game if you're doing a Suikoden-style system where spells are equipped or with materia or w/e, but I think it's still really good advice.

let's look at Kacey from my current project, for example. He's meant to be a fiery knight (tank) with an emphasis on stacking buffs, because tanks tend to get a lot of buffs cast on them anyway y'know?

Firstly, Kacey's basic attack Flamberge deals Phys damage but can inflict Burn, giving him a source of Flame damage from the getgo. He's good at chopping up floral or snowy enemies. Aries Strike plays into the tank fantasy by giving him a cheap attack that deals up to 120% additional damage as his loses HP -- and due to how turns work in the game, he can be healed right after. This lets you take advantage of a hairy situation, one that Kacey would very much enjoy.

To take advantage of buff stacking, Kacey always starts battle with Shining Beacon, a unique buff that raises his damage and accuracy by 20%. Critical hits can reapply it, as it only lasts for two turns, so any sorta crit-boosting buff or gear is gonna help. It also ensures Kacey has buffs to start off with because his main damage ability, Flames of War, is expensive but deals 10% more damage for every buff on him. The multipliers there start to add up quickly!

To ensure Kacey can support himself and protect others, he gets Phalanx. This raises an ally's Defense and extends their buffs by an additional turn -- very useful if he wants to preserve, say, Juneau's buffs so that she can copy them onto Kacey later with her Bonds of Fate. And, to finish up the fiery-paladin-hero fantasy, Kacey gets Legendary (a passive that makes him deal more damage to demons and dragons) and Purity of Body (a heal that grows in power for each debuff it cleanses).

So, Fire burns and cleanses, and likes to stack up effects. So, where else can we see that theme pushed?

Roc gets Incinerator, a double-punch that casts a Flame spell as if it were a physical attack. It also Burns, which is important because his Skullcrusher can Stun enemies with three or more debuffs applied. Roc continues the "stacking" theme with Improvise, raising an ally's critical hit rate/damage (put that on Kacey, eh?) and also buffing their overall damage if they have no other buffs applied. It's a good way to open a fight*. Finally, Roc's Momentum passive means that every time he uses his basic attack, its damage grows by a stacking 20% for the rest of the battle. Nice work, Roc!

Our last character with Flame attacks is Lucian, who gets Sand Dragon Salsa. All of Lucian's dances have an initial and then two-turn party effect, and SDS's initial is blasting out random shots of Flame magic. Oh, but you want more? Level her enough to get Flash Dance and she can cast her other spells as a follow-up while dancing, letting you send out a fiery, stormy barrage. (And, in case you were worried she didn't help Kacey's buffs out, her Rhythm of the Night resets the duration of all buffs on the party.)

tl;dr: think about theming and how you can create skillsets that feel good when they interact with each other.

*i understand that Shining Beacon means akcey can't fully benefit from a turn-one improvise but it's okay really we'll make it through this