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DFalcon
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Software engineer and amateur game developer with a focus on challenging non-twitch gameplay. I set the bar for "challenging" pretty high.
Other major chunks of interest go toward reading, math and tabletop games of many stripes.
Other major chunks of interest go toward reading, math and tabletop games of many stripes.
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Board Games and Video Games
I've previously commented on RMN that people should be taking more stuff from board games, but I said that basically from a mechanical perspective (considering the proportion of games here with turn-based or menu-based combat).
Most importantly, familiarity with a variety of games expands your toolbox of mechanics. Getting some of that from video games doesn't hurt, but you're going to encounter a broader set of basic mechanics faster in board games.
Second, board games can't get away with not making their mechanics clear, which I generally consider a lazy habit that makes turn/menu-based games less fun.
... I would make a third point about board-game prototyping being handy but I guess that's a bit off-topic.
Most importantly, familiarity with a variety of games expands your toolbox of mechanics. Getting some of that from video games doesn't hurt, but you're going to encounter a broader set of basic mechanics faster in board games.
Second, board games can't get away with not making their mechanics clear, which I generally consider a lazy habit that makes turn/menu-based games less fun.
... I would make a third point about board-game prototyping being handy but I guess that's a bit off-topic.
How to expose higher difficulty to players?
Alternate title: Even in RMN, F.O.E.!
If a player is going to be battling a lot in an RPG or really doing anything game-mechanical, it's important to keep them at an appropriate degree of challenge. At least some of the time - I think we've had other discussions on pacing.
Some RPGs do this by restricting the player to a relatively linear flow and possibly giving them self-selecting options to fine-tune things: e.g., grind to make things easier. I include here many games where you can return to previously visited areas; the important question is how laughable the fights are when you do.
But sometimes we want to either allow more non-linearity, or perhaps let the player select a difficulty level more explicitly. And it can be hard for the player to figure out where they want to be on that without trying and risking failure for any new thing. Possibly, trying an entire dungeon and failing at some point. Even in games where recovering from wipeout is relatively smooth, this can cause some pain. (Alternately, a player might also have to run an entire dungeon to find out the boss was too easy.)
So I'm interested to hear if people have methods or ideas for letting people experience harder and easier sections smoothly.
If a player is going to be battling a lot in an RPG or really doing anything game-mechanical, it's important to keep them at an appropriate degree of challenge. At least some of the time - I think we've had other discussions on pacing.
Some RPGs do this by restricting the player to a relatively linear flow and possibly giving them self-selecting options to fine-tune things: e.g., grind to make things easier. I include here many games where you can return to previously visited areas; the important question is how laughable the fights are when you do.
But sometimes we want to either allow more non-linearity, or perhaps let the player select a difficulty level more explicitly. And it can be hard for the player to figure out where they want to be on that without trying and risking failure for any new thing. Possibly, trying an entire dungeon and failing at some point. Even in games where recovering from wipeout is relatively smooth, this can cause some pain. (Alternately, a player might also have to run an entire dungeon to find out the boss was too easy.)
So I'm interested to hear if people have methods or ideas for letting people experience harder and easier sections smoothly.
The Screenshot Topic Returns
author=LockeZ
Try making the exclamation point icon animate also. It would look nice, and you don't need the glassy pane if the icon itself is animated. I'm thinking like a shimmer of light...
Well, if I get ambitious I'll try to figure out how to get libgdx to use a shader so it animates with the same moving texture the panes use. I should probably figure out that much sometime anyway, but graphics code... meh.
I think it'll be a little less of an issue than you might expect because that icon disappears during movement/events. Having it at least a bit bigger and higher-contrast sounds good though.
Thanks all.
The Screenshot Topic Returns
Playing with UI.
Arrows indicate paths the player can take from the current node. The panes under the arrows animate a bit just so they're not static.
The bunk bed is an event you can interact with. At first I had planned to put one of those same panes covering it instead, but I'm thinking that obscures too much. Especially if I ever want to put one over an animating NPC.
Will probably use different icons or different colors of icon for different states: e.g., danger, new dialogue.
(The underlying map is random developer room stuff and not worth comment.)
Arrows indicate paths the player can take from the current node. The panes under the arrows animate a bit just so they're not static.
The bunk bed is an event you can interact with. At first I had planned to put one of those same panes covering it instead, but I'm thinking that obscures too much. Especially if I ever want to put one over an animating NPC.
Will probably use different icons or different colors of icon for different states: e.g., danger, new dialogue.
(The underlying map is random developer room stuff and not worth comment.)
Oh yeah? Whaddya gonna do about it?
In my current project, all enemy abilities are telegraphed by at least a turn, and the player has some capacity to affect their sequence and targeting.
Obviously being able to plan for, say, a PC of the player's choice getting stunned in a turn can be a lot different than having to react to a random PC getting stunned for a turn. (Though it's just an example, I personally don't have enough PCs to throw stuns around willy-nilly.)
Obviously being able to plan for, say, a PC of the player's choice getting stunned in a turn can be a lot different than having to react to a random PC getting stunned for a turn. (Though it's just an example, I personally don't have enough PCs to throw stuns around willy-nilly.)
Whatchu Workin' On? Tell us!
I updated the version of libgdx my game depends on this weekend, from one that's about two years old.
Generally I approve of libraries using getters over exposing non-final fields, but the switch was a PITA and half my UI's still broken.
Generally I approve of libraries using getters over exposing non-final fields, but the switch was a PITA and half my UI's still broken.
What do you like in a turn based battle system?
I want to make interesting choices, of course!
Okay, so that's degenerate.
Next I would say, don't fall into the trap of thinking that a complex skill set implies strategy. Short of a tactics RPG, optimizing a single turn is usually pretty easy, if the player knows the mechanical effects and chances of success of skills (and if not, why don't they?). Too large an available skill set is just more things for the player to ignore.
So generally I think you'll do a lot better by having some tension between immediate and multi-turn objectives. For example, a classic ordering problem where you're trying to manage some sort of long-term combo of skills (use-once, or with cooldowns) and modify it as new information comes up.
If my enemy is paper, what reasons would I have not to choose scissors? This is probably the most important question you can answer if you go this route.
Okay, so that's degenerate.
Next I would say, don't fall into the trap of thinking that a complex skill set implies strategy. Short of a tactics RPG, optimizing a single turn is usually pretty easy, if the player knows the mechanical effects and chances of success of skills (and if not, why don't they?). Too large an available skill set is just more things for the player to ignore.
So generally I think you'll do a lot better by having some tension between immediate and multi-turn objectives. For example, a classic ordering problem where you're trying to manage some sort of long-term combo of skills (use-once, or with cooldowns) and modify it as new information comes up.
author=AlexanderXCIII
even just an elemental rock-paper-scissors system, as long as it's more complex than Attack-Attack-Attack.
If my enemy is paper, what reasons would I have not to choose scissors? This is probably the most important question you can answer if you go this route.
Difficulty: Challenge vs Frustration
I recommend A Theory of Fun as an overview of principles on this.
The Screenshot Topic Returns
author=alterego
That page I linked to is basically the same thing, but much more pleasant to look at than the text in that screen (no offense, of course), and I just thought it was a better idea to imitate that than to imitate a plain, ordinary website. xP
I tend to find text with a border much cleaner as sans serif, and borders are really useful in lots of game-relevant situations for increasing contrast.
author=LouisCyphre
carraige
carriage
Your RMVX/ACE/XP? game interacting with RMN
Hey, I remember when WIP talked about this. And it's cool, but I probably wouldn't jump into a big playerscore thing, at least not at first; just let people do achievements, and not tie it to anything besides the game?
People may have fixated a little on achievements, too, when we should be able to do better than that. High scores, if nothing else.
High scores could have some associated text, and maybe accept a token so a single game with multiple saves wouldn't generate multiple entries... I remember when Lys released The Blue Contestant, where each game got you several style awards (like for killing next to nothing, or killing everything, or grabbing none of the treasure, or all of it...) and he put up a page with some of the interesting combinations from saves people sent him. (Another decent example would be a roguelike morgue.)
Um, what else can I think of. Screenshot upload? I'm trying to avoid stuff where you'd actually have to provide the developer an API to do something with the data once you have it, but I don't know what your position actually would be there.
Speaking in terms of actual concrete desires rather than brainstorming, it would be nicer to have a cross-platform API than some of the suggestions people have floated.
People may have fixated a little on achievements, too, when we should be able to do better than that. High scores, if nothing else.
High scores could have some associated text, and maybe accept a token so a single game with multiple saves wouldn't generate multiple entries... I remember when Lys released The Blue Contestant, where each game got you several style awards (like for killing next to nothing, or killing everything, or grabbing none of the treasure, or all of it...) and he put up a page with some of the interesting combinations from saves people sent him. (Another decent example would be a roguelike morgue.)
Um, what else can I think of. Screenshot upload? I'm trying to avoid stuff where you'd actually have to provide the developer an API to do something with the data once you have it, but I don't know what your position actually would be there.
Speaking in terms of actual concrete desires rather than brainstorming, it would be nicer to have a cross-platform API than some of the suggestions people have floated.
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