MERLANDESE'S PROFILE

Game 01A, 01B, and 01C
3xT by Treason89

QUICK SUMMARY

This game showcases three different systems but never tries to consolidate them. I would have liked to see all three systems come together, as if to teach us three ideas and grow a new, awesome system with all three. The DOT system is less like a new idea and more like a How To of some simple--albeit useful--battle design concepts. I love math, and seeing basic equations in action is great, but it hardly falls under unique or fun.

The tri-element system has more to offer. It starts in an often-used concept of three opposing elements, but it rids the spells of MP and instead pits their uses against each other in a clever way. I think if the three type of moves went beyond simple elemental damages, their strategic value could become immense. One element could dictate mobility, for example.

The lenses system is probably the most unique of them, but also the hardest to understand. Though when you get the concept, you completely get it. There doesn't seem to be much room for strategy, although the multiple layers of ON/OFF activity that Pry uses is somewhat strategic since if you want to polarize AND select a new enemy you may have to take two turns.

The most disappointing thing for me was that they all used ATB. I don't necessarily believe that ATB is bad, but it had no effect on battles other than to make it difficult to learn the systems that were being explored. The worst part is that the only battle that really touched on the topic of turns/time did so without much emphasis on the importance. You were supposed to beat a dragon in x amount of turns, but the ATB guage worked against that by striking the player when they were trying to think which command would be best.

Since none of the games connect their design ideas, I'm going to rate each of these as three separate entries: Seiken, Almadana, and Prysmatic.

3xT: Seiken

Originality (4/20pts): Not much new happening here.

Elegance (12/25pts): Basic, yet not confusing.

Clarity (16/20pts): What needed to be done was too clear.

Depth (2/25pts): As a concept for DOT, it held very little depth.

Bonus (5/10pts): I enjoyed it as a demonstration for DOT.

TOTAL: 39/100

3xT: Almadana

Originality (10/20pts): Took a classic concept and gave it some new functions.

Elegance (10/25pts): Text boxes with number updates aren't that stylish.

Clarity (13/20pts): More clear than not.

Depth (16/25pts): Currently not too deep, but the possibilities...!

Bonus (10/10pts): Heavy tilt for potential and favoritism.

TOTAL: 59/100

3xT: Prysmatic

Originality (15/20pts): The lens aspect was original, but every other aspect was not.

Elegance (10/25pts): The best part was the visual lens in the corner.

Clarity (3/20pts): Less clear than Pry's lenses.

Depth (8/25pts): Too much variation that leads to similar results.

Bonus (2/10pts): The use of light science needs more credit.

TOTAL: 38/100

3xT TOTAL: 136/300, 45/100


Game 02: Battle System Experiment
by caparo

QUICK SUMMARY

I had fun with this, but it felt a little convoluted. The many status effects linked nicely and thematically with move titles, but even when I executed a combo of Crippling the enemy and exploiting the bonus damage, I never felt like I actually got that bonus damage--at least not enough for me to feel satisfied in the maneuver. Eventually, the strategy of chaining moves together didn't seem to pay off much more than wildly plucking whichever move I felt like doing at the time. I think if the moves had a larger impact, and if they were introduced more gradually throughout the five battles, the system would feel better.


Originality (11/20pts): Locked skills and intermingling effects felt fresh-y.

Elegance (15/25pts): A lot of reading and not a lot of organization.

Clarity (15/20pts): Info overload, but the process was clear.

Depth (10/25pts): Not as much depth as it would appear.

Bonus (4/10pts): I think it hits RPG battle basics well.

TOTAL: 55/100


Game 03: Delusions of Duty
by AegixDrakan

QUICK SUMMARY

This game was fun and had a nice duelist vibe. The excess HP made it feel a bit over-inflated, but there's definitely a sort of intelligent math strategy that requires you to whittle away HP at a faster rate than your opponent. Most of the skills connected in a cool way, but this basic battle interface didn't help. Having the skills in a list was unintuitive and didn't help guide which moves I was picking for their own capabilities and which I was picking because it was available. Plus, forethought into unlocking other moves was abandoned a lot because I couldn't always see the connection in a more spatial way. However, the concept is good in itself. The single digit damage is easy to track and easy to understand. The layers of stances and feints and buffs and all of that are a bit too hard to see at a glance, though, and sometimes I found myself setting up a set of attacks that did 0 damage because I couldn't keep track of which buffs we each had.

Originality (10/20pts): Unlocking skills on the fly!

Elegance (13/25pts): Better setup recommended than a list.

Clarity (13/20pts): Couldn't understad the layers of buffs.

Depth (10/25pts): Somehwat came down to DOT only.

Bonus (5/10pts): I do like a one-on-one duel.

TOTAL: 51/100


Game 04: Oracle of Askigaga - Duel Test
by Marrend

QUICK SUMMARY

This is fun and effective, but that's because it has already been made. It's 100% Suikoden style. It kind of gets to the heart of battles with its style, though, but lacks any real strategy. Once you know what move is associated with each text line the battles are easy. Each phrase translates quickly into a command you should follow, and since you only have three commands, it's not a real problem.

Originality (0/20pts): I've played this exact system before.

Elegance (10/25pts): The system itself is inherently elegant.

Clarity (18/20pts): Very clear.

Depth (3/25pts): Depth ends at figuring out the prompts.

Bonus (2/10pts): The system was still made really well.

TOTAL: 33/100


Game 05: Karin's Battle System
by Karin's Soulkeeper

QUICK SUMMARY

All functions were relgated to skills, which is nice. It demonstartes something kind of basic about battles. However, a lot was resting on a pre-battle setup and post-battles stats. Furthermore, Waiting was a big function. You were required to wait a lot. To use skills you had to wait for them to show up. Especially with so few skills to choose from, each turn devolved into using whatever skill was ready at the time, or wait until one came. There wasn't much strategy beyond doing whatever the system allowed you to do in that moment. Even worse were the Master skills, which basically cleared the enemies for you just because you waited long enough.


Originality (3/20pts): Nothing especially groundbreaking.

Elegance (10/25pts): Too basic to be inelegant.

Clarity (14/20pts): Almost too clear. May as well be Press A.

Depth (3/25pts): Moves are handed to you.

Bonus (3/10pts): Moo.

TOTAL: 33/100


Game 06: Mace Blue Arena
by Cap_H

QUICK SUMMARY

I think this, in all of its frustration, actually simplifies the concept of "normal" RPG battles well. Really well. This is sort of the heart of battles. The problem is that it never builds it back up to anything interesting or strategic. I went from hating this entry to liking it fairly quickly. It may not be a good game, but the intentionally under-developed system really lays bare what a lot of RPG battles are comprised of. There is a lot of waiting involved, and without knowing your enemy Charges it is too hard to win (after Saracen). This works well as another demonstration of battle basics, although it never tells us how to make it better. (Added love for a game with a "Weapon Color" name).


Originality (2/20pts): Basics reborn.

Elegance (12/25pts): Elegance in moderation.

Clarity (15/20pts): Clear, but lacks opponent information.

Depth (5/25pts): The same basic strategy every time.

Bonus (10/10pts): Heart of Design Bonus!

TOTAL: 34/100


Game 07: Game(?)
by Azalathemad

QUICK SUMMARY

This game takes some concepts of certain moves and turns them into the characters. Furthermore, each move must be used. HP and MP are the same thing, and the fact that the healer must get hit when healing an ally means that her function is not infinite. This is a really clever concept. The idea to swap items as you hit is also great, since you must touch people in a way that is beneficial. Grabbing the Fantastic Sword is the only way to beat the Titan, and giving the Cursed sword to an enemy is a great idea. The Vampire can become a resting period if she attacks herself, and the Tank can become a resting period when hitting the Priestess (as well as recovering). The Healer can also rest by healing herself, which is like getting more MP if she's already harmed. You end up with a large supply of strategy, I think. Defeating the Titan becomes a real puzzle, and the variation of enemies could create a wonderful game. And the fact that enemies are reactionary rather than action-oriented is really new. Defeating the Titan is like picking a lock. I almost had him, but one strategic mistake made it so I didn't do enough damage in the fight and he healed back to max. By then I was running low on HP/MP.


Originality (17/20pts): A lot of concepts that are new to me.

Elegance (14/25pts): Better off not a text game.

Clarity (18/20pts): Understood before Round 1 was over.

Depth (18/25pts): Would falter if characters remain same.

Bonus (8/10pts): Very enjoyable!

TOTAL: 75/100


Game 08: The Campaign
by NeverSilent

QUICK SUMMARY

I like this system, and I think it has some great potential if worked on hardcore. The Attack/Support dynamic is a nice twist, and although it's not entirely new (Thousand Arms?) it has some fresh ideas. The rows change the role, but the columns also change which enemy is available to be struck. The best moves in my mind were ones that manipulated the positioning of the enemies or the players even further, although it still fell a bit short of the potential. The idea was there, though. Even if the game wasn't polished to a point where moving enemies was useful, I could see that that the creator had that intention. I never felt like the player positions held as much strategic value as they could have. Maybe it's because all of the characters had so many moves to choose from. I never felt like Swapping was vital for a victory, even if it was necessary in its way. More battle emphasis on position and less on the actual attacks/spells might be the best route.


Originality (14/20pts): Row/column importance.

Elegance (12/25pts): Somewhat clunky in parts.

Clarity (11/20pts): Takes a little to absorb.

Depth (12/25pts): The groundwork is there for it.

Bonus (5/10pts): Not buggy and potentially engaging.

TOTAL: 51/100


Game 09: Queen of the Ring
by rosesarecrimson

QUICK SUMMARY

I like the idea of each body part having a moveset, and even hitting enemy parts. Sort of reminds me of Vagrant Story. But I can't tell if any moves are worth doing, or how they compare to others. I also never know if I'm close or far from the enemy, or if they move to or from me. It seems like a lot is clear, but it really isn't. I never felt like I was making strategic decisions, nor did I feel like I was being told all of what I needed to know.

Originality (11/20pts): Body parts.

Elegance (8/25pts): Slimes don't even have body parts.

Clarity (7/20pts): Not clear what I could do.

Depth (10/25pts): It's possible there is further depth.

Bonus (1/10pts): I was never truly engaged.

TOTAL: 37/100

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Azalathemad: Game - 75
3xT: Almadana - 59
Caparo: Battle System Experiment - 55
ArgixDraken: Delusions of Duty - 51
NeverSilent: The Campaign - 51
3xT: Seiken - 39
3xT: Prismatic - 38
Rosesarecrimson: Queen of the Ring - 37
Cap_H: Mace Blue Arena - 34
Marrend: Oracle of Askigaga - 33
Karin Battle System - 33