8 replies to this topic

[IKSB]

In the game I'm working on right now I've come up with a fairly unique skills system. The game focuses on grabing any element around you and transforming into a form based on that element. There are 7 different forms you can change into, each with a set of 10 unlockable skills. (A total of 70 skills to make... no fun.)I'm borrowing the style in which these skills are employed for Guild Wars 2 (If you've heard of that game.) in which all skills can be combined for different effects and can also interact with the environment for various effects. For example, I could create a Fire Wall to trap enemies and I could cast a Fireball on them to catch them on fire. Or I could combine them by setting up the Fire Wall in front of me and then launch my Fire Ball through it to increase its power, making its explosion much larger and more effective. Every single skills can combine with any other skill in an elements skill bar for different effects. This is not even taking into consideration the fact that skills can also interact with environmental objects (such as bodies of water, lava, etc)

What I cannot decide is how these skills should be accessed. Here are my three ideas that I have, and I need opinions of which one sounds better. If you have different ideas, don't hesitate to share them.

IDEA 1:
You have a 4-slot skill bar for every element. You select which skills you want on it and then, when you transform into an element, those skills become available. You can change them at any time outside of combat.

PROS: This forces you to strategize when selecting your skills.

CONS: This limits your on-the-fly creativity. This prevents you from being able to come up with different strategies for different situations.

IDEA 2:
You still have a 4-slot skill bar, but it is empty until you enter combat. When you enter combat you are able to use any of the 10 skills you have unlocked but, when you use one, it automatically places that skill in a slot. Once you use four different skills, the bar is filled up. The skill bar will only empty once you are out of combat.

PROS: This allows you on-the-fly creativity, allowing you to use yours skills in whatever way you deem the most effective for the situation.

CONS: Might get a little bit confusing at first and it still limits you to four skills in any given situation. Also, if you happen to use the wrong skill, then you are screwed intil combat is over.

IDEA 3:
You have no skill bar. Instead you have 4 skill points. Every time you use a skill, it takes up a skill point. Skill points recharge at different speeds depending on the skill used. (Some skills make it take longer or shorter for skill points to recharge.) You may only use skills if you have a skill point available. Some skills may take up more than one skill point.

PROS: This allows you to still come up with on-the-fly strategies. It also allows you to change that strategy mid fight.

CONS: It might be confusing.

As per request, I'm adding what the elements are and what they do.
Fire - Nuker: Uses spells to cause AOE damage from a distance and buffs itself with enchantments.

Air - Ranger: Uses ranged attacks to snipe enemies from a distance and uses hexes to weaken foes for attacks.

Water - Assassin: Rushes in silently and deals criticals strikes, using stances to increase effectiveness.

Ice - Tank: Uses specials actions that change depending on the weapon it is using, using Equpment Spells to change stats.

Energy - Summoner: Summons creatures to fight and defend it, using Totems to buff itself and summons.

Earth - Manipulator: Uses hexes and spells to fling enemies around and uses the environment to attack enemies.

Normal: The go between for all elements, this form uses both ranged and melee attacks. Many skills of Normal form allow you to use elements around you to your advantage.


The way the skills system works is that all skills are controlled with the mouse, for ease and clarity of control. When you activate a skill, you go into casting mode which then allows you to place your spells and skills with a click of the mouse. For example:

Meteor Shower (Fire Skill): Click to place meteor shower.

Blood Totem (Energy Skill): Click to place Totem.

Manipulate (Earth Skill): Click to designate area effected, drag mouse to designate direction, release mouse to for skill to take effect.


Every element has 10 skills: 5 of their primary type, 3 of secondary, and 2 of any other type. For example:

Fire: 5 spells, 3 enchantments, 2 other.
Water: 5 melee attacks, 3 stances, 2 other.


The RPG system is very simple. If you've ever played Paper Mario, then you know what it is. Whenever you level up, you get to choose to upgrade: BP, SP, and HP. Health Points just gives you a basic bonus of more health. Skill Points give you more "MP" to use for your skills. Badge Points allow you to equip more badges. Each element has a set of badges that they are able to unlock, either by buying them, finding them, or earning them. They have different effects per element, and they do things such as buff stats and unlock skills. Badges can only be changed in a towns Badge Shop, so you have to choose wisely before setting out.


Looking forward to reading your responses and opinions.

Edited by IKSB, 17 August 2010 - 03:40 PM.

[FullmetalJak]

Ideas 1 and 3 seems fair. You want to be able to strategise but be creative with your fighting, that's what you are looking for right? Then why don't you use a combination of the 2 ideas?

You can pick up to 4 before going into battle, when in battle these skills lock and you cannot change them.
This means that players will have to vary their skills to be safe against all enemies, or they can equip better spells against monsters they know.

Upon casting a spell, it cannot be used again until it has charged.
This means that players will need to be strategic when it comes to firing spells, learning their recharge times so that they can launch endless combos to dominate enemies.

At the end of battle, all skills recharge and players can change their skills freely.
This means that players can alter their abilities if they struggled to win the last fight.

Hopefully this will have helped.

-FMJ

[yofreak69]

Another simple idea you may want to consider:

Make it so that there is a way to find out what the monster's weakness is before entering combat. For example, you could click on the monster, and a little HUD would show up showing HP of monster, type of attack of monster, weakness of monster etc. I was thinking a bit of "Dragon Fable" (an online flash RPG game where, there is a turn-based combat where the monster's weakness, HP, etc is shown and you attack the monster accordingly).

Then have the player use the skills accordingly? I don't know. Would that make the game too easy, you think? Maybe you could try limiting the number of times you can transform using elements... so it balances out.

Edited by yofreak69, 16 August 2010 - 07:08 PM.

[IKSB]

@FullmetalJak

That actually is a system I've considered, which is actually reassuring that you thought of it too, because that means that it makes sense to someone else aside from me. It's one of my top canidates for the system.

@yofreak69

Actually, I have played Dragon Fable before, so I know what you're talking about. Maybe something akin to the scanning in Metroid; activate a scanner, click on the enemy and then see the info that pops up. Most of the time it'll be pretty obvious, I hope. (Fire won't be very effective against water, I wouldn't think. Sounds suspiciously like Pokemon....)

Edited by IKSB, 16 August 2010 - 10:44 PM.

[Me the III]

@FullmetalJak

That actually is a system I've considered, which is actually reassuring that you thought of it too, because that means that it makes sense to someone else aside from me. It's one of my top canidates for the system.

Then you shoulda put it up for consideration!
It's my favorite out of all of these.

[ND4SPD]

What elements and forms are you using?

What about being able to collect elements from your environment, such as Fire from fire, Water from rivers and lakes and so on. That would be the limiter for how much you can use powers.

Could you have mouse gestures?

[njp]

1) install spell check for you browser

that should get you wall on your way =)

[Khelder]

Does this mean "The Elementals" might get an update soon? XD

How about you have the 4 slots you can use, but you can change the skills at any point. But, when you use a skill, or move it to the bar, it goes on a cooldown, and can't be swapped out until the cooldown is over. (And maybe when swapped out it goes on a longer cooldown, and can't be swapped back in until that's over.)

This way, you can easily replace a skill that's not getting used at all, but can't constantly change the setup - if you use a skill, you're stuck with it for a while...

{EDIT} @ND4SPD: If I'm right, then the elements are Normal, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Energy, and Ice. You collect the element from the environment, but there's a limit to how long they last.

{EDIT2} @Nic James: "get you wall on your way"? XD Also, sentences should start with a capital letter and end with punctuation.

Edited by Khelder, 17 August 2010 - 05:01 PM.

[IKSB]

@Me the Ill
Yeah... probably should have. Good to know you like it as well.

@ND4SPD
That actually is how the game works. I've gone through multiple different ways of being able to actually collect these elements, but I think I have a system that works.

@Nic James
Save the sarcasm for somewhere where it's needed or appreciated.

@Khelder
Haha, I remember you. And no, I probably won't show The Elementals to the public for a while. The idea behind what you're saying is fine, but I think in practice it would be easier just to say you can't change it unless you are a certain distance from the enemy. This would eliminate the need to keep track of the cooldown on all the skills. You could probably just run away from enemies briefly to get time to change your skills or, even easier, swap out your element for a nearby one that would be more useful.

And yes, you are right about the elemental types. I'll edit the first post to include them and their roles.