AuthorTopic: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns  (Read 20235 times)

Offline ndchristie

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #10 on: July 20, 2008, 11:12:49 am
one quick question : why is inventor the only asymmetrical piece?  IMO, either have them all with fronts and backs, or have none of them such a way.
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Offline Souly

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #11 on: July 20, 2008, 04:40:39 pm
The inventor moves exactly like a horse from chess.
Dexterity will increase this part of the L~
And Agility will increase this part. -L
He also doesn't attack like anyone else he lays traps instead and can hit all around him with his wrench.

I'm going to try and type up reasons for having each class.

A - melee - Armsmen) 1 handed sword and Shield; Attacks strong in 4 directions by 1 square (can defend against bullets)
AA - melee offense - Brute, Beserker) 2 handed sword; Attacks 8 directions by 2 squares
AAA - melee offense charger - Soldier, Knight) Long sword and Shield; Attacks in 8 directions by 1 square (defends against bullets)
AAB - melee offense flanker - Begger, Thief, Rogue) Throwing Daggers; Attacks strong diagonally, 8 directional attack by 1 square
ABB - melee defense interceptor - Spearmen) Pole-arm; Attacks 4 directions by 2 squares
ABA - melee defense blocker - Lancer, Dragoon) Pole-arm; Can attack in every direction or jump and attack the far squares
BAB - melee defense guard - Sergeant, Spartan) Spear, Buckler; Attacks 8 directions by 2-4 squares (defends against bullets)

B - tech - Sailor) Rifle; Shoots in 8 directions by 2 squares
BB - tech offense - Skalywag, Navigator, Barrelsmith) Pistols, Explosives; Shoots in a perimeter around him
BBB - tech charger - Lieutenant, General) Shotgun; Shoots in 4 directions in front of him hitting all tiles in one direction at once
BBC - tech flanker - Sniper, Hawkeye) Long range rifle; Shoots in a perimeter around him and 4 directions in front of him
BC - tech defense -  Grungetech, Mechanic, Techsmith) Wrench; Attacks diagonally in a spread pattern and repair/craft items (defends against melee)
BCC - tech defense interceptor - Swashbuckler, Captain) Falchion, Pistol; Attacks in 4 directions and shoots in a perimeter (defends against melee)
BCB - tech defense blocker - Gadgeteer, Inventor) Wrench, Traps; Attacks in 8 directions and plants traps around him

C - magic - Student) Books; Attacks in 8 directions at once
CC - magic offense - Scholar, Teacher) Wand, Books; Attacks in 8 directions at once in a gapped perimeter around him and can melee in 4 directions
CCC - magic charger - Dropout, ?.?.?) Mace, Staff; Attacks in 4-8 directions at once by 1 square and uses melee to attack for distance
CCD - magic flanker - Herbalist) Bong, Smoke; Hits diagonally by 4 squares and smokes
CD - magic defense - Dealer, Healer) Needles, Acid; Stabs in 4-8 directions and tosses acid to add range
CDD - magic defense interceptor - Busker, Musician) Guitar, Singing; Attacks in 4 diagonals hitting all tiles in one direction at once
CDC - magic defense blocker - Chemist, Chronical) Mixtures, Smoke; Blows smoke diagonally by 2 squares causing area of effect damage

Not sure if this is what you were talking about..
« Last Edit: July 20, 2008, 06:40:22 pm by Souly »

Offline Helm

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #12 on: July 20, 2008, 10:55:45 pm
You're approaching game design backwards. You want to draw cool tactics sprites I guess and this creates so many classes, and then you try to come up with reasons to have classes. This isn't how a good game is made, imo, and certainly not how you make a strategy game.

The elegance of a good tactical game comes from iterative design. You find ONE gameplay element that is proven to work and be fun (in playing, not in theory) and you build on it, you create interesting variations of it and give it depth. You don't start with stats and borrowed schemes for movement. These things are superficial. Right now you're mimicking what other people have done and not thinking about why they did it, no offense.

Nevertheless I urge you to just go ahead and do whatever you had in mind, run it through to the best of your ability. Relative success or failure will teach you more than Pixelation ever could about game design.

Offline ptoing

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #13 on: July 20, 2008, 11:50:56 pm
Also I think it is a bit overly complicated, all the different ways of attack and movement. To lay out a proper strategy while playing with rules like this you better be a member of Mensa.
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Offline Souly

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #14 on: July 21, 2008, 12:11:39 am
The player only controls one unit.
Eventually over time I may add the ability to have apprentices, but at the moment they only control themselves.
No need to memorize every single classes grid.
If they are ever confused of what the other classes can do they can always hover over their respective image and their grid will be shown to them.

Offline Souly

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #15 on: July 21, 2008, 03:43:35 am
Okay, I think I have developed a way to make things A LOT more simple for the user.
Rather then classes having their own attack grids, I decided to just make every weapon it's own grid.
Classes could have specific moving patterns if I decide to do it that way or stick with stats deciding the users movement grid.


If a user equips two items the grids combine.

Offline Helm

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #16 on: July 21, 2008, 02:04:49 pm
Again, this isn't game design. I am not trying to be an asshole. It would pay to approach your videogame from the beginning, not just drop in the middle with gun grids?

Offline Beoran

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #17 on: July 21, 2008, 03:23:40 pm
There are no popular tactical RPG's that allow you to control only one character at the time thoughout the game. If you have only one controllable character on a grid it's not a tactical RPG but a Roguelike RPG. You have to understand what Helm is saying. You should try to stick to the staples of the genre and try to make a few interesting variations on the main theme. It's good that you'll make the movement movement point based. As for weapon attack patterns, why not make it a lot easier and give the weapons a minimum and maximum range? 

Oh, and if you want to see how a TRPG is made, why not get the source code of the open source tactical RPG Battle for Wesnoth, and see how they do it. I'm sure you'll get inspiration from that game. It's specific variations are a hex based grid, and totally attacker-determined damage. Units have generally have a the same defense ratings, only different HP. To hit % is determined by the unit's nature and the terrain the unit is on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_for_Wesnoth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_role-playing_game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike


Kind Regards, Beoran.

Offline Souly

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #18 on: July 21, 2008, 04:19:54 pm
Helm: I'm not exactly sure where else I'm supposed to start.
I thought this seemed like the best place to start so I can explain the battle system in my mind to the coders who I am approaching about this project.
If you have any suggestions on where I should start I'd be happy to hear them.

The reason I'm not giving some of the weapons 8 directional attacking is because the classes that use those weapons aren't really melee fighters.
Those classes don't really depend on melee attacks,  they just CAN attack you, just not very well.

I thought I was giving the range to each weapon here... That's what the grids are.
Your classes will get masteries which will allow you to increase your range with that specific weapon.
I understand that tactics usually means you control multiple units.
My hopes is that this game will eventually allow you to control up to 3 people at once.
So that makes this game roguelike at the start, and then later you can choose to just keep with your one character if you like going solo.

Offline Helm

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Re: Tactical RPG Grid Patterns

Reply #19 on: July 21, 2008, 04:48:08 pm
You start with something that is fun. Grid patterns are not fun. Code something that is fun, programmer art and then you've got something going.