Alright, so my current project is a Claymore fan game. If you've ever seen the anime or read the manga (preferably) then you'd know that quite often limbs go a flying.
I think that in a game I'd be amiss to leave this feature out. However, at the same time, I have to make a way to aim at limbs quickly (so it doesn't slow down battle), as well as make it so that people don't just run around, "HEADHEADHEADHEAD"
The only thing I've been able to come up, with some help, is to use six attack macro keys. Those keys would be QWEASD. (Look at them on your keyboard) Q: Left Arm, W: Head, E: Right Arm, A: Left Leg, S: Body, D: Right Leg. Now this would work (If you have a better idea, by all means share it), however I have to decide how to stop someone from ALWAYS going for a head shot. (Head shots won't be instant kill, seeing as they're monsters, but it results in a serious loss of functionality. Like, all your limbs. At once.)
The second major problem is whether or not to include blood loss. It would make sense, but the Claymores are able to either reconstitute or reattach their limbs. So, opinions?
Summary of Major Problems:
A) How to make appendage-aimed attacks work
B) How to make people aim for other appendages
C) Whether to make some sort of 'blocking' system (Ideas for this would be great.)
D) Whether to include a 'bleeding' system for when an appendage is COMPLETELY removed.
Thanks for your input. ^^
ID:152208
 Oct 2 2007, 1:49 pm
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Haha wow that sounds a lot like my system. But hey hopefully we wont steal each others player base but luckily I don't have an anime game so I think we might be good. Good luck with your idea!
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See, that would work for the blocking system, but that'd delay attacks by quite a bit. After all, in fast-pace battles a second is a LONG time.
Another thing is to block certain portions of the body there'd have to be another SIX macros, which would take your second hand off the arrow keys, reducing battles to having little or no movement, or just ignoring the blocking system entirely. Thirdly, how much should the blocking system effect things? In Claymore if you get hit, you're pretty much done for. But that doesn't translate over well, especially with levels and the such. | |
With BYOND 4+ you can simply recycle the QWEASD macros for blocking and attacking. For example you can make the ALT key a deciding factor
Alt+Q,W,E,A,S,D = Block Q,W,E,A,S,D = Attack Although this might get too confusing. Why not make it a little easier and go for a button+direction combo. For example you can use A,S,D as your only macros. A = Body Shot A+up = Head shot A+down = Leg shot etc.. Then you can add variations to attacks. A being normal attack, S being a strong attack (possibly giving a high chance to stun if blocked), and then D can be your block. D= Body block D+up = Head block D+down = Leg block You get the idea. Instead of having 6 buttons, you can use 3 plus directions and virtually allow more commands with less memorization. | |
You're overthinking your attack system. BYOND is not ideal for button-mashers or twitch gameplay, and a six-button attack system is crazy by any standard. Apply the KISS principle.
It matters far less, I think, for users to be able to target specific body parts than for their character to automatically try to do limb damage. Even if hacking off a limb is a fairly random event, if it's common enough you'll still maintain the feel you're going for without asking too much of your players. Best of all, the random "reward" will be much more effective in hooking their interest. Lummox JR | |
Here's an ide for your attack/block system.
Attack with the six buttons like you described. While your opponent has his arms and legs it will be difficult to land a body shot and impossible to land a head shot. Take out a limb and it becomes possible to land a head shot, while not at all easy, and easier to land a body shot. For blocking, I have three ideas. 1) Have it to where when you attack with a certain limb your attack at the same limb doubles as a block for that particular limb. You can't hit their left leg while they are attacking with it. ...or the opposite... 2) Your attack doubles as a block for the opposite limb. You can't hit their left leg while they are attacking your right. ...or both... 3) If they attack your legs, you also attack theirs and have a chance of blocking with either leg(but one side should have a better chance of blocking) or you fail to block and you both land an attack on each others leg. More ideas from me. You should put in a small overlay or something to tell you wut they are attacking with. If it tells you they attack with right leg, you can block it with an attack to their leg, or take a hit and attack their arms... Any attack has a high chance of blocking a head shot... I have more to add but I think I've rambled enough. | |
While I agree that button mashing is not ideal, a targetting system can add tactical depth. Take KaViR's Godwars 2 MUD, for example. In that, you could launch series of attacks by entering certain letter combinations. Each attack was a two letter combination of the attack source (right hand, left hand, f<\b>eet and head) and type of attack. By stringing certain combinations together, you could unleash increasingly complex attack patterns (IE rf would form a fist with an empty right hand, rs would jab, rs again would hook). Each attack (and combos) has different delays, attack, damage, defense, etc. Damage is localized, so targeting specific areas is possible. Also, there are a wide variety of different styles with different options, including hybrid and "super" styles which required mastery of simpler styles.
OTOH, if it just for effect, the combat system need not be designed around it. ROM MUDs followed this format- parts were sometimes, severed on death, but there was no real need to target or track locational damage since it occurred only upon death. My current project uses localized damage (though a lopped off appendage still usually results in death from blood loss) and allows targetting to avoid armor, for example, at reduced accuracy. Otherwise, skill largely handles this automatically (IE more skilled combatants tend to hit optimal areas, when possible). | |
My solution for aiming (to be implemented in The Haven Seed) is to make enemies adapt to your attacks over time. Essentially, if you attack the same body parts over and over again, the enemy will automatically start to notice that you're swinging at those locations to the exclusion of all others, and will simply concentrate on defending those locations and not bother trying to defend their other body parts.
In code terms, this means that your chance to hit consistently declines over time depending on how many locations you're focusing on. If you attack the enemy's whole body, the enemy gains no bonus to defence, but if you exclusively aim at their head, they'll quickly gain a bonus to defend. If you aim at a wide portion (but not all) of their body, they'll still gain the bonus, but they'll gain the bonus very slowly and the net effect of the bonus will be less than it would be if you concentrated on a specific hit location to the exclusion of all others. Essentially, your job during battle is to vary your strategy very quickly, attacking the enemy broadly, then attacking vulnerable locations, then returning to attacking broadly to keep the opponent off guard. | |
That's a neat idea, but I think I'm starting to move towards the random attacks, maybe having special attacks aim for certain appendages more than others. Or have fighting styles that go MORE towards one part. I think having six attack keys may actually slow down battle too much, because people will be thinking too much to MOVE, or if they DO move then they won't be able to strategically hit people with the attacks they wanted.
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The system you described would work. You don't want to prevent players from aiming to the head, you want them not to always do it.
There is a very low chance to hit the head if the enemy's other body parts are still intact. Each body part you cut from the enemy's body heightens the chance to hit the head. You'll have to find some way to mathematically balance the chance to hit the head, though, so battles won't just go like "cut limb, cut hands, cut legs, cut head" all the time.
If block at location attacker attacked you at within the next (speed-attacker speed) seconds success?
Yes, if you want to keep true to the manga. You'd have to warn the players about the gore though, since BYOND is family friendly!