Fighting system: Close vs Ranged
by Ed van Tedened · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 03/13/2007 (4:10 am) · 1 replies
Hi there,
I'm currently building a tech demo for the game I've had in my head for years now.. Side Scroller Online (yeah I know.. :P but eh.. it's only a working title) The game is a crossbreed of what I consider to be the best genres: platformer action mixed with RPG elements. This all should eventually be played in an online environment. The tech demo I'm making is going to be a single player one though, simply because I lack the skills to make it work online... I hope by making a tech demo in which my game play ideas are actually playable people who ARE skilled, get interested and want to join my team..
Hehe the game is still non existent actually all I got so far is an ever growing number of sketches and ideas.
Anyway let's get to the point.. I'd like to talk fighting systems here.. one of the things I just can't get clear how I want it exactly to work.. I know I want to make it a system where skill is actually required, not in the form of buyable skills you can get once you have enough skill points (like in most (O)RPG's).. I'm talking about the counter-strike "w00tz my skillz pwnz all" kind..
I want people to be able to get good at my game not by grinding hours and hours but just by practicing their aim and learn how to use their weapons best as possible.
The world of SSO is going to be a low- tech steam punk one where both guns and close combat weapons play a role..on top of that I'd love to see some good old spells thrown into the mix..
And this is exactly my problem.. how does one keep swords magic and firearms in balance with one another?
I'm developing the game for TGB and the viewpoint will be from the side (hence the games (working)title), much like the indie game Soldat (www.soldat.pl).
What I'm aiming for in my fighting system pretty much resembles the way Soldat handles it, only at a lower pace and a little more tactical and diverse because of the variety of weapons one can choose to pick up.
But could this work? And how?
The main issue would be the close combat weapons.. both magic and firearms can be used at a range and that would make a player who is using his sword helpless against those kinds of attacks.
Anyone got a good idear?
Otherwise I might have to cut the close combat classes out of my game plan a thing I wouldn't like to do..
Thanks :)
Kevin
I'm currently building a tech demo for the game I've had in my head for years now.. Side Scroller Online (yeah I know.. :P but eh.. it's only a working title) The game is a crossbreed of what I consider to be the best genres: platformer action mixed with RPG elements. This all should eventually be played in an online environment. The tech demo I'm making is going to be a single player one though, simply because I lack the skills to make it work online... I hope by making a tech demo in which my game play ideas are actually playable people who ARE skilled, get interested and want to join my team..
Hehe the game is still non existent actually all I got so far is an ever growing number of sketches and ideas.
Anyway let's get to the point.. I'd like to talk fighting systems here.. one of the things I just can't get clear how I want it exactly to work.. I know I want to make it a system where skill is actually required, not in the form of buyable skills you can get once you have enough skill points (like in most (O)RPG's).. I'm talking about the counter-strike "w00tz my skillz pwnz all" kind..
I want people to be able to get good at my game not by grinding hours and hours but just by practicing their aim and learn how to use their weapons best as possible.
The world of SSO is going to be a low- tech steam punk one where both guns and close combat weapons play a role..on top of that I'd love to see some good old spells thrown into the mix..
And this is exactly my problem.. how does one keep swords magic and firearms in balance with one another?
I'm developing the game for TGB and the viewpoint will be from the side (hence the games (working)title), much like the indie game Soldat (www.soldat.pl).
What I'm aiming for in my fighting system pretty much resembles the way Soldat handles it, only at a lower pace and a little more tactical and diverse because of the variety of weapons one can choose to pick up.
But could this work? And how?
The main issue would be the close combat weapons.. both magic and firearms can be used at a range and that would make a player who is using his sword helpless against those kinds of attacks.
Anyone got a good idear?
Otherwise I might have to cut the close combat classes out of my game plan a thing I wouldn't like to do..
Thanks :)
Kevin
Torque Owner Kevin James
There has been a "side-scroller" game idea brewing in my mind over the last month or so, although it will focus more on acrobatics and hand-to-hand combat. (At first anyway . . .)
Here's some of my ideas for balancing melee and ranged combat:
*Shields that can deflect and/or reflect bullets and magic.
*A sneak skill where you can approach other players without being seen.
*The ability to jump, roll and dodge, giving ranged users quite a challenge in hitting you.
I'm sure there are other ways to balance ranged and melee, but those are just some ideas I came up with from the top of my head.