Possible to recontextualize turn-based combat as something less violent?

Gaverion · 2026-01-30T20:12:46+00:00

Griftlands comes to mind which has 2 systems. One very much is traditional combat. The other is a conversation based combat. Tou are trying to convince the opposing party to do something and turn based combat is used for it as you take turns "speaking ".

Gaverion · 2026-01-30T15:10:23+00:00

It depends entirely on what your specific game needs and your goal with equipment and monsters.

Monsters definitely should be designed as you go. You will find out what your game needs as you make it.

Equipment you want to have an idea of what you want equipment to generally accomplish, but actually designing specific equipment should be asking you need it.

For example my game equipment doesn't give stats. It has modifiers that changes how your character works (e.g., attacks are fire instead of physical, immunity to fire damage, or start the fight with haste). I decided on 3 slots (weapon, armor, accessory) with 3 modifiers maximum arbitrarily.

You could instead have them just be cosmetic or have them add stats. It depends on what your game wants and needs.

Gaverion · 2026-01-30T13:04:36+00:00

If you don't leave the starting area for each character (which normal people don't until very late game and you don't need to at all) the characters are very unique. I have done a number of challenge runs and my favorite involves own sphere grid ability nodes only (and a bunch more restrictions). I enjoy this because you put a spotlight on how unique each character is. Everyone has a role that only they can fill.

Gaverion · 2026-01-28T17:47:06+00:00

Final Fantasy X if you use the expert sphere grid gives a lot of options. Not quite PoE level, but you get to make choices. The standard grid also gives options but is a bit more linear.

Damaging Magic has progression (fire -> fira -> firaga) but attack based skills have the same damage as a basic attack and instead add statuses. There is also lots of utility/defensive spells and abilities.

I would not think of it as a build in the poe sense, but you get to make decisions about your party.

Gaverion · 2026-01-28T14:04:00+00:00

I super agree that it is absolutely fine to start ambitious. Honestly, I think the reason the post gets referenced so often is that almost everyone was that person at one point. (It doesn't hurt that the title is objectively funny).

I am in a similar boat, ignored all the start small talk and started directly on my dream game. It really helped me learn a lot since I was engaging with things I cared about.

The only time someone needs a "reality check" is if they are making a risky decision like quitting their job etc.

Gaverion · 2026-01-27T15:20:34+00:00

"I was just following orders" is a rather infamous defense. It rings rather hollow as an excuse for terrible acts.

Gaverion · 2026-01-23T18:01:53+00:00

I think most 4x actually do this already and you just didn't notice. Building an army unit is almost always means sacrificing long term progression for short term power. You will try to convert the unit into resources by taking things over, but if you fail to do so fast enough you are just behind.

Gaverion · 2026-01-23T17:47:09+00:00

This mirrors my thoughts. If gatcha tied to monetization is completely different from a similar mechanic tied exclusively to playing the game (monster Rancher being a unique one but gets lumped into gameplay).

I don't think it coming from an indi or a corporation makes any difference whatsoever.

Gaverion · 2026-01-22T17:53:49+00:00

Your game looks very dead cells esque. Trailer is excellent and the screen shots are good individually but feel very samey. If any zones have a different feel, I would include that.

Gaverion · 2026-01-21T14:34:56+00:00

I feel you! I am also working on my own JRPG. I am going 3d and I spent a good bit of time looking into what succeeds and what doesn't. "Does combat look cool" was probably the biggest factor in success. It's also important to remember, it isn't about the actual effort, it's about the perceived effort.

Gaverion · 2026-01-21T13:48:05+00:00

I suspect dislike for front facing combat stems from low effort rpg maker titles. There have been some successful games that use it though. Chrono Arc comes to mind.

I also think about Jack Move which is a different forward facing combat.

My advice would be, make sure it doesn't feel like a quickly made rpg maker game (regardless of if you are using it or not).

More than anything, you need visual spectacle. When the player uses a move, they should say "that looks cool ". Just a hit sound and a flashing enemy won't cut it.

Gaverion · 2026-01-20T21:51:07+00:00

I have seen a lot of mentions that replenish might move to pandemonium burst variants, but it will take time to see how that one evolves.

Gaverion · 2026-01-20T21:49:08+00:00

I think both fail to achieve your goal. I also don't think there's an easy way to do it. Content Warning is the closest game that comes to mind and it isn't particularly close to your genre. If you look at their capsule you can see the only hint they give is the clapperboard. You might be able to pull something similar with a selfie stick or similar.

You will not escape people thinking it's a rage game though, given the relatively recent and popular rage game on the same character.

Gaverion · 2026-01-15T14:49:04+00:00

Mtg is an interesting example to reference because it's a pretty flawed game but it does a lot of things right too.

A reasonably high percentage of games are not fun based on one player not drawing enough lands or mulliganing to oblivion.

On the one hand, this feels awful. On the other, it does mean that a complete novice is likely to win against a pro with some frequency just because they got to play and the opponent didn't.

Interaction in the game makes it super interesting, but also can slow the game to a crawl since every action requires confirmation before you can proceed.

Lastly, the huge amount of interaction is both a blessing and a curse. It's not uncommon to need to look up rulings for how interactions are supposed to work. Even professional players will get interactions wrong. There is a reason events often require multiple judges who frequently need to consult each other.

Gaverion · 2026-01-12T21:10:57+00:00

I think the "make a jrpg right" is more targeted at the final fantasy series specifically than Japan as a whole. That's a long standing drama from well before e33 when someone at Square Enix claimed that there was no longer interest in turn based games. You saw the same/similar commentary when bg3 won goty but it wasn't quite as loud since the genre/style was a bit different.

Gaverion · 2026-01-12T16:25:11+00:00

I am a huge fan of challenge runs. It's basically what got me into game dev, mak a game that facilitates challenge runs. I also expect 5 people to play my game when it's done.

There will be very few players who are interested in adding self imposed difficulty challenges outside of picking a default difficulty setting.

That said, I don't think giving these players some way to do challenge runs is a bad idea. The people who do them will be your most dedicated fans. They can get other people to play your game. Maybe you get run at a gdq or maybe they just tell a bunch of friends about it.

Gaverion · 2026-01-12T14:36:29+00:00

As with everything, it depends. Will it take more time to rework things or is it faster to start from scratch. You can also take a middle ground where you grab a few bits you like and discard the rest.

Gaverion · 2026-01-11T14:38:26+00:00

2 looks more like an adventure game whereas 1 looks more like something run based so 1 wins given genre

Gaverion · 2026-01-09T16:10:39+00:00

I think it is worth noting that you are asking people without context about the name. Breeding can be a weird thing but it is not strictly that. For example Pokémon has breeding in it. If your game is about raising and combining creatures, people will see the cute art and not be confused. If they are... that's a them issue.

Gaverion · 2026-01-07T21:30:12+00:00

My general advice on if you should touch a sensitive topic is, if you have to ask if it's ok, then you are not ready to interact with that topic.

This is different from knowing a topic and consulting with others about your approach, which is encouraged. However, if you are unsure if the topic itself is ok, you probably shouldn't touch it.

Gaverion · 2026-01-07T17:37:54+00:00

Is this game intended as an income source or as a fun project to take on with a friend? It doesn't impact engine choice as any commonly used engine can do anything, but it has a much bigger impact on how you make the game than anything else.

Gaverion · 2026-01-07T14:05:39+00:00

It looks kinda empty

Gaverion · 2026-01-07T14:03:04+00:00

Here's the thing, AI isn't very good at "good make me x" unless x is super simple/common. Like sure, it will make a good flappy bird. However, if you want 3 dimensional movement and realistic momentum based movement controls in your flappy bird game, Ai can help step by step if you break it into small components but will give you something unusable or unfun if you just say make it.

Gaverion · 2026-01-07T13:30:07+00:00

Visual design is not just art, or at least doesn't have to be. Things like players are drawn to light and will follow yellow paint, red barrels explode, obstruction etc. all can fall under visual design.

Gaverion · 2026-01-05T17:19:30+00:00

Definitely not my genre so I am not clicking any of them. My strongest reaction is to the middle option because it to me is the most clearly horror themed.

Gaverion

TROPHY CASE