Creating a weapon "experience" system

[oriongates]

In the game I'm working on the player has several weapons and their skills are going to be dependent on the weapon type equipped. So, for instance, equipping knives gives the player access to high-speed, multi-attack skills and equipping big swords gives them slower, less accurate but more damaging attacks.

The more the character uses the weapon the more skills they'll unlock and the better they'll be with the weapon. As far as I can tell there are no plugins for this (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), so I'm trying to figure out a way to manage it with the core engine.

I think I can manage the part about earning experience well enough. Each attack or skill use with the weapon need to increment the appropriate variable by 1, then a parallel common event can check if they have enough points in that variable in order to learn a new skill. With skills this is easy enough...part of the skill's function can be to trigger a common event to increment the variable, or I could even include it as part of the skill's action sequence. Doing it for basic attacks is a bit trickier. At this point the only thing I can think of is creating a different basic attack for each weapon type and using the Weapon Unleash plugin to swap the attack skills depending on the current weapon equipped. Then I can include the appropriate common event in those skills.

If there's an easier way to do it or any unforeseen problems with this method, please let me know.

 

[Zerothedarklord]

should be able to increment the value of a variable through the damage formula. from there, the rest can be handled through common events.

I don't use MZ, but as long as it exists for MZ, you should be able to use Yanfly's weapon unleash plugin, which would allow you to assign a different basic Attack to each weapon, which would therefore enable you to increment unique variables based on which weapon type is equipped.
If that plugin does not exist, you would need to find something like it. I do something like this in RPG Maker MV, I don't do my weapons quite like this, but each weapon type does have unique basic attacks, so I can confirm the idea should work fine.

 

[GmOcean]

For basic attacks you can just do the same thing as with skills. The very first skill in the system is "Attack". Which is what is called when using the Attack Command by default. So just have it call a common event that does a check for actor who attacked, equipped weapon, etc.. and increase the corresponding variable appropriately.

I mean, as a test, I was able to call a common event and change the actors sprite, so no idea why you couldn't use your variable method for normal attack as well.

 

[oriongates]

should be able to increment the value of a variable through the damage formula. from there, the rest can be handled through common events.

I did consider that, but I was concerned that it might not adjust the variable if the attack misses. Would that be a problem?

I don't use MZ, but as long as it exists for MZ, you should be able to use Yanfly's weapon unleash plugin, which would allow you to assign a different basic Attack to each weapon, which would therefore enable you to increment unique variables based on which weapon type is equipped.
If that plugin does not exist, you would need to find something like it. I do something like this in RPG Maker MV, I don't do my weapons quite like this, but each weapon type does have unique basic attacks, so I can confirm the idea should work fine.

Yeah, Weapon Unleashed exists, that's the solution I've currently outlined: create a version of the basic attack for each weapon which increments the appropriate variable.

For basic attacks you can just do the same thing as with skills. The very first skill in the system is "Attack". Which is what is called when using the Attack Command by default. So just have it call a common event that does a check for actor who attacked, equipped weapon, etc.. and increase the corresponding variable appropriately.

I mean, as a test, I was able to call a common event and change the actors sprite, so no idea why you couldn't use your variable method for normal attack as well.

There's only one character that uses this system, so I think sticking with using weapon unleashed for different attack skills will be easier, especially since it doesn't look like I can create a conditional based on weapon type, only specific individual weapons. So I'd have to set a conditional adjustment for each specific weapon.

 

[Neutron21]

Have you ever played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance? Your concept reminded me of that.

 

[Frogboy]

MZ actually has a cool new feature that allows you to replace the skill used for the basic attack via a trait. For instance, you can replace skill #1 Attack with say, skill #4 Long Sword. You could utilize this feature to more easily increment your variables by giving each weapon or weapon type it's own basic attack that uses a formula that increments the linked variable.

Weapons -> Traits -> Attack -> Attack Skill

 

[oriongates]

Have you ever played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance? Your concept reminded me of that.

Yeah, although this is more inspired by Disgaea.

MZ actually has a cool new feature that allows you to replace the skill used for the basic attack via a trait. For instance, you can replace skill #1 Attack with say, skill #4 Long Sword. You could utilize this feature to more easily increment your variables by giving each weapon or weapon type it's own basic attack that uses a formula that increments the linked variable.

Weapons -> Traits -> Attack -> Attack Skill

Yeah, that's more or less what I detailed originally with the weapon unleashed plugin, although it's good to know that MZ has that set by default. That'll make it a bit simpler.

 

[strife094]

Weapon experince as if for 3D RPGMaker mod? or the Commando game? I think 3D RPGMaker mod navigation and senstivity is too high unless you wish to make something fast pace like a classic Doom.

 

[oriongates]

Weapon experince as if for 3D RPGMaker mod? or the Commando game? I think 3D RPGMaker mod navigation and senstivity is too high unless you wish to make something fast pace like a classic Doom.

Neither. Just standard RPG maker. A system to track the number of times a player uses a weapon and award new skills and bonuses once they pass X number of uses.