Different type of bosses, thoughts?

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

I wish to get some thought through all this because I wish to make boss battles appealing for the gamers of RPGmaker.

In the coming game that TOOM is making we have thought of different Boss types (No not elements or racial types) speaking of what approach they are and what difficulty they are in the game, here is the 3 different boss types that we have in the planning draft.

Normal Boss Type

These are your average normal Bosses that in all RPG games should have, they are a little stronger overall against the party and they only require mild strategy against them, these are the bosses you will bump into 60% of the time and they have a weak influence on the story (Bosses which do not impact the story that much but they are there for obstacles). As a boss it will have phases but only ranged from 1-2.

Rival Boss Type

Rival boss types are bosses which will be reoccurring, they would be equally matched against the party and they require moderate strategy in order to defeat them, these are the bosses you will bump into throughout the entire story and they have a high influence on the story. Rival Bosses are what they are entitled: "Rivals" they will be equally matched with your party and they will have a party of their own which (With the proper AI) they will use strategy on you in order to win. Phases are unknown and unpredictable with this type.

Badass Boss Type

These are the most difficult type to fight against, they are beyond the overall strength compared to a Normal Boss Type and they require huge amount of strategy in order to defeat them, you will mostly bump into as the "Main Bad Guy" kind and have that "Final Battle" feeling, they will appear as they have an aura emitting around their body and they have a Passive that makes them regenerate HP per turn (Gods FTW). The influence to these bosses is what gives the game story and defeating them isn't going to be easy no matter how often you will grind, the battle moments against them are like moments your characters will leave with bruises and almost no MP. Phases range from 3-6 (WIP)

SO what do you think? Is this a good Boss idea mechanic? Yay or Nay?

 

[Julien Brightside]

So, basically the first one is like an optional low level quest boss?

I don't see anything wrong with setting it up like this.

 

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

No, no, the first one is your typical normal Boss, in all RPG games this is the type what you would mostly see and encounter during your travels but they either don't hold any impact to the story or just a little bit about the story (Example: The main bad guy summons a monster and runs but you gotta fight this monster that is in your way to progress, ergo an obstacle.)

 

[Milennin]

So, basically the Normal Boss Type is like a mini-boss, but with a fancier title?

Badass Boss Type seems like it's your average RPG boss that you'd expect at the end of a dungeon or story chapter...

Sounds like you're following the RPG standard when it comes to bosses. I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary here, other than different naming for the types of bosses you're using.

 

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

So, basically the Normal Boss Type is like a mini-boss, but with a fancier title?

Badass Boss Type seems like it's your average RPG boss that you'd expect at the end of a dungeon or story chapter...

Sounds like you're following the RPG standard when it comes to bosses. I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary here, other than different naming for the types of bosses you're using.

Nope... wrong, okay lets give a more simpler example

Normal Boss Type

FF7 = All the bosses you encounter in that game will be the normal Boss types, and encountering them would be likely to be unexpected like: The giant fish you fight when you are under Junon or that Demon Wall in the Temple of Ancients when you are waiting for Cait Sith to come or when you fight Aps (The sewerage monster when that Don perverted guy pulls that lever and you fall into the sewers.) Those are what we entitle them as Normal Boss Types. They are not mini bosses, they are just plain bosses.

Badass Boss Type

Bosses which are way over your level recommendation but they are beatable if you get the strategy just right and you just had that little bit of luck to defeating them, this type don't come close to average, fighting them is extremely challenging and once you defeat them you feel that you have achieved something greatly and these type of bosses has a huge impact on the story (They are not side end game bosses like most RPG games have when you are about to fight the last boss, they will be actual bosses that you need to beat in order to progress.)

I give them titles like this because it will categorise which Boss is which that will be easier to identify when the game comes out.

 

[Milennin]

Bosses which are way over your level recommendation but they are beatable if you get the strategy just right and you just had that little bit of luck to defeating them, this type don't come close to average, fighting them is extremely challenging and once you defeat them you feel that you have achieved something greatly and these type of bosses has a huge impact on the story (They are not side end game bosses like most RPG games have when you are about to fight the last boss, they will be actual bosses that you need to beat in order to progress.)


I give them titles like this because it will categorise which Boss is which that will be easier to identify when the game comes out.

I haven't played enough FF7 to be familiar with your example, but what I get from your post is that you do follow the average mini-boss & regular boss system, just with a higher difficulty than you'd find in most RPGs. A boss is something at the end of a region or story that's usually required to beat in order to progress. Your game just happens to have tougher bosses than your regular RPG, that doesn't make them any different, though.


Also, does the player really need to know what type the boss is called in your game while they're playing? To a player it's like this:


-(Optional) monster stronger than a regular monster, but weaker than a boss. = Mini-boss


-(Optional) monster stronger than regular monsters and mini-bosses. Usually found at the end of a dungeon or story chapter = Boss


-Monster that you fight multiple times throughout the story = Rival


-Monster that you must defeat at the end of the story = Final boss

 

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

I see where you getting at.

But the way I explain it on my 1st post will make it easier for me to explain on what kind of bosses would be expected if we actually do intend on implementing these type of bosses, the game we are aiming at won't be one single long story though, it will be based as a episodic game where you will have more than just one Final Boss (Badass Boss), so I wouldn't really call them final bosses if it doesn't truly end the game but they are so powerful you have that feeling you are fighting the last boss. The players can see the types however they want, I just entitled them to make it easier to tell them apart and explain better rather me entitling them as.

BOSS 1

BOSS 2

BOSS 3

 

[TheRiotInside]

To avoid further communication breakdowns, it should probably be said that everyone has a different idea regarding how difficult different types of bosses should be. A difficult final boss to some would be considered a grunt to others, so when someone makes a statement about how your final boss sounds like a regular boss or something, it's not an attack on your descriptions or reasoning, it's just their opinion on how difficult bosses should be.

 

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

I know, I guess I should let them experience the difference on the types first hand when the game comes out and then it will be fully understood, although not getting much info from this so I will just have to figure it out in a other fashion, it is not upsetting just needed intakes on what people would want in different bosses.

Some like recurring bosses, some hate them for being repetitive fights

Some like Bosses which only appear when you are just about to fight the big bad, some hate them for various reasons

Some like to unexpect their bosses, some like to expect when a boss comes.

ETC ETC

The three listed are the types I am trying to get info and thoughts of what people think

 

[kerbonklin]

Honestly these are all pretty basic fundamentals of Bosses in RPG games, and I think you should actually be worrying about how the bosses themselves behave. The behavior is what you really need to work out, and is what will determine a good game or not. (In terms of boss battles)

Anyways, rival bosses can be fun if they learn some new tricks each time, and if the pacing isn't so soon. An example of BAD pacing would be Pokemon White/Black 1/2 and X/Y, where your rivals want to fight you after EVERY SINGLE GYM!  Now THAT gets repetitive because there's not much change at all in their Pokemon each time. Back when it was Ruby/Sapphire, the rival fight was after like every 3 gyms or so, and the growth of their party was definitely noticeable.

 

[Mimironi]

Normal bosses- The normal, end of the dungeon boss fight.

Rival bosses- That one thing that always wants to defeat you, but always loses and maybe swears revenge, losing again later. (like pokemon rivals, except a better challenge).

Badass bosses- The optional bosses that you should not encounter the first time you see it. Extreme caution and strategy is needed when you fight it. (etrian odyssey FOE).

I really like the idea. Its more diverse than the 'end of dungeon: fight a boss, next town, go to next dungeon, end: fight boss' repeat.

Good luck with it.