RPG Maker Forums

Hello, Sieg here. I want to begin a discussion regarding what I call the “Attack, Heal, Repeat” problem. I’d like whomever wants to comment to fully read this to understand the point I’m getting at, and to give long, in-depth answers.


Now then, let’s begin:


Just recently, I played OFF for the nth time and after some thought, I came a conclusion.  I didn’t have fun.


Mind you, I liked the game the first time I played through it. It was something new, and interesting and the story was something I hadn’t quite seen before at the time. But now, I gave it a serious look and realized that it was…disgustingly dull.


The puzzles were solid and gave me a good challenge, I liked them.
The maps were well designed, I never really felt lost and I had a good idea of where I was supposed to go.
The story was interesting, it made me ask some questions that I never thought I’d ask at that time.
The music I LOVED, sometimes I like to hum “Pepper Steak”, the game’s battle theme, while doing anything. Cooking, going out or writing, it doesn’t matter.


But combat, is not even one bit fun. It really killed it for me. The elemental attacks and skills are just plain useless and in the end, combat is just this:

1. 
   Attack the enemy
   
2. If HP is low heal
   
3. Go to 1 until the enemy is dead
   
    
   

This is it. The AHR problem. You Attack, you Heal, you Repeat those steps.


You see, I thought about it for a while and I came to a conclusion. Combat in RPGs are just that, even with all the fancy stuff that we add on to it.


Let me give you two examples I can name off the top of my mind.


Final Fantasy VI – Ultima Weapon
Now. I love FF6. It’s one of, if not my absolute favorite game of the series. Fought on *SPOILERS*


and with such a menacing appearance and name, you can bet that this guy is memorable.


How does the fight with him go? Well…you just…hit him until he dies? Seem familiar? It should.

1. 
   Attack Ultima Weapon
   
2. If HP is low, heal
   
3. Go to 1 until Ultima Weapon is dead
   

Attack, Heal, Repeat. That’s it. That’s all that you have to do. Really now, even if Ultima Weapon hits REALLY hard, it’s not that difficult to beat it. Just follow those three steps and you’ll win.


Chrono Trigger – Magus
No self-respecting RPG fan can be called such if they have not played Chrono Trigger, and if there is a boss that people enjoyed fighting in this game, it’s Magus. Listen to his theme and then look at me in the eye and tell me it isn’t cool with a straight face.


This is fight is different. In the first half, he has elemental barriers. Unless you use the correct element in your attack, he will mess you up. And he changes elements frequently. On the second half, he’s done with you. He takes normal damage from there on, but he begins charging a VERY strong attack, Dark Matter.


But…if you think about it. It’s the same thing, only a little more time consuming.

1. 
   Attack Magus with the proper elemental attack
   
2. If HP is low, heal
   
3. Go to 1 until Magus begins charging Dark Matter
   
4. If HP is below 50%, heal
   
5. Attack Magus
   
6. If he uses Dark Matter, go to 4 until Magus is beaten
   
    
   

You don’t need to think about it very hard, really. Attack, Heal, Repeat.


So…what does this leave us with?
Not much, really. If combat is just those three steps, then it’s not really that engaging if you think about it. Maybe we can fix that with a different combat system; maybe we could add timed hits, maybe we could add some rewards if the player wins battles with a handicap or in as few turns as possible, maybe we could make enemies punish the player if they repeatedly perform the same action in battles.
Actually…those last two aren’t half bad *Scribble* *Scribble* MINE!


But in the end does it really change things? Not really. All that glitz and glamour does little to change the fact that combat boils down to those three ubiquitous steps: Attack, Heal, Repeat.



Is the problem rooted into the very nature of RPGs? Does it go deeper, into the very idea of combat?


That’s the reason I started this topic, to discuss ways we can fix this problem as aspiring game developers. What do we need to do it? Can we even do it?



I await your responses patiently.