Skill usage and Variables

[Ethos5]

Morning all. Had a bit of a question regarding using Variables with Skills.

Specifically, I'm working on a leveling system based on skill usage (use a fire skill, go up in fire skill) and purchasing/training (gain 10 xp in fire skill, spend 10 xp to gain a permanent buff or new skill). 

Without going into scripting, I believe I do this by having each Fire skill (for example) call up a common event on use (called Fire Skill) and increase it's variable by 1. A simple shopkeep/trainer event can handle the purchasing part.

Does this sound right? Anything I'm missing?

Thank you.

 

[Andar]

It can be done this way.


The main reason why most people go with scripts instead is that doing it by variables will require you to keep a very careful list of the variables used and how they're used - a skill leveling script would handle that for you, but it would also force you to obey its own rules and require script access.

 

[Wavelength]

One thing you might be missing is that if multiple actors can use the same skill, but you want to track their "Skill Use XP" separately, then you will need some way to track who used the skill.  You could, of course, make a separate skill for each actor, and make a separate variable for each skill for each actor, but my goodness that's a lot of work and a lot of re-doing things if I change my mind about something later on.  It's why I usually script this kind of stuff myself, or hire someone to script it for me if it's beyond my ability.

There are also pure-eventing ways to "swap out" your Gold with a variable so that you can use the default Shop interace to buy upgrades with your Skill Use XP, which might be a good idea, or it might be better to handle the purchases through pure eventing if you're trying to do certain, more complicated things (like require the purchase of one upgrade before you can purchase another).

Just as a tip, in the future if your question is more about "how to" do something, you should post under the appropriate Help forum rather than in Game Mechanics Design (which would be more for questions like "What actions do you think should award XP for upgrading a skill?")