Would like some feedback on this combat system. Also need input on MP function.

[Aquachubolt]

So I currently have planned a very simple combat system with low numbers and simple formulas.

Physical Damage is calculated as (a.atk - b.def) for basic attacks. For physical skills, it is (a.atk + x - b.def), where x is the Power of the skill.

Magic Damage is (a.mat + x - b.mdf), where x is the Power of the spell.

Physical Hit Rate is calculated as (Agi + Luk + Base Hit). Base hit is almost exclusively defined by the weapon that is currently equipped, with small bonuses sometimes coming from class.

Magic hit rate is fixed depending on the spell. Magic Avoid plays no part in this.

Physical Avoid is calculated as (Agi *2 + Class Bonus), with class bonus being small bonuses of around 5-15% based on class.

Critical Rate for both types of damage is ((Agi + Luk) / 2), with bonuses sometimes being applied by either weapon or spell.

Crit Evade is (Luk). Occasionally this will be boosted by equipped weapon or class.

Both physical skills and spells cost HP to cast. Magic classes generally can not equip weapons, and when they can they do not provide bonuses to Mat. To balance this, most enemies will have significantly lower Mdf than Def.

Maximum character level is 60, with the player gaining the option to pick a class promotion once at level 20 and again at 40. Stats will generally end up somewhere in the 45-60 range at max level for third tier classes.

I'd like some feedback on this system. It seems good to me on paper, but I'm sure there's something I overlooked.

Also, when I got done with this I realized that MP didn't serve a purpose. I actually have no clue what to do with it. One option is to set it to zero and be done with it, but another option I though of was making MaxMP serve the function of Mat and making Mat another separate magic stat, and having different spell types scale differently between the two, but I don't know, I think that may just end up over-complicating things.

Anyway, I welcome any thoughts and opinions on the matter.

 

[Aoi Ninami]

Mostly looks good. I'm also a big fan of low numbers and simple formulas. (In my project, characters' starting HP ranges from 24 to 48.)

My main worry is that, if you intend Agi and Luck to progress between Level 1 and Level 60, that means your Level 1 characters will have an abysmal hit rate. Early-game non-boss encounters, instead of being short and sweet, will be prolonged by long sequences of misses. Conversely, late-game your characters will have a physical avoid over 100%, so enemies will have to rely entirely on magical attacks, which in turn will make physical stats irrelevant.

Instead, I would make Hit depend only on the weapon and class, and Evade depend only on class, and keep Hit high and Evade low.

Also, it sounds like there is no way to increase Mat other than level progression? But then a choice is being taken out of the player's hands. It's always satisfying to be able to increase your stats, whether it's by finding a treasure, by reaching a new place that sells better equipment, or by reaching the amount of gold for something you couldn't afford earlier; and it's interesting to have different stats available you could work on, so that the player can make the choice that best suits their individual playstyle.

Finally, having all skills use HP as their resource sounds like it could be interesting, but could be edgy if you're using low numbers. Maybe build the first dungeon and see how that one feels in practice?

 

[Rinobi]

I recommend opening the maker and testing those formulas to see if they work the way you want them to. Here's why.

While subtracting defense directly from attack is a simplistic approach, it is generally a bad way to go about. It doesn't scale well and it often encounters the 0 damage problem. Your battler's attacks will become more pathetic as they increase in level. The formulas that calculate rate values won't work with your example formulas without some serious tweaking because a value of 1.0 is equal to 100% for hit rate, evasion, critical rate, and critical evade.

I agree with @Aoi Ninami on the issue of hit rates and hp costs.

As for MP, if you don't have a solid plan for it, it's best to exclude it for now.

 

[Aquachubolt]

That's a good point on hit rates, I hadn't thought of that. As for the 0 damage problem, I've taken that into consideration. Most enemies will have lower Def than the players Atk is expected to be at the point that enemy is encountered, and enemies that do have higher Def values can be dropped quickly via weapon skills with high power or that ignore defense, or with magic, as high defense enemies will generally have abysmal mdf values. On the player end of things, defensive stats tend to be lower end values in general to prevent enemies in general. Thinking about it, I might set it so that if the final damage number is 0, it gets brought up to one to prevent unwinnable situations.

 

[fireflyege]

I think MP should serve a purpose. Spells costing HP means if you want to do something you should give up some of your own safety. So that makes defensive spells irrevelant, because protecting yourself is basically increasing your HP or preventing damage so damaging yourself with using HP for the sake of defense is not gonna contradict with themselves.

 

[M.I.A.]

I wont go into all the details.. but in my main project, I use very small and predictable damage calculation formulae..
BUT most of all of it is handled in Traits and Elements, and not really in Numbers (does that make sense?).

For Example, you stated that Attack is calculated by (a.atk - b.def) and Phys specials are (a.atk + x - b.def)...
Well.. what I do is a little different.. my Attack formula would be (a.atk). That's it. But on the target side, their traits will determine how much of that lands. Let's say a Skeleton has 25% resistance to Phys Dmg.. if (a.atk) is 100... then the Skeleton will only take 75 Dmg.

This enables me to worry less about the number balancing, and more about the flow of battle/potency of skills/etc.

Hope you find this helpful!
-MIA

 

[fireflyege]

I told what I told. I still think the same. Increasing only stats with no change in gameplay on trance based states are bland, generic and boring in my opinion. But it is your game, you can do anything you want.

 

[lianderson]

As a fellow a.atk - b.def user, let me say, it´s very do able. And your approach of lowering enemy defense as response to the question you were asked, shows that you have the capability to handle it.

As for mana, either use it, don´t use it, or change its name to something different like fate, sanity, stress, or whatever, and then just go from there.

Anyways, good luck on your game!