Re: Malise and the Machine (New RPG!)
Clearly, you are practiced in these things.
- Looks like an ATB system, though I'm getting that more from this thread than the video.
- Bars look like HP/SP/Arousal/Turntimer. Guessing arousal weakens H-defense, HP works as always, SP is consumable.
+ Presumably, HP=0 knocks out characters. Are they out at that point, or are they still relevant somehow?
+ How frequent is SP recovery? Over time during combat, outside combat, or only with expensive items or sleep?
+ Do all specials consume SP, or are there ones that go off HP or arousal?
+ Is clothing damage tied straight to HP or Arousal, or a separate hidden stat?
- Video shows there's a grab/fucked status effect. Is the transition strictly normal -> grabbed -> fucked? What other status effects are there?
+ Are all status effects a variation on "enemy ability X applies status Y", or are there more complex interactions?
- The video alludes to an "interrupt" mechanic - details?
1. Correct, full active time, probably most similar to Final Fantasy X (actions are queued and go in the order they were registered).
2. Yeah, the "Lust" mechanic as I'm currently calling it has a lot of roles, some of which have yet to be solidified because things will be balanced as development goes on. To summarize though, it affects the types of states that can be applied to the character, H skills that can be used on the character, and struggle system results.
3. You'll be able to revive characters during battle
4. I want to experiment with this. For the first release it will probably just be with items just because I won't get a chance to tinker with it much, but I'm leaning towards a SP recovery over time system (which will have to be added to the engine). By 'over time' I mean the full bar would regenerate relatively quickly, similar to maybe The Elder Scrolls games' Magicka or Stamina.
5. Some skills may use HP, and some may depend on the character's current Lust to be used or be affected by it, but skills won't consume it. Also, some skills will have cooldowns.
6. Clothing damage is indirectly tied to the Lust bar, but is highly dependent on the outfit type the character has on. At certain points along the bar are transition points that make a character vulnerable to certain types of clothing damage. These can be realized by a specific skill being performed on the character. Some outfits require that an enemy uses an armor break skill to actually damage the clothing in certain areas (or at least will... this mechanic isn't in yet). It's a very fluid and dynamic system that allows for a lot of situations to be realized, and offers a reason to change up outfit types.
7. The standard H attacks follow a series similar to this, but each attack "branch" as I call it is different and can have a varying number of stages. Think of enemies' H skills as a tree, and they can progress to different branches depending on the character's current parameters and outfit/outfit damage. Being knocked down or in a post-H-scene situation will make a character vulnerable to certain types of H attacks. Armor damage skills will likely be directly applied. There's a lot of ideas I haven't implemented that I don't want to go into yet, but the system is extremely flexible for interesting stuff.
8. I'd say there's more complex stuff going on. It's usually not an enemy applying a status effect directly, but a series of conditions being fulfilled (which may include an enemy performing a certain type of H attack or something).
9. When the ATB bar is red it means a character/enemy is readying a skill. Certain attacks can interrupt the cast, similar to something like WoW. Certain attacks can also knock back the ATB or casting meter. Some gear/skills/items will make these preventable. Interrupting H attacks is more complex. You can interrupt a single skill, but it won't break the hold an enemy has on the character. The enemy's pink "Lust" bar starts off full with each renewed hold attack, and has to be diminished to zero for the character to break free. This can be done by struggling or by the opposite character who can use skills that damage that bar specifically.
I'll go into more detail down the road on this kind of stuff with some development journal posts on the blog.
What's it going to take to get my hands on the soundtrack or song playing in the preview video?
That is some very good music to my ears and I would love to know if it's possible to obtain the soundtrack or the song in anyway? That's If there's a longer version available of course.
Thanks! The soundtrack will generally consist of stuff similar to this / from my own project and from similar artists/acquaintances who are contributing material. I'd have to talk to the owner to be able to distribute it, but if people like it enough I will probably approach the artists to work something out to where I can sell it and give them cuts of the revenue. Doing something like this with Patreon would get goofy though as it doesn't make sense as an ongoing reward.