Re: Malise and the Machine - Public Demo Available Now!
You're basically just suggesting that any hint of difficulty be removed =/. I understand if you want to just get straight to the art and be done with it, but not everyone does.
EDIT: Meant to mention, I'll take this kind of thing into account once we get to work on the gallery mode, as variant hunting like you're describing could definitely be seen as a chore.
I think the core misunderstanding here is that most people who will play your game will have played dozens, if not hundreds of RPGmaker games, and myself having done so I can safely say there hasn't been a singe RPGmaker game that managed to be 'difficult'.
If you want difficulty you first need to decide what kind of challenge you're offering, something like a bullet hell challenges your spatial awareness, precision and reaction, a puzzle game challenges you intellectually etc. etc.
The problem here is that currently every obstacle in this game is overcome by spending more time, not doing 'better' at something. Even without the combat being in wait mode it's really no challenge to input commands quickly and accurately, even if you've never played a game like this adapting to the pace is remarkably simple.
The 2D RPG platform simply does not offer a conceptual challenge to players, at best you get a system that rewards competent decision-making (something like party balancing etc) with feeling powerful, and punishes incompetence with tedium (can't win through decision making? Just grind!) and this game is no different, of course the game is still in early development but difficulty will only occur on an enemy by enemy basis, once you've 'solved' an encounter (challenge) all that remains is executing the plan (tedium) and every encounter thereafter is just repetition of the latter half. Adding to that a lack of options in weapons, consumables and party management and there really isn't much to challenge a player.
Now, I can imagine you're trying to style the game as a kind of assault course, where the whole point is to get to the end before being overwhelmed by constant attacks - I.e getting raped should be a bad thing because it means you're getting close to being overwhelmed/defeated, and avoiding it is part of the challenge in solving an encounter, the escalation thereof over the course of multiple encounters is what changes the dynamic of solving subsequent encounters thus alleviating the tedium of blind repetition. Not sure if this is what you're intending, but the problem with such a system is that it inherently discourages the very thing most people are here for, to see two beautifully modeled characters get fucked every which way. Which brings up the main problem; Why would anyone attempt to overcome the challenge, what is the benefit or reward of overcoming it? And when there is no such reward or benefit then why expect people to do it, to enjoy doing it?
My last issue comes from the RNG in combat, though this is pretty much a personal gripe I just cannot stomach the hit/miss mechanic. Conceptually it forces a player to respond to an escalation in an encounter (your solution didn't work this time, what now?) but practically it just slows the game down by wasting a round or even forcing you to spend time healing by skipping turns defending, the conceptual challenge of meeting an enemy's skill with the appropriate skills of your own and doing so quickly enough in a sort of 'rhythm' is also completely botched by this, and getting stuck for a few turns in a flesh pods' consume because you missed your one interrupt could be a cool concept but you lack the tools of coping with the problems caused by RNG (you cannot combat the lust increase, you cannot counter a grab) You could alleviate this issue by offering the player tools to deal with this that require preparation and forethought, for example an item or (expensive) skill that greatly damages a grappling enemy, rather than the ONLY options being spending several turns correcting bad RNG.
TLDR; If you want this game to have difficulty as a core part of it, you need to stop and think about what you're going to be challenging in people, and how you're going to motivate them to overcome that challenge. Look at what challenges you're offering people, and then look at the tools you're offering them to overcome those challenges and what using those tools requires.
Your core gameplay isn't bad at all, but it's currently in no way difficult, just occasionally tedious.
My suggestions in coping with those is simply adding options like a limited number of items that you can use to alleviate tedium, but perhaps at a cost (like hell, some kind of small explosive that you can use when grappled to blow up the enemy, and yourself, killing the enemy and costing you a chunk of health)
If you want to maintain the feeling of 'oh shit, my character got grappled!' and have it be a severe hindrance then cut down on the RNG. Nobody likes losing due to a string of bad rolls, ideally you follow a system of; good rolls - easy win, mediocre rolls - have to use some skills/resources but otherwise no problems, bad rolls - had to use a lot of different skills, even some items, and only risk actual loss when you're already lacking energy and items due to poor management of resources. To give an example you could enter a dark room that causes you to miss more often, taking the long way around leads you to a switch that turns on the light and alleviates this problem, using night-vision goggles costs you a battery item/energy but you won't suffer the loss in accuracy, or you could grind until you're strong enough to just power through. The key factor here is that a problem is only ever as interesting as the possibilities of solving it.
