Standard Enemies:
Bosses:
Final Boss:
The order is as follows:
Area 1
Thieves - Troll
Area 2
Kobolds - Assassin
Area 3
Bandits - Fisher
Area 4
Goblins - Ogre
So what do you all think?
Full Version: Critique on standard enemies in my game
So, I have four different types of enemies, four bosses, and a final boss. This game has only one playable character. I want to keep things interesting and I don't want the different enemies to just be slightly higher hp copies of each other. They tend to travel in groups of two or solo. So here's what I've got so far:
The order is as follows:
Area 1
Thieves - Troll
Area 2
Kobolds - Assassin
Area 3
Bandits - Fisher
Area 4
Goblins - Ogre
So what do you all think?
The order is as follows:
Area 1
Thieves - Troll
Area 2
Kobolds - Assassin
Area 3
Bandits - Fisher
Area 4
Goblins - Ogre
So what do you all think?
Only 1 type of enemy per area?
I would at least mix it up a bit, like thief's can either be sword, bow or dual wield, with slightly different abilities. Or if you have races, thief troll has higher speed and damage, while human thief has higher hp or something.
I would at least mix it up a bit, like thief's can either be sword, bow or dual wield, with slightly different abilities. Or if you have races, thief troll has higher speed and damage, while human thief has higher hp or something.
QUOTE (Icenick99 @ Apr 26 2012, 08:28 PM) 
Only 1 type of enemy per area?
I would at least mix it up a bit, like thief's can either be sword, bow or dual wield, with slightly different abilities. Or if you have races, thief troll has higher speed and damage, while human thief has higher hp or something.
I would at least mix it up a bit, like thief's can either be sword, bow or dual wield, with slightly different abilities. Or if you have races, thief troll has higher speed and damage, while human thief has higher hp or something.
I'm working with the stock battlers so I really don't have much to work with in terms of thieves and bandits, though you do make a good point. I should at least mix up what those battlers have in their hands, vary their stats a little, n' go from there. Variety keeps it interesting.
Hm, so what will combat actually look like? As in, what kind of strategies do you need to beat each enemy? If facing one thief that can only do one attack, then the player would just be attacking back and forth, which isn't exciting. Are there elemental weakness the player must figure out?
As to the weapon idea, Fire Emblem has a system where each weapon is strong and weak toward different weapons (kind of a rock-paper-scissors setup where swords beat axes, axes beat lances, and lances beat sword, or something like that). That kind of system might work well if you allow players to change weapons during battle and require things (quests, exploration, etc.) of the players to get said weapons.
As to the weapon idea, Fire Emblem has a system where each weapon is strong and weak toward different weapons (kind of a rock-paper-scissors setup where swords beat axes, axes beat lances, and lances beat sword, or something like that). That kind of system might work well if you allow players to change weapons during battle and require things (quests, exploration, etc.) of the players to get said weapons.
QUOTE (vvalkingman @ Apr 26 2012, 04:42 AM)
So, I have four different types of enemies, four bosses, and a final boss. This game has only one playable character. I want to keep things interesting and I don't want the different enemies to just be slightly higher hp copies of each other. They tend to travel in groups of two or solo. So here's what I've got so far:
The order is as follows:
Area 1
Thieves - Troll
Area 2
Kobolds - Assassin
Area 3
Bandits - Fisher
Area 4
Goblins - Ogre
So what do you all think?
Standard Enemies:
Bosses:
Final Boss:
The order is as follows:
Area 1
Thieves - Troll
Area 2
Kobolds - Assassin
Area 3
Bandits - Fisher
Area 4
Goblins - Ogre
So what do you all think?
Problem with 1 playable character is that you really need to ensure you are balancing out the battles. Probably no more than 2 or 3 enemies at once, if that, and it almost eliminates the ability for status effects since you couldn't put the character to sleep, as an example, because the player would literally have 0 chance of survivial.
However, you can mix up the attack patterns to ensure the player is implementing strategy of sorts. I'd also ensure enemies aren't always healing, because depending upon how much they are healing compared to how much damage one character can dish out, a battle could potentially last for a very long time.
However, you can mix up the attack patterns to ensure the player is implementing strategy of sorts. I'd also ensure enemies aren't always healing, because depending upon how much they are healing compared to how much damage one character can dish out, a battle could potentially last for a very long time.
Since you only have one player character available, I would restrict the monsters to groups of two or three only. They also shouldn't take too long to kill, because each turn the character isn't able to defeat them, they'll be guaranteed to sustain damage, and this can make a difference between life and death.
I think you definitely need more than one enemy in each area, though. Fighting the same enemy through an entire dungeon does not make for engaging battles, and since we only have one player character to work with, who has limited skills and abilities, you need to have engaging fights to make up for a perceived lack of depth to the battles. I would include at least three enemies in each area: a weak enemy, a slightly stronger enemy, and a (rarer) strong enemy, and finally the boss. This way, we get to encounter mixed monster groups and there's more surprise and variety, rather than just killing the same thing that has the same attacks, traits and stats over and over again.
You also need to give some thought to status ailments. Status ailments can add something to your battles, but be careful using them since you only have one character. If you use a Stun condition, only make it last for ONE turn, or the player will be helpless. Also, if you use Poison, Blind or Silence, make them wear off after a few turns, instead of lasting the whole battle, so the player isn't crippled because they forgot to bring an antidote with them or something.
I would consider making the strongest of the three enemies in each area have a chance of inflicting a status ability.
I think you definitely need more than one enemy in each area, though. Fighting the same enemy through an entire dungeon does not make for engaging battles, and since we only have one player character to work with, who has limited skills and abilities, you need to have engaging fights to make up for a perceived lack of depth to the battles. I would include at least three enemies in each area: a weak enemy, a slightly stronger enemy, and a (rarer) strong enemy, and finally the boss. This way, we get to encounter mixed monster groups and there's more surprise and variety, rather than just killing the same thing that has the same attacks, traits and stats over and over again.
You also need to give some thought to status ailments. Status ailments can add something to your battles, but be careful using them since you only have one character. If you use a Stun condition, only make it last for ONE turn, or the player will be helpless. Also, if you use Poison, Blind or Silence, make them wear off after a few turns, instead of lasting the whole battle, so the player isn't crippled because they forgot to bring an antidote with them or something.
I would consider making the strongest of the three enemies in each area have a chance of inflicting a status ability.
For starters my game is short, we are talking 3 hours max. You are a monk who is mastering five paths of martial arts which each give you access to abilities and buffs that make you pretty strong in comparison to standard enemies and bosses. You switch between the paths similar to how you switch between weapons mid battle like in final fantasy mystic quest and eternal filena.
In conclusion, I agree with the idea of having multiple types of enemies in an area and utilizing status ailments better. But since the areas that we are talking about are relatively small, I think having a standard enemy and a rare strong enemy is about as far as I should go. As for sleep & paralyze(three turn stun), I dont think these should be included as you guys have stated bc I only have one character and it would mean certain doom. By the time the character has reached the rival's bridge, they should have mastered the offensive path giving them access to an attack that hits all enemies. At this point in the game, I should have three enemies at a time. Prior to this, I don't think it would work out having anymore then two enemies as each standard battle would feel like a boss battle. It should be noted that each path is learned before a boss fight (except for the utility path which is hidden in game) and has three stages before mastered. What are you're thoughts on this?
The Five Paths
The Story
In conclusion, I agree with the idea of having multiple types of enemies in an area and utilizing status ailments better. But since the areas that we are talking about are relatively small, I think having a standard enemy and a rare strong enemy is about as far as I should go. As for sleep & paralyze(three turn stun), I dont think these should be included as you guys have stated bc I only have one character and it would mean certain doom. By the time the character has reached the rival's bridge, they should have mastered the offensive path giving them access to an attack that hits all enemies. At this point in the game, I should have three enemies at a time. Prior to this, I don't think it would work out having anymore then two enemies as each standard battle would feel like a boss battle. It should be noted that each path is learned before a boss fight (except for the utility path which is hidden in game) and has three stages before mastered. What are you're thoughts on this?
Three hours is a long time for an RM game (in my opinion). I think you are going to need more enemies, even if the only thing different about them is just what they look like, to prevent the player from getting bored.
If you could give us a short demo (doesn't haven't to be from the start of a game - could just be a level with standard enemies so we can better understand the battle system) that would help us give feedback.
I don't know how far along you are in designing, but it might add a little more strategy to the game if it were open-world instead of linear, so the player can choose the order in which to learn each path. I also think it would make more sense for the player to learn the path skills AFTER beating a boss rather than before, and that the skill(s) you learn be effective against another boss. If you were to go this route, the player could base their decisions on what order to learn each path based on which path skills are useful in each boss fight. The effect would be like Mega Man (You can go through the levels in any order you want, but Ice-man is weak to Fire-beam, so you should beat Fire-man before tackling Ice-man, etc.). Just a suggestions, feel free to disregard or ask if I don't make sense.
Also, for lessons in what not to do, try my last project, The Epic of Gilgamesh. The player controls one character, occasionally two, for most of the game, and I predictably caught hell for the battles feeling unbalanced. It's a very fine line to walk, not making battles too hard or too easy. Please keep us updated on the progress of this project because I'm interested in this topic.
If you could give us a short demo (doesn't haven't to be from the start of a game - could just be a level with standard enemies so we can better understand the battle system) that would help us give feedback.
I don't know how far along you are in designing, but it might add a little more strategy to the game if it were open-world instead of linear, so the player can choose the order in which to learn each path. I also think it would make more sense for the player to learn the path skills AFTER beating a boss rather than before, and that the skill(s) you learn be effective against another boss. If you were to go this route, the player could base their decisions on what order to learn each path based on which path skills are useful in each boss fight. The effect would be like Mega Man (You can go through the levels in any order you want, but Ice-man is weak to Fire-beam, so you should beat Fire-man before tackling Ice-man, etc.). Just a suggestions, feel free to disregard or ask if I don't make sense.
Also, for lessons in what not to do, try my last project, The Epic of Gilgamesh. The player controls one character, occasionally two, for most of the game, and I predictably caught hell for the battles feeling unbalanced. It's a very fine line to walk, not making battles too hard or too easy. Please keep us updated on the progress of this project because I'm interested in this topic.
QUOTE (vvalkingman @ May 5 2012, 11:27 AM)
For starters my game is short, we are talking 3 hours max. You are a monk who is mastering five paths of martial arts which each give you access to abilities and buffs that make you pretty strong in comparison to standard enemies and bosses. You switch between the paths similar to how you switch between weapons mid battle like in final fantasy mystic quest and eternal filena.
In conclusion, I agree with the idea of having multiple types of enemies in an area and utilizing status ailments better. But since the areas that we are talking about are relatively small, I think having a standard enemy and a rare strong enemy is about as far as I should go. As for sleep & paralyze(three turn stun), I dont think these should be included as you guys have stated bc I only have one character and it would mean certain doom. By the time the character has reached the rival's bridge, they should have mastered the offensive path giving them access to an attack that hits all enemies. At this point in the game, I should have three enemies at a time. Prior to this, I don't think it would work out having anymore then two enemies as each standard battle would feel like a boss battle. It should be noted that each path is learned before a boss fight (except for the utility path which is hidden in game) and has three stages before mastered. What are you're thoughts on this?
The Five Paths
The Story
In conclusion, I agree with the idea of having multiple types of enemies in an area and utilizing status ailments better. But since the areas that we are talking about are relatively small, I think having a standard enemy and a rare strong enemy is about as far as I should go. As for sleep & paralyze(three turn stun), I dont think these should be included as you guys have stated bc I only have one character and it would mean certain doom. By the time the character has reached the rival's bridge, they should have mastered the offensive path giving them access to an attack that hits all enemies. At this point in the game, I should have three enemies at a time. Prior to this, I don't think it would work out having anymore then two enemies as each standard battle would feel like a boss battle. It should be noted that each path is learned before a boss fight (except for the utility path which is hidden in game) and has three stages before mastered. What are you're thoughts on this?
I like your idea of making it more like megaman where you learn a technique after the boss fight that might help in a different fight. I think I might explore that non-linear thinking in a second Monk game. The first monk game is a proof of concept. I'm trying to highlight the battle system, the martial art known as Goshiki the five paths, and the lazy monk that happens to be a genius when it comes to martial arts. When I said the player learns a path before he fights a boss, I neglected to say that before a fight there is a cutscene where the player attempts to do battle with the boss which doesn't end well. In the process, I give the player choices of how to act and in choosing the correct action the player then realizes the path necessary to defeating the boss.
As for a demo, I'm currently eventing the second boss cutscene which would put the game at about the halfway point once finished. I could post a demo once I finish that up if you'd like. Would I do that here or in another forum? Just want to make sure I'm not breaking any rules.
Example
As for a demo, I'm currently eventing the second boss cutscene which would put the game at about the halfway point once finished. I could post a demo once I finish that up if you'd like. Would I do that here or in another forum? Just want to make sure I'm not breaking any rules.
I feel like you need to give some more information, honestly. While the stats of the enemies are nice and all, how are they in comparison to your main character's base stats? I need to see the stats of your main character as well in order to properly determine whether these enemies are balanced or not.
Also, at what level(s) do you anticipate your hero fighting each enemy? I agree you could use some variety in general, but knowing which point your character is going to fight what would be helpful for critique.
Also, at what level(s) do you anticipate your hero fighting each enemy? I agree you could use some variety in general, but knowing which point your character is going to fight what would be helpful for critique.
I am not the moderator for the gameplay section (that's Titanhex, and he has the final say), but from what I understand of our demo policy, if you are posting a demo for your game as a whole (which means revealing parts of the story), then it should go under the Project Demos Forum. If your demo is just to demonstrate a mechanic or two, (say, a field where you can walk around and just fight the enemies in your game), then you may post it under Design Critique. If the demo is of a single, specific level in your game, you may post it under Level Design (I wrote a post about my process of designing a dugeon and posted a demo of just that dungeon, with my characters starting off at the level they needed to be at). Let me know if that makes sense, and Titanhex let me know if I'm correct :-p
QUOTE (vvalkingman @ May 9 2012, 06:12 PM)
As for a demo, I'm currently eventing the second boss cutscene which would put the game at about the halfway point once finished. I could post a demo once I finish that up if you'd like. Would I do that here or in another forum? Just want to make sure I'm not breaking any rules.
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