Okay, so I've been AWOL for like 3 years or something...but I've recently gotten the urge to do some RPG Making. I read through a great post by Ryner called Ryner talks about battles and combat. After reading through some of the ideas in that thread I've been thinking about some ways to make a game more interesting. This is for RPG Maker 1 btw.
Please rip these ideas to shreds before I work too hard on them:
Now, some smaller ideas I had:
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Please rip these ideas to shreds before I work too hard on them:
- No experience points, you defeat enemies to get Anima (Gold) and trade it in for a limited amount of status increases (this is also worked into the game story itself to explain how it works). Also, by trading in Anima spells could be upgraded or other events in the area could be changed (e.g. lowering a boss' stats, opening a secret path).
- The main character is a Druid and has to find an animal companion at the beginning of the game. There are three of them, but you have to choose one. One is the physical fighter, one is a magic user and another uses status effect spells. The latter two would have 0 Strength, forcing you to use them in their intended roles.
- Your choice of animal companion allows you to ask access different secrets, or to complete tasks in a different way.
- On a side note to that, I was thinking of setting the companions to job with the AI turned on, and asking the player to change their AI strategy (including turning off the use of items).
- Blacksmithing to upgrade weapons, rather than buying stuff (because I'm using the Gold thing for experience). How this would be paid for is also worked into the story. You would also have to collect items throughout the quest to be able to use the blacksmith.
- Also, since it makes no sense for all characters to be decked out with equipment, characters can only equip items that make sense for their sprites. For example, the frail old woman wouldn't have a shield, but would have that stupid bandanna equipped on her.
- A character who is somewhat like a Geomancer would receive magic spells based on the area she is in. For example, if she were to go underground she would be able to cast an Earth Spell, but would lose it when she goes above ground to the forest that the cave is in and would then be able to cast a Nature Spell instead.
- Getting rid of the 35-point rule. I think that by increasing the HP of characters through an event to 80 or 100 or something around there, gives more leeway for battle damage. Giving the rest of them about equal stats, and keeping stat increases to a minimum.
- Having the game be several serialized chapters, I was even thinking of having wildly different outcomes depending on a few key choice. Maybe even making two independent second scenarios which would depend on the choices made (is that even possible?).
Now, some smaller ideas I had:
- You are in a room, and every time you take a step, an item is reduced in your inventory (let's call it noise). You can only take a certain number of steps before your inventory is reduced to zero, and at that point you waken a monster who attacks you.
- Doing an FF6 style dungeon where you split the characters up, and they need to cooperate to complete the dungeon. Also, depending on the character you choose to go down a certain path, their inherent abilities would allow them to find a secret or complete something faster.
- Having every "quest" you encounter give you an item and you can check back at a special spot to receive reminder instructions about the quest. Things like that would be "find item x for this person" or something more original than that. =P
- You have a jumping in-game quest, where you are jumping over a rocky area and you lose an item "balance" every time you jump or walk. If its reduced to 0 you fall and die or something horrible happens.
- A character goes insane and due to his innate powers changes forms (i.e. changes sprites) and receives a huge stat increase and goes all berserk on your ass.
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