Custom Battle System

[Nova]

Seeing as I have not touched RPGM:XP in sometime, I have a question about a custom battle system I'd like to do, my question would be is it possible.

I want to make something like FFXIII, just not as Fast-paced, a system where you have a multi-gauged ATB in which you can stock choices to use.

Say, you have an ATB with four bars:
===============================
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
===============================
| Fire | Firaga |
===============================
^Actions.

Anyone ever try this before? Would this work? Could it also be applied to enemies as well?

*Edit: It screwed up the formatting, but you get the idea I'm sure.

[Wavelength]

Re: Custom Battle System

I haven't tried using active-time battle systems yet. I'm not sure whether there are systems like that out there (I know there are systems that simulate the earlier Final Fantasies like 3/6).

I do think this is possible, though I'm not sure how I would make it smooth; you would probably need to modify the clockworks of the on-screen text windows (which would be used to display your different options). Assuming that the "Wait" command works in battle (which I think it does), the ATB bars would definitely be doable.

And this would also work for enemies but would be harder to pull off than it would be for actors, since you'd probably need to use different behavior for each enemy.

[Nova]

Re: Custom Battle System

I decided against it for enemies, I'm just going to give them your typical attack list and percentage-based choices. I just want a system with a constantly refilling ATB gauge that you use to select actions in battle.

Exactly the same as FFXIII, just not with the fluid activeness.

I'm going to tinker with XP and see what I can do.

[Wavelength]

Re: Custom Battle System

It sounds cool!

If you don't care about the real time aspect and just need the gauge to fill up (and affect your characters) as turns go by, that's not even overly difficult to do. It will require some significant modification to the Scene_Battler methods and probably a few of the Window methods.

If you want, I could show you a few of my custom methods that I used to create an Adrenaline system (essentially the characters earn points each turn they can use for skills just like mana) and Transformations (a character gains and loses skills based on their current State, which could probably be applied in a slightly different place to have them do the same for their "ATB" gauge). Let me know if you'd like to see 'em.

[Nova]

Re: Custom Battle System

Yeah, that'd be cool! Thanks alot!

All I'm looking for is the ATB to fill while the battle is going on, then to drain when you use up your options. An active system would be cool, but it's not essential. Just an ATB gauge for each character constantly refilling that you can select attacks that will use so many gauges would be perfect.

I wanna eventually start a massive RPGM:XP project, but I need to see if I can get this battle system done because it's going to be a purely custom game: Custom Soundtrack, SFX, VFX, Sprites etc.

[Wavelength]

Re: Custom Battle System

Cool, I'll send that stuff over when I get the chance. Might be a week or two because I'm extremely busy with both work and life this week. Just let me know your email so I can send it.

I'm hoping to make an almost-entirely custom game as well. When I think about how much there is to do, it's really daunting! But each time I sit down and work with it for a few hours I feel I've made good progress, even if it is only like a thousandth of what I need to do overall.

I rarely need to compromise with XP, and that's what I like the most about it.

[lemonairable]

Re: Custom Battle System

There's actually a system that's just like what you're talking about.

Action bars charge actively and you use Left and Right to switch between characters. Actions use a certain amount of the meter, the amount depending on the action. Let me see if I can find it.

http://houseslasher.com/index.php?showtopic=173
It's the "Action Cost CBS" listed under demos.

[Wavelength]

Re: Custom Battle System

There's actually a system that's just like what you're talking about.

Action bars charge actively and you use Left and Right to switch between characters. Actions use a certain amount of the meter, the amount depending on the action. Let me see if I can find it.

http://houseslasher.com/index.php?showtopic=173
It's the "Action Cost CBS" listed under demos.

That sounds really cool. Didn't have the time to download and try the demo, but it sounds like it might be exactly what Nova was looking for. I wonder how easy it is to implement the kind of skills that would be relatively easy to code/script in the default system?

[Nova]

Re: Custom Battle System

Thanks lemon, I can't view it since my laptop charger is dead and I have to use my PS3 for internet, but this sounds exactly like what I want. Oh, I also have another question regarding passive abilitys... Can you script in complex passive abilities that would do, say for example.

Ability: Scourge
Effect: Increases the final "Attack" damage by an additional 1% for each Status Ailment on the targeted opponent.

Or also:

Ability: Restore all lost ATB gauges when an enemy is killed with the "Attack" command.

I really want to make a huge project on XP, but it has to be custom. Custom battle system, sprites, etc. Hell, I already have a composer hired for an original soundtrack. (The same lady who was mentioned in my Game Forum for SP awhile back.) I'd repost some of here works, but I'm on my PS3 and can't do so.

Thanks alot guys, anyways, I'm back to playing Fallout 3!

*Edit: Oh, does that battle system work on the basis of a single ATB guage for all characters? Because I'm looking for 3 seperate ones.

[lemonairable]

Re: Custom Battle System

It uses a separate ATB for every character. They all charge in real time.

And, on the topic of complex passive abilities, I'd like to say that pretty much anything in possible in XP. You can probably do what you're asking.

[Wavelength]

Re: Custom Battle System

Oh, I also have another question regarding passive abilitys... Can you script in complex passive abilities that would do, say for example.

Ability: Scourge
Effect: Increases the final "Attack" damage by an additional 1% for each Status Ailment on the targeted opponent.

Or also:

Ability: Restore all lost ATB gauges when an enemy is killed with the "Attack" command.

The answer is yes to both, BUT I'm not sure whether your use of the ATB will require your scripting to be much different.

The first one you've got is very similar to a skill I made called "Hex on Fire" which does extra damage based on the number of bad statuses on the target. It counts the number of bad states on the enemy, increases variable 305 (just a random one I reserved) for each one, then adds some damage based on that variable and the user's int. Finally, it sets variable 305 back to zero since we don't need it anymore.

Use some code a lot like this, somewhere in the "Apply Skill Effects" in Game_Battler 3. Or, if you want to use it for regular attacks, put it in the attack effects section and make sure not to use words like "skill" or "user" - find the appropriate words from the code that's already there in the method. Finally, you'll probably want to use variables or armor checks or whatever instead of "if skill.id ==" to make this into a passive ability.

if skill.id == 117
....for i in [17,18,19,20,21,23,24,26,30,31,32,33,36]
........if battler.state?(i)
............$game_variables[305] += 1
........end
....end
....self.damage += ($game_variables[305] * user.int / 2)
....$game_variables[305] = 0
end

And your second idea is like a skill I have called "Energizing Charge" which restores SP for each enemy defeated by the skill. Again, place under "Attack Effects" in Game_Battler 3 if you want to use it for an attack, and make sure to use the appropriate keywords. The user.damage lines are just to give the player an idea of what's happening; they're not strictly necessary.

if skill.id == 95
....if self.hp <= 0
........user.sp += 25
........user.damage = "SP Gain"
........user.damage_pop = true
....end
end

The best way to figure this all out is just to jump into the code, try to figure out at least part of what's going on, and then try to code it yourself. Lots of trial and error, but it's a good learning experience. I've certainly hit my share of bumps along the way - and I'm still miles off from being able to do the kind of stuff that lemonair posted.

[Nova]

Re: Custom Battle System

Thanks alot for the in-depth and thoughtful responses. Wave! I really appreciate it!

Now, seeing as how I am starting to understand how flexible and limitless XP is, I'm still unsure. If it's not too much trouble, could I post my passive skillsets in my Game Forum (Highwind Productions) and ask you to have a look at them? Just to let me know, based on your experience, if they'd work or not?

If doing a role based system like XIII where certain classes are build to do only one thing such as buffing allies, defending allies, attacking etc. (I think I have around 70 or so passive abs. built around my classes.)

[Wavelength]

Re: Custom Battle System

Oops, I corrected the "Lightning Charge" code above to show it restoring SP and instead of AP. AP is just something I created for my game... actually slightly like your ATB count

Thanks alot for the in-depth and thoughtful responses. Wave! I really appreciate it!

Now, seeing as how I am starting to understand how flexible and limitless XP is, I'm still unsure. If it's not too much trouble, could I post my passive skillsets in my Game Forum (Highwind Productions) and ask you to have a look at them? Just to let me know, based on your experience, if they'd work or not?

If doing a role based system like XIII where certain classes are build to do only one thing such as buffing allies, defending allies, attacking etc. (I think I have around 70 or so passive abs. built around my classes.)

No problem! Glad you found it helpful. Feel free to do so and I'll give you my best guess on whether/how each item is possible, though I'd be assuming the default battle system. Hopefully any scripts you implement like the ATB don't modify it too much (and often they don't, which is good news). Make sure you mention how the characters earn these passive skills, because that's going to determine the kind of conditional branches you need to set up.

It's funny how much we seem to be on the same wavelength here (pun not intended). I'm planning to have a system called "crests" in my game which are arcane symbols like tattoos that characters can wear (and like a tattoo, it's gone forever once you remove it). Gameplay-wise, it's like an extra set of armor, though each one provides you with different mostly-passive effects rather than soaking damage. For all I know, we may have arrived independently at almost the same exact thing.

It's definitely good to be able to get as creative as you're getting with skills when you're making different classes like that. I remember trying to do so in RM3; it was a struggle. Here? So much easier.

[Nova]

Re: Custom Battle System

Oh come on, Wave, that pun was TOTALLY intended! :3 As for character development system, I was thinking of a hybrid between FFX and Xenosaga III.

By completing battles, you earn points, (not currently named, but will be named in relevance to the development system name.) that you can use to advance along an extensive network of skill trees.

After using the points to move, you have to use special types of items, (FFX and Spheres) to purchase Stat boosts (Strength, HP, Magic) or Abilitys/Auto-Abilitys (Attack, Jeopardize, Healchain, Curaja.) or special upgrades like ATB gauges, TP. Each Role will have a special grid in it's own that characters can advance upon. Each character will have their own variations of each board, to keep some people far more specialized in a particular role.

Of course, I'm still planning my game out and this is subject to change, and probably will because a development system like this is hard to balance, but I guess that makes it worthwhile and more rewarding in the end.