I'm planning to make THE ultimate combat system calculator, that is, not one that plays like a fighting game, but a RPG combat system. Now the problem is... how much detail should I put in? I started off doing a simple head, arms, torso, legs attack system, ala Fallout, but after seeing Slaves to Armok and a few problems with critical hits, I think it's a bit too basic.
The original (and perfectly functional ) code has aimed targeting, blocking, dodging, a fairly balanced combat system that always allows a chance to hit, realistic armor system, and a pain system where the character passes out by taking enough hits or by taking too many hits to the abdomen/groin . Death was caused by a 'destroying' hit to the head or chest. I was even planning to add combat manuevers like disarming, ripostes, etc.
However, the Slaves to Armok system made my system simply look... basic. Should I throw away 4 months of hard work trying to make a better system? I'm thinking of making a system where the sword would cut through skin, muscle to the lower parts. Muscle damage reduces the opponents skills, hitting the heart/lungs would require a skill (or damage) check through the ribs. Skin damage reduces appearance, damages nerves.
Slashing would have a chance of hitting multiple body parts, but at the cost of lower damage (as the weapon would have to go through more muscle & armor.
As for organs... how realistic should it be? Just the main respiratory, circulation, nervous system? Or should I include the reproductive, digestive, etc systems as well? Or rather should I put in this much realism in the first place?
The good thing will be that I have a damn nice combat system, which would work damn nice when I add some fantasy creatures and spells. It'll allow for a LOT of ways to play the game, but all those features wouldn't be confusing as the player will be used to the system.
The main problem with a truly realistic combat system is that well, those games tend to end rather quickly. A lucky roll and the sword would hit an artery, making the poor guy bleed to death in 3 rounds. I need a system based on player skill... where the system plays like a game of cards... the player will have to try and plan for what the opponents will do, but experience and skill will help you make the best of what you have.
That and too much focus on combat would make me reduce the RPG elements. I'm planning other nice things like magical plastic surgery (high appearance causes the enemy to make a willpower check to hurt you ), multiplayer gameplay, an improved shop system, entertaining arena fights, maybe some romantic subplots, etc.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Erm... yeah, that level of complexity is just asking for micromanagement. I think healing different limbs is enough, since healing and maintaining different bodily systems would just get so damn tedious. And if you go into that much depth in battle, you'd disappoint if eating foods containing certain types of vitamins and minerals didn't augment your character somehow. Drinking all that milk should protect me from broken bones more than, say, eating cabbage. But I'd rather not think about it.
Well, no, not really. There's almost no micromanagement involved, surprisingly, UNLESS you want to micromanage. The game's almost entirely about combat anyway, but it's fun to just make a beefed up guy in thick armor. It's already fun enough to play the game while pressing K and just watching the blood and gore fly. But then again, I guess there's a limit to how much gore *can* fly before it goes from amusing/realistic to just disgusting. After watching Final Destination 3 and having a friend who broke his leg in several places and upper teeth, I'm kinda not in the mood for such violence.
Still, the main problem remains... how to do the death thing? I HATE the hit point system, where you could slug it out, hitting a ton of times, missing a ton more, then suddenly he trips down the steps, twists an ankle for 3 hp of damage, and he's dead. Armor and the unique weaponry throughout the ages is hell with the HP system. I want something that plays like a card game - you have to guess your opponent's moves and styles and try to fool him with yours...
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
I personally find the more gore there is the funnier it gets (Dracula Dead and Loving it[I watched like 3 Mel Brooks movies back to back last night]). I'm actually fooling around with a project that sticks to this theory.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
I think before deciding how detailed your comabat system should be, think about how much work the rest of the game still needs. If you spend too much time perfecting and adding to one element you're most likely going to create an imbalance. I like the idea of having a detailed combat system but if you're going to spend more than four months on it I question how luxurious the rest of the game would be.
If you're making an RPG and you have to aim and click all the time it ruins the purpose of the RPG system. Rather have a system like in Knights of the Old Republic where the player decides how his character fights but the computer controls the slashing and hitting BASED ON the character's experience.
Sounds like an interesting project, looking forward to checking it out.
"He who controls the past, commands the future.
He who commands the future, conquers the past." - Kane
Ah, but the focus of the game is on combat itself. The better the combat, the more depth the game has. All the other things, conversation, buying stuff, etc, is just to make the COMBAT more interesting. The bulk of the work is the combat engine, which I've finished, but not really sure if it's enough.
The game's combat STYLE would be more similar to Neverwinter Nights/Fallout Tactics if you must have a comparison, where the character automatically attacks, but the player can choose where to aim, what type of attacks to do, etc. It's turn-based for now, but I may make it real-time once I've ironed everything out.
Of course, I've also made large parts of it AI based. The AI estimates the player's moves by doing an Intelligence/Perception check (after the player has actually moves). Then the AI would have to do a Wisdom check to figure out what attack would have the highest chance to hit/damage. This Wisdom AI also does checks for the player's defense, whether to dodge or block.
And if that seems a bit like cheating... well, it's balanced out by the fact that chars with exceptional Wisdom/Intelligence tend to have lower stats in other areas, like Strength and Dexterity, which would mean that their attacks are weaker and less likely to hit, overall.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
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) code has aimed targeting, blocking, dodging, a fairly balanced combat system that always allows a chance to hit, realistic armor system, and a pain system where the character passes out by taking enough hits or by taking too many hits to the abdomen/groin 
. Death was caused by a 'destroying' hit to the head or chest. I was even planning to add combat manuevers like disarming, ripostes, etc.
), multiplayer gameplay, an improved shop system, entertaining arena fights, maybe some romantic subplots, etc.
