What about Zelda : Ocarina of Time battle system, it''s easy, nice and we a couple more commands can make great effects.

For a PC game replace ''maintain trigger on'' by ''hit target key once'', and the character will target the nearest/nearest target ennemy.

I do think that a slightly modified version of the Zelda64 battle system could be really great for a 3rd personn pseudo RPG.

-* So many things to do, so little time to spend. *-

I keep hearing about Zelda, it''s such a lame name for a game. Is it really that good? Btw, could you be bothered to explain how it works for slowies like me? I''d would like to know too. (Sorry if this comes across flame''ish)

Definition of Progress: Durability control (see Financial interests of stockholders)

Paul, about Zelda it really is pretty neat. Just about every action in the game is context sensitive. The main button (A) is used for more actions, there is also a button for the sword, and three other user configurable buttons for items. Then, the z-button (underneath the joystick on the controller) is used to lock onto the nearest enemy. While locked on, you can guide link (the main character) to rotate around the enemy, whom he will always by facing towards while locked on. You can do flips, jumps and rolls with a combination of joystick moves and the A button. You can do different slashes with the sword depending on the situation. Locking on is also useful to talk to people who are hard to get to, just lock on and press A.

Back to the main topic, in the rpg I''m working on, you used the arrow keys to walk up, down, left, and right while the character is always facing the mouse. I suppose it fits a game that uses guns better than a swordfighting game, but It could work for a sword fighting game too. Then, if there are tons of enemies around, it would be easier to fight them all at once using the "free-flowing" fighting system. I also thought of another idea. With mousebutton taps, different jabs are used, but when the button is held down, different mouse movement patterns define the swing. Left to right (according to your character) is a side swing and a larger movement space is a bigger swing. But the bigger swing leaves your player more open to an attack. If you move the mouse out or back, it changes how far out the character is reaching with the sword. I''m thinking, similar to DieByTheSword, but not giving the player not quite so much actual control. (They aren''t dictating the EXACT point in space where their sword is.)

The more I think about it, the more awesome I think this system would be! The characters speed in swinging the sword and the players attention to what goes on suddenly become major factors in the outcome of the battles.

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Original post by MadKeithV

What you have to remember is that
1. The user should be able to reassign any buttons that he/she thinks are in the wrong place.

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I realise this... I always allow a reassign, because in games I always reassign to the keypad . It is always handy there

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2. We set an original goal of using three fingers on each hand maximum, without too much finger movement.

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That is why I use the keypad. When are you going to rotate left while strafing left? Move your index finger from the 4 to the 7 (or the 1, depending on how you set it up). Forward is moved from 5, 5 can be block, or cancel (stop). It doesn''t require much movement at all. Which is why I always use it

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However, about the three button mouse: you could include it with the game, or include the game with the mouse. Might be good getting an agreement with Logitech about this, another way to make sure your game gets published . Commercial backing is always a good thing.

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I was thinking about this myself. It shouldn''t be too hard to do, and you can have specialised images on the mouse as well... For advertising (to friends and relatives who see it )

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I haven''t got time to brainstorm more ideas right now, I might be back later .

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Good, willing to hear some more of your ideas

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

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Original post by Saluk

The more I think about it, the more awesome I think this system would be! The characters speed in swinging the sword and the players attention to what goes on suddenly become major factors in the outcome of the battles.

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Which is the whole idea of doing this . Get the player INVOLVED with their character. It will make them feel more atuned to the world, and give them the feeling of actually having an effect on the game world. This is why I say that games are lacking it

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

Yeah, that''s the problem w/ CRPG[-ish] they depend so much upon stats, the player''s practically a bystander (it probably goes back to AD&D), and I think it''s cooler to let the player actually control what''s going on and maybe let the stats influence still somewhat.


"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.

If the left button was for the left hand and the right button was for the right hand, that would make sense, but people are used to using the left button for attacks so you would need a left handed protagonist. If you used the left button for a right hand attack and right button for the left handed shield, it would probably confuse people. Ahh it''s probably not that big a deal, especially if you are anticipating using multilple weapons. Players would get used to using the right button, and left handed players would praise you.

-Jason

Seeing as it is fairly uncomplex (in combinations standards anyway) and seeing as I intend to use a training centre to actually tell the player how to control in battle, that oughto remove any mouse button problems.

Make it configurable though so that left handed people can use it in reverse if they want

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
          

There''s one other issue that''s going to crop up later on down the track if you succed with this, AI. The more flexability that you give to the player the harder time you will have doing the AI. If this sounds like i''m being discouraging - I''m not. There''s no harm in fiddling with these idea''s, maybe you could work out a way so ai won''t become harder to implement aswell. Added challange

Definition of Progress: Durability control (see Financial interests of stockholders)

AI doesn''t seem to be the issue to me, it is the modelling that I can see being a problem. You can base the whole AI attacking on probability of what they will attack. A random number would even work in such a case, but the way that they attack should really be scripted beforehand I think... They follow a set attack pattern, and have a random chance of blocking your attacks when they happen... It really doesn''t seem that difficult to implement, but the graphical side seems to be bugging me the most (I am not sure how smooth the fighting would look).

Anyway... If you have a specific problem about possible AI problems then I am glad to listen to them. (I didn''t think you were being discouraging... Because I know that it is a cool idea )

-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche