Poll: A Brief Game Survey...

[Trivun]

So, as most of you probably won't be aware, I and a few other members of the Escapist community have banded together to make a video game. The idea is to create an indie RPG in the style of older games such as the early Final Fantasies, or Chrono Trigger. We intend to release it through XBLA, and as we're gamers as well as developers we want to get a gamer's opinion on what we come up with. One of those is the demo.

Right now we're discussing a demo to get an idea of where we'll be going and how we'll build the game together from it's building blocks, and we want your opinions. There's a main idea of what kind of battle system we'll be looking at, but we also want your opinions too. So, please briefly answer the poll and post in the thread, and let us know what you want to see. Not every idea will be taken up, but we'll use this thread to consider what people would like to see and how to improve the game as we develop it.

First of all, the main question - what kind of battle system to use? We've considered two possibilities, either a random encounter situation similar to Pokemon/Final Fantasy X/etc, or a Chrono Trigger-esque game where monsters are visible and you fight them in a turn-based style on the world screen. Now we need your input, what do the gamers want?

EDIT: Just to clarify, in either case the battle system will be turn-based similar to FFX, as that's how our programmer is developing the battle system. What the main question is about is whether enemies are encountered randomly or if they are visible when you're walking around, so whether you can avoid enemies or not. Also, we welcome any other comments or suggestions if there's something else you'd like to see

 

[Malo_Tux]

Well I say random encounters only because I haven't played Chrono Trigger and it means level grinding for extremely long periods of time

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Random encounters keep things clean. It's a little strange with the whole pocket dimension thing, but with turn based combat, I find it to be the best solution.

 

[Tibs]

I think Random encounters would work better myself.

 

[HassEsser]

Could you also release it on PSN and Steam? I don't have an Xbox

and definitely random encounters.

 

[DustyDrB]

I prefer the Chrono Trigger style. You should know that my vote counts for 12 people. You see, I have this condition...I inadvertently consume people's souls. Right now, all souls are in consensus about the Chrono Trigger system.

Do you guys have a group on here? I'm interested, and would follow updates.

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

I'd say random encounters. Would be easier to handle from a development standpoint as well I would imagine.

 

[Trivun]

Could you also release it on PSN and Steam? I don't have an Xbox

and definitely random encounters.

That's something we can discuss, as I'm not certain myself but I can ask the project leader

EDIT: We probably won't be able to release it on PSN, because of the developer's kit costs. We would need some good financial backing to release it through PSN. As for Steam, still unsure, but we probably would be able to. I know I'd certainly like to release it for PC as well, as Steam are generally pretty good at promoting indie developers...

 

[chadachada123]

Is there some sort of why to combine the two? Perhaps while in dungeons it's random, but in the overworld it's more Chrono-style?

 

[bombadilillo]

Tales of Symphonia style. Mosters on the world screen that are hard and sometimes impossible to avoid. It adds another level though of trying to dodge and make it to a city without wasting your healing items. Random encounter doesnt even give you a chance.

 

[KorLeonis]

Every game should always strive to be more like Chrono Trigger.

 

[DanielBrown]

Random encounters as in Final Fantasy X imo. I loved the tactic part of it... being able to slow enemies down and see which to kill first to avoid getting hit. <3

 

[Original Bubs]

A mix of the two similar to the Etrian Odyssey style would be nice, where weaker enemies are random, but the mini-boss type monsters move about on the screen and can be avoided. It's a system I've always found very fun to play.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well if you are going that old school then it might as well be random encounters, but that is the worst gaming mechanic known to man (apart from QTE's, maybe you could add those too)

 

[Trivun]

Well if you are going that old school then it might as well be random encounters, but that is the worst gaming mechanic known to man (apart from QTE's, maybe you could add those too)

Don't worry, there will be no QTEs, as far as I'm aware. The type of game doesn't exactly lend itself to that sort of gameplay, after all...

 

[Aris Khandr]

I vote for a mix of the two, like Pokemon. Where you get generic random encounters without warning, but major encounters can be seen on the overland map.

 

[RaNDM G]

I say both. Have monsters appear on the world screen, but randomize which enemy appears based on the player's level or what their active quests are.

 

[Thaius]

I say both. Have monsters appear on the world screen, but randomize which enemy appears based on the player's level or what their active quests are.

This is an interesting idea. I'm the team leader, so I'm not putting anything in the poll, but I thought this was something worth considering in one way or another. The main thing I like about random battles over seeing the enemy on-screen is that, in most cases I've seen (Chrono Trigger as the main example), that same enemy is always in place. You always know exactly which enemy is where, so the whole process becomes very predictable if you go back through an area; I could probably point out exactly where the enemies are on a map of Guardia Forest from memory. But if we could randomize which enemy appears, that problem could be avoided, though some more development difficulties would be introduced as well... interesting idea.

 

[Trivun]

I say both. Have monsters appear on the world screen, but randomize which enemy appears based on the player's level or what their active quests are.

This is an interesting idea. I'm the team leader, so I'm not putting anything in the poll, but I thought this was something worth considering in one way or another. The main thing I like about random battles over seeing the enemy on-screen is that, in most cases I've seen (Chrono Trigger as the main example), that same enemy is always in place. You always know exactly which enemy is where, so the whole process becomes very predictable if you go back through an area; I could probably point out exactly where the enemies are on a map of Guardia Forest from memory. But if we could randomize which enemy appears, that problem could be avoided, though some more development difficulties would be introduced as well... interesting idea.

I agree with this, but that there is the main issue - the difficulty of developing it. If it's feasible to do, then I reckon it's something we could certainly have a go at trying, but the question is whether or not it's something Patrick would be able to program, and also how it would fit with the design and size of levels (though I'll certainly be trying to increase the size of maps from now on, now we've got the tutorial/demo area sorted ). It must be possible somehow, but it's seeing how tough it would be to add rather than whether or not it's possible in the first place. Definitely worth mentioning to Patrick at some point though, perhaps?

 

[Thaius]

I say both. Have monsters appear on the world screen, but randomize which enemy appears based on the player's level or what their active quests are.

This is an interesting idea. I'm the team leader, so I'm not putting anything in the poll, but I thought this was something worth considering in one way or another. The main thing I like about random battles over seeing the enemy on-screen is that, in most cases I've seen (Chrono Trigger as the main example), that same enemy is always in place. You always know exactly which enemy is where, so the whole process becomes very predictable if you go back through an area; I could probably point out exactly where the enemies are on a map of Guardia Forest from memory. But if we could randomize which enemy appears, that problem could be avoided, though some more development difficulties would be introduced as well... interesting idea.

I agree with this, but that there is the main issue - the difficulty of developing it. If it's feasible to do, then I reckon it's something we could certainly have a go at trying, but the question is whether or not it's something Patrick would be able to program, and also how it would fit with the design and size of levels (though I'll certainly be trying to increase the size of maps from now on, now we've got the tutorial/demo area sorted ). It must be possible somehow, but it's seeing how tough it would be to add rather than whether or not it's possible in the first place. Definitely worth mentioning to Patrick at some point though, perhaps?

I shouldn't think it would be too difficult to put some sort of chance-based randomization on things. I wouldn't know, admittedly, but I don't think it should be too difficult. I actually had an idea for enemy A.I. that runs on a similar concept, which I still need to talk more with Patrick about. So we'll see; it might work.