Castle Paradox

[Pepsi Ranger]

Every so often, someone on this board or Slime Salad will talk about a feature (especially in battle) that a Final Fantasy or some commercial RPG has created that they want to implement into their own game. This usually requires some fancy maneuvering around the engine and plotscript file, and even then it seems lacking, and most certainly unoriginal, as they are copying something that was done in a commercial RPG.

So I think this would be a good thread to discuss new battle or game design types that are rarely employed (if ever) in commercial games, to discuss how these things can be implemented in the OHR through fanciness, and if possible, to come up with things that have never been attempted in any RPG.

I'll start with one rare battle type, and I'll attempt to invent a new one (or at least come up with something that I personally haven't seen done yet, even if it has been done somewhere).

RARE:

Random battles that trigger a side-scroller sequence, where the main character has to fight tournament style, or leap through platforms of fire just to confront the measly army of slimes that triggered the battle.

I can only remember seeing this done in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. But I also thought that was one of the coolest forms of battle in any adventure game from that era.

Obviously, the side-scroller masters on this forum would have an easy time implementing this into a game.

POSSIBLE INVENTION:

Follow the poison cups. A series of cups containing marbles representing an attack type will shuffle on the game board. Depending on which one is chosen, the hero will dish out the matching attack. It will either hit hard, soft, with an elemental, an instant kill, or backfire onto the player. The player's job is to decide what he needs for the enemy (strong hits might deflect and hit the hero in the face if he's attacking a trampoline for example), and to track the appropriate marble all within a timeframe of about ten seconds.

So here's the jumping point. Let's pool our thoughts. Let's see how far we can think outside the box. Maybe by this time next year, we'll have some RPGs that are truly original and not rehashes of whatever Square-Enix came up with five years ago.

We can reserve this thread for any gameplay element. It doesn't have to be strictly for battles. If you want to create a Simon type music memory game inside your RPG, then discuss it. No holds barred.

Another example: I've always wanted to play a traditional sports game (football, basketball, etc.) that took place on an erupting volcano or in the middle of the ocean, not in a stadium. Let's think of stuff like that, stuff that could be feasibly implemented in the OHR now or in the next two years (which is a subtle way of requesting new features), and that most commercial designers haven't considered yet.
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Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[Bob the Hamster]

I liked the battle system in Uncharted Waters for the SNES.

It starts in the video around 1:55



As the narrator says, the battles are heavily random, but the attacks and defends match up against each other n a rock-paper-scissors way, so if you can guess which attacks and defends that your opponent is most likely to use, you gain an advantage.

Another unique RPG battle system is the one used by Sigma Star Saga for the GBA. The battle system gets explained at 4:10 in the video, and the first battle starts at 4:40. Basically, you run around on a traditional RPG-style map, but when a battle starts you get teleported to a spaceship where you fight a short gradius-style side-scrolling battle. (Also, hot space-babe at 0:50!)

[binoal]

i was gonna mention sigma star saga.

lol that was my first thought when i saw this topic. anyway, i tried making a artillery kind of thing. (actually, its what i needed plotscr.hsd for). If i get it working, maybe i could make a war type game, and the random battles could be like the battles in the flash game tanks. Of course, until i get time to actually work on games, i cant do this. Which may be christmas, when i hopefully get an ACER laptop.
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Resident Evil RPG Demo

http://www.castleparadox.com/gamelist-display.php?game=963

Legend Of Zelda: Reptilian Warlord Demo

http://www.castleparadox.com/gamelist-display.php?game=961

[Newbie_Power]

A random battle that triggers...


Another RPG...!


(I am sure somebody has an example of where this is already done.)


Random battle that triggers a side scrolling beat 'em up. Yes, this was done before (every idea we come up with has been done before), but no reason not to do it again.
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TheGiz> Am I the only one who likes to imagine that Elijah Wood's character in Back to the Future 2, the kid at the Wild Gunman machine in the Cafe 80's, is some future descendant of the AVGN?

[Baconlabs]

[NeoSpade]

I'm not sure if this would count, but I remember on Mortal Kombat Deseption, the gameplay on the storymode was RPG like, then it went into traditional MK style battles.

Ohh, I've got something origional, a battle that triggers a box puzzle, I doubt that's been done before (weeeeeeeell, seems I thought of it...)

TO THE PLOTSCRIPTING CAVE! *batman music*

[Bob the Hamster]

Some day maybe I will make an RPG where you have to negotiate. Your hero would be a pacifist, and would have a weapon only used for self defense. Some battles, like vs monsters could be traditional RPG battles, but most would be conversation based. You would have to talk to the enemy as they try to kill you, and either distract them enough to get past them, or convince them you are not their enemy, or use logic to convince them their evil master is wrong. I expect the game play would end up being a lot more like a Point-and-Click adventure like the Quest for Glory or Money Island series.

Someday, someday...

I like the idea of dialog and puzzle-solving in the middle of a battle. Has anybody played Tales of Monkey Island? At the beginning of chapter 2, is a great battle.

[Pepsi Ranger]

I've actually been having issues with embedded movie files for the last three months or so. I get that little empty window with the colorful corner graphic indicating that it knows something should be there, but doesn't know what. This happens to me on both Castle Paradox and Slime Salad and I don't know what changed in the last three months that caused this (with the possible exception of an upgrade to IE8, which isn't as good as IE7 I've noticed). So, I can't see the videos you guys are posting. Any thoughts on how to get around this short of downloading a new browser?

James, your Monkey Island reference is yet another reminder that I need to finish At the Risk of Manipulation someday.

If anyone makes a pirate RPG, I'm sure a drinking game should be part of the battle. That might not be original in theory, but it certainly would be unique in action. And I like the idea of nonbattle methods in random encounters. Like stealthily moving past your enemy. Or turning out a light so he can't see you (like that one Tom Clancy game that I can't think of the name of at the moment).

Is this thread helping anyone in coming up with some new ideas? Or do you feel like we're still discussing rehashed topics?
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Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[Bob the Hamster]

[FyreWulff]

You should uninstall or redownload Flash. Works fine for me in IE8 on Windows 7 (and Opera, and Firefox, and Chrome)

[Pepsi Ranger]

Thanks, Fyre. The Flash download fixed it. I can see movies again. /fanfare
_________________
Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2