User:Dilsency/Svea/Artifice/Gameplay/Battle

=Current=

Active

 * Damage
 * Staminage
 * Breakage
 * Support
 * Other

Types

 * Units and Actives have types.

Unit

 * Each Unit has type offenses and type defenses, 1 for each type.
 * These are multipliers that are used to calculate the efficiency of actives based on their type.

Active

 * Each hit per active has 1 type.
 * The efficiency of the active is calculated with the type offense of the attacker and the type defense of the defender, of the matching type with the active.

Phase

 * In addition to types, phases (alternatively known as state, shape or form) exist.
 * Materical.
 * Energical.
 * Phaseless.
 * Each hit of an active has a phase, and a corresponding stat exists for the attacking and defending units to calculate efficiency.

Unit

 * Each Unit has at least one species (alternatively known as form or category).
 * The species is used to categorize the Unit, but also affect the some actives interact with the Unit.

Active

 * Some specific actives interact differently against certain species.
 * Some receive a damage bonus when used against Units of those specie(s).
 * This is not a general mechanic, but something specific to those actives.

Stat Effects

 * Stat effects are status effects that enhance or dehance the target(s) stat(s).
 * Each have a duration of up to 100, which is reduced over time.
 * The duration also affects the efficiency of the stat effect.
 * Applying the stat effect subsequently increases its duration.
 * Each Unit has 1 stat effect resistance stat for each stat effect.
 * These are multipliers that are used to calculate the amount applied.

Ability Kinds

 * Active.
 * Needs to be equipped.
 * Some exceptions.
 * Appears on the battle menu.
 * Needs to be activated manually by the player.
 * Passive/Auto.
 * Needs to be equipped.
 * Handles its own activation.
 * Personal.
 * Does not need to be equipped.
 * Can only be toggled on or off.
 * With some exceptions.

Global Max.

 * Every Fighter can reach max. stats.
 * Every Fighter can acquire all abilities.


 * They differ because of their purchase modifiers, which makes prioritizing a path more optional.
 * But with enough EXP, they can unlock all stats and abilities.

Stats

 * The further left on the grid, the higher offense increases.
 * x1.5
 * x1.0
 * x0.75
 * The further right on the grid, the higher support increases.
 * x0.75
 * x1.0
 * x1.5


 * Other stats, such as defense or speed, aren't affected by Rows.


 * Because breakage depends on offense and support being adjacent, it is highest in the center row.

Aggro Generation

 * Aggro-generation depends on the row.
 * x1.5
 * x1.0
 * x0.75</tt>
 * Minimum aggro changes accordingly as well.
 * 3</tt>
 * 2</tt>
 * 1</tt>


 * Naturally, Tanks would be placed in Front, while Healers would be placed in Back.

Aggro

 * Aggro has two functions.

Target Limitation

 * Once a unit has high enough aggro with a foe, it may not target foes with aggro that is too low.
 * This applies for human targets as well.

Ability Limitation

 * The abilities able to be used directly correspond to the highest amount of aggro it has for a foe.
 * Each ability has an aggro cutoff value, after which it may not be used.
 * Basic attack is the exception, if no other ability can be used, it will always be available.
 * This applies for human targets as well.

No Immunities

 * Every ability should work on every enemy.
 * Bosses are not immune to abilities.
 * Thus, abilities work on efficiency, with lower efficiency on bosses.
 * They are not immune.

Stamina

 * Each unit has stamina that determines the amount of abilities they may use.
 * By using Wait, stamina regenerates.


 * There are many moves that deplete stamina rather than health.
 * Depleting stamina completely knocks the unit out.
 * They cannot act, and are completely vulnerable to attacks.
 * However, they slowly (more slowly than Wait) regenerate stamina.
 * Filling the bar completely wakes them up, allowing them to resume fighting.
 * Knocking all foes out, however, ends the battle with a victory.


 * This allows the player to be "moral", by instead of killing the foes simply knock them out.
 * This is encouraged for human foes, but not necessarily for monsters.

Breaking
Breaking (alternatively known as Debilitate, Impair, Cripple or Disable) is performed by fulfilling enemy-specific condition(s) during battle. As a result, the enemy is weakened in an enemy-specific matter for an enemy-specific time.

An enemy may have multiple breaks, whom may be activated only after a latter one has been, or completely independently.

The method for filling each bar usually involves breakage, a property of abilities separate from damage.

Playable characters (or humans) also have a break bar, but it operates differently from enemies. There is only one, and the method for filling it is calculated mostly from breakage, but also hits and damage. Once filled, it resets, and the user's stats all lower to 90% for a set period of time. The same break can then be filled once more, but at a higher rate, for another 10% reduction, which stacks to the period (meaning X turns with 0.9 x 0.9</tt> stats, then the timer is resumed for the remaining Y turns of 90% stats). This can be repeated indefinitely.

Breakage increases (non-linearly?) the higher the opponent's TP is. To break a foe quickly, it is recommended to cause high Aggro, making the foe use a high-TP move in retaliation.

If stabilization is a thing, then actives with low Breakage will stabilize the best, whereas high Breakage causes it to fluctuate the most.

Type of RPG

 * Multiple-Turn-Based Role-Playing Game (MTB RPG)
 * Movement
 * Command List
 * Real-Time Interaction
 * Full Party Selection
 * Turn Activation
 * Turn Execution
 * Full Party Selection
 * Turn Activation
 * Turn Execution
 * Turn Execution
 * Turn Execution

Inventory

 * In battles, only the Battle Pack is available
 * The battle pack has a finite space for items and amounts of which
 * Unlike in the inventory accessible at safe-spaces, where all collectibles and loots can be acquired, and the player can restock
 * The battle pack can be upgraded in capacity by Hammer as the game progresses
 * Accessibility by area
 * Field
 * Battle Pack only
 * Outpost / Point-of-no-return pre-Bosses (Just like the dungeon treasure)
 * Restock battle pack and deposit only, the player cannot switch out items
 * Safe Space
 * Full access

Battle Items

 * Available in-battle and menu

Food

 * Only available in-menu.
 * Can be obtained by combining ingredients.
 * Food should not be a reliable source of stat raises (other battle-items take care of that).
 * If a farmable type of food gives a stat raise, consider randomizing the effect?
 * Randomize the amount and/or stat that gets raised?
 * Because of Auto-Eat, stat raises should be considered a pleasant surprise, not a reliable strategy.

Local and Global

 * Abilities (Active and Passive) must be equipped to the Battle Grid
 * They can be equipped either locally to one of the 9 tiles, or globally to apply to all tiles
 * Which of the two depends entirely on the ability
 * Local abilities have no row-restriction, unless specific to that ability (uncommon)
 * Example
 * Fire is a Active Local Ability (AL/ALA)
 * Defense+ is a Passive Local Ability (PL/PLA)
 * Myollnir is a Active Global Ability (AG/AGA)
 * Move+ is a Passive Global Ability (PG/PGA)


 * Alternate terminology (Act/Auto)
 * Fire is a Local Act Ability
 * Defense+ is a Local Auto Ability
 * Myollnir is a Global Act Ability
 * Move+ is a Global Auto Ability


 * Attack is the only ability that cannot be removed, other than that the grid can be completely empty
 * This includes commands such as Move and Wait

Equipment

 * There is none (at least not in the traditional sense)
 * Stat gain is exclusive from leveling
 * Abilities cover all the effect, of which the player can purchase in stores
 * However, the player can activate Sustained Abilities which changes the Basic Attack formula and may give the user a unique animation of a weapon

Controls

 * Tap an enemy or ally to see its unit info
 * This applies even when an ability/item is selected and waiting for targets
 * Slide over a unit or its info card to target it
 * If no item/ability is selected, the last item/ability is used again
 * If one is selected, that one is used


 * Or
 * Tapping a unit will always target it as the sole target
 * Tapping the card will give the info


 * Or
 * Selecting an ability will put it as the Current ability
 * Tapping or dragging over targets will always execute the Current ability without confirmation
 * Tapping the Current ability is what gives its info
 * Tapping a current abil reuses it on the same foes? Probably not
 * Tapping a current abil reuses it on the same foes? Probably not

Timed Input

 * Hyperactives generally consists of timed inputs of different kinds and difficulties
 * Types of input include:
 * Timing
 * A ring decreases in size, tap when inside of circle before it vanishes
 * Tap Mash
 * Simply tap the screen as fast as you can in the limited time
 * Single Swipe
 * A single direction is shown, the user must swipe as fast as they can in that direction until the time runs out
 * Directional Swipe
 * The swipe direction randomizes after a random interval, but same rule as Tap Mash
 * Combined
 * Also includes tapping as a random "direction"
 * Connect
 * Connect all static orbs with each dot only having max. 2 lines
 * Supereasy actually
 * Catch
 * Orbs bounce around the screen, tap each to vanish them


 * If Inter-Turn Timed Affinity becomes a thing, has the same effect as the Timing mode

Randomized Non-Boss Stats/Abils

 * Enemies have a pool of abilities (both active/passive) that can be applied to their grid setup.
 * They also have min- and max stat ranges.
 * Upon spawning, their setup is completely randomized with these factors.
 * The battle grid applies to them too.


 * Stats are randomized first, and min-max values scale with the player.
 * Depending on stats, the matching abilities are unlocked and equipped.
 * E.g. Fire needing 20 Strength so is only unlocked for those cases.
 * More expensive abilities take priority.

=Semi-Pending=

Purchase Cost Category

 * When leveling stats, only costs within the same purchase category are increased.
 * This so not to unmotivate the player from purchasing other types of stats.


 * Purchase Categories:
 * Type Offense
 * Heat Offense
 * Frost Offense
 * Type Defense
 * Heat Defense
 * Frost Defense
 * Frost Defense

=Pending=

Damage Calc

 * The "power" of each active is a multiplier, before any other multipliers.
 * This means that you can scale the power of a move by 1.5</tt> for example, and the damage itself will scale by 1.5</tt>.
 * This also means that defense vs attack calculations have to be done prior.

Multi-Type Damage

 * Each hit can have multiple types.
 * Unlike splitting up into multiple hits with different types, as previous.


 * 1 type.
 * $$80 * 0.5 = 40$$
 * 2 types, using both multipliers at once.
 * $$80 * 0.5 * 1.5 = 60$$
 * 2 types, splitting up and multiplying before re-adding.
 * $$(80/2) * 0.5 + (80/2) * 1.5 = 80$$
 * Makes very little sense in the end. 0.5 * 1.5 is after all.
 * 2 types, pre-multiplying the multipliers
 * $$80 * (0.5 * 1.5) = 60$$
 * Programmatically a difference. Instead of using an if-case, can always have a result-multiplier, that is the result of all multipliers. Wouldn't make a difference for 1-types.

Unified Hyperactive Bar

 * Inspired by Pukatchermon Z-Moves.


 * Each Unit has their own auto-equipped (global) Hyperactive(s).
 * The points required to build one up are shared amongst the team, however.
 * Each unit fills the 1 bar, each unit empties it.


 * Pros
 * (doesn't have to put it on each card)
 * Cons
 * Can't unleash all Hypers one after the other.
 * Might be a pro though, could lead to boringness.
 * Having to prioritize leads to strategizing.

Ability Generator

 * Goes especially with Enemate spinoff, don't know if vital for main-game.


 * Fighters unlock abils organically as the level up, which they can then purchase.
 * Going to a Surgeon however allows them to detach said ability after purchase, which puts it in the inventory.
 * The Surgeon does so physically, with a crowbar.
 * This allows any detachable ability (not everyone is) to be generated by the enemate to be stored as powerup or acquired by another enemate.
 * Notably, a weak enemate learns 1 move, Ultima. The enemate is also the only source of said abil, so they have to farm it from them.


 * Important to note is that the enemate the abil is detached from is not rewarded any EXP in return, it is effectively a loss for them.

Enemy Shinies

 * Because enemy stats are randomized, it is possible for them to land at the lowest or highest possible stats for that level.
 * In those cases, the palette/sprites are changed, as this event is quite rare.
 * Some specific battle changes may occur as well.
 * Note that a captured enemy of this shiny will keep its form, but will still able to acquire max. stats and abilities.


 * The forms are shinies are called α and Ω.

Purchase Stats Mix

 * It might be too easy to let the player just stack up on Speed and Offense and then completely wipe the enemy without ever needing defense.
 * So prevent the player from purchasing more until some other stat has been purchased first?
 * Although this sounds more and more like auto-leveling, if the player can't really decide for themselves.


 * The cost increment will have to be good.
 * Def easier to imagine with bigger steps i.e. fewer levels.

Overhealth

 * Restoring Health above max applies Overhealth.
 * Overhealth reduces the next incoming damage, but only for 1 attack.
 * Afterwards, it is 0d.

Sustained

 * Activate.
 * Each turn, the user can choose to deactivate.
 * Turn activation can have a different effect/cost compared to the initial one, as well as exiting the cycle.

Chain

 * Activate 1.
 * Next turn will have its 2nd turn effect.
 * Repeat until the last turn.
 * Only works in consecutive order, once the user does something else, the chain "breaks", restarts at 0.

Ammo

 * A special case of chain.
 * The chain can never be broken.
 * Instead, the very last chain bit is the "reload".

Less Random-feeling RNG

 * Critical hits and evades occur randomly
 * Would be better if the player could have some insight on whether or not a move could crit
 * This done by highlighting the ability that will crit that turn
 * Problems
 * Own abils
 * Will obviously not crit on all targets, so the whole abil cannot be highlighted
 * However, once selected, could highlight the battle card of the foe it will crit
 * The whole abil could highlight to show that at least 1 will be crit
 * Multi-hit abils
 * Highlight shows that at least one hit will crit?
 * Sounds like a plan.
 * OP to show that own abil will miss/be reduced
 * Or not, removes the annoying element
 * Miss & Crit Multi-hits
 * Which to display?
 * Prioritize crit?
 * Show both alternating?
 * Could apply to all multihits, it "passes through" all hits with info.
 * Foe's abils
 * The player couldn't possibly be told when a foe will crit/miss without interrupting game flow
 * So ignore it? Only display user's RNG? The user cannot know which abil the foe will use, and cannot always guarantee which abil it will do.
 * Furthermore, the RNG on the opponent cannot be determined a turn beforehand, as the player may cause something to change. Thus, displaying the RNG of the foe the same turn it will do something is just stupid.
 * So yeah, only user RNG applies.

Battle Card Multi-hit

 * Selecting an ability in the menu makes it current
 * All possible targets are shown as battle cards
 * Remove all others temporarily? Maybe just color/light them differently.
 * What is also shown in the cards is the effects of the ability
 * This only shown once targeted?
 * Because the abil is multi-hit, the cards "scroll through" the effect of each ability with a number for each hit

Inter-Turn Timed Input Affinity

 * Like Xeno's Burst Affinity, player is given short and simple input that raises affections and battle performance ever so slightly, appearing after significant performance
 * Such as critical hit, evade, perfect guard, break, major damage/breakage
 * Affection is not decreased by failing
 * The relation graphic(s) (possible that both party members intervene?) is shown up top, and will show if the value is increased after the input
 * If the romance bar is not filled, and if the characters match, the screen will be split into two
 * The left half will contain the friendship ring as usual
 * The right will contain the romance ring
 * The player then chooses which of the two they will augment by succeeding that one
 * Romance does not increase friendship, and vice versa


 * Contrarily, if a character performs badly, another character may want to console them
 * Succeeding this may increase friendship, but will most likely not add
 * However, failing this input will decrease friendship
 * Romantic affection is not possible during this version

Show Growth

 * Poor test formula

Intangibility Frames &/ Retaliation Recovery Frames

 * Intangibility frames is a window of time after being hit when moves will go straight through you
 * Useless for non-action-y RPGs


 * However its equivalence in Recovery frames may be interesting
 * After being hit (one full turn), HP is decreased and a temporary Retaliation Recovery HP appears where the HP was previously
 * RRHP will decrease to the level of CHP either:
 * After a short period of no decrease:
 * Then a rapid decrease over time
 * Then an instantaneous decrease
 * Over time
 * By performing well, usually by inflicting damage in retaliation (), CHP can be recovered up to the RRHP
 * Thus, by e.g. inflicting major damage immediately after being hit may let the player negate the damage they took by recovering all lost HP
 * To note:
 * Retaliation HP is not always as high as the HP before being hit
 * After being hit (another full turn), RRHP is recalculated using the new CHP, meaning the damage lost prior cannot be Retaliation Recovered

=Z-Pending=

Change Grid Order?

 * Most logically from a visual perspective would be to have:
 * Front:
 * Highest Defenses
 * Because of high aggro.
 * Center:
 * Highest Attack
 * Rear:
 * Balance?
 * Having Medium-Defense might make the least sense.


 * Probably not.

Stamina or HP damage toggle

 * The player can decide whether or not an ability should deal pure stamina or HP damage.
 * Done by swiping the abil left or right before selecting.


 * Probably not, too useful, doesn't make sense, and limits the usefulness of having them separate.

Leveling Stats ONLY Through Ability Purchase

 * With the idea that stats are increased (to some degree at the very least, maybe a % modifier) by purchasing matching abilities, why not make those the sole way of leveling stats?


 * Because:
 * There needs to be a wide amount of abilities, which is not feasible.
 * No room for fine-tuning.


 * So no.

Turn Order: Speedy

 * Each Act has minimal TP cost
 * This means a char is more than likely to act more than once
 * However, once their sequence of turns is over, they will suffer additional TP cost proportionate to the # of Acts
 * This means each char can Act multiple times and "set up their own combos"
 * But also that it will become more difficult to regain a turn
 * This is where the Wait command comes into play, allowing the user to end their turn prematurely so to get their turn back quicker


 * Cons
 * Battles can end quickly and unfairly
 * Especially when it comes to strong bosses, who can wipe out the party before they get a chance
 * Seeing as enemies and allies must be treated equal, this makes balancing extremely difficuly


 * So no, probs not.
 * Especially problematic as the TP Debt Bonus comes into play, as this would suddenly always apply, without reasonable non-cringy fix. So nah, don't even think about it.