Creating a game (Formerly: Is this okay?)

[ninjaluc79]

Hello everyone.

I'm planning of making an RPG which has a stats system similar to Suikoden, but not the same, since I will be only working with 6 stats instead of 10.

I'm planning to have a male gunner for my protagonist, then a female swordsman for his partner.

Their starting stats:

Hero

HP 16
MP 15
STR 15
VIT 16
INT 17
DEX 20

Partner

HP 18
MP 13
STR 18
VIT 15
INT 13
DEX 19

Final stats at Levels 60 and 99:

Hero

HP 648/800
MP 311/382
STR 133/162
VIT 142/172
INT 151/183
DEX 178/216

Partner

HP 729/900
MP 269/331
STR 160/194
VIT 133/162
INT 115/140
DEX 169/205

STR affects physical attack strength
VIT affects physical defense
INT affects magical attack and defense
DEX affects action speed, hit rate, and critical hits

I did not put the growth rates, since I only determined these values via linear regression.

I'm just wondering whether my protagonist will suck so much that I myself would want to leave him out of the party. But I do hope that I'm wrong.

Constructive criticism and comments are highly appreciated. Thank you.

[Humphrey Mintz]

Firstly, is it just the stats that are similar to Suikoden? If it's going to incorporate the rune system, etc. how is that going to work with you changing the MP to a different format? If it's just the stats though, then I'd say that the stats are pretty good. I used Clive and Valeria as a comparison, based on your description of the characters, and their stats are quite similar. So that's good.

As for actual gameplay, I know you didn't ask about this but I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions and making a few suggestions? I think depending on how similar the actual game is to Suikoden, having a gunner as the main character as a bad idea. I think the best thing about the main characters of Suikoden is that they were all M range, which made them more versatile. Since you're stuck with them on your team throughout the entire game, it's best to have a more balanced character, who can pretty much do whatever you want them to. If it's not similar to Suikoden with the battle system, etc. then I suppose it could work but in my opinion, if it's a Suikoden clone then I'd suggest having these two characters as your companions with a new M range character as the hero. If it's not a Suikoden clone, I'd personally be more interested in seeing the female swordsman as the main character. I'd prefer to see a female protagonist for a change anyways. But those are just my views. Just a bit of advice. Stat-wise, though, I think they're fine.

Any more info on the game? Or are you just in the planning stages? I'm quite interested hehe. Especially if it's a Suikoden clone. Either way though, please give more information!! ^-^

[ninjaluc79]

Well, it isn't a full Suikoden clone, just so you know. I just wanted to a have a linear stat growth instead of an exponential one. Here are some of the things I thought about this one:

1. I'm considering different MP slots, but I don't know how to do that in RMXP. Instead, I'm thinking whether to implement Suikoden's rune slots or FF7's Materia system. The former will leave out my armor slots, since there are only like 3 armor slots in RMXP, not including the shield. How about the Shield slot as my "rune"? (I call it "Magic Seal" in this game.) But that leaves out customization. If I place the Magic Seals in my 3 armor slots, that means I will only have 1 piece of armor throughout the game, unless I download a Multi-Slot Equipment script and get acquainted to it.
The latter on the other hand, well, I'm leaning towards it, but I can't get the Materia menu window to come out of my options. Either way, I want the game to have an equal challenge for those who power-level and for those who only wish to continue with the story. Just like Suikoden, this game has multiple endings to choose from.

2. I'm considering giving the main character a Squall-esque gunblade, either at the start or around endgame, though it's better at the start though. Then the gun and the blade could be switchable, the blade with the higher ATK rate but lower DEF rate. Or he'll just stick to his gun until late game. Later on, he will be given power over the elements (probably that's why he has high INT, eh?) and infuse these into his normal attacks. With each new recruit in the party, he gains a new element. I have at least 5 recruits to get in order to obtain the elements, and the good ending leaves the hero with 12 total party members, the holy element and the ability to change his default L-ranged weapon to an S-range weapon during battle, with increased attack but higher vulnerability, say 2x damage dealt and received.

3. About the partner, by the way, well, she's going to be cool, I mean, a swordsman with high STR and high DEX, but later on she will defect to the enemy. But I'm not sure whether to kill her off in the end or give the player the chance to get to use her again, even during the late game.

4. This is still in the planning stages. I already had this idea in my mind like, 5 years ago, but I'm not that good in maps with all the details and staff. I'm only working on the database and the scripts, which I don't honestly think is a good idea. BTW, I have here this character list so far. Any suggestions on their skills?

In Chapters 1-2:
(You will get to use these characters again IF you chose the best ending)
Meaira the Storm Paladin (pronounced mey-ei-rah)
(note that she's not my main character. You will only get to use the gunner until after Chapter 2.)
- she has great DEF and the ability to protect and heal her allies in battle.

Venus the Storm Mage Knight
- Meaira's older twin sister. Better as a mage than a swordsman, but still a swordsman, nonetheless. She has both melee abilities and (initially) wind magic spells.

Saturn the Storm Knight Commander
- Though he's Meaira's fiance, Venus has feelings on this guy. As his class title implies, he is the strongest Storm Knight that's there. High ATK, high DEF, but relatively slow and has low INT.

These three were sent by the Lord Knight on a trade mission to the Thunder Kingdom to the northeast (the Storm Knightdom is located south in the world map.) There, they met two brothers:

Voltaire the Thunder General
- Crown Prince of the Thunder Kingdom. He's essentially a dual-wielding swordsman, and can fuse lightning into his attacks.

Ampere the Thunder Wizard
- Voltaire's younger brother. It is said that in the Kingdom, he is only second to his father, the King, in terms of wisdom and intelligence. He's essentially a mage, albeit a generic one.

Chapter 3 onwards:

Darius the Gunner / Light Avatar (He's the hero)
- He is an aspiring student at the Magician Academy, located northwest of the Thunder Kingdom. After training with guns in Thundara, he went off on a journey to learn how to infuse magic into his guns. Later on, the sun god Ashura gave him the mission of gathering the Celestial Avatars so that they can defeat the god of darkness, Satan. He made Darius the vessel of his powers, giving the latter the ability to infuse magic into his attacks. (Note: My favorite skill of his is what I call "Cloak", which renders him invisible, giving him 100% Evasion for a certain number of turns or until he releases it, then his attacks will become stronger only during the turn he releases it.)

Lyra the Swordsman (he's the partner)
- I'm unsure whether make her a resident of Aera (Storm Knights' city) or of Thundara. But nevertheless, she's a Storm Squire who went off on a journey of Knighthood, in accordance to the customs of the Knightdom. To complete this quest, she chose to learn magic at the Mage Academy, where either she goes with Darius or she meets Darius there. I don't want to spoil anybody, but she will later defect to the enemy.

Blaze the Flame Warrior / Avatar
- A distraught, unpopular student at the Mage Academy. He's known to pick fights there, but it is later known that it is only because his classmates and teachers provoke him often, calling him names and all that. He's essentially what would you call an outcast. He was later helped by Darius to prove himself to the Academy and changed since then. The fire god Vulcanus admired him when he refused to fight his detractors for revenge, so he gave his powers to him and became his Avatar.
- If you remember Kyo Kusanagi from the King of Fighters, his skills are essentially just like his. Plus, he gains access to fire-based spells. But later on, he will become scary when he gets berserk, because he can transform into a ball of fire that attacks both friend and foe.

Sarah the Priestess / Crystal Avatar
- a priestess-in-training at the Sun Temple at Hellion City, where the Mage Academy is also located. Blaze fell in love with her at first sight, but is weak to Sarah's 'healing water'. She's not treated that well in the Temple, and the city knows her as a cursed woman. Later on, Darius, Lyra, and Blaze helped her on a mission that only Sarah can successfully accomplish, and after that she gained confidence in herself. The water goddess Cleara (pronounced kleer-ah) admired her purity of heart, so she lent her powers to her and became the Crystal Avatar.
She has access to the best healing and buff magic, as well as water (and later on, ice) magic.

Cyrus the Thief / Lightning Avatar
- Sometime later, a hot girl wreaked havoc around the Academy, until Darius stopped her. After that, it turned out that she is a he. He's actually homosexual, and because of this, he is not taken seriously. So he decided to transform into a woman with the help of the dreaded Reverse Witch. Darius and his crew made him realize that They went on a quest to transform him back, but they later found out that the Reverse Witch has attacked Hellion with her familiars, known as the Vermilions. They defeated her and her Vermilions, saving Hellion. The lightning god Ruenus admired Cyrus' fearless disposition, and so he became the Lightning Avatar.
His skill set is similar to a ninja, but there are no ninjas in Celestia. His most powerful attack is the Lightning Boomerang, which inflicts damage to all enemies.

- I'm not sure whether Lyra will leave the party after I get the Earth Avatar or before. So I'm not going to put the plots for each of the following characters:

Helene the Hunter / Earth Avatar
- At avatar status, she gains access to the best protection spells and earth-based spells.

Windia (nicknamed Windy) the Rune Knight / Storm Avatar
- She's actually one of the enemies, but will soon join your party. Once she does, she gains access to wind magic. She's basically the antithesis of Venus the Mage Knight, because Windy is better with the sword than magic. But she prefers this style instead: She forms a ball of air in her hands, then tosses it with her sword. Quite impossible, but true!

[Humphrey Mintz]

Firstly, sounds like a great idea and something I'd be interested in playing. I suppose though, that making a few changes and not copying Suikoden entirely would make your game a bit more unique. At the very least, you have a good grasp of the English language, so that's a great start. XD I'll go over each paragraph and give you my thoughts on it. Obviously, this is just my opinion so I'm not saying you must listen to me, but maybe some things will help, or give you something else to consider.

1. I'm considering different MP slots, but I don't know how to do that in RMXP. Instead, I'm thinking whether to implement Suikoden's rune slots or FF7's Materia system. The former will leave out my armor slots, since there are only like 3 armor slots in RMXP, not including the shield. How about the Shield slot as my "rune"? (I call it "Magic Seal" in this game.) But that leaves out customization. If I place the Magic Seals in my 3 armor slots, that means I will only have 1 piece of armor throughout the game, unless I download a Multi-Slot Equipment script and get acquainted to it.
The latter on the other hand, well, I'm leaning towards it, but I can't get the Materia menu window to come out of my options. Either way, I want the game to have an equal challenge for those who power-level and for those who only wish to continue with the story. Just like Suikoden, this game has multiple endings to choose from.

Well the rune slots would be great if you could do it to give it more of a Suikoden feel, but then again, the Materia system could also would and by combining both the other Suikoden elements with a few from other games (or making up your own entirely) this could have a much more original feel to it, so that would be great too. I've seen other games made using RMXP use more than just three equipment slots but I don't have a clue about how to do it. Maybe there are tutorials on how to change that? If there are, you could set up slots for the main equipment (head, torso, arms, head, accessories) then add three (or possibly even more?) slots for runes but like I say, I have no idea how to do that. If you get a script or tutorial and know what you're doing, I'd suggest doing that but if that's out of the question, work with what you've got and use the shield slot as the rune or Magic Seal (I like that) slot. Multiple endings are always a good thing.

2. I'm considering giving the main character a Squall-esque gunblade, either at the start or around endgame, though it's better at the start though. Then the gun and the blade could be switchable, the blade with the higher ATK rate but lower DEF rate. Or he'll just stick to his gun until late game. Later on, he will be given power over the elements (probably that's why he has high INT, eh?) and infuse these into his normal attacks. With each new recruit in the party, he gains a new element. I have at least 5 recruits to get in order to obtain the elements, and the good ending leaves the hero with 12 total party members, the holy element and the ability to change his default L-ranged weapon to an S-range weapon during battle, with increased attack but higher vulnerability, say 2x damage dealt and received.

Ah, a gunblade or something could work since he could then switch rows depending on how you wanted to use him. Now he sounds a bit more versatile. Either that or he could have a sword then some kind of pistol as well so that if he's in the back row he could use his pistol (or maybe dual pistols, if he has somewhere to put his weapons) and then his sword (or even dual swords again!! I think it'd be awesome to have dual pistols and dual swords on the same character. XD) if he's on the front row. Or the gunblade thing could still work. Just adding ideas in here. =] The whole element with each character thing sounds cool. It's a shame that there are only 12 party members. It's a lot compared to some RPGs and I suppose you wouldn't be stuck with the same party but in my opinion, more characters are better. But that's just because I love Suikoden so much haha but this is your game afterall so if you want 12 then that's fine too. As for the whole defense penalty, if I were you, I'd leave that out but this is just my opinion. The reason I say this is because if he's your main character, you're stuck with him throughout, and you're going to want to be able to put him on whichever row you choose without putting him at too much of a risk. But like I say, that's just my opinion.

3. About the partner, by the way, well, she's going to be cool, I mean, a swordsman with high STR and high DEX, but later on she will defect to the enemy. But I'm not sure whether to kill her off in the end or give the player the chance to get to use her again, even during the late game.

Spoilers!! Noooooo!! I may end up playing this game if it ever gets finished. Haha. Well you did say there are multiple endings, and if there are multiple endings, I'm guessing there are major decisions that will affect certain events later on in the game. It could just be that you face three decisions. The first to kill her for what she's done, the second to punish her in some other way but let her live to realise her mistake, and the third to completely forgive her because of the friendship the two once shared, letting you recruit her. Or it could be something that's not quite as obvious as that, and you have to make a decision that could seem like it has nothing to do with her but by choosing one option, she dies, and the other, she lives. Or maybe even one of the other characters wants her dead and can't forgive her, so you have to end up choosing between them and maybe even killing one off? I don't know if you've played Mass Effect, but if you have, and you've completed it then it'll be one of "those" decisions. You'll know what I mean without giving away any spoilers.

4. This is still in the planning stages. I already had this idea in my mind like, 5 years ago, but I'm not that good in maps with all the details and staff. I'm only working on the database and the scripts, which I don't honestly think is a good idea. BTW, I have here this character list so far. Any suggestions on their skills?

Ahh see I have the opposite problem. I'm better at the more creative side, such as the art and story of the characters. I've actually been planning my own RPG but because I absolutely suck as programming and such, I know it's just a little hobby haha. I'm not saying I'm a great artist or anything though. I have a lot of improvements to make. I'm definitely better at that stuff though than all that. XD

In Chapters 1-2:
(You will get to use these characters again IF you chose the best ending)
Meaira the Storm Paladin
(note that she's not my main character. You will only get to use the gunner until after Chapter 2.)
- she has great DEF and the ability to protect and heal her allies in battle.

Venus the Storm Mage Knight
- Meaira's older twin sister. Better as a mage than a swordsman, but still a swordsman, nonetheless. She has both melee abilities and (initially) wind magic spells.

Saturn the Storm Knight Commander
- Though he's Meaira's fiance, Venus has feelings on this guy. As his class title implies, he is the strongest Storm Knight that's there. High ATK, high DEF, but relatively slow and has low INT.

Sounds like a well-balanced starting team. It'd be great so see Meaira and Venus fight to the death over Saturn haha. Or at least fight at some point after you get your real main character. Then maybe he could split it up or something and one of them will fall for him instead. I dunno. XD

These three were sent by the Lord Knight on a trade mission to the Thunder Kingdom to the northeast (the Storm Knightdom is located south in the world map.) There, they met two brothers:

Voltaire the Thunder General
- Crown Prince of the Thunder Kingdom. He's essentially a dual-wielding swordsman, and can fuse lightning into his attacks.

Ampere the Thunder Wizard
- Voltaire's younger brother. It is said that in the Kingdom, he is only second to his father, the King, in terms of wisdom and intelligence. He's essentially a mage, albeit a generic one.

Voltaire sounds awesome. As for Ampere, it's good to include a mage at this point in the game as it adds a real balance to the team. =]

Chapter 3 onwards:

Darius the Gunner / Light Avatar (He's the hero)
- He is an aspiring student at the Magician Academy, located northwest of the Thunder Kingdom. After training with guns in Thundara, he went off on a journey to learn how to infuse magic into his guns. Later on, the sun god Ashura made Darius the vessel of his powers, giving the latter the ability to infuse magic into his attacks. (Note: My favorite skill of his is what I call "Cloak", which renders him invisible, giving him 100% Evasion for a certain number of turns or until he releases it, then his attacks will become stronger only during that turn.)

He sounds like a really interesting character so probably someone that people would actually enjoy playing as. And the Cloak skill sounds awesome too. Like I've said earlier in this post, if he's able to switch rows and be able to hold his own on either row then that gives him more of a "main character" feel. =]

Lyra the Swordsman (he's the partner)
- I'm unsure whether make her a resident of Aera (Storm Knights' city) or of Thundara. But nevertheless, she's a Storm Squire who went off on a journey of Knighthood, in accordance to the customs of the Knightdom. To complete this quest, she chose to learn magic at the Mage Academy, where either she goes with Darius or she meets Darius there. I don't want to spoil anybody, but she will later defect to the enemy.

I'd need more background information on both her and the cities in question in order for me to advise you on the first part. So she sounds like she'd be quite a good addition to the team. Just a shame she defects but at the same time, it would add a bit of suspense to the story if nobody is expecting it. I'm interested in knowing why she defects, and just more information on everything in gerenal about the armies and why they're fighting or anything else really but I'm sure that'll be revealed later as you make it.

Blaze the Flame Warrior / Avatar
- A distraught, unpopular student at the Mage Academy. He's known to pick fights there, but it is later known that it is only because his classmates and teachers provoke him often, calling him names and all that. He's essentially what would you call an outcast. He was later helped by Darius to prove himself to the Academy and changed since then. The fire god Vulcanus admired him when he refused to fight his detractors for revenge, so he gave his powers to him and became his Avatar.
- If you remember Kyo Kusanagi from the King of Fighters, his skills are essentially just like his. But later on, he will become scary when he gets berserk, because he can transform into a ball of fire that attacks both friend and foe.

Sounds like a real loose cannon and an unpredictable fellow. Rather interesting. I'm not sure what all this about gods and avatars is about so a bit more information on that would be good too. Sounds cool, I just don't really understand it. As for King of Fighters, I've played it a few times and have seen the characters but I'm not really all that familiar with it. What kind of weapon/s does he use? Sounds like someone I'd like as a character but wouldn't use in battle because of the fact that he attacks his team mates. I'd be like "Get out of my party, you psychopath!!" haha. Probably powerful enough to be on the team damaging the enemies but at the cost of being detrimental to the rest of the team. Still, he's different so it's interesting and I would change him. Players would be able to choose to have him, or not, depending on their preference. Like I say, I'd personally probably like him as a character but not as a member of my team.

Sarah the Priestess / Crystal Avatar
- a priestess-in-training at the Sun Temple at Hellion City, where the Mage Academy is also located. Blaze fell in love with her at first sight, but is weak to Sarah's 'healing water'. She's not treated that well in the Temple, and the city knows her as a cursed woman. Later on, Darius, Lyra, and Blaze helped her on a mission that only Sarah can successfully accomplish, and after that she gained confidence in herself. The water goddess Cleara admired her purity of heart, so she lent her powers to her and became the Crystal Avatar.
She has access to the best healing and buff magic, as well as water (and later on, ice) magic.

Ah, so this is interesting. In the game, fire is weak against water, even when it comes to healing? It definitely wouldn't be a great idea to have Blaze in the team then, if you have Sarah. That's just a disaster waiting to happen. As for her being a cursed woman - why is this? Again, a bit more information, if you will. Healers normally aren't classed as being cursed, although I've known it to happen in a few games. Polka from Eternal Sonata springs to mind.

Cyrus the Thief / Lightning Avatar
- At one time, a girl wreaked havoc around the Academy, until Darius stopped her. After that, it turned out that she is a he - transformed into a girl by the dreaded Reverse Witch upon his request.

Haha wow. Now this sounds like an interesting character. Also very confusing haha. What kind of havoc was s/he wreaking?

All-in-all, it sounds quite interesting. I'd definitely like to hear more and hopefully I've helped somewhat with my input. If there's anything else I can help with, feel free to ask. =]

[ninjaluc79]

Hello there. I was busy with something. I have decided to work on the story first. I'll just have to deal with the gameplay later. I may have found a way to modify RMXP's stats, but as I said, I might deal with this later on.

Well, since Chapter 1 starts out with a trio, I'm considering having a trio for the start of Chapter 3 as well. I'll place Darius in Thundara, about 1000 years before Chapters 1 and 2. (You heard it right. Some kids that Meaira and party have with them were transported to another time to escape the evil forces. I'll leave it for the players to determine who they are. =p)

Since I'm considering a trio here, I'll place Lyra in Thundara as Darius' foster sister. They were both found unconscious in the Thunder Forest by a man living in Thundara, whose wife had recently died. Since she died without leaving any children, he took him in as his own children. Darius grew up to become a skillful gunner of the Thundara Royal Army, while Lyra a nimble swordsman of the Storm Knightdom.

In order to complete their respective trainings, they must both go to the Mage Academy and study magic there.

Again, I'm considering another trio, but I'm not sure who I'm going to place in. Blaze should be the third person in the trio, but he won't be available until Chapter 5, so I'm considering bringing in a third member of the Darius/Lyra team early in Chapter 3.

Okay, now, I have a gunner and a swordsman. Who do you suggest for the third member? I don't feel like bringing in a mage or a healer at this point since it would make Chapter 3 a lot easier. I want to make it as introductory as possible. Chapters 1 and 2 are meant to be quite imbalanced since the characters there are pretty strong alrerady. Maybe I should bring Helene in with them, considering I hadn't made her enough of a story. Nonetheless, she's still going to be a resident of the Leaf Forest Hamlet. Probably she's in training as well, but as a Leaf Hunter apprentice. She can't get out of the hamlet directly to the Mage Academy without compromising their location, so she stops over at Thundara and offer herself as a forest guide to Darius and Lyra, especially because the Leaf Hunters are quite hostile towards travellers who try to trespass the Leaf Forest territory. Or I can place her as Darius' first boss battle, then she goes with them if she loses.

So there you have it, the hero who can switch rows, then the cool female swordsman, and then an even cooler archer. It's like an S/M/L range trio, unlike S2's trio who are all M-ranged.