Another Week In the Books
Hello, another week is complete so this is my intern log for week 6 here at DVNC. This week I once again continued working on the battle system for Monochrome. The main feature that I was working on throughout the week was the combatant type system. This system gives each combatant primary, and secondary types which dictate their strengths and weaknesses compared to other combatants. Before we move on, be sure to check out the Monochrome Patreon here.
This weeks game recommendation is Final Fantasy XIV. This game is quite different from my previous game recommendations in the sense that it is a MMO that takes place in the Final Fantasy Universe. I am actually currently playing this game on my free time, and is actually the first Final Fantasy game that I have ever played. The game has a strong player base, and is still getting content. If you like MMO’s, and especially if you like Final Fantasy this is a game you should check out. Check out the Trailer for one of the expansions below!
This Week
So, the combatant type system that I have been creating. I’m going to go into some detail about it. This week I started adding the secondary types to each combatant that we have currently. The secondary types consist of; Music, Action, and SFX. These types work in a damage triangle. So, Music combatants do more damage to Action combatants, Action combatant do more damage to SFX combatants, and finally SFX combatants do more damage to Music combatants. I set this system up by making each of these types into attack and defense attributes for each combatant. Whichever type the combatant is, that type value is 100, and the other values are 0. I then created a formula that checks what the player, and the targets’ types are, and if the types are the right combination (ie: player action, and target SFX) then the combatant with the advantage gets a damage boost.
Once I had the secondary types working, I then started working on adding the primary combatant types. The primary combatant types are Comedy, and Tragedy. The way that the primary combatant types work is that each combatant is assigned a primary type, much like the secondary types. However, the scene in which the battle takes place also has a primary type assigned to it. If the two primary types match than that combatant will have a damage advantage throughout the fight. This is at least how we currently have the system work but it could be changed later down the line. I started adding the primary types by once again creating them as attack and defense attributes for each combatant. However, I was having some trouble figuring out the best way to connect the scene of the battle to a primary type, so I am currently still working on that. I am thinking that a battle start event may be the best way to implement it, but I am not sure.
Next Week
Since I was not able to get the primary combatant types completely working, that is what I will continue working on in order to start next week. Like I said previously, I will probably get it to work using a battle start event, however I may need to create a custom script using the Ork Framework API in order to get it to work. As for what comes after, that I am not too sure. Although I do not know exactly what I will be working on after that, I do know that it will most likely continue to be adding features to the Monochrome battle system.
Thoughts
Overall, this week went well. I am happy with the secondary type system that I was able to implement to the battle system. It adds a whole new layer to the battles which can lead to more strategy, and challenges down the road. I am a little frustrated that I was unable to get the primary types working for this week, however I am pretty sure that I am close, and will get it working pretty quickly next week. Once I get that feature finished I am excited to see what comes next!