I’m excited to share the latest updates and concepts for my game. These changes are designed to enhance the gameplay experience and offer a richer, more engaging adventure. Here’s a detailed look at the new systems and mechanics I plan to implement.
Table of content:
General Progression, Battle Rewards & their Usage
1. Currencies Overview
Resources (Barrels and Chest Icon): Represents the supplies needed for your squad to travel, explore, and engage in battles.
Primary Use: Costs for exploring the map, unlocking new points of interest (POIs), and entering battle locations.
Acquisition: Gained primarily through battles, especially from clearing bandit camps or similar repeatable content. Can also be purchased with silver.
Management: Encourages players to balance exploration with combat to maintain a steady supply of resources. Ensures that map progression is meaningful and deliberate.
Reputation: Represents the squad’s fame, influence, and standing in the world.
Primary Use: Required to unlock new locations, access better missions, and possibly to hire certain powerful characters.
Acquisition: Earned by winning battles, completing quests, and achieving certain milestones in the game. Hiring or leveling characters can also increase reputation.
Management: Acts as a gatekeeper for progression, ensuring players engage with the game’s content fully (e.g., leveling, fighting, and collecting) before moving to new areas.
Silver: The main currency.
Primary Use: Purchasing resources, hiring characters, healing characters, speeding up character recovery, and buying / upgrading equipment.
Acquisition: Earned from battles, quests, or selling items and loot. This is the main currency for the game’s economy.
Management: Serves as a versatile currency that can be used for most in-game purchases, creating a reliable economic backbone.
Gold: A rare and valuable currency.
Primary Use: Unlocking premium content, recruiting and hiring elite characters, buying rare or powerful items, and possibly for influencing key game events or outcomes.
Acquisition: Rarely earned from high-stakes battles, major quests, or as a reward for achieving significant milestones.
Management: Encourages strategic spending, given gold's rarity and value.
2. Resource-Based Exploration and Map Progression
Exploration Costs: Different areas on the map could have varying resource costs to unlock or explore, based on factors like difficulty, distance, and significance.
Cheap Locations: Easily accessible areas or recurring battle zones (e.g., bandit camps) should have lower resource costs, encouraging regular engagement with these areas.
Expensive Locations: Rare or significant locations (e.g., hidden dungeons, key story areas) should have higher resource costs, making them more meaningful to unlock/visit.
Replenishing Resources: Winning battles should generally yield more resources than were spent to access them, especially in repeatable content. This ensures that players can maintain a positive resource flow if they balance exploration and combat.
Map Progression: By tying both resources and reputation to map progression, this adds a layers of strategy. This system will encourage players to:
Plan Their Path: Choose whether to spend resources on immediate exploration or save them for more valuable or necessary future exploration.
Earn Reputation: Engage in combat and quests to build reputation, which in turn unlocks new areas and opportunities.
3. Reputation as a Gatekeeper
Unlocking Locations: Certain locations on the map could require a minimum reputation level to unlock. This ensures players engage in battles and quests to grow their squad’s reputation before advancing.
Hiring Characters: Some characters might only be available for hire once a certain reputation level is reached, adding another layer of progression and reward.
Special Events: Reputation could also unlock special events or quests that provide unique rewards, further incentivizing players to build their reputation.
4. Balancing Combat and Exploration
Combat Rewards: Battles provide resources, silver, reputation, and loot with harder or more strategically significant battles offering better rewards. This makes combat both necessary and rewarding.
Exploration Rewards: Unlocking new areas can yield valuable loot, new characters to recruit, new quests, or other benefits, making exploration worthwhile despite the resource costs.
Strategic Depth: Players will need to decide how to balance their resources between exploration and combat.
5. Optional Resource Purchasing with Silver
Market System: Allowing players to buy resources with silver adds flexibility to the system. If players are low on resources but have ample silver, they can purchase what they need to continue exploring or fighting.
Dynamic Pricing: I consider implementing dynamic pricing where the cost of resources might increase based on the player's progression or scarcity, adding another layer of strategy.
Post Battle Mechanics
The goal of this approach is to balance the need for strategic play with the desire to avoid micromanagement after each battle. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how I plan to achieve that.
1. Auto Rest After Battle
Time Passage: Implementing a system where a set amount of in-game time (e.g., one day) passes after each battle, especially in the context of travel time. This helps maintain immersion by reinforcing the idea that battles are significant events that require recovery time.
Auto-Heal System: After each battle, the squad automatically recovers a portion of their health based on the severity of their injuries:
Above 80% HP: Fully recover after the auto-rest period. These units were only lightly injured, so the rest period is sufficient for full recovery.
20-80% HP: Partial recovery based on how injured the unit was. The closer to 20%, the less they recover. For example, a unit at 75% might recover to 90%, while one at 30% might only recover to 40%.
Below 20% HP: Severely injured units do not recover automatically and require dedicated healing, which might cost in-game currency and time, making them unusable for a set period.
2. Severely Injured and Fallen Units
Severely Injured (<20% HP): Units with less than 20% health after a battle enter a "resting" state where they are unavailable for use until they receive medical treatment. This treatment requires silver.
Resting State: During this time, players could see these units in a "resting" or "injured" state in the squad menu, indicating that they need recovering.
Fallen Units (0% HP): Units that fall to 0% health during a battle require a significant amount of resources to revive and are out of commission for a longer period. This adds weight to losing a unit in battle and encourages careful strategy to avoid this outcome.
Revival Costs: Reviving a fallen unit could be costly, requiring both in-game currency and a longer recovery period, during which the unit is unavailable.
3. Strategic Depth with Healing Stages
Variable Recovery Rates: Implementing different recovery stages based on the unit’s remaining health adds strategic depth. Players will need to weigh the costs of pushing a unit close to death in battle versus retreating to preserve their health for quicker recovery.
Healing Tiers:
80-100%: Fully healed after one day of rest.
50-80%: Recovers partially, with the remainder of healing requiring additional time or resources.
20-50%: Recovers slightly after rest; additional treatment is recommended.
Below 20%: Enters a resting state, requiring paid recovery.
Ability Modifiers: Introduce special abilities or traits that affect recovery rates. For instance, a unit with a “Rapid Healer” trait might recover faster, even from severe injuries.
4. Flee Option
Tactical Retreat: The introduction of a flee option gives players a strategic choice to withdraw from a battle they believe they can’t win. This adds an element of risk management and can prevent total squad wipeouts, reducing player frustration.
Consequences of Fleeing:
No Rewards: Fleeing means forfeiting any rewards from the battle, except for a small amount of XP gained up to that point.
Partial Injuries: Units might suffer injuries based on how close the battle was to being lost. For example, if the player flees with most units above 50% HP, they might only drop to 40%, but if they flee with units already critically injured, those units might fall to near death.
Lost Resources: Fleeing might also result in losing some resources, such as a portion of the currency spent on hiring certain characters and traveling to the battle, adding a cost to retreating.
5. Balancing Strategic and Immersive Gameplay
Encouraging Strategic Play: The threat of severe injuries and costly recovery should encourage players to fight strategically, aiming to minimize damage taken during battles. This promotes the use of tactics, such as focusing on defense when a unit is low on health or using support abilities to maintain squad health.
Mitigating Frustration: At the same time, the auto-rest and flee mechanics ensure that players aren’t overly punished after every battle. By allowing units to recover a bit automatically, players can focus on progressing in the game without needing to micromanage their squad’s health constantly.
6. Optional Recovery Speed-Ups
In-Game Currency Usage: Players can spend in-game currency to speed up recovery for units, whether they are severely injured or fallen. This option provides a way to mitigate the downtime for important characters if the player is willing to invest resources.
Rare Items or Special Abilities: Introduce rare items or abilities that can instantly heal a unit or reduce recovery time. These could be found as rewards for completing difficult quests or events, adding another layer of strategic resource management.
General Character Progression
Each character can level up from level 1 to 100, allowing for a deep and engaging progression system. The core stats are divided into two categories: Trainable Core Stats (TCS) and Non-Trainable Core Stats (NTCS).
Trainable Core Stats (TCS)
Damage
Base Attack Efficiency (Note: The max standard is always 100%, which cannot be improved through leveling, only via items or abilities like critical strikes. Base attack efficiency refers to the minimum damage percentage.)
Attack Skill
Defense Skill
Initiation
These stats will grow automatically each level, contributing to the character's overall power. The growth follows this general formula:
Stat Value at Level X = Core Stat + (Max Increase × (Level − 1) / 100)
Core Stat: The initial value at level 1 (depends on character).
Max Increase: The maximum value the character can reach by level 100. This potential is tailored to each character's unique strengths and weaknesses, and also depends on the character's tier level (explained in the next section).
Example: Stat Value Calculation at Level 20
Given:
Core Base Efficiency: 60%
Max Increase: 85%
Level: 20
Calculation:
Determine the total possible increase over 100 levels:
Max Increase: 85% - 60% = 25%
Calculate the increase by level 20:
At level 20, the increase is proportional to (Level - 1) / 100, which is 19/100 = 0.19.
Increase at Level 20: 25% × 0.19 = 4.75%
Add the increase to the Core Base Efficiency:
Stat Value at Level 20 = 60% + 4.75% = 64.75%
Result:
At level 20, the Base Attack Efficiency would be 64.75%.
This example shows how the character’s efficiency would gradually increase from 60% to eventually reach up to 85% by level 100.
Beyond automatic growth, TCS can be permanently increased through Combat Lessons (CLs).
Combat Lessons (CLs):
These are earned by defeating specific types of enemies, allowing players to influence their character's progression. This ensures that character X in one player's session isn't identical to character X in another's. There will be a cap on the total number of CLs obtainable and another cap on how many CLs can be applied to a single TCS. For instance, if a player frequently battles fast, agile enemies with high initiation values, their character’s initiation stat may increase through CLs. Similarly, defeating enemies with high defense skills could boost the character’s defense skill through CLs.
The effect of CLs on stats will be visible in the character’s stats screen. For example, hovering over the defense skill stat might display a tooltip like this: "Defense skill: 10.9 (Base: 8, Level growth: 0.2, CL: 0.5)." Players can also track their CL progress with a progression bar that indicates when a stat is nearing its cap. During or after battle, subtle notifications like "+0.1 CL in Defense Skill" will appear to keep players informed of their progress.
TCS can also be temporarily increased or decreased by items such as potions, equipment, and character abilities like curses or buffs.
Non-Trainable Core Stats (NTCS)
Life
Speed
NTCS cannot be permanently increased through leveling. However, they can be temporarily enhanced by items or abilities.
Additional Stats
In addition to core stats, characters may also have other stats, including:
Physical Resistance (%)
Hermetic Resistance (%)
Poison Resistance (%)
Fire Resistance (%)
Poison Damage
Knockback Chance
Block Chance
Stun Chance
Open Wounds
Characters typically start with no points in these stats, except in cases where specific species bonuses or passive abilities apply. In such cases, these stats may increase at milestones (e.g., every 5 or 10 levels, Knockback Chance increases by 5%). Apart from that, these stats are primarily influenced by items like potions, equipment, and abilities (both buffs from allies and debuffs from enemies).
Tier Structure and XP Progression
The game will feature 3 distinct tiers of characters that you can recruit and hire for your squad. These tiers not only determine a character’s general power level but also play a crucial role in shaping gameplay across several aspects. A character's tier influences their progression, cost, and overall utility. Once recruited (unlocked), each character can be hired to join your squad in battle. Depending on their tier, the following conditions apply:
Low-Tier Characters (1 star)
Low-tier characters can be hired and deployed in battles without any upfront costs. If you achieve victory on the battlefield, they only take a small flat fee from your earned silver (a consistent part of your rewards). This makes them always available, low-risk, and affordable members of your squad. When leveled up and properly equipped, low-tier characters can become quite strong, and if used strategically, they allow you to retain most of your rewards. However, due to their inexperience, they take longer to level up.
Advantages: No upfront costs, low-risk investment.
Disadvantages: Slower leveling, requiring more time to reach their potential.
XP Progression: Slower leveling curve. Lower initial growth that gradually builds up with consistent use.
XP Curve: Slow. Focused on rewarding persistence and long-term use.
Mid-Tier Characters (2 star)
Mid-tier characters require a reasonable upfront fee to fight in your squad for each battle. Additionally, if you are victorious, they take a modest cut of your earned silver. These characters offer a balanced choice, providing your squad with increased power, which may enable you to win battles more quickly and efficiently, with less damage taken. Mid-tier units level up at a moderate pace, with balanced and steady progression.
Advantages: Reasonable upfront costs, balanced power and progression.
Disadvantages: Moderate cuts from rewards
XP Progression: Balanced leveling curve. Faster than low-tier but not as fast as high-tier characters.
XP Curve: Medium-fast. Offers steady progression to maintain both interest and utility.
High-Tier Characters (3 star)
High-tier characters demand significant investments to join your squad. They require substantial upfront fees to fight for you and take a larger portion of your earned silver upon victory. Thanks to their advanced skills, they level up quickly at first, but their progression slows down significantly after reaching level 50, as achieving perfection at this stage requires time. High-tier characters offer the fastest and most efficient path to victory, though this comes at a cost. Their power is essential for overcoming particularly difficult challenges or specific, high-stakes battles.
Advantages: High power level, fast initial leveling, essential for difficult challenges.
Disadvantages: High upfront costs, larger cuts from rewards, slower progression after level 50.
XP Progression: Fast initial leveling, tapering off after level 50.
XP Curve: Fast to level 50, then slowed significantly to reflect the challenge of mastering high-level skills.
Other Systems
1. Dynamic Day/Night Cycle
32-Hour In-Game Days: With a 32-hour day cycle (20 hours day, 12 hours night, which is lore accurate), the in-game time will constantly shift relative to real-world time. This means that players who always play at the same time will still experience different parts of the game world, as the time of day in-game will be different each time they play.
Content Availability: Just like in Pokémon Silver where certain Pokémon were only available at specific times, I plan on introducing content that is only accessible during certain parts of the in-game day. For example:
Day/Night Exclusive Quests: Certain quests or events could only trigger during specific in-game times, making the world feel dynamic and alive.
Time-Specific Enemies or Resources: Different enemies might appear, or specific resources might be available only during the day or night, adding variety to the gameplay experience.
2. Offline Healing System
Real-Time Healing: Characters gradually regain health based on the real-world time that has passed since the last session. This rewards players for taking breaks and makes returning to the game feel rewarding rather than punishing.
Balancing: To avoid exploitation, I might set a cap on how much health can be regained during a single period of inactivity, or introduce diminishing returns for very long absences.
3. Offline XP Gain System
Limited "Training" or "Hunting" Slots: Similar to Pokémon’s daycare or farm systems, allow players to assign up to X characters to "train" or "hunt" while they are away. These characters gain experience at a slow rate during real-world time.
Costs for Training: Implementing a silver and resources cost for sending characters on these offline missions adds a layer of strategy. Players will have to consider whether it’s worth the investment to level up niche characters slowly over time.
Reward Balancing: The XP gain should be relatively low to ensure that active gameplay remains the primary method of leveling up. However, this system gives players a way to progress characters they might not otherwise have time to use frequently in battle.
4. Integration with Offline Play
Notifications: When the player logs back in, I plan on providing them with a summary of what their characters have accomplished or how much they’ve healed. This helps reinforce the feeling that the game world is alive and progressing, even in their absence.
Please feel free to provide feedback or ask questions. Things mentioned here are subject to change. You can comment below or join our discord and discuss all that stuff with the guild and myself there.
If you want to support the project, you can:
Wishlist the game on Steam - is free, helps a lot, takes 10 seconds: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2993950/Fangs__Forges/
Become a Guild Patron:
Buy Merch, such as character posters or mouse pads:
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