@serenity-blue:
Yes, there will be an option in the preference. I plan to so that people who would like to skip the battle sequences may and enjoy the story more. Plus, uh, it'll make finding endings a lot less complicated. :P I pull the "lol" card on your last comment.
@Cain0425:
I'm glad that it does! And thanks.
@Starling:
I totally did that in high school. Spent so long playing "War" since it never ended. Our games were always put on hold and we'd finish it two days later. >_> Thanks for your support there.
@azureXtwilight:
I do intend to create some sort of tutorial before the first game start since this has turned out into quite a system, and yes, they'll be an option to turn battles off in the preferences.
@Jake:
Hearing you say that, yes, it could get complicated being that it is not a common rule of power (and I totally see what you mean by the link). In the system, one Ace is going to be the player's combatant except in certain situations. It'll always be their highest Ace and how the story puts it out, the player could experience battle with at least two different Aces, at least one at a time.
Being that is the case, and I like the suggestion you mentioned, the battling Ace that the cards correspond to would gain a certain boost if their suits are played. So, when Hearts fight, say he'll get a bonus of 3 to his card which could or couldn't override the monster's card. It'll have to be a bonus low enough that it isn't a winning streak and high enough that it actually works.
Thanks for the input.
@Showsni:
An interesting idea for eliminating the need for a status screen. It does help with it for that much and gives the aces a purpose in the battle which was my primary problem after so much collaborating. I also like the idea of giving monsters different AI to give each their own personality. Man! This is going to be a lot and a handful. Thanks for your thoughts and ideas!
@Everyone about the system:
Correct me if I state something that seems out of left field for the current Ren'Py as coding is not my forte (though, I wouldn't mind actually messing around to get this system going). After thinking for some time, this is the system so far:
Basic Gameplay in Battle
Upon entering the battle, five cards are drawn for each side (there will always be five drawn cards for both sides). Three cards are chosen from the drawn cards and placed on the playing field upside-down: one for the base damage, one for the attack power, and one for the defense power. When both sides have placed their cards in the field, they will reveal themselves and subtract the difference from the losing side. The math would be then: Base damage + attack power - defense power = losing side's subtracted health.
HOWEVER! Cards played as base damage would be discarded for the rest of the battle while defense power can only be exchanged once every two turns. Attack cards can be interchangeable between the drawn hand and the playing field.
The IFs:
- "Held" cards are cards pulled to the "held" position can be put onto the playing field at any given moment
BUT cannot return to the drawn hand.
- The card of ace can only be used in the position of base damage.
- Healing cards can only be used in the position of the base damage.
- Special cards can only be used in the position of base damage. The effect will only last for two turns. There will be a side notice on the playing field about the effect and can be by both sides.
- Should the event of a combatant running out of cards come to be, that combatant loses the battle automatically. (I would say that they can retrieve 43 random cards from the discarded pile which would then give the monster player an advantage of grabbing the ace but it just feels complicated from the base mechanics.)
Other Things to Consider: (if marked **, the numbers may change)
- There is a total of 43 cards: 36 which are the cards 2-10 (basic attack cards), 3 healing cards** (which can be placed in a held position), 3 special cards (obtainable via some major choices you make in the game and can be held), 1 which is the ace (special attack card which causes 20 damage**).
- - There will be three holding positions so it's limited as to how many cards can be held. i.e. 1 healing, 1 special, and the ace.
- Special cards are the turning points of battle such as attack plus, defense plus, and draw new cards.
- Healing cards acts as a base damage and healing health. The math would then be for healing: Base damage + DEFENSE power = amount of health healed.
Should things be subtracted? Should things be more simplified? Would it function in Ren'Py? Those are the questions I would like to ask so I ask you guys for your opinion.
By the way, for the visual learner, here's a visual representation of the playing field above.