Integration of Story and RPG-Like Gameplay

[_GooseWithAKeyboard_]

I'm in the early stages of writing/coding a low/urban fantasy game. Such games tend to go well with RPG-like mechanics (combat systems, EXP-based levelling, etc.), and I had initially planned to use combat as a story activity and occasionally as a softlock to stop the player from blasting headfirst through the story without giving the cast the time of day (although I did plan on it being technically possible to go through the entire thing underlevelled - it would just be very painful and not worth the Bad Ending you'd get). However, I've found myself worrying about how well such a system will actually mesh with the type of story I want to have, which is based not only on datelike scenarios in which you spend time with various characters (and attempt to avert their unlikely fates) but then on going back and doing the whole thing all over again (once again to avert their unlikely fates, but with more characters and more knowledge this time around). Of course, I'm going to be writing a ton of new dialogue, choices, etc. for each replay, but storywise, it doesn't make sense to change pre-determined fights up, which presents a boredom issue if I'm going to use them as a core progression mechanic.

I'm considering simply ditching the idea of battle mechanics entirely - I'm not too sure how well the two ideas would synergize anyway (with this particular story in mind) and as someone with the dev experience of a squished grape, setting up the battle system is going to be a pain - not to mention balancing it to make the game somewhat enjoyable. Then again, not having a battle mechanic is going to present some storytelling conundrums, since having an enemy jump out from behind a bush is something of a given in this world, and I'd like it to be established as a genuine feature of the job rather than a miscellaneous annoyance. The decision, I think, is going to come down to the narrative/engagement worth of the two worst-case-scenarios, which is why I ask the question:

Would you find an utterly mediocre battle system in an otherwise mechanically otome-like game to be a point of interest that breaks up information-heavy areas, or an immersion-breaking, plot-blocking, pain?

[plastiekk]

Hi there and a Happy New Year!
Whether it is/will be annoying or not depends on the battle system. If I see successes as a player, then I certainly won't get bored so quickly. But it raises questions like, can the system be bypassed? Can I cancel fights or do I have to defeat this or that villain to get ahead in the story? The latter would have a negative effect (in my opinion), since I am forced to pass this fight. (Yep, after 3-4 tries you quickly lose motivation. A good example would be the "Hidden Boss" of Persona 3, Elizabeth - but you don't have to defeat her as a player, she is just a little additional incentive )

Basically, I think a battle system is not bad, but you should be clear which genre you want to represent. For a VN a few action scenes, if I may call so, are enough. Maybe according to the scissors-rock-paper principle. But that's just my subjective opinion.

[Per K Grok]

I'm in the early stages of writing/coding a low/urban fantasy game. Such games tend to go well with RPG-like mechanics (combat systems, EXP-based levelling, etc.), and I had initially planned to use combat as a story activity and occasionally as a softlock to stop the player from blasting headfirst through the story without giving the cast the time of day (although I did plan on it being technically possible to go through the entire thing underlevelled - it would just be very painful and not worth the Bad Ending you'd get). However, I've found myself worrying about how well such a system will actually mesh with the type of story I want to have, which is based not only on datelike scenarios in which you spend time with various characters (and attempt to avert their unlikely fates) but then on going back and doing the whole thing all over again (once again to avert their unlikely fates, but with more characters and more knowledge this time around). Of course, I'm going to be writing a ton of new dialogue, choices, etc. for each replay, but storywise, it doesn't make sense to change pre-determined fights up, which presents a boredom issue if I'm going to use them as a core progression mechanic.

I'm considering simply ditching the idea of battle mechanics entirely - I'm not too sure how well the two ideas would synergize anyway (with this particular story in mind) and as someone with the dev experience of a squished grape, setting up the battle system is going to be a pain - not to mention balancing it to make the game somewhat enjoyable. Then again, not having a battle mechanic is going to present some storytelling conundrums, since having an enemy jump out from behind a bush is something of a given in this world, and I'd like it to be established as a genuine feature of the job rather than a miscellaneous annoyance. The decision, I think, is going to come down to the narrative/engagement worth of the two worst-case-scenarios, which is why I ask the question:

Would you find an utterly mediocre battle system in an otherwise mechanically otome-like game to be a point of interest that breaks up information-heavy areas, or an immersion-breaking, plot-blocking, pain?

My opinion is that you should try out, making a simple turn based battle system and see how that works out. Start out as simple as possible. I would do that as a separate project and then incorporate it into the main project if i turns out well.

Would be a pity not to have given the idea a test at least. Trying things out is a way to move forward.

[Mutive]

Would you find an utterly mediocre battle system in an otherwise mechanically otome-like game to be a point of interest that breaks up information-heavy areas, or an immersion-breaking, plot-blocking, pain?

I think it depends on how mediocre the battle system is.

If the battle sections are reasonably short and simple (e.g. I'm unlikely to have to replay them several times and they don't take ages from the story), I can see it being a welcome relief. (I didn't mind the battle sections in Hatoful Boyfriend, for instance). But if it's going to be lengthy - or very challenging- and not a lot of fun, I'd prefer to skip them. (Playing a game shouldn't feel like a chore.)

[puppetbomb]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say that if the battle system is only there to act as filler, get rid of it for now. If you can find another reason for it to exist other than to waste a someone's time until the next story beat, then add it back in.

Putting in time and effort into features that get cut is, unfortunately, inevitable. But you can save yourself a lot of work if you can get one thing working well rather than spending time on adding extra features that doesn't enhance the core gameplay (or makes it worse).

On that note, a cautionary tale from ProZD about adding more gameplay.

[_GooseWithAKeyboard_]

Thank you all for your advice, and thank you puppetbomb for the video! The general vibe that I'm getting is that the important things to think about are story accessibility, and making sure that it actually contributes to the experience. I guess I'll keep it running as a side project in the background while I get the rest of the game bolted down - if I do end up liking it, RenPy makes it pretty easy to slot in and implement skips for anyone who can't/won't pass the sequences.