On Fri, 4 Feb 2000, John Tatsukawa wrote:
> > From: <kim@...>
> >
> > This is actually a gripe of mine too with nearly all the RPGs
> > I've seen. The way the rules work, the best strategy is for
> > everyone to concentrate on one opponent at a time, while the
> > extras beat on you. In real combat, that'll get you killed
> > real quick since the extras will be getting free shots at your
> > backside. I'd really like to see a CRPG with some sort of
> > engagement/disengagement system. Then the warrior wouldn't
> > have to taunt, he'd just step between the cleric and mob and
> > engage the mob in combat. If the mob turned to attack the
> > cleric, the warrior would get a free shot in for max or
> > critical damage. Yes this would require mobs to have better
> > AI, which IMHO is always a good thing.
>
> I think that for entertainment's sake, we wouldn't really want it. I see the
> point you are making, which is that it would require more strategy if they
> were to fight and take damage in a more realistic fashion.
>
> Potentially, if we wanted realism, 1 good stick in the gut should disable
> any mob or player then, which kind of ruins any suspense.
Just so you know, the RPG I played most (and type of system I
like the most) was Traveller. Yes, one good stick in the gut
could disable just about anyone. Yes Muhammad Ali could be
knocked out by one weakling swinging a pipe at his head from
behind. Yes it changes combat tactics - rather than what you
do in a fight being important (which I always thought should
be based on the character's skill, not the player's ability to
play), how you plan a fight and how well you carry out that
plan, and how you adapt to changing circumstances becomes
important.
If you haven't picked it up yet from my other comments:
- I don't like level based systems
- I don't like class based systems
- I don't like increasing hp systems
IMHO, all of these are quick-and-easy approaches to "solving"
the playbalance problem by artificially imposing limitations
to enforce orthogonality (balancing a game is much easier if
the factors you can tweak are all orthogonal). The tradeoff
of course is that you lose flexibility and diversity, and you
get some really strange things happening in the game world
physics (e.g. high level people without safe fall surviving
impossible drops).
--
John H. Kim
kim@...