[Rainer Deyke]

For the game I'm currently designing, I'm thinking of eliminating hit points entirely for an injury system. Basically, whenever you get hit you get an injury. Injuries vary be location and severity. Injuries on the same location are combined, so if you already have a moderate injury on your left and you get another, they would combine to form a single severe injury.

Each injury reduces your combat effectiveness. If your right arm is injured, you can no longer swing your weapon as effectively. If your leg is injured, you can no longer run. Head and torso injuries can lead to death. In addition, all injuries can lead to infection if they are not properly treated.

In general, injuries only heal with resting. Magical healing of some kind is available, but it is quite limited in effectiveness.

So what does this mean in terms of gameplay? The main effect will be that even monsters who are no match for the party will be able to cause serious damage. The goal of combat will change from "win" to "win without taking injuries". The game won't necessarily be any more difficult - after all, the game is balanced for the combat system - but it won't be divided into difficult combat and trivial combat. Combat will never be trivial.

[Mandrake]

very cool i must say. I remember when people tried to use such a thing for table-top RPG's, and that didn't work well because it slowed down combat. But, with the computer taking all the slow-down out (ie: performs the calculations instantly...instead of roll-die for hit area, roll-die for dammage to hit area, roll imparative dammage, etc etc) so this ocul be very unique and realistic. Just make sure it's intuitive and smooth. A good way is in the inventory system have an Ultima6/7 style "Paper Doll" with injuries shown in the correct spot. In order to heal you would have to choose the location to heal.

[Ninkazu]

Have you ever played bushido blade? You can get a leg cut off, then you crawl on the floor swinging your sword... very realistic and fun game. I want to buy it, but it's really rare. I'd have to see the implementation of your system before I can say I like it, because injuries to a common man and injuries to an rpg character are basically varied by a 10:1 ratio, heh. Infections would just suck for the player, unless healing it is easy and convenient. "Walking back to the town, you get gangrene (sp?) an die. Game over." "SHIT!" Anyway, maybe there should be some kind of panacea to prevent all infections of any kind o_O.

*Whack*
You lost your hand
*Whack*
You lost your forearm
*Whack*
You lost your shoulder
*Whack*
There go your nuts

Ya... just wanted to give a demonstration of beating your arm down to a nub fairly quickly.

[mandrake*rpgdx]

yeah, but replace uber-hitpoints and dammage absorption of normal RPG's with parrrying and blocking....not only more realistic now, but strategy involved as well....

[Rainer Deyke]

Infections are just another negative status effect. They won't kill you instantly, but they do force you to return to town. The plan is that characters will become useless in combat long before they die.

I was planning on making blocking and parrying a major aspect of combat. Of course it's nearly impossible to block a rear attack, so maneuvering will have a major effect on combat. A surrounded character is a dead character. This goes for the monsters too, BTW.

[Ironshanks]

I'd just avoid snakes...I mean really, snakes would be bad.

Sounds like a cool idea, I'd be impressed to see it pulled off well.
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That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.

[Jihgfed Pumpkinhead]

     I wanted to do something like this, but then I thought: "Hmm, gee, this looks like a lot of work." So I didn't.

[Rainer Deyke]

[Ironshanks]

For something like this I'd really suggest skill based levelling. I think it would fit better in general.
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That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.

[Ninkazu]

Looking at these new ideas you have, it seems like it would take me 50 hours to reach level 15. Also, when trying to level up, the encounters would be so rare you'd have to wander around for a long time to join a battle that may not be worth fighting... maybe you could sell some kind of pheramone or something to make things attack you o_O

[madqb at school]

Ok, this system sounds really cool to me. I'd like to get away from the traditional, "120 HP" and "50 Defense" type of games, where HP and defense really don't matter a whole lot. This system you are making, makes it possible for the player to become skillful, or... basically die.

I have one question/suggestion though. I would really hate to see a system like this go to waste on complete randomness. Is the hit determination, or location of the hit determination random? Like, any attack can hit anywhere randomly, thats not what I would like to see. Rather certain attacks are aimed at certain places, and until the player blocks the attack, it will hit that place and damage it, unless of course the enemy misses. I mean, random is ok, but aimed is better.

Other than that it really does sound cool.

[mandrake@work]

[Ninkazu]

But... but......... I LIKE leveling up.... :'(

[Rainer Deyke]

• Becoming more powerful will be a major part of the game.
  
• The fastest way to become powerful will be completing quests, not beating up random monsters.
  
• Character advancement will be skill-based, not level-based.
  

[Ironshanks]

Yay! heh.

When fighting scorpians, where lots of leg armour :)
_________________
That's not a broken link, it's a PICTURE of a broken link. It's really very conceptual.