Turn-Based Dungeon Master Mode

[Osvir]

Hi Obsidian and Forum-goers and Kickstart backers.

 

I am a huge fan of old school cRPG's, as well as RPG's altogether.

This idea, although rather massive for a developer, recently popped in my mind.

One thing I miss in games today is the "realistic" fantasy. Yes, you read it right.

 

When your character hits with his sword, how the sword simply cuts straight through your enemy like they were made of air.

This is one thing that has been frustrating me, understandable why it doesn't exist, but still feels modern enough today for a game with a vivid combat system.

 

So what am I really gibberishing about?

 

* A combat system that looks like Dark Souls, wherein your characters block the monster attacks, they struggle and they dodge, your characters interact with the environment based on... dice rolls.

* Theoretically; the static elements of Baldur's Gate, the dice rolls, saving throws, checks and all that it entails, but with vivid animations.

 

But... what exactly is the "Turn-Based Director's Cut"? What does it mean?

 

Let me portray a scenario, you are lurking in a dungeon to learn more about the recent guerrilla uprisings in the nearby town. In the first room, you see a guard from afar, seemingly dozing off on a chair. You are obscured by the shadows of the hall you are in, so even if he would take an ordinary glance, he wouldn't see you.

 

You decide to take control of your Thief, or Assassin, who excels at creeping in shadows.

 

From the players perspective: You can now, actively, run into the room with your group. Or turn on "Directive Mode"/Combat Mode. This is the equivalent to the "Pause" function found in Baldur's Gate and similar titles. But here you get to show the game -how- you want the battle to progress.

 

So you choose your Thief, you make all the actions of him swiftly, silently creeping behind the guard. Deftly like a ninja you see him place himself behind for the kill. Which he also succeeds with. However, this is only the pre-combat phase, the tactical phase of the combat. As you press un-pause you find your Thief back at the hall, he begins his actions that you have told him to do.

 

He sneaks up, but just as he is about to stab his enemy in the back, he reacts (dice roll) and turns around managing to dodge the attack and instead toppling your Thief over the table in front of him, making your Thief roll into the wall and get stunned for a turn.

 

He also manages to call on reinforcement, setting the entire dungeon on "Alert!" for intruders.

 

Pause. Tactical maneuvering again, directing how you want to proceed.

 

Another outcome could've been exactly what you wanted, another could've been the guard noticing the Thief instantly as he entered the room.

 

Another portraying of the vision:

 

Hero: 10 Hitpoints

Demon: 10 Hitpoints

 

Hero and Demon is having a duel. In Baldur's Gate, we would see the two factions hit each other statically in their animations.

 

Hero takes 1 damage.

Demon takes 1 damage.

 

And so forth.

 

Instead, my idea flirts more with the thought of these parameters being invisible, or we can choose to see them. Gameplay wise what we would see would not be the ordinary "I hit you once! You hit me once!" but a struggle, a fight between survival and death. All depending on the level of your characters of course.

 

I would love to have control of the combat, the gameplay, whilst enjoying it artistically as well.

 

Know, I love Baldur's Gate, not for it's graphics or animations but for its immense deep story. I just love to spread ideas :D

 

My friend watches Live Stream DnD sessions and he told me of this moment where the group met a dragon, the archer manages to shoot an arrow right into the weak spot of the dragon. Critical hit. The Mage then casts a lightning bolt, which hits the exact same spot, critical hit, and the dragon goes down.

 

Now this was a lucky and easy fight. What about experiencing this in a game? Where the dragon flies up into the sky, terrorizing your group and its really hard to hit it (but in fact you are hitting it, just invisible dice rolls).

 

Taking the animations further, and the mechanics deeper.

 

A low damage hit could be an arrow of magic that glances the scales of the dragon, managing to pull one of in a battle.

 

In Dragon Age Origins this arrow would simply fly into it and it would take damage (still standing where it stands).

 

In my idea the Dragon would be the beast, beast against man, shredding through the patch of forest to get to your group fleeing. The archer would turn around Legolas style, shooting while running. Your Warrior would place himself, ready to ambush the enemy.

 

In my idea the battles you see would pretty much look automatic, but you would be able to pause at any point to direct it, modify it. Lay traps, ambushes.

 

This is just such a huge concept though, making it most likely very time consuming and great that a game developer wouldn't dare touch it (time is money as they say, and I believe that this idea of mine would simply take too much time).

 

Thanks for reading, that's about it :D

 

Have a great wonderful day,

Osvir