This game idea isn't particularly a new one. I've thrown around the concept for months upon months, but never fleshed it out beyond knowing that the game would very much not be taking itself seriously.
It'd be a flash game, where the characters would be drawn as circles, basically, with occasional exceptions. The characters would have various weapons, hats, armor, and accessories they could wear, but until today, that's about all I really knew aside from that it'd be a strategic RPG fighting game.
Today, though, I invented a vast system. Basically, to break it down, there are four class types: Melee, Magic, Range, and Back. Each type of class has four different attributes, and from a combination of two focus-attributes, you end up with seven subclasses for each class.
For Melee, you've got Speed (self-explanatory), Power (also self-explanatory), Defense (physical defense only), and Finesse (which is where all other aspects go: technique for precise hits, magical-based spellbladery, and magical defenses.)
From that, you get this--
(Note: I use 'he', but some may be girls. I'm just defaulting to male for the time being.)
Berserker: Focusing on raw attack speed and power, at the absolute expense of defense (virtually-zero) and mostly for Finesse too. (The Berserker has some finesse, but it's mainly on magical spellbladery to boost raw power, and prevent the berserker from being restrained by magic. So passives, mainly.)
Soldier: Focusing on speed and defense, this is basically a light footsoldier in an army, a general troop who therefore lacks real training in finesse and whose main strength traditionally comes from numbers, thus lacking individual power. Still, though, a soldier is a respectable foe because with the right build, they're hard to hit, when hit don't take much damage, and yet are still dealing out decent damage themselves. He would be a main character, too.
Duelist: Focusing on speed and finesse, the duelist is a very refined fighter, precise and to the point. Though utterly lacking in defense, and not having any real power to speak of (albeit still packing a nasty punch), this refined technique is deadly-accurate, delivering pinpoint attacks that dish out damage, all the while topping the soldier in evasive ability. Think "fragile speedster", and you've got this guy. His magic mainly boosts accuracy and evasion.
Knight: Focusing on power and defense, the knight is basically a tank: very, very slow, and while a trained swordsman, lacking what would be called any true sense of finesse (he has some magical attacks and magical defenses, but while these are activated abilities, they're little more than augmentation to what's already there). He more than makes up for it in his sheer raw endurance and armor, though, and he packs a mean punch. Incidentally, he is also a main character.
Warrior: Focusing on power and finesse, the warrior is a Proud Warrior Race Guy, from a long tradition of fighting. Wearing armor is an insult to his tradition, thus, defense is never a concern, and speed isn't truly valued, either. The warrior prizes sheer raw strength used in combination with good fighting skills to determine the best. Coming from such a line, his finesse is one of the broadest of the melee classes, as he has some refined techniques, some magical spellbladery, AND a fair share of natural magical resistance. He is also a main character.
Paladin: Focusing on defense and finesse, a paladin is basically a magical knight: the immense defense is augmented by magic (especially healing magic), but not without cost: they aren't as strong as a knight, and share the knight's utter lack of speed. They don't need it, though; their finesse is such that they have many magical attacks, several magical spells to defend themselves, and many of the knight's augmenting techniques.
Samurai: Equally balancing all of the attributes, the samurai is a Jack of All Trades, Master of None: While faster than knights, warriors, and paladins, their speed is only about equal to that of a soldier, yet they have lower evasion than a soldier. While their power is greater than a soldier and duelist, it's only about on par with a paladin. Though their armor is better than the berserker, warrior, and duelist, it's an even match for the soldier. And when it comes to finesse, the duelist wins for precision, the warrior wins on spellbladery, and the paladin wins on magic overall.
That being said, the samurai's stats are basically superior to almost all the others overall, especially when looking at their finesse: very precise strikes (just not as fast/precise as a duelist), with vast arrays of mystic spellbladery, and a vast natural resistance to magic. He is also a main character. (Incidentally, I'm thinking he's a Korean martial artist the characters MISTAKE for a Samurai. With undubbed Korean lines. Because it's funny.)
When it comes to Magic, you get Speed, M.def (Magical defense, natch), M.Off (Magic Attack, of course), and P.Def (Physical Defense).
Cleric: I'm a bit iffy on the name, but the cleric is focused mainly on speed and magical defense. Note that healing and such is included in magic defense, as are half the buffs for characters. Basically, their role is to be right there, to quickly keep the party alive after devastation hits. They utterly lack an aggressive bone in their body, and are highly vulnerable to physical attack, but are the first line of recovery.
Black Mage: No surprises here, they're focused on speed and magical attack; their job is to dish out damage and dish out as much damage as they can as fast as they can. Of course, they suffer bad physical penalties, and they're not exactly great in defending themselves from magic itself, but they dish out one-hit kills such that their best defense is a good offense. In short, glass cannons.
Spellcaster: The spellcaster is one of the most balanced magic-users around, whose main job it is is to dish out as many spells as possible. They fare pretty well if placed in close range, too; they are hardy, naturally resistant to physical attacks, and their ability to buff against physical attacks raises that even higher. Of course, it has a cost: the spellcaster's not the strongest with their magic attacks, and utterly lacks the training to handle better magic users attacking them with something strong. Thus, spellcasters are generally an anti-melee unit.
Wizard: The general magic user, the wizard sacrifices speed in order to deliver DEVASTATING magical attacks while holding nigh-impenetrable magical defense. Of course, this creates a Squishy Wizard, absolutely vulnerable to physical attacks, but it'd be fair to say a wizard is an anti-magic unit, dominating the field with their spells.
White Mage: Basically the ultimate defensive unit, the White Mage is similar to the cleric in that it focuses on keeping units alive. While lacking the advantage in speed, the white mage has versatility, able to buff against both physical and magical attacks, and possessing some debuffs, too. It still mainly heals, and does so with more effectiveness than its faster cleric counterparts, just not nearly as fast. It's also not exactly easy to take down. And is, incidentally, the only magical main character.
Sorcerer: The other anti-melee magic-user, who goes with raw power rather than speed. Devastating attacks reign down, with the sorcerer being second only to the wizard in sheer raw magical strength, yet also having physical toughness to boot. And the sorcerer is no slouch in the magical defense department, either! The main flaw of the sorcerer is simply the utter lack of speed, making him vulnerable until he casts his spells.
Red Mage: The jack of all trades magic-wise, the red mage has decent speed, but is bested by the cleric, black mage, and spellcaster. The red mage has great attacks, but the strength behind them is lesser than the black mage, wizard, and sorcerer counterparts. Similarly, the red mage is great at defending against magic, but both the white mage and wizard are superior, and the cleric's speed makes the cleric better too. The red mage's main advantage is in physical endurance matched only by the sorcerer, and the similarly-strong anti-melee techniques, which are great but not as good as the sorcerer, not as fast as the spellcaster, and not as defensive as the white mage. Still, the buffs, debuffs, and healing combo is great to have in such a balance.
I didn't really get around to working out the details of the other classes, though.
When it comes to ranged, I know they have speed, power, defense (which combines both physical and magical), and finesse (which is a lot of things: range, accuracy, and special magic), but didn't work out anything except their names:
Archer (a main character),
Ranger,
Bowman,
Arbalester,
Woodsman,
Sniper,
And Gunman, a main character.
Similarly, the Back class barely got touched. They use the same speed, power, defense, and finesse system, but finesse is much more important for them, covering everything from stealth, magic defense, magic attacks, and special techniques, e.g. poisoning, backstabbing.
I did get them named, though.
Assassin,
Ninja,
Rogue (the only main character from the class),
Thief,
Bandit,
Outlaw,
And Reaper.
Despite having 28 playable characters, the game would have an Arbitrary Headcount Limit of 8 per battle, with the others getting 90% of the experience and still being able to be equipped, albeit not as instantly conveniently as the 8 currently-active characters. Every character would be recruited in unique ways and have unique dialog, it's just that 8 of the characters are "main" ones, with the rest having less attention paid to them on their dialog and not as frequently being present when not in the party for cutscenes. (All 8 basically are there every time even when not present in the party, thanks to cutscene magic.)
That's about all I've got aside from a few witty banter sections.
I like the idea.
It'd be a flash game, where the characters would be drawn as circles, basically, with occasional exceptions. The characters would have various weapons, hats, armor, and accessories they could wear, but until today, that's about all I really knew aside from that it'd be a strategic RPG fighting game.
Today, though, I invented a vast system. Basically, to break it down, there are four class types: Melee, Magic, Range, and Back. Each type of class has four different attributes, and from a combination of two focus-attributes, you end up with seven subclasses for each class.
For Melee, you've got Speed (self-explanatory), Power (also self-explanatory), Defense (physical defense only), and Finesse (which is where all other aspects go: technique for precise hits, magical-based spellbladery, and magical defenses.)
From that, you get this--
(Note: I use 'he', but some may be girls. I'm just defaulting to male for the time being.)
Berserker: Focusing on raw attack speed and power, at the absolute expense of defense (virtually-zero) and mostly for Finesse too. (The Berserker has some finesse, but it's mainly on magical spellbladery to boost raw power, and prevent the berserker from being restrained by magic. So passives, mainly.)
Soldier: Focusing on speed and defense, this is basically a light footsoldier in an army, a general troop who therefore lacks real training in finesse and whose main strength traditionally comes from numbers, thus lacking individual power. Still, though, a soldier is a respectable foe because with the right build, they're hard to hit, when hit don't take much damage, and yet are still dealing out decent damage themselves. He would be a main character, too.
Duelist: Focusing on speed and finesse, the duelist is a very refined fighter, precise and to the point. Though utterly lacking in defense, and not having any real power to speak of (albeit still packing a nasty punch), this refined technique is deadly-accurate, delivering pinpoint attacks that dish out damage, all the while topping the soldier in evasive ability. Think "fragile speedster", and you've got this guy. His magic mainly boosts accuracy and evasion.
Knight: Focusing on power and defense, the knight is basically a tank: very, very slow, and while a trained swordsman, lacking what would be called any true sense of finesse (he has some magical attacks and magical defenses, but while these are activated abilities, they're little more than augmentation to what's already there). He more than makes up for it in his sheer raw endurance and armor, though, and he packs a mean punch. Incidentally, he is also a main character.
Warrior: Focusing on power and finesse, the warrior is a Proud Warrior Race Guy, from a long tradition of fighting. Wearing armor is an insult to his tradition, thus, defense is never a concern, and speed isn't truly valued, either. The warrior prizes sheer raw strength used in combination with good fighting skills to determine the best. Coming from such a line, his finesse is one of the broadest of the melee classes, as he has some refined techniques, some magical spellbladery, AND a fair share of natural magical resistance. He is also a main character.
Paladin: Focusing on defense and finesse, a paladin is basically a magical knight: the immense defense is augmented by magic (especially healing magic), but not without cost: they aren't as strong as a knight, and share the knight's utter lack of speed. They don't need it, though; their finesse is such that they have many magical attacks, several magical spells to defend themselves, and many of the knight's augmenting techniques.
Samurai: Equally balancing all of the attributes, the samurai is a Jack of All Trades, Master of None: While faster than knights, warriors, and paladins, their speed is only about equal to that of a soldier, yet they have lower evasion than a soldier. While their power is greater than a soldier and duelist, it's only about on par with a paladin. Though their armor is better than the berserker, warrior, and duelist, it's an even match for the soldier. And when it comes to finesse, the duelist wins for precision, the warrior wins on spellbladery, and the paladin wins on magic overall.
That being said, the samurai's stats are basically superior to almost all the others overall, especially when looking at their finesse: very precise strikes (just not as fast/precise as a duelist), with vast arrays of mystic spellbladery, and a vast natural resistance to magic. He is also a main character. (Incidentally, I'm thinking he's a Korean martial artist the characters MISTAKE for a Samurai. With undubbed Korean lines. Because it's funny.)
When it comes to Magic, you get Speed, M.def (Magical defense, natch), M.Off (Magic Attack, of course), and P.Def (Physical Defense).
Cleric: I'm a bit iffy on the name, but the cleric is focused mainly on speed and magical defense. Note that healing and such is included in magic defense, as are half the buffs for characters. Basically, their role is to be right there, to quickly keep the party alive after devastation hits. They utterly lack an aggressive bone in their body, and are highly vulnerable to physical attack, but are the first line of recovery.
Black Mage: No surprises here, they're focused on speed and magical attack; their job is to dish out damage and dish out as much damage as they can as fast as they can. Of course, they suffer bad physical penalties, and they're not exactly great in defending themselves from magic itself, but they dish out one-hit kills such that their best defense is a good offense. In short, glass cannons.
Spellcaster: The spellcaster is one of the most balanced magic-users around, whose main job it is is to dish out as many spells as possible. They fare pretty well if placed in close range, too; they are hardy, naturally resistant to physical attacks, and their ability to buff against physical attacks raises that even higher. Of course, it has a cost: the spellcaster's not the strongest with their magic attacks, and utterly lacks the training to handle better magic users attacking them with something strong. Thus, spellcasters are generally an anti-melee unit.
Wizard: The general magic user, the wizard sacrifices speed in order to deliver DEVASTATING magical attacks while holding nigh-impenetrable magical defense. Of course, this creates a Squishy Wizard, absolutely vulnerable to physical attacks, but it'd be fair to say a wizard is an anti-magic unit, dominating the field with their spells.
White Mage: Basically the ultimate defensive unit, the White Mage is similar to the cleric in that it focuses on keeping units alive. While lacking the advantage in speed, the white mage has versatility, able to buff against both physical and magical attacks, and possessing some debuffs, too. It still mainly heals, and does so with more effectiveness than its faster cleric counterparts, just not nearly as fast. It's also not exactly easy to take down. And is, incidentally, the only magical main character.
Sorcerer: The other anti-melee magic-user, who goes with raw power rather than speed. Devastating attacks reign down, with the sorcerer being second only to the wizard in sheer raw magical strength, yet also having physical toughness to boot. And the sorcerer is no slouch in the magical defense department, either! The main flaw of the sorcerer is simply the utter lack of speed, making him vulnerable until he casts his spells.
Red Mage: The jack of all trades magic-wise, the red mage has decent speed, but is bested by the cleric, black mage, and spellcaster. The red mage has great attacks, but the strength behind them is lesser than the black mage, wizard, and sorcerer counterparts. Similarly, the red mage is great at defending against magic, but both the white mage and wizard are superior, and the cleric's speed makes the cleric better too. The red mage's main advantage is in physical endurance matched only by the sorcerer, and the similarly-strong anti-melee techniques, which are great but not as good as the sorcerer, not as fast as the spellcaster, and not as defensive as the white mage. Still, the buffs, debuffs, and healing combo is great to have in such a balance.
I didn't really get around to working out the details of the other classes, though.
When it comes to ranged, I know they have speed, power, defense (which combines both physical and magical), and finesse (which is a lot of things: range, accuracy, and special magic), but didn't work out anything except their names:
Archer (a main character),
Ranger,
Bowman,
Arbalester,
Woodsman,
Sniper,
And Gunman, a main character.
Similarly, the Back class barely got touched. They use the same speed, power, defense, and finesse system, but finesse is much more important for them, covering everything from stealth, magic defense, magic attacks, and special techniques, e.g. poisoning, backstabbing.
I did get them named, though.
Assassin,
Ninja,
Rogue (the only main character from the class),
Thief,
Bandit,
Outlaw,
And Reaper.
Despite having 28 playable characters, the game would have an Arbitrary Headcount Limit of 8 per battle, with the others getting 90% of the experience and still being able to be equipped, albeit not as instantly conveniently as the 8 currently-active characters. Every character would be recruited in unique ways and have unique dialog, it's just that 8 of the characters are "main" ones, with the rest having less attention paid to them on their dialog and not as frequently being present when not in the party for cutscenes. (All 8 basically are there every time even when not present in the party, thanks to cutscene magic.)
That's about all I've got aside from a few witty banter sections.
I like the idea.
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