Hey all,

Its been a while since my last blog entry. Real life keeps me busy (damn working class!) but there is progress at last. I have decided to rename this blog into a general RPG development, because my main project is currently undergoing drastic changes. What has not been changed is the core system, especially the skill system. I want to talk about that today.

The skill system in general

1. In the game, skills cannot be learned regularly. Instead they become available at a certain level. Then you can buy the skill at a special skill shop. Usually a new skill becomes available every 5 levels.

2. All skills in the game come in 5 levels (I through V) of increasing power. Once you have learned a skill at a specific level you can learn the next skill level. Usually a new skill level becomes available every time your character levels up. Each new skill level replaces the previous skill level.

3. The final game will feature about 20 skills (exlcuding levels) for each class. But you cannot take that many skills into combat, you have to "equip" skills instead. Each character can equip up to 8 skills at a time. This forces the player to make a decision.

A quick glance at the Combat System

1. Combat uses a script by Mr. Trivel (Battle Rows). That allows you to place your characters in the front or back row. The row has big impact on how the character performs during the battle.

2. Usually the front row is reserved for fighters, while mages and archers stay in the back row.

3. The row system modifies damage dealt and damage taken as well. Missile weapons and magic spells are not affected by the row.

Skill Specialities

1. There are active and passive skills. Active skills must be activated during combat, while passive skills generate a effect as long as the character has equipped the skill.

2. Some skills feature a cooldown, warmup or use limit - this is done via YANFLY's skill restriction script.

3. In addition to the general skill limitation there are Heroic and Legendary skills. Heroic skills are limited to 2 (no matter what skill) while Legendary skills are limited to one skill. This means a character can only equip two or one of them at a time.

4. Each class utilizes a different resource system in order to pay for skills. Some classes use MP, while others use TP or even sacrifice HP. Some classes make heavy use of skills with cooldown or warmup restrictions.

5. Finally there are switch-skills. Usually two skills are marked as a switch and only one of them can be equipped at the same time. Most often this allows the players to choose a more offensive or defensive style of play.

Example: The Knight Skills

To finish this mega blog article, I like to explain you the first bunch of skills from the knight class. One of the core classes to be found in the game. The Knight is a slow moving powerhouse with lots of HP and DEF, but is also able to dish out some serious damage. The Knight is one of the first classes available in the game and is a superb addition to any party. Able to provoke the enemy, protect his party members and soak up tons of damage - the Knight is a true Tank class.

The disadvantages of the knight are his lack of AOE skills (only one and even that is not really a area effect), his reduces ATK compared to the more offensive classes and his vulnerability to magical attacks.

The main advantage of the knight are his cooldown skills. The knight does not require any kind of resource (like MP or TP) to use its skills. Instead, each skill features a cooldown of one or more turns. This limits the skill use but allows the knight to re-use its skills after each combat. This fact makes the knight more enduring than all other classes.

Knight Skill List

Shield of Faith I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/3/3/3/4 turn cooldown, no other costs]

The knight gains 4/8/12/16/20% DEF & Guard Rate for 2/3/3/3/4 turns.

Justice Strike I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/3/3/3/4 turn cooldown, no other costs]

Deals ATK + MAT damage (increase with level) to 2/2/3/3/4 random targets.

Royal Blade I-V

[Passive Knight Skill, Switch Skill tied to Knight's Armor]

Increases the Knight's ATK permanently by 2/4/6/8/10%

Knight's Armor I-V

[Passive Knight Skill, Switch Skill tied to Royal Blade]

Increases the Knight's DEF permanently by 2/4/6/8/10%

War Cry I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/3/4/5/6 turn cooldown, no other costs]

Knight gains 5/10/15/20/25% MHP & provokes enemies for 2/3/4/5/6 turns.

Shield Rush I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/2/3/3/4 turn cooldown, no other costs]

Low damage and 75/80/85/90/95% chance to stun one target for 1/1-2/2-3/3-4/4-5 turns.

Crippling Blow I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/2/3/3/4 turns cooldown, no other costs, Switch Skill tied to Sunder Armor]

Low damage + Reduce target opponents ATK by 5/10/15/20/25% for 1-2/2-3/3-4/4-5/5-6 turns.

Sunder Armor I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/2/3/3/4 turns cooldown, no other costs, Switch Skill tied to Crippling Blow]

Low damage + Weaken target opponents DEF by 5/10/15/20/25% for 1-2 turns.

Dash Attack I-V

[Active Knight Skill, 2/2/3/3/4 turns cooldown, no other costs]

Medium Damage (increasing with level) & push back (75/80/85/90/95%) one target (target is moved from the front row into the back row. If it was already there, the effect is ignored).

Thrust of Valor I-V

[Active Knight Skill, Heroic, Warmup 1/2/2/3/3, Cooldown 2/2/3/3/4 ]

Powerful ATK + MAT Damage (increasing with level), Stun (50/55/60/65/70%) & push back (50/55/60/65/70%) one target.

Phew - thats all for now, more to come in one of the next blog installments!

If you are still with me, thank you for reading this wall of text. Yep, this is a big project and it will keep me busy for month's if not years. But its moving forward, in the next installment I will introduce you to the next class: The priest!

cheers

-Malagar