SCHADENVOID

SCHADENVOID

@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Trouble Finds Me Game Design, Game Dev, mostly.

87 followers99 following989 posts

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"How do I design stats for an RPG?" is a question I'm sure many people have asked over the years. At the very least, it is a question a lot of people should have asked more, because more often than not, stat systems are impenetrably terrible and overly complicated.

Day 18: A massive rock, surely of great importance. Oh, it's just old, never mind. Day 19: A living chair. It looks very uncomfortable. Both to sit on, and relative to its own feelings. #PF_Octobit

Day 17: A Black Halberd leans precariously to your right. Or no, wait, it's a Glaive. In any case, it looks like it's easy to use, and does a lot of damage. #PF_Octobit

Day 16: The light reflects off of the silhouette of a large wax cylinder. You express that it must have degraded over time, but the shopkeeper shakes its head slowly to the contrary. #PF_Octobit

Day 11: A large glowing igneous formation stands perfectly balanced before you. Similarly to the shopkeeper, it seems to emit light by drawing darkness into itself, subverting everything you know about the properties of such. #PF_Octobit

Day 10: A grim, scythed prosthetic lays idly in its alcove. Peculiarly, blood pours from the mounting point, rather than the cruel hooked blade. #PF_Octobit

Day 8: Some manner of arcane construct whirs away at your feet. You have no idea what kind of function it is meant to serve, but it appears to be brand name, so you're tempted to buy it anyway. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 7: A statue of a mysterious robed figure...are those robes? You're suddenly not so sure. You inquire with the shopkeeper who briefly tilts its head skyward before returning to its previous posture. #PF_Octobit

Day 7: A statue of a mysterious robed figure...are those robes? You're suddenly not so sure. You inquire with the shopkeeper who briefly tilts its head skyward before returning to its previous posture. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 6: Oh hey, it's the obligatory big-ass jar of slim jims. Hell yeah. #PF_Octobit

Day 6: Oh hey, it's the obligatory big-ass jar of slim jims. Hell yeah. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 5: It's apparently the globe of a planet that is entirely water. You fail to see the utility of this. #PF_Octobit

Day 5: It's apparently the globe of a planet that is entirely water. You fail to see the utility of this. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 4: A pair of jeweled knuckle dusters gleam within their compartment. They seem gaudy, but the well-worn patina on the handles leads you to believe they're functional. #PF_Octobit

Day 5: It's apparently the globe of a planet that is entirely water. You fail to see the utility of this. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 4: A pair of jeweled knuckle dusters gleam within their compartment. They seem gaudy, but the well-worn patina on the handles leads you to believe they're functional. #PF_Octobit

Day 4: A pair of jeweled knuckle dusters gleam within their compartment. They seem gaudy, but the well-worn patina on the handles leads you to believe they're functional. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 3: You spy a vuvuzela in the compartment below you. You recoil, overcome with disgust.

Day 3: You spy a vuvuzela in the compartment below you. You recoil, overcome with disgust.

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 2: A canister of some colorless...liquid? Bizarrely, despite being clear, you cannot see through to the other side. #PF_Octobit

Day 2: A canister of some colorless...liquid? Bizarrely, despite being clear, you cannot see through to the other side. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Day 1: You notice a large pile of meat. You can't identify it, but the way it glistens makes it look indescribably delicious. #PF_Octobit

I can't wait to move the skull.

tro@trog.bsky.social

the secret is out!!! this fan favorite indie title is finally getting a sequel, and yes, it's just as epic as you'd hope

Day 1: You notice a large pile of meat. You can't identify it, but the way it glistens makes it look indescribably delicious. #PF_Octobit

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

#PF_Octobit You approach the suspicious shop, the bizarre cloaked shopkeeper remaining still as you approach. You remove your wallet from your coat pocket, but the shopkeeper shakes its head, then gestures lazily at the clock displaying a suspiciously large amount of time.

#PF_Octobit You approach the suspicious shop, the bizarre cloaked shopkeeper remaining still as you approach. You remove your wallet from your coat pocket, but the shopkeeper shakes its head, then gestures lazily at the clock displaying a suspiciously large amount of time.

This matters less if your parameters are handled automatically by the game. For example, your character gains a level and are allocated a developer-determined selection stats based on their role. In this case, significance is gauged and determined by the developer, so modifiers are less integral.

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

Second, transform those parameters into something of equal significance. Some parameters are more significant than others by default, therefore there needs to be a secondary consideration to equalize the manner in which they are manipulated. Establish formulas and modifiers, but...

Consider soulslike games. The average player barely understands the depth of each stat and how significant each stat is. They get a general feeling, but otherwise don't give much of a shit. If they do give a shit, it takes build-makers and meticulous planning to get the right outcome.

SCHADENVOID@schadenvoid.bsky.social

To add, the more complex the gameplay system is, the simpler the stat system should be. You can retain depth with simplicity. When stats are impenetrably complex in an action game, players either won't care about stats at all, or become annoyed they can't engage with the system meaningfully.

Sometimes not even that is enough, and there was some little consideration you missed that completely mucks up your build. Thank goodness for respecs. lol

"How do I design stats for an RPG?" is a question I'm sure many people have asked over the years. At the very least, it is a question a lot of people should have asked more, because more often than not, stat systems are impenetrably terrible and overly complicated.

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In summary: Create a slew of basic stats built around your desired system. Create a contingent of modifier stats that determine their significance. Make their functionality easy to understand. Utilize them in a liberal but structured manner.

To add, the more complex the gameplay system is, the simpler the stat system should be. You can retain depth with simplicity. When stats are impenetrably complex in an action game, players either won't care about stats at all, or become annoyed they can't engage with the system meaningfully.

"How do I design stats for an RPG?" is a question I'm sure many people have asked over the years. At the very least, it is a question a lot of people should have asked more, because more often than not, stat systems are impenetrably terrible and overly complicated.

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Third, keep them simple. Making the utilization of parameters an exercise of groping in the dark is the biggest mistake most games make. Especially when the player has more choice in how their stats are distributed. Consider how even physics is often just simple multiplication. Do the same.

Fourth, distribute these stat modifications among your other systems. Equipment, skills, status effects, passives, what have you. Creating strategy is about offering choice in a structured manner, and modification is the best manner to do so. That's with and without player distributed base stats.

"How do I design stats for an RPG?" is a question I'm sure many people have asked over the years. At the very least, it is a question a lot of people should have asked more, because more often than not, stat systems are impenetrably terrible and overly complicated.

I believe I have cracked the code on what makes a good stat system, however, and I'm going to share it with you. First, understand your parameters. What can and/or should, your player be able to improve upon. They can be many or few, depending on your intent. Sometimes, less is more.

Second, transform those parameters into something of equal significance. Some parameters are more significant than others by default, therefore there needs to be a secondary consideration to equalize the manner in which they are manipulated. Establish formulas and modifiers, but...

If a developer can't fit their experience in its entirety within a reasonable amount of time, then they can fuck off. If a player can't make time for an experience designed to be enjoyed within a reasonable amount of time, then they can similarly fuck off. We are not entitled to enjoy everything.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will include an auto-level feature that immediately raises the party to the recommended level.

Have some standards. Make informed choices and determine for yourself what is worth your time. Stunts like this scream to me that the experience isn't worth your time and can therefore be discarded entirely.

I don't know why, but this whole sequence makes me intensely emotional. The pure rage of a man utterly fed up by his absurd circumstances.

Kevin Podas@kevinpodas.bsky.social

Have rewatched this multiple times and this final scene on the beach absolutely wrecks me every time