A Discussion on Combat - Part 1: What Didn't Work? (Patreon)

This will be a lengthy discussion on Project Red's combat system. The first part will discuss the problems with the existing system as you know it. The second will showcase the new system and reveal all related mechanics.

Eventually I will compile both posts into a singular Devlog on itchio. So you can consider this early access for Patreon. Part 2 will likely take a few days further to come out.

So to begin I'd like to start by mentioning an interesting discourse regarding the games combat. As the developer it's been interesting to watch and see two different camps emerge when it comes to feedback on the games combat. One side telling me that combat is very difficult. The other that it was too easy. But why is there such a divide? And ultimately, which one is correct?

I think what this really comes down to is the mindset of the player. If you approach Project Red like a traditional turn based game, it can be hard to find success. At the core of combat is really a game of knowledge.

So if we take a standard combat encounter, for example, a Shroom type enemy. The first time you fight one of these things it can be difficult to figure out what your strategy SHOULD be. You could attack the main body, or any of the three tentacles. Should you disable the limbs to prevent it from attacking? Or are you going to take too much damage doing that? Further more what skills are each limb weak to? Do you HAVE access to those skills?

Those are the sorts of questions that combat asks of you. And where the divide arises. Because for the person who struggles to find a weakness and dies. The fight can feel unfair. And for the person who happened to have the right skills on hand and the MP or ST to use them, it can feel very easy. Ultimately however, once you KNOW a solution, the battle will always devolve into using that solution, with the only exception being when you're low on MP or ST...except there lies the most crucial problem with combat. Healing items generally do not cost a turn. This was necessary as Red having 1 turn vs an enemy having potentially 4 or even 8 in some cases was...completely unfair. But it made it so you never REALLY had to think about what to do.

This style was further supported by the fact that, should you hit all weaknesses in a single turn, Red would use Bloody Rondo dealing massive damage to every enemy on screen. So battles would fall into a loop of casting whatever skill or spell you had to trigger a weakness on each limb, and then letting Bloody Rondo deal massive damage if not end the battle at once. Enemies struck by a weakness would often skip a turn as well making combat trivial and to me, feel like a waste of time. It might as well have a skip button once you've figured out the trick the first time.

The Tarot Card mechanic was designed to be a unique gameplay element, but since cards were finite by design the game had to be designed to be winnable without ever requiring the player to use them. As a result however, the value of the cards dropped considerably. Not being in total control of what position they were drawn in also seemed to make players hesitant to use them. Much like the Act command it felt like battles had lots of interesting ideas that the player simply had no real incentive to use.

And all of this was further compounded by the fact that certain sections introduced party members. But a system designed around one playable character being able to generate additional turns, quickly falls apart once the player is in control of two characters. Battles here often played out with the enemy not even getting a single turn unless the support character was specifically given low agility to always act last.

These were ultimately the core issues I had with the experience. Tarot cards felt underpowered and rarely did I ever even consider using them. Healing items and skills having no turn cost lead to the ability to spam heals every turn and become practically invincible. Figuring out an optimal strategy in combat led to boring and repetitive combat loops. The mechanics of Bloody Rondo encouraged the player to stick to one strategy for maximum damage at minimal costs.

Now that's not to say that there was no fun to be had. And I'm sure plenty of people liked this enough as it was. But as someone who loves games myself, I want to develop a game that I personally will enjoy playing. Combat for me, is a major part of why I love games. Whether its Final Fantasy 8, Persona 5, Fear and Hunger, Devil May Cry or Lies of P. The combat loop and my enjoyment of it is a central part of why I love these games. And while sure, they can feel like a grind to get through at times, they never feel boring to me.

Project Red for me, DOES feel boring though. And that is something that I am NOT satisfied with.

So with my reasons laid out, whether you agree with them or not, much like the games entire visual design was scrapped and completely replaced. It's time for the combat loop to face the same fate, and evolve into something new.

Something familiar, but different. Something that keeps all of the ideas that made up 1.0 combat, but refines them into a cohesive set of systems. Something that gives value to every angle and approach to combat. Something that will keep combat fresh for multiple new game runs. Something that can not be easily broken just by giving Red a party member.

Please look forward to the second part of this discussion coming soon! An in depth look at the new Tarot system. 22 distinct Classes that Red can switch between on the fly each based on the Major Arcana. A revamped skill system. Turn structure that takes advantage of exploiting weaknesses without giving Red near endless turns. And so much more that I am beyond excited to share.