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How do you feel about combat systems in adventure/story-driven games?
Hi guys,
I’m working on an indie dark-fantasy adventure game, very story-driven. At the moment it’s somewhere between a puzzle-adventure and an RPG. I decided to lean more towards the RPG by adding a simple fighting system but I’m not sure if I’m working hard for nothing, scripting a fighting system is hard work and I’m not sure people would actually give a damn if a story heavy game has a fighting system. Obviously I can’t make the fighting system better than Dark Soul/Witcher 3/Skyrim, but I can strive to make it ‘close’ to that. I guess for me it just feels like it makes the game more well-rounded.
But my question to you is how do you feel about adventure games having fighting system - would you prefer to play without the ‘stress’ of fighting?
It wouldn’t take it much to make it better than Skyrim, shooting 20 fireballs at an enemy in between running away from them every few seconds.
Make it tactical or turn based and you might win over some fans.
There’s few combat system I’ve come across in an AG: In Largo Winch: Empire Under Threat I think there were only 3? occasions when you were confronted with a fight scene - actually it was turn-based & was like a puzzle, Fenimore Fillmore’s Revenge - again like a puzzle & in both of those cases easier than some puzzles I’ve encountered in a Nancy Drew game!
My thought really is if you want to include a combat scene in an essentially story-driven adventure game also include a skip button - I prefer to play without the stress of fighting. I’ll have a go given the choice but will avoid buying the game if I don’t.
Its a good thing when it ties character customization into things that both solve puzzles and win combats. The classic example is spells in quest for glory.. you shoot fire at enemies but you also may conjure the same fire to melt ice in your way. I dont think you should include combat because you feel like it needs to be there.. you should include combat if you think its going to integrate well with the rest of the gameplay.
It’s usually done badly, but if it was implemented corretly then it would be fine by me.
Dreamfall did it very badly. Indiana Jones made sense to put in the Fists mode considering the franchise.
An adventure game is nothing more than a good story set with engaging puzzles that fit seamlessly in with the story and the characters, and looks and sounds beautiful.
Roberta Williams
Gemini Rue had some fight scenes in it. I wasn’t all that fond of doing them but I thought they did fit the game and probably in that sense made it better.
It’s usually done badly, but if it was implemented corretly then it would be fine by me.
Dreamfall did it very badly. Indiana Jones made sense to put in the Fists mode considering the franchise.
^ This.
More often than not, the combat isn’t the focus for the developers, so more often than not, it’s not all that fleshed out. Which means that, for the players, it’s not all that fun and/or feels like an afterthought.
Either build it into something worthwhile (at the risk of no longer falling within the AG genre), or do something different.
And if it’s only going to be used two-three times in the game, just skip it altogether and leave the action-y bits for a cutscene or something…
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
Blade Runner made it work well. Most of the game is pointing and clicking, but there are some action parts, some of which are optional and affect how the story will develop.
I’m by no means a purist, but the hybrid of adventure and action is fun to me.
And I think it helps your game appeal to a more broad audience.
Quest for glory series is a great example of RPG mechanics that are not pure action, but added something relatable to someone who doesn’t play adventure games.
And while Dreamfall struggled with the execution of combat sequences, I think I’d enjoy the combat interspersed if it worked.
Dreamfall was awful, I remember that!
I keep reading your replies over and over; thank you, would love to hear even more opinions. I will probably be chewing on that for the next week as I’m contemplating ‘what’s right for my game’. Some of the references here I had to look up, ‘Quest for Glory’, ‘Blade Runner’, hah, those were the good old days.
Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale
But my question to you is how do you feel about adventure games having fighting system - would you prefer to play without the ‘stress’ of fighting?
IMO the best “combat” system in an adventure game was in The Fifth Disciple.
The RPG/combat parts were turn-based. They were actually more like a board game than usual combat mechanics. You even had the option to make a grid show up on the ground, making it look even more like a board game. As you leveled up, you could do more things during a turn—move a certain number of spaces, cast a certain number of offensive or defensive spells, use a weapon a certain number of times.
If you’re unsure if you can come up with a combat system everyone will enjoy or not, at least offer the option to skip it.
As someone who makes hybrid adventure games myself, I like variety in gameplay, and would enjoy this if done well. However, from experience I will tell you that if you don’t make a “pure” adventure game, some people will loudly complain about it. Others, like me, will enjoy the game even more, but those people don’t tend to be as loud.
I say make the game you want to make, but be aware that straying from the “pure” adventure game formula will polarize people more.
However, from experience I will tell you that if you don’t make a “pure” adventure game, some people will loudly complain about it.
Some people will loudly complain about it no matter what you do. There are a lot of entitled whiny bitches in the online video gaming community.
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
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