baud
Arcane
Oh wow, I forgot about this thread.
To briefly summarize the beta combat changes:
- combat damage is more granular to allow for balancing, character progression, equipment upgrades, because with the hearts and shields system any change/buff/nerf would completely unbalance all combat in the game. The reason the old combat system made the game stand out is because other RPGs don't use it. Why? Because it's completely unsuitable for RPGs for the reasons I listed above;
- randomized damage and critical hits were added to combat so that the player never feels safe and that they sometimes get wiped even if they're good. That's frustrating but realistic and I'm fine with some players ragequitting because of it. The party members are meant to be replaceable and the game is meant to be replayed. I'll be adding mechanics/features to emphasize this.
I think that the beta combat system is better for a RPG (character progression, equipment upgrades...).
But I enjoyed the other system, for it provided short fight (important when you're playing on the go or during a break) and which were tense since a couple of misstep are enough to lose a character. Perhaps you could reuse it in another game, purely tactical, without a RPG part.