rpg database values - and real life exp

[psisci]

hi all :)

yesterday , my roommate mentioned he is working on an rpg game with combet mechanism, the thing is both of us have no idea how to decide what the lvling system would look like ( how much exp for each lvl etc. ) and how can we tell what is a good combat database to work with (not too easy , not too hard )

any ideas .... ?
thanks in advance

psi.

[medierra]

Not sure what you mean by combat database.


I tend to use formulas to drive stuff like experience since it makes it easier to edit later on when you need to make adjustments. Whether you decide to set values manually or by formula, you need to figure out the right balance between experience required per level and the rate of experience gain at any given level.

You can sort of work this from either end, either working more with the experience requirement or the experience reward numbers to get the result you want. I usually like to get both sets of numbers into a spreadsheet where I can make changes and see calculations for the number of kills required to advance from one level to the next. Then, based on the rate that you'd expect the player to kill enemies, you can extrapolate the amount of time required to level.

It is never a precise science, it ultimately requires some testing, adjustment, and intuition to get the right balance. People who rely too much on spreadsheets to calculate everything out often fail due to some unforeseen or undervalued variable.

Hope that makes sense and is helpful.

[eisprinzessin]

Provide much Exp, if the monster's level if higher than yours. Provide little, if otherwise.

In Suikoden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suikoden_%28video_game%29) you have an abundance of 108 characters, but your attack party consists of up to six of them. When you are level 40 and decide to take a level 10 character with you, then this one levels up quickly. Experience gain decreases for him, while he is catching up with the others. If your level is above monster level, then you hardly gain experience (minimum is 5 Exp, whereas you need 1000 Exp/Lv).

This is crucial due to the abandance of characters in this game. But I think it is a fail-safe method for games with a static party or a single hero, too.

[psisci]

thank you Medierra, that does help.
now we will wait for the time to start the testing... hope your imput is all we need

you rock :D
psi.

[psisci]

Provide much Exp, if the monster's level if higher than yours. Provide little, if otherwise.



cool :) lets see if we can use that mechanism