Hi everyone,
Today I’ll talk about the battle system.
Just like in the original, the battles focus on attrition — getting as far as possible in dungeons, returning to town to rest, and growing your party to allow getting further, face tougher enemies, and reduce losses from battles.
The battle system was expanded to provide more options to players, while keeping it simple and snappy, similar to the original game. At the same time, there are quite a few additions to keep things interesting and less predictable in the long run.
Formations
The original had a fixed formation system: the first two characters are in the front, while the last two are in the back, and characters in the front are more likely to get targeted by enemies.
Here, the system was changed to allow editing the formation while exploring the dungeon. Characters in the back get a defense bonus, but if they don’t use ranged weapons (bows or magic staves), they will suffer a speed penalty.
This system is simple yet opens up new possibilities, such as placing a wounded character in the back to increase their chances of survival or placing mages in the front row to soak magic damage.
Damage Types
While the original didn’t feature damage types, Dragon Ruins II features four: Slash, Pierce, Blunt, and Magic. Monsters have resistances and weaknesses to certain damage types, and you can experiment with weapons or the party lineup to tackle a particular boss or quest.
Attacks may also miss the target from time to time depending on various factors, such as weapon weight and the character’s current status.
Also, your favorite feature from Demon Lord Reincarnation has found its way here: you can kill multiple enemies in a group with a single attack if you deal a lot of damage, clearing the rooms full of trash mobs with a few swings.
Status Effects
Another new feature is the status effects, which add some unpredictability to battles.
The following status effects are present in the game:
- Stun: the character will skip 1 attack
- Paralysis: the character will skip 3 attacks
- Confusion: a character has a 50% chance of skipping the next 3 attacks
- Blind: the character’s hit chance is reduced for the next 3 attacks
- Poison: the character loses 1 HP every time they attack for the next couple of turns
- Curse: slight reduction of Attack, Defense, and Speed
- Attack Up/Down: attack power is modified by 3 points for the next 3 attacks
- Defense Up/Down: defense is modified by 3 points for the next 3 attacks
- Speed Up/Down: speed is modified by 30% for the next 3 attacks
Status effects wear off over time or once the battle ends, either through victory or escape. Certain skills and items allow characters to inflict and resist status ailments. For example, most headwear protects characters from confusion or blindness, while footwear protects them from being stunned.
United Attack
While analyzing feedback from players, I noticed requests to add an active ability. After some deliberation, discussions, and tests, a United Attack ability was added to the game.
United Attacks can be unleashed with a button press once the big yellow bar on the left side of the screen fills up. It combines a portion of every surviving character’s power into a single powerful strike.
These attacks can also kill multiple enemies in a group, and as a bonus, they remove status effects from the party.
Other News
This is probably the final devlog, as the game is complete and undergoing the final rounds of testing and adjustments.
Dragon Ruins II is designed more as a simulation than a story-focused game and is meant to be spread across many sessions until you see everything the game has to offer. It’s recommended to pace yourself, as it’s not meant to be zoomed through in a single sitting.
Due to the abundance of RPGs that demand an ongoing commitment of at least 60 hours of one’s time, I decided to pursue a different goal — a light RPG that can be played however you want until you’ve had your fill, put down, and then returned to whenever you feel like it.
The game is expected to launch soon, and I hope it meets your expectations.