Need feedback/advice

[Sinzygy]

Part I

Alright, I'm in the process of revamping my training system.

Here's the game basics:
6 Attributes from which various values are derived (such as HP, damage, etc.)
Then there is some sort of training endurance which has a max of 150 and min of 50.

Now, the user can train 3 times each day and he has multiple options.
Option 1: train only 1 attribute, costs 10 pts of training endurance
Option 2: train 2 attributes, but 1 attribute loses some pts, costs 40 pts of training endurance
Option 3: train 4 attributes, but 2 attributes lose some pts, costs 80 pts of training endurance

If the user trains one of these options, his training endurance is reduced by the amount described above. The training endurance is at the same time the efficiency of the training in %. So a user with 150 TE(training endurance) gets 1.5 time the usual gains

Each day this TE is replenished by 50 pts.

Example:
Day 1: 150 TE
1st option 1 at 150% efficiency, 140 TE left
2nd option 2 at 140% efficency, 60 TE left
3rd option 1 at 60% efficiency, 50 TE left

Day 2: 100 TE
1st option 1 at 100% efficiency, 90 TE left
2nd option 1 at 90% efficiency, 80 TE left
3rd option 1 at 80% efficincy, 70 TE left

Day 3: 120 TE
and so on...

Any thought about this? Is only 3 training units too little, too much? Regeneration-rate of TE?


Part II
I'm trying to come up with different skills and actions a player can make.

I'm designing a battle-system much like the one from kingdom of loathing. That is the user can decide what to do each round and he doesn't have one big-ass dialog which consists of A hits B for x dmg.

Now I have some questions: what is the best way to display the whole combat-report?
For example one action displays the message Sinzygy casts regeneration on self and the next round the message Sinzygy casts Firebolt on enemy is displayed. Now, to get the whole battle report in the end, should I store it in a session or in a database?
And I'm hitting a serious block on the script itself -|- But I'll try to think some more about this and if I still get a solution, I'll ask for help.

[Chris]

Option 1: 1*150%=150
Option 2: (2-1)*140%=140
Option 3: (4-2)*60%=120

I'm not sure if I understood, but it is no brainer, option 1 is both the most efficient and the cheapest one. Who would care about other options?

The problem with training is that there is always one optimum path to take which is easy to discover. At least I have never came accross a train system that would give any strategic choices (except for the choice what to train).

[Zeggy]

Regarding part 2:
I think storing the whole battle process should go in the database, as the player might want to leave and finish a battle later, and if he does that, the session could be lost by the time he comes back.

[Sinzygy]

Option 1: 1*150%=150
Option 2: (2-1)*140%=140
Option 3: (4-2)*60%=120

I'm not sure if I understood, but it is no brainer, option 1 is both the most efficient and the cheapest one. Who would care about other options?

Well the training is a bit different. Let's say option 1 gives you 10pts in the attribute for 10 TE. Option 2 gives you 30 in Attribute A, 15 in Attribute B and -5 in Attribute C for 40 TE. So both options have the same attribute-gains per TE ration. But they both consume a different amount of TE and thus decreasing any later training-options in that day.

And I think you misunderstood what I was trying to explain. The 3 Options (1,2,3) can be chosen as long as the player has enough TE. So the user could train 2 times #2 and once #1. The player has to decide how he will use those trainings. If he uses #1 first, then he will only gain a bit attributes, but when he uses #2 after that, he still will gain a decent training bonus. On the other hand he could use #2 first (at 150% efficiency) and after that #1 (at 110% efficiency.) Maybe I just can't explain it very well =/

The problem with training is that there is always one optimum path to take which is easy to discover. At least I have never came accross a train system that would give any strategic choices (except for the choice what to train).

Yes, that is a problem I've been facing many times. Usually I try to remove all strategic aspects of training to make it really obvious or leave only one way to train and thus removing any path-differences.

Regarding part 2:
I think storing the whole battle process should go in the database, as the player might want to leave and finish a battle later, and if he does that, the session could be lost by the time he comes back.

Thx, I'll probably do it with databases then. I'm just always worried about how much this would slow a game down.

[Chris]

Part I - complicated, I would go for simple one option train button.

Part II - make it a "plan". Player plans the battle, then click "done" and everything is processed. Nothing to store at all, neither session nor database

[Sinzygy]

Part I - complicated, I would go for simple one option train button.

That's exactly what I'm tired off and thus trying to get away from. Besides, I think this concept is overused in too many games.

Part II - make it a "plan". Player plans the battle, then click "done" and everything is processed. Nothing to store at all, neither session nor database

Well, how would I handle PvP fights then?

[Chris]

Part I
Make a random system. Each day player has 5 random choices from set of 20. These can be "+2 STR -1 DEX", "+1 INT +1 DEX -1 STR" and so on. So player can decide the train direction to some extend, but can't decide exact outcome. In addition each day the set is different, so always need to think.

Part II
There was a fighting game, dunno the title. You started battle, selected 5 movies then click done. The second player did the same. Then there was outcome displayed. For example player A selected "kick high" and player B "block lower part of the body", so the player A scored a hit. And the second round. There was a requirement that you needed to select at least 2 blocks (to not let players go all offensive).

As for PvP the defender uses default "plan" as selected by player. Or you can make that the defender has 24 hours to respond (in such case the attackers plan is stored in DB).

[Sinzygy]

Part I
Make a random system. Each day player has 5 random choices from set of 20. These can be "+2 STR -1 DEX", "+1 INT +1 DEX -1 STR" and so on. So player can decide the train direction to some extend, but can't decide exact outcome. In addition each day the set is different, so always need to think.

hmm... only offering certain training at certain days sure sounds interesting I might even think of a way to decently implement it. Thanks a bunch for that input!

Part II
There was a fighting game, dunno the title. You started battle, selected 5 movies then click done. The second player did the same. Then there was outcome displayed. For example player A selected "kick high" and player B "block lower part of the body", so the player A scored a hit. And the second round. There was a requirement that you needed to select at least 2 blocks (to not let players go all offensive).

As for PvP the defender uses default "plan" as selected by player. Or you can make that the defender has 24 hours to respond (in such case the attackers plan is stored in DB).

Well, the problem here is that I don't want to include attack/defense differences, but rather work with boosts and negative effects over multiple turns. So one skill could be regeneration for x mana and y endurance, which heals rand(10,15) hp every turn for 10 turns (or something alike). Adding this to a default plan makes it really difficult to actually plan a battle ahead.
I did a similar system you spoke about, but with different units. There were 5 unit types and about 20 units. However your whole army could only exist of 3 different units. Each unit-type was effective against 2 others and vice versa. There the attacking player had to decide which unit attack which enemy unit in which order, and the defender did the same. It was really simple and only worked well when both players were online. I did this a long time ago, so I'm not sure if that was exactly how it worked (could've been 4, 5 instead of 3 units. don't remember exactly)