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I planned on making an RPG where you had normal Real-Time battling, but for major battles you fought in a Turn-Based mode. With the Turn-Based system, I'd use Death Counters to deal the damage, etc (If something did 10 damage to a guy with 100 health, set deaths to X. If deaths are X, set health to X%).
I then began to wonder; is there a way to read units health in the Real-Time system so you can keep that % when changing the player to a Turn-Based battle?

If you need more of an explanation, I can try.

You would most likely have to kill the unit using some sort of counter to figure it out. There is no way to "read" the amount of health % a unit had like you read the number of deaths a deathcounter is holding.

Yeah, I knew you couldn't read health %. I was actually asking if there was a way to have the death counters work for real-time battles as well (I guess I worded it wrong).

Is there a way to have units burrowed below you without slowing you down? Because then I'd just burrow 20 units under the player and have the enemy attack that, and each time 1 is killed you lose 5% health. I jsut don't want a slow guy...

You should read about the virtual health system in the tutorials link.







But my question is: Why the heck would you want to mix two battle systems? Theres a reason why game designers avoid more then one system:

a) Confusion. This is the last thing you would want to do to your players.
b) Time. Both of ours... you don't want to do things you don't need to; so do we.
c) Point. Is there really any point to making two systems in one game? Is that more fun or something?

I didn't quite understand the virtual health.

a) How would it confuse players if you used 2 systems? You'd move to an 'arena' type area for the Turn-Based, and move back once you're done.

b) Kind of mixes in with c.

c) my point of the 2 systems is because in my opinion, Turn-Based battles would be too slow for doing it on every battle in the game. But at the same time, a Real-Time system doesn't allow as much creativity in Spells as a Turn-Based system would.
If I knew/understood how to implement both, it would be both normal speed (Not a slow battling game) and have well-though out spells, which (If I knew how) wouldn't take TOO much time to do, I wouldn't think.

Good example of how bad mixing turn-based with real-time is MoO 3, turnbased game with realtime combat, the real time combat can be described in 2 words *Bleep*ing horrible. but ur idea is a good twist on things and maybe can be used towards something more game enhancing.

Oh, and sorry if I came off wrong, I'm still pissed about them ruining the MoO series with that piece of crap MoO 3.

Edit: But there is one game that has a real time turn based style, where its kinda both which is Risk's Same-time system, which is ok.

My instant response would be no. But if you had some method of keeping track of a unit's health besides it's acutal health bar, then maybe.
You might want to check out this map where a virtual health bar is used. Try drawing some ideas from that.

Thanks, I'll check out that map.
And as for this topic, I might try some experimenting with units (Which would probably start off really buggy). Place X amount of drones in an inaccessable corner, and a 3x3 location centered over your player. If the enemies bring a unit to that 3x3 location, create 1 in the little corner where the drones are and have it attack the drones. Whenever a Drone dies, subtract X% life (If you kill the unit in the 3x3 location, the spawned one will also die).
My only problem with this is that the units wouldn't do the attack animation if your player's unit is invincible, and if it's not, well, there would be no point of the drones and I'm back to not knowing how to use both systems.

I sugest using one battle system.

This was already somewhat attempted, and didn't work accurately. I never saw it in a map but discussed it a lot here. The problem would be for your variation that as a zergling kills a drone it would stop attacking, and would continue again when the next one spawned. Even instantaneously, the zergling pauses for a bit.

I know this is off topic, but FaZ- where can I get that changing image you have in your signature?

Plz, I'll give you a cookie.

Right click, properties, URL = http://img45.exs.cx/img45/7209/4158637kb.gif. Should have PM'ed him. Do it next time, thanks.

I still want that cookie.

I think it's definitely a plus to use both battle systems, primarily to make actual skill required to beat a boss, instead of just being prepared enough statswise.

Burrowed units only slow the player down when there moved to the units location. So yeah there is a way to make it not effect it as much. The most simple method is to simply not center it all the time. But the method i prefer is to model your trigger kinda like the footstep trigger idea.

Anotherwords only move the zergling under the unit after it has left the location. Therefore if the marine is standing still then it won't move.

Secondly there is no reason ever at all that you would want to have 20 burrowed units. the first reason is lag. the second is spash damage all the zerglings would be getting hurt at the same time. its like spash damage units would have a 20x power.

Anyways just create 1 at a time and when one dies replace it with a new one and subtract one from the life counter.

err . . . the life/death counter lol. Funny oxey moron there, use death counters to keep track of life.

Ok, that makes more sense Bolt.
nice oxymoron, death counter for lives.

We will see there Lethal...




I think that incorporating two battle systems will definitely slow your production time by... alot.





Making one battle system is already hard work. Two will definitely be a burden.




I also have a few other questions:


1.How difficult will it be for the player to play correctly in both types of play in the game?
I mean, equipment? Level-up? Something?

2.What about difficulty of the game?
Will it be too easy in the shift style and too hard in the real time?

3.What about the balancing of the two modes?
Will real time be balanced with shift? Will I be super strong in shift, and really really horriblly weak in real time?


4.What about level-up and upgrade differences?
How will that work to make corospondance with both types of battle?

5.What map is this going to be?