RoA Item Progression

Hey, guys! I know it's been a while since I've said very much about my personal dev progress with this project, so here's my latest update:

I have spent the past week working tirelessly to develop a revised system of item progression for Realms of Asuron. The entire process was very much a 'trial-and-error' affair, especially in revising the mathematical formula for the way damage was originally calculated in Oblivion. But, in the end, many Ozzy Osbourne albums and cups of coffee later.. I was able to create a unique RNG system for RoA, which will be absolutely nothing like any RNG system you've seen to date.

First, let me start off by saying that I ultimately decided to scrap the idea of leveling altogether. All skills will enter the game at fixed values and the same will be true for attributes. No leveling of any kind will take place within the mod, as I have found that the game design is far easier to manage without this mechanic (especially since I'm working alone). With skill/player levels out of the picture, I can always expect player characters to enter the game world according to a preset standard of stats, which really helps me out in designing weapons, armors and monsters.

Again, player/skill leveling is disabled (put yourself in the mod developer's shoes for a minute: dynamic systems are more difficult to manage and predict than static ones), but as this mod is completed, I am sure I will revisit the idea of leveling up in order to complement your character's gear. Also, it would be nice to have monsters scaled to your level like in Oblivion, so end-game characters could return to the starter zones and still have a challenge. For now however, monsters are entirely zone-specific and the ones with more HP will be closer to Maloria, while the ones with less HP will be located in zones closer to your character's starter zone.

In RoA, the world is divided into 'zones'. Unlike The Elder Scrolls, transitions between geographical region are not seamless, but a special emphasis is placed on making each one as unique and clearly defined as possible. Those who have been following my screenshots here know what I'm talking about. Each zone has its own weather, lighting, terrain/tree sets, etc. Each zone will feature a different set of enemies with a different amount of health, starting at 24 HP and increasing by 4 with each zone. The player character also begins the game with 24 HP. These health values were kept low, again, in order to achieve a manageable standard across the game design. The game is not unbalanced -- the math has just been 'squished' and made to follow a more noticeable pattern so that it's easier for players to understand.

How does the game remain balanced? Damage values have also been squished. Enemy, allied, and player characters will die after taking 1-5 hits. The exact number of hits needed to kill something will depend on whether the attacker's weapon is one-handed or two-handed (1H = 2-5 hits,  2H = 1-4 hits) in addition to the Quality of the attacker's weapon. The Quality of the defender's armor will also play a role in damage calculation ((although specific values for armor have not been determined yet -- only weapons at this point)).

There are 5 different grades of Item Quality: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary and Unique. If these weapon grades are used against enemies inside the zone they are found in..

Common = 5 hits
Uncommon = 4 hits
Rare = 3 hits
Legendary = 2 hits
Unique = 1 hit

If these weapons are used outside of the zone they are found in, this value can change. Weapons and armor may be found via two means: Exploration and Killing Enemies (( and possibly Quest Rewards, but I still need to get the math on that and ensure that it can be done without breaking the existing flow of item progression)). In exploring all the nooks and crannies of Asuron, you may chance upon chests which I have hidden throughout the world. These chests will contain random loot, the likes of which depend upon which zone the chest was found in. The same is true for slain enemies, whose corpses may or may not drop goodies of their own. There is always a chance that you may find a weapon or armor of a different grade of quality. Here are the probabilities:

Uncommon = 27.2%
Rare = 16.8%
Legendary = 0.2% (chance increases from zone-to-zone, ending at 10.4%)
Unique = 0.1% (chance increases from zone-to-zone, ending at 6.4%)

The math on this requires additional testing, but I purposefully kept percentages low in order to increase the reward factor, especially with Legendary and Unique items, but this is for a reason since these are literally 1-shot and 2-shot weapons, and armor of the same Quality will be nearly impenetrable. The chance to find Legendary and Unique weapons will increase (slightly) as you move into later zones. This helps prevent the majority of new characters from receiving such rewards early in the game while also granting players further incentive to "push forward" rather than stay behind and grind for these special items in the early zones.

Common items weren't on the above list because they will never drop in the wilderness. They may be purchased at vendors as a failsafe -- just in case the player has really bad luck and needs something to get him/her through the game. Don't worry though. Even with these, Common items are the baseline for all items in RoA, so you definitely have a fighting chance. By introducing Common (default) items as purchasable goods at NPC vendors, this should eliminate the con side of using an RNG system -- i.e, the feeling that you need to "grind" in order to succeed. In Realms of Asuron, items have a chance to drop zone-wide, not in a specific area or dungeon, etc, so there isn't any point in sticking around in one corner of Nordania for too long. Furthermore, since Common items are guaranteed to kill monsters in 5 hits minimum (against monsters of the same rank), you can still progress without needing to worry about falling behind in damage.

"What if I found a Unique item near the end of my time in one zone only to have it go obsolete in the next zone? After all my time spent playing, I would be very frustrated with losing that reward so quickly!" <-- common issue with RPGs that implement a random-drop system, but I have solved this problem by allowing players to "reforge" their items to deal/absorb more damage. For weapons, there are 15 possible damage values in the game, and you can visit any blacksmith and request to "reforge" your equipment to acquire a higher damage value if you really appreciate the appearance of that item and want to keep it with you. For each damage value you pass/land on, you must pay 100 coin. The reforge service allows players an increased degree of freedom -- which I feel is what a great role-playing game design should always be striving for. Thus, you should see different weapons and items as simply different "item skins" because if you don't like their stats, you can just reforge them. Follow your heart and decorate your character as you see fit. If Grognak the Barbarian finds a sword that does more damage than his axe, but you feel that would break his character since he's supposed to be an axe-wielder.. go see the local smith, sell the sword, and use that money to reforge Grognak's axe. You can tell right away how RP-friendly this mod is.

Whether you prefer lots of combat or lots of exploration, or crave a specific armor or weapon skin for your character's personality, Realms of Asuron will have something for everyone.

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