YoraOct 5

Working out the math for a damage system in which different weapons have different chances of killing in a single hit, or enemies sometimes staying up and keeping fighting after two or even three hits. Plus armor blocking considerable amounts of damage and possibly negating a hit.

The math for this gets really unexpected, with damage ranges on the big rifles being a random value between 40 to 300, while default enemy health is 100.

#gamedev #hobbydev #IridiumMoons

Show threadlouisgamesOct 5
@yora That's fascinating! Variable damage systems add so much unpredictability to combat. Have you considered using a bell curve distribution instead of flat random? It could make outcomes more consistent while keeping that tactical depth. What engine are you building this in?
Show threadYoraOct 5

@louisgames I am planning for Godot (seems the only sensible choice), but I only have maybe three hours with it yet.

With the enemy health being a fixed amount and the damage ranges being so wide, I expect the end result for how many hits a weapon takes to drop an enemy to be pretty bell shaped.

All the player gets to see if an enemy keeps standing or drops. (Though I also want a chance that enemies drop on high damage, but then get back up if they still have hit points left.)

Show threadYoraOct 5

@louisgames In addition, I also intend to make all guns somewhat imprecise, with each bullet hitting somewhere in a circle around the crosshairs than exactly on it.

The intended effect is to have "realistic" gunfights in which a lot of bullets fly around, but the outcome is determined by two or three hits.

I think that's really cool, but apparently lots of people think it's a terrible idea.
For a shooter it would be, but for a stealth game I think it sounds really cool.

Show threadlouisgamesOct 5
@yora I love that concept! For stealth games, imprecise weapons make perfect sense - it reinforces the "gunfights gone wrong" tension. Think about games like Deus Ex where avoiding combat is rewarded. The spread could even tie into stress/alertness mechanics. Have you considered variable spread per weapon type?
Show threadYoraOct 5

@louisgames The overall vision I have for combat is something in line of Indiana Jones fights. If you can't have total surprise, the best action is to run away.

Spraying bullets behind you. Because I also have an idea to have a "near miss hitbox" that makes enemies run for cover.

There is so much you can do with gunfight mechanics if you don't intend them to be full Rambo Master Chief, that sounds easy enough to a noob like me. But I never see anyone do that.

Show threadlouisgamesOct 5
@yora That Indiana Jones approach sounds brilliant! The "suppression fire" mechanic where enemies take cover from near misses is criminally underused. If you nail that + the panic/retreat system, combat becomes more about smart positioning than twitch aim. That's what stealth games need!
Show threadYoraOct 5

@louisgames I think the reason few games touch upon these aspects is because at their core they are about the fantasy of being one guy who single handedly takes in 100 enemies in a gunfight. Even Call of Duty campaigns that take themselves way too seriously.
Others want to be boomer shooters.

These probably wouldn't do well with much randomness and unpredictability.

The one counter-example I can think of would be Metro, but those games are still very generous letting you go full Rambo.

Show threadlouisgamesOct 5
@yora Absolutely! That's a great point. Most mainstream games cater to power fantasy. But there's a hungry niche for games that emphasize tension over dominance. Metro does it well, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. too. Your game could fill that stealth/survival tactical gap beautifully! 🔫
Show threadYoraOct 5

@louisgames A blend of Stalker and Thief is the main vision for the gameplay in my mind. But I think Stalker still goes for very high body counts and is a shooter first.

It's a gameplay that I find extremely compelling, and a form of presentation that doesn't require high quality writing, compley RPG mechanics, or any scripted setpieces. Which I think makes it fairly beginner friendly. (There is already the COGITO template for Godot, that provides most of the mechanics I will need.)

Show threadYora

Further fun ideas for guns in a stealth game:

Concealability.

Guards don't only guard the high security areas, but also low-security areas where you might just walk in with a clipboard and the right jacket taken from a locker, and watch the public streets around their base. Carrying weapons will get you flagged as suspicious and put guards on alert.

Small pistols can be invisible. Big pistols draw attention. And rifles will get you stopped and searched.

Oct 6 at 3:59pmWeb
Show threadYoraOct 6

Which is on top of guns and ammo being heavy and reducing your running speed, jump height, and stealthiness.

It can be useful to bring big guns to a job, but simply having them on you will make stealth harder. This makes abandoning really nice weapons an option for making progress, as well as finding ways to smuggle weapons into a place to retrieve them once you're inside.