RPG Combat System with World Map Mode and Turn Based Mode Switching

Hi, I want to create a turn based RPG using the upcoming advanced turn based tile toolkit as a starting point for the combat system. I want to have a world exploration mode like a Final Fantasy game. The player will run until they reach certain locations. When they hit the trigger box, it will send them into the combat mode. I will have a large world exploration level, and lots of small battle map levels. I am new to visual scripting, so I was hoping to get some advice for how to set up this blueprint system. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Here is the general theory that I have for how the blueprint should work.
Start in third person world exploration mode (like third person template). At certain points, trigger boxes are set up with “Event On actor begin overlap” to lead to the combat mode. The game will save at this position and the player will stop moving. Then a loading screen will pop up to transition to the battle. Next the prebuilt levels will load for combat, but they are in a top down turn based mode (each box trigger will target a specific level). They will play out similarly to the Advanced Turn Based Tile Toolkit for the combat. https://forums.unrealengine.com/showthread.php?57500-Advanced-Turn-Based-Tile-Toolkit-Submitted-Large-Images
The blueprint will check to see if enemies have been defeated. If yes, it will print string “You Win”. Then it brings up the loading screen. Now the world exploration mode level mode loads and you possess the main character and regain movement. The trigger box needs to be destroyed as well to prevent looping the fight. Finally, the game will be saved. It will also check to see if your forces are defeated. If yes, print string “You Lose”. Then reload current combat level.

Please help me out however you can with ideas for how to set this blueprint system up properly and possibly any screenshots I could use to reconstruct the blueprint for my game. Thanks!

I think the first thing you would be looking at doing is working out combat.

Running around, triggering boxes, loading levels. Not that hard.

Working out AI, animations, damage systems is going to take awhile.

Regards

I’m currently working on a whole book about the very subject! It’ll be the price of totally free but I’m waiting to finish my point and click book before continuing. We’ll be covering the turn-based AI, Limit Break system ala FF7, World map system (Two of them! One like FF7, the other like Legend of Dragoon), Transformation system similar to Legend of Dragoon and how to create pre-rendered backgrounds (As an optional extra) as well as a whole load of neat tips and tricks to make sure you can craft your own dream RPG games!

To be honest the best way to do combat would to have the combat scenes a child of the persistent level and simply switch between the two having a UMG fake load screen to mask the transition. It looks better, is faster and a nice easy way to get a nice looking game FAST. :wink:

But yeah, It’ll hopefully be out in a month or two, but you can check progress on the KITATUS forums (Click me!))

Thanks for the responses and ! The combat system is definitely going to be the more complex part to work out. I like ’ suggestion for the combat scenes. I’m looking forward to your new book which will cover RPGs. It seems like just what I’m looking for.

Hello,

I’m working on an Action RPG game which has some of what you’re looking for. It’s A LOT of work. I’ve been working on mine for a full year and I’m only on the demo. Seems like you’ve done a little planning, make sure you plan everything out and youtube is your best friend. Save combat for last. Do you have anything such as concept art, models, environmental assets, etc? Anything to start from other than complete scratch?

Hi Liondog,
I’ve done some planning so far for the story and how the mechanics may work. I haven’t done any concept art yet or purchased models. I was waiting for a nice pack using the epic skeleton was released on the marketplace so I could set up animations easier for them. I have lots of environmental meshes and materials to work with, but I was more planning to get things working in a white boxed area first as proof of concept before I dove too far into the art. Good luck on your game! It’s nice to see others interested in RPG creation.

Hey dude, did anything come of this book? I’d surely be interested to read it.

Good luck! I’m super curious to see the book, myself, since I’m making a Legend of Dragoon-style game on the side. Curious to see how you handle the battle/overworld transitions.

Im working on something similar at the moment but since my combat style is more in the format of pokemon I am just pausing of the AI in the world and putting the enemy they have collided with into “Combat Mode”.

I am interested Kitatus on how you are doing the level transition to avoid having to store details about enemy locations and other details and just jump straight back and forth between combat and exploration

See this is what I was playing around with before but since the persistent level is still loaded it doesn’t really change anything, I still need to pause of the AI functions etc since essentially I am doing is moving the player and the enemy he has ran into to a separate area of the map, since the streamed level still has to appear as a portion of the persistent level it’s really just like me having a room in the persistent level, picking up the player and monster he is fighting and changing their world location to be in that room, everything thats happening in the main level is still happening.

Any suggestions on a global “pause” function to stop the behavior tree on the other characters from continuing and stopping other functionality outside of the current streamed level?

Yeah i had been doing a fake pause for everything and then just picking up and moving the player and enemy to the new position which I just have as a room underneath the main map, so not really a benefit of streaming in a level. Creating a new player controller for this and a default enemy 1 is probably a good idea though but doesn’t really benefit too much.

Seems like there still should be a better way to do this. Something like streaming in a level, pausing the persistent level then when the fight is over going back to the persistent level and resuming from where it was left off without needing to put a custom “is Paused” check on events. Unfortunately the built in pause game does exactly what it says and pauses everything. You can still have timelines and key press events ignore the pause but im not sure I could run everything I need to during pause to have it work properly. I think a “Pause Level” event would be just what is needed.

Hi !
I’m creating a little rpg right now and was searching on how i could come back to my location after a battle. Right now i’m can just reload the level and then it send me a the playerStart location.
I was reading this thread and i couldn’t found a way to solve my probleme.
I looked at KITATUS’s website but cand find the book he was talking about.
I need a little help. ( yeah i know this thread last message was a year ago but it’s the only thread i found on that problem.

Well, I can say you are not alone. I am still very interested in Kitatus’ book on this topic :slight_smile:

same here, I am still very interested on any help on this topic, especially Kitatus’ book :frowning:

Yep, I think Real Life took precedence for Kitatus. Bummer for us.

sigh… it does seem to get the better of us.

There’s some material out there covering the subject, there’s actually a book available on Amazon guys.

Sweet, do you have a link for the book? Also, have you read it? Real life has taken precedence for me right now, but I’m always looking for a good read.

Any update on the book? Still planned or canned?
…maybe some preview chapters?

Love your work & content!

Thanks. So far, I have been using RPG maker for my RPG needs, but it’s not flexible enogh (wasted $50 on that)