This is a prototype I have been working on for an RPG game.
The game is designed to be played on either mobile or console and so I have considered UX for both platforms. Much of the art that is visible in the mock-ups are placeholder while I figure out the design and feel of the game. I will replace these with original art later.
Combat
Taking inspiration from Final Fantasy 12’s Gambit system, I designed a combat mechanic where the player can “programme” their characters on the fly, assigning targets and actions and switching their priorities. In this game these will be called “Tactics”.
Characters and enemies will execute these tactics automatically and the player can “inspect” any of the on-screen entities and use that information to strategise.
The player can switch between attack and flee mode at any time also. When in flee mode, movement controls are returned to the player and as soon as they clear enough distance between themselves and the enemies, the battle will end.
Unlike Final Fantasy 12 the only way to interact with the combat system is through tactics. So I will try to simplify this mechanic as much as possible so that it will be digestible to the player even in the heat of battle.
Console Version
Unity Prototype
I started making a prototype of the game in Unity. In this version I have used 3D assets but I may revert to 2D (or 2.5D) later. The UI is different and I did some experimenting with UI layouts here, but automated combat system is working short of a UI menu that allows the player to edit tactic.
Console Version
Dialogue
The Tactic system would be quite a complex one for the player to grasp. In order to combat this, I thought it would be best to have all other mechanics be as simple and intuitive as possible.
Here I have mocked up how dialog would look and where the player is interacting with quests / shops.
The player should never have more than 2 dialog options
Maintain minimal UI unless it is related to Tactics.
UI is the same for both console and mobile versions.