Turn Based Combat: Yea or Nay

The Batlord · 07-30-2017, 02:22 PM

Shout out to my first 3D RPG, Final Fantasy VIII. When I was in high school that **** entranced me. And so many people didn't like the draw system, but I was no good at figuring out how to tweak my characters anyway so it didn't bother me, and I loved the tediousness of collecting 100 draws of every magic for all my characters.

~~MicShazam~~ · 07-31-2017, 03:10 AM

While I really like the combat in Shadowhearts 2 and 3, real time combat generally rubs me the wrong way.

Action style combat? Awesome!
Turn based combat? Awesome!
RTS/Hybrid, semi- pseudo- whatever action/strategy mish mash combat? Flush the toilet!

Consequently, I really hate traditional RTS games.

If I'm playing a strategy game, I really enjoy being able to just lean back and think and look at all the information available. Movement and combat ranges, remaining health, available skills, terrain properties, etc.
While it's true that some games with real time combat allow you to pause and give commands, it obviously still isn't nearly the same logic as true turn based combat. The gameplay differences will unavoidably be huge if you look at all sorts of details of how you can figure out what will result from commands and in how it will resolve over time/turns/etc. So I find it kind of annoying when people counter my dislike of real time combat with the usual "but you can pause any time!" retort, because that doesn't really make it better at all to me.

As long as there's not a lot of tedious, slow and repetitive animations to sit through, I don't find turn-based gameplay dull at all.

I'm not good at games like Advance Wars, Vandal Hearts, Front Mission 3 and Disgaea, but I like them a lot.

The Batlord · 07-31-2017, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

While I really like the combat in Shadowhearts 2 and 3, real time combat generally rubs me the wrong way.

Action style combat? Awesome!
Turn based combat? Awesome!
RTS/Hybrid, semi- pseudo- whatever action/strategy mish mash combat? Flush the toilet!

Consequently, I really hate traditional RTS games.

If I'm playing a strategy game, I really enjoy being able to just lean back and think and look at all the information available. Movement and combat ranges, remaining health, available skills, terrain properties, etc.
While it's true that some games with real time combat allow you to pause and give commands, it obviously still isn't nearly the same logic as true turn based combat. The gameplay differences will unavoidably be huge if you look at all sorts of details of how you can figure out what will result from commands and in how it will resolve over time/turns/etc. So I find it kind of annoying when people counter my dislike of real time combat with the usual "but you can pause any time!" retort, because that doesn't really make it better at all to me.

As long as there's not a lot of tedious, slow and repetitive animations to sit through, I don't find turn-based gameplay dull at all.

I'm not good at games like Advance Wars, Vandal Hearts, Front Mission 3 and Disgaea, but I like them a lot.

Sounds like you just need to git gud.

**Yac** · 07-31-2017, 06:13 AM

As with almost anything - if it's implemented correctly, it works great.
I'm currently in the middle of Pillars of Eternity and the turn based combat here is very good. Especially since you can speed it up (as you can do with the whole game).
But I was raised on games like Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale, never got to that "crazy good, but still crazy" level some people get to, but I'm doing ok. And just today I was talking to a friend that had close to zero experience with games like this - X-com 2 was her first tactical game, and she's 37

And as it turned out, she's not that big a fan of the combat system and all that micromanagement.

~~MicShazam~~ · 07-31-2017, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Sounds like you just need to git gud.

When after 20 years of familiarity with real time style games I'm as bad at them as I am now, it's not likely that It's going to change now. I suck at them, I hate them, and that's that

The Batlord · 07-31-2017, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

When after 20 years of familiarity with real time style games I'm as bad at them as I am now, it's not likely that It's going to change now. I suck at them, I hate them, and that's that

I suck too, but they're still amazing.

~~MicShazam~~ · 07-31-2017, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I suck too, but they're still amazing.

Real time combat is a complete, instand deal-breaker for me.
There are (many) game genres I'm horrible at but still like, but this isn't one of them.

The Batlord · 07-31-2017, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

Real time combat is a complete, instand deal-breaker for me.
There are (many) game genres I'm horrible at but still like, but this isn't one of them.

Can you honestly say you don't like Red Alert 2? It's not that hard for an RTS, but it's got so much personality. You know you can't not love it. 500-MAN CLONE RUSSIAN CONSCRIPT ARMIES OF MASS DEVASTATION!!!

Aux-In · 07-31-2017, 04:11 PM

A little surprised at the results. I thought it had pretty much been decided by the gaming industry that turn-based systems were outdated.

The Batlord · 07-31-2017, 04:18 PM

Final Fantasy and its endless clones have tarnished the genre with oversaturation, but it's a ****ing awesome genre when done right. And ****ing Civilization and Total War. Eat ****.

View Poll Results: Do you like turn based combat?
Yea	12	75.00%
Nay	4	25.00%
Voters: 16. You may not vote on this poll

07-31-2017, 03:10 AM	#12 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	While I really like the combat in Shadowhearts 2 and 3, real time combat generally rubs me the wrong way. Action style combat? Awesome! Turn based combat? Awesome! RTS/Hybrid, semi- pseudo- whatever action/strategy mish mash combat? Flush the toilet! Consequently, I really hate traditional RTS games. If I'm playing a strategy game, I really enjoy being able to just lean back and think and look at all the information available. Movement and combat ranges, remaining health, available skills, terrain properties, etc. While it's true that some games with real time combat allow you to pause and give commands, it obviously still isn't nearly the same logic as true turn based combat. The gameplay differences will unavoidably be huge if you look at all sorts of details of how you can figure out what will result from commands and in how it will resolve over time/turns/etc. So I find it kind of annoying when people counter my dislike of real time combat with the usual "but you can pause any time!" retort, because that doesn't really make it better at all to me. As long as there's not a lot of tedious, slow and repetitive animations to sit through, I don't find turn-based gameplay dull at all. I'm not good at games like Advance Wars, Vandal Hearts, Front Mission 3 and Disgaea, but I like them a lot. Last edited by MicShazam; 07-31-2017 at 03:17 AM.

07-31-2017, 06:13 AM	#14 (permalink)
Yac Super Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: It's a secret too. Posts: 1,363	As with almost anything - if it's implemented correctly, it works great. I'm currently in the middle of Pillars of Eternity and the turn based combat here is very good. Especially since you can speed it up (as you can do with the whole game). But I was raised on games like Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale, never got to that "crazy good, but still crazy" level some people get to, but I'm doing ok. And just today I was talking to a friend that had close to zero experience with games like this - X-com 2 was her first tactical game, and she's 37 And as it turned out, she's not that big a fan of the combat system and all that micromanagement.

07-31-2017, 04:11 PM	#19 (permalink)
Aux-In Wrinkled Magazine Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: In Time Posts: 467	A little surprised at the results. I thought it had pretty much been decided by the gaming industry that turn-based systems were outdated.