Turn-Based Combat & Progression Systems
Key concepts for designing turn-based digital combat, initiative systems, and damage math.
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Questions Covered in This Set
11 cards to master
What are the three parts of the turn-based combat core loop?
State (HP, resources, positions, telegraphs), Option set (attack, defend, cast, move, item, flee), and Resolution + feedback (math plus a visible change to state).
What is the "Attack is always right" problem?
When one action dominates every turn (like Fight in the original Final Fantasy), decisions become meaningless — the fight becomes a slot machine with extra clicking.
How do you fix a dominant action?
Vary the state so different options win in different states: telegraphed heavy attacks make Defend correct, multi-turn buffs pay off in long fights, and scarce dungeon-wide resources turn local choices into global ones.
What is the subtractive damage formula and its weakness?
damage = ATK − DEF (Dragon Quest style). It's intuitive but breaks at extremes: if DEF ≥ ATK damage hits zero, making fights unwinnable or trivial.
What is the multiplicative damage formula and its trade-off?
damage = ATK × (100 / (100 + DEF)). It never reaches zero and scales smoothly, but players can't compute it in their heads.
What compromise damage formula is smooth and roughly linear in ATK?
damage = ATK × ATK / (ATK + DEF).
How do you compute time-to-kill (TTK)?
TTK = enemyHP / expectedDamagePerTurn. Also check the mirror: enemy TTK on you = yourHP / enemyDamagePerTurn.
What is the recommended TTK range for normal fights?
About 4–8 player turns; 3 turns leaves no room to react, and 15 turns becomes tedious repetition.
Name four initiative/turn-order schemes.
Fixed alternating (I-Go-U-Go), speed-stat initiative, Active Time Battle / time units, and action point pools.
Why prefer damage variance over binary miss chance?
A missed 90% shot feels like theft (XCOM even nudges odds on lower difficulties); ±15% damage variance keeps uncertainty without erasing a whole turn — or make misses cost only tempo.
How does letting players manipulate turn order add depth?
Haste, Slow, or queue-pushing effects turn initiative into a contested resource rather than bookkeeping — the core of Grandia and Octopath Traveler.
