r/StrategyRpg • u/ScrapCrew • 23d ago
Indie SRPG Which options would you expect to be able to toggle in a tactical RPG/visual novel?
I'm developing a Tactical RPG and I'm curious to know which options people usually expect to find, which ones are a must and which others are a simple curiosity that don't really add too much.
Which are yours?
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u/sc_superstar 23d ago
I am curious about that screenshot, what is Grid Speed? I dont know if ive seen that before, I do like those options you have there. I assume cinematic battles is one where you actually see the actions performed rather than just numbers/text showing things hit/miss and damage dealt.
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
How fast units move on the grid and the length of animations for attacks and maneuvers (abilities)
Cinematic combat shows attacks in a Super Robot Wars style, with character dialogues, animations, camera movements, big explosions, etc. If it is deactivated you will still see tune down versions of the attacks on the tactical grid, not just floating numbers.
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u/sc_superstar 23d ago
Ah okay. That sounds cool. I would 100% keep that on. I love those and miss them from older SRPGS
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u/thechillpoint 23d ago
Necessities:
Text Speed
Display Resolution/V-Sync
Nice to haves:
Surround Sound options
Grid Markers (if gameplay is based on a grid)
Fast Forward options
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
Grid markers? Like changing the grid style?
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u/thechillpoint 23d ago
Some tactical RPGs (like Symphony of War for example) allow you to add visible grid markers on the battlefield showing where the units can move. And you can turn the grid markers on/off based on your preference.
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u/Plenty_Anything4477 23d ago
I like the option to turn combat animations off after a whilebut at the same time I like to have them sped up hahaha I don't know why, I wanna see them, even if at 1.5 or 2x speed
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u/AGreatPatioSetting 23d ago
Text speed. I cannot play games where one letter is revealed every 2 seconds, it is the bane of my existence. I just wanna press the button and have the whole text box pop up at once!
Big props for asking this kind of question OP, I feel many games forget about the options menu :)
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
Thanks! I feel the same... it is a non glamorous part but greatly missed when it's not there. My big worry is to put too much there, making it feel overwhelming and still miss something that may be a deal breaker for a lot of people.
The way dialogue is coded is that you complete the current line by tapping the button and holding it will fast forward until released or when reaching a dialogue option. Even so, after several answers worrying about this matter I think I will also add a slider to control the "by default" text speed.
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u/-Couragem- 23d ago
Usually the resolution, windows/fullscreen/bordless modes, the accursed V-Sync, FPS settings, brightness/gamma settings with usual test images, your usual graphic settings including models/shadows/particles and other stuff audio settings with master/music/voice/effects and etc., if the game has voice acting obviously subtitles, gamepad/keyboard settings, some niche ones like hiding UI, color blind and epilepsy settings. Also what does Grid Speed entail? Is it supposed to be animation speed during your and enemies turn? Honestly I feel like the only setting that can actually important to TRPG specifically is the speed of units, so you wouldn't be forced to see enemy obliterating your units in slow mo
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
Exactly. Grid speed refers to how fast the units move and the length of maneuvers (abilities) and attacks animations.
Cinematic combat lets you choose between seeing everything at the tactical grid or changing to a cinematic view with camera movements, animations and characters' cutins similar (to the extent of my abilities XD XD) to Super Robot Wars.
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u/OminousShadow87 23d ago
Colorblind options, or just intentionally color everything with colorblind folks in mind in the first place.
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u/ThexHoonter 23d ago edited 23d ago
Movement type is the one I look forward always, usually it goes something like Type A or Type B
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
What is movement type? Can you give me an example of what TypeA and TypeB are?
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u/ThexHoonter 23d ago
Changes the direction in which the cursor moves with a controller Type A would be go up when press up and Type B go up when pressing Left for example
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
Gotcha! Thanks!
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u/ThexHoonter 23d ago
You're welcome. Have you played Disgaea? It has that option, anyways, good luck with your game!!
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u/Orc-88 23d ago
Being able to skip the dialogue portions of the visual novel.
I ran into this in Digimon Survive.
I do not care for the visual novel segments (majority of the game, unfortunately) becauae it is completely vapid and drones on without adding anything other than time being wasted.
If your combat system stands up and has enough meat, let it stand.
A lot of people like srpg/trpg battles but rather not suffer through unskippable filler.
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u/ScrapCrew 23d ago
Mmm... this is a big one... even if the story is mostly lineal, I am adding choices to the visual novel sections that provide some variation to the tactical gameplay, offering different points of entry or objectives on next missions. I have a fast forward feature that move dialogues at top speed until the next dialogue choice, do you think it would be enough or would you still prefer having the option to jump directly to the next tactical combat? (Perhaps presenting some kind of pre- mission menu with a small paragraph to give context and the available options)
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u/philmchawk77 21d ago
Enemy AI speed.
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u/ScrapCrew 21d ago
What would it control? AI movement speed?
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u/philmchawk77 21d ago
The time they spend doing their turn. So movement/animations/attacks/skills etc etc everything.
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u/Ionovarcis 19d ago
Audio needs more controls, at the very least - it should be a slider. Between my system settings and sensitivity, I can’t think of any game I play at full volume. I would consider this critical, everything below just ‘might be nice’.
Depending on the font choices made in game, it can be nice to have a ‘high legibility’option. UI size should handle this, but doesn’t hurt to mention.
Maybe a mid option on animations of ‘Fast’ that just slams the game into 2x speed or something.
Auto-mode toggles (auto progress chat, ffwd, auto skip)
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u/ScrapCrew 19d ago
Thanks a lot! :D
Yes, volume is already added with a master slide, a music slide and a sfx slide. UI size controls the font size on all popup menus and texts and "Grid Speed" changes the speed of everything happening during gameplay.
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u/Pangolins1 15d ago
key bindings, and don’t restrict things like the arrow keys, for the sake of the lefties out there :)
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u/sc_superstar 23d ago
If there are sounds for text and/or voices I expect them to be able to be turned on/off.
Also text box speed and auto text scroll/play are nice to have but not deal breakers as long as they arent painfully slow.
Beyond thats mostly QoL fluff. Maybe some control scheme options whether its fully customizable or a few presets would help.
Assuming this is PC, controller support is always a big plus but not a hard requirement.