Choosing the right formula

In the preceding sections, the design of this sample game describes a small range of stats for characters in the game. It also outlines a variety of formulas for calculating damage, leveling up, and so on.

One thing to keep in mind is that these stats, values, and formulas are simply there to show you how to implement the core functionality of an RPG. These are not the be-all-end-all of stats or formulas. In fact, the design has intentionally used a limited set of stats and simple formulas to keep the scope simple.

With this in mind, when you're working on your own game, you will have to decide these things for yourself—what stats your characters use, how combat works, and what formulas the game will use to calculate the outcome of battle. So, how do you come up with all of these things on your own?

Unfortunately, the answer is "it depends". There's no silver bullet to balance your game and keep it fun. What stats you use depends on how your combat works (it makes no sense to have a "hit chance" stat if, for instance, your game takes place from a first-person perspective using guns).

Another thing to keep in mind is that the actual values and formulas you use don't matter. What does matter is that the end result is fun, fair, and balanced. It doesn't matter if it takes one, one hundred, or one million experience points to level up if the end result is still fun and feels fair.

Tip

Downloading the example code

You can download the example code files from your account at http://www.packtpub.com for all the Packt Publishing books you have purchased. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you.