Does anyone want to brainstorm about a way to move the combat system beyond direct damage and status alighments? I've noticed that most if not all rpgs' have their entire combat systems consist of nothing more than those two things. Any ideas for how to get past that?

I know wild arms 3 three does some interesting thinks with combinations of attacks, ex. if you cast fire and then ice on an iron enemy, it become brittle and loses a good bit of defense.

-Zach

This reminds me of a game I have been playing. One of the hard things about this is it is hard to know exactly what an item you find does. In the game all but a few levels are randomly generated dungeons. A very few of them have exact names and will be the same. Anyways in the game let's say I walk into the room and see a helmet. I pick it up. I put it on then I go to my inventory. I see that it is a cursed helmet with minus stats meaning I have to do something special go get it off and until then it is going to lower my armor rating.

That's is a specific case there are all sorts of other cases. Is what I am saying is although a weapon could simply be a weapon you could make it have special effects that may be unkown to the user unless he does something to find out. It would somehow show but it wouldn't be obvious what it does unless the charecter keeps track of his status continually. You would know that it is doing something by a slight glow whenever the weapon is equipped or used.

Also if I just find an item in the woods I shouldn't just by picking it up know exactly what it does. I should be able to ask my party about it. Let's say there is an unusual looking item. It has a somewhat inexplicable form. But this is in the beginning of the game that you find it and don't have (insert random charecter here depending on what this object actually is) you won't know what to do with it until you get that charecter and ask them about it. You could use it but you would be waisting the item and risking harm. Let's say the item is actually a bottle of poisen or some kind of parylisis chemical. I decide you know those guards are a little tough but hey I got a life-up potion. In the middle of the battle I retreat use it and die as a result of my ignorance. I know that sounds funny but this makes the player more aware of what if's.

If it was poisen and I did have the charecter that could tell me what it was I could have gone up to the guards and then offered a drink. Then they drink and die because they have just dranken poisen. If it was a parylasis chemical then they would be open for attack. Or I could have thrown a rock to make a disturbence in the area where I left the poisen causing them to think they are lucky because I etched on the bottle whiskey. Because of this they drink the "whiskey" and die. Although things like this are what I got from reading the tactic's thing here these are some interesting specific situations.

Myeah. Hopefully, when I get the general combat system down and together, it'll be rather complex in terms of how terrain, situation, morale (Yes, I hope to be able to incorporate a morale into it, i.e. characters may not like working with each other at some point, they may be hungry or cold or tired or feeling like a million bucks or feeling angry), weather, and all sorts of things.

As for the subject of finding items, perhaps a character could have a sort of 'appraisal' ability where said character can look at the item and give a general synopsis of what it is? Of course, they don't say "It's the Vorpal Sheep-Sword of Valhalla and it gives +20 Atk and +500 whatever and renders the character invulnerable", but it'd be more of a "It's a big sword, and it seems to have a very powerful magical aura about it." This ability could be increased upon, but bought items come pre-appraised, of course.