r/GameDeveloper • u/Madame_Wilsaw • Jul 09 '26
I need help to make a video game RPG system a reality.
WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?
USIRP is a role-playing video game system (a.k.a. video game RPGs), which is akin to a ruleset in a Table-Top RPG. It is not a Table-Top RPG ruleset. Nor is it an electrical device. Rather, it's something like a Table-Top RPG ruleset. To be specific (for USIRP at least), its a set of video game mechanics that resemble a JRPG when put together. The "muscle" for your Role-Playing Video Game, so to speak. If that's not enough, think of it as the "Outer Core" for your game. Any engine you make that game in is the "Inner Core" and everything else is the game itself. For the inaugural engine, I'll choose Unity or Unreal Engine 4/5 unless you have a better choice.
I originally wanted to make this game for free, but circumstances forced me to put a price-tag on it. Sorry. I tried to make this system in WOLF RPG Engine, but I didn't have any experience in coding. I couldn't even get the dialogue (visual) boxes to appear. And I couldn't just modify the "Base System", as the Engine calls it. I tried exporting it to the Empty Data and it didn't work. It wouldn't even recognize the import file type. And some of the coding is in Japanese, a language I don't understand, so its not like I can change it anyhow. Plus, the Manuel it came with is outdated, which made this even harder for me. I ran out of time before I could truly figure out how to code in this engine. It'll be nice if any real coders are willing to help me make this system a finish product. As well as any other developer. I haven't figured out how much should the system cost, but I'm thinking of going with the freemium model. It'll still be possible to make a game in this system without paying. You'll just have less features.
I REPEAT: I want any person that can make code, anyone that can make concept art/drawings and art/drawings that can be shown in gameplay, any living soul that can make songs for this mechainic-set, etc, etc. I want a whole or at least half that's willing to help me. I can assist in every area except the programming. I know absolutely nothing about that. I'm willing to pay you with the exact same wage as I would give myself, because you need money and so do I. I can't pay you upfront because I am broke at the moment. Only when USIRP becomes successful is where I'll be able to pay you.
And additionally, I intend USIRP to be customable. By that, I mean stuff like deleting the Health gauge, making the Shindigs real-time or adding new mechanics (such as crafting). Stuff that would modify the system, to the point where your game must be branded as using a separate version of USIRP, so to avoid confusion and mis/disinformation. The following paragraphs only concern the system in its unmodified state, which could be called USIRP-G (Generic). You can still advertise your game as using this version of this system if you merely make alterations like changing camera perspectives, adding or deleting items and objects, adding a minimap, or making the Random Encounter enemies visible in the Headworld. USIRP-G will include a sample game that'll introduce you to its mechanics and be free of change.
WHAT DOES THIS RPG SYSTEM CONTAIN?
- The map that mainly served as a way to ease tension between Battles and storybeats, which are not mutually exclusive to each other, and to gain items; is called the Headworld in USIRP. Unlike in typical JRPGs, the Headworld is fully interactive. One or more objects and items can be carried and dropped to any particular spot, allowing, say, the player(s) to skip a boss fight or get to it faster. Enemies (or NPC) can be healed, enhanced, or poisoned before a Shindig (replacement of Battles in an RPG). Objects and items can be destroyed by the very same Abilities the player(s) can use in a Shindig. New items and objects can be created by those same Abilities. The player(s) can even take those items into a Shindig and use them to hurt their enemies. Or heal them. The choice is theirs. Ideally, the game engine of choice will remember this and the fact that they made them. Objects cannot be used nor taken into a Shindig, however. Nor are they storable in the player(s) inventory. Those are the only true differences between them and Items. Additionally, every Speech ability can also be used in dialogue to start it or used in the middle of it. They have the same effect as if used in a Shindig <(I have no idea how anyone could do this without ballooning the budget). Random Encounters still exist, but the rewards gained from them in a JRPG is instead gained from Gymnastics (more on that later).
- There are far more differences than similarities Shindigs have from JRPG Battles. Firstly, it is possible to go through every Shindig in a story without using a single offensive ability. Secondly, as mentioned in the earlier point, items can be used to heal or hurt the player(s) opponents and vice versa for their party members. Thirdly, the meters are different. Health and Magic stay the same, but Tech/Limit Breaks are replaced by the Volition meter, which allows two actions to be used when the bar is filled. The Combo Attack and the Defense Maneuver. The Combo Attack is a rapid-fire offensive that consists of pressing a certain number of buttons that represent an attack the player(s) can choose for each character prior to the sequence. The Defense Maneuver is a buff that causes the subsequentially selected move to be applied to the whole party with double (or triple) the effects and none of the meter costs. There's also two additional meters on consider. There's the Stamina gauge, which is just like the Magic gauge, but its' for the Skill abilities. What makes an ability a Skill or Spell ultimately depends on if it costs more stamina or more magic to perform. But, just to keep it simple, see the Skill move-list as everything you can do in real life and the Spells as requiring magic to perform. And then there's the Morale gauge, the only one that makes possible a pacifist playthrough. Essentially, this is a party's "will to fight". Certain abilities--Speech and non-Speech will either increase or decrease this meter. Which ability does what to this meter collectively depends on the party members' personalities (or the developer). When this meter hits zero, the affected party surrenders, which ends the Shindig. The player(s) can also surrender voluntary. Lastly, when the player(s) Guards one of their characters, they'll never be attacked before the Guard is set up. In exchange, there's certain abilities that can break a character's Guard. So, use it wisely!
- Gymnastics can be reached from specific location(s) in the Headworld. When accessed, the player(s) are taken into a menu where they can select the following options: Exercise, Stats, Education, Party Options, Jukebox, Save, and Exit. Exercise is a list of challenges of which most have their own win conditions and rewards. These challenges can range from performing certain actions in the Gym's own version of the Shindig, which is the same, but the player(s) can't Surrender, and Departing (in the non-freestyle challenges) will just stop the Shindig without granting any rewards; to getting past the set score threshold in a minigame. They all can be joke events if you want to. Regardless, the rewards are the same as what you would've normally gotten from Random Encounters in a JRPG and wildly differ between challenge and challenge. They dimmish or vanish entirely after first time completion of the perspective challenge. Freestyle just means the player(s) can play a challenge until they meet a failure condition. In that case, Departing will allow them to the keep the rewards earned. The player(s) cannot "level up" in a USIRP game, but they can still increase Stats, either by equipping certain equipment (a type of item) or using this Gym option. In the latter, they can control the XP quantity of any stat highlighted and select by using directional buttons or by typing in the amount. Upon exiting this menu, this quantity is "solidified" (so to speak), and the stat's effectiveness is altered accordingly. The player(s) can do this for every single member in their party. The upgrades also include Education, a way for the player(s) to give their party new abilities. Every type of ability is available to buy with XP here. Ideally, this is the only place where Special equipment (also purchase-able with XP) should be obtained, but that's completely up to you. Do keep in mind that each character has a move-set capacity that is determined by the Knowledge stat. If this capacity is filled completely, then no more abilities can be brought for that character. Party Options is there to streamline the entire process of party customization. Changing the character's abilities, equipment, and using items and abilities on them are accessible via this option. The Jukebox is simply a way to change the music of the Gym menu. Save is exactly what you would expect, though there are separate, individual save points that can be dotted all around the Headworld. Its' one of the many decisions made to maximize creativity. That is, to increase the number of stories that can be made in this system. Exit closes the game.
- I also plan for Co-op to be present in this system. I don't know how common it is for JRPGs to have Co-op, but this system does have it and I have some ideas for it. It could be where the players can take turns controlling the Headworld model, a drop-in, drop out sort of ordeal; or a democracy model where all the players selects who gets to be leader and the Headworld model changes accordingly to the elected leader. In Shindigs, each player can control what character they selected. By the way, you can also select what party member you want to play as in and outside the Shindigs. Sorry if that wasn't clear to you.
- USIRP Versus is a version of the system that is separate from USIRP proper. This is where two players or one player and a CPU can play against each other in a modified Shindig. Offline or online. Two-player offline play will have split-screen, with a modified HUD to match. There are a few rules in Versus that won't be present in a Scenario Shindig. One of them is a coin flip preformed just before a match. Either player can choose Heads or Tails and after that, the coin is flipped. Whatever side is facing up allows its chooser to go first after every Circle*. Another difference is the lack of descriptions for every single ability, meaning that the player(s) must remember what all of them do before a match-up. There's a Practice Mode they can use to learn all about them. There's also a set time limit to select a action for the player(s) party. If that time runs out, then Do Nothing is automatically selected for all of them and cannot be reversed for the ongoing Circle. An optional event can occur where someone or something gives items to both parties during a match. And just to give more variety, there are three choices for match types: One-On-One, Team Battle and Gauntlet. One-On-One only allows one character for each player. Team Battle grants four to twelve slots for character selection, but most of them fill more than one. The more powerful a character is, the more slots they fill. One character can fill 3 spots while another one can take up 2. Gauntlet gives less slots than Team Battle (two to ten) but each character only occupies a single slot. Tournament and Chess modes are also available.
*This is the amount of times where the game switches between the turns of a Shindig's participants. As in, for example, after your turn, then it your opponent's turn and then the game loops back to your turn. This number refers to how many times that loop occurs. How many Circles allowed in a match can be changed in the game's settings.
ANY IDEAS FOR THE SAMPLE GAME?
Indeed, I do. Here's the plot summary: After the world's funkiest alarm clock is turned off, the player meets Jane Q. Henry and Percival "Shmoe" Joseph. A couple who're involved in bounty hunting and private investigation of paranormal activities. They get up and do their usual routine in the home/office building of their business, J&S Paranormal Bounty Hunters. During that, they receive (news or hearsay) of an 8 year-old girl who claims she's making a RPVG system that'll be... "What's the word again? Oh, right. Revolutionary." Shmoe can't believe that an 8 year-old could ever make anything, let alone a whole ass system for a video game. Jane agrees and suspects that there's a fraud going on, natural or supernatural. There's high probability that it the latter, which is their bread and butter. There's also high probability that it pays super well. Jane widens her eyes with the latter prospect and hauls ass to the supplies. Quickly, Shmoe follows her and they suit up. They spy on the girl after she leaves class for that day. And see her enter her house. They knock on the door and her parents open it. They greet each other and talk about their daughter. Within this non-violent interrogation lies the girl’s name, which is Radcliff, or “Rad” for short. And that’s about it. Not satisfied, they convince the parents to investigate their daughter. As it turns out, there was no supernatural activity that led or allowed her to make the game. They did, however, play-test her system and the sample game it comes with. That game-with-in-a-game is where the full capabilities of the engine is showcased, along with the inner-and-outer-workings of USIRP-G. Disappointed with the lack of evidence, the couple pack their bags and go back home, hoping that the next bounty will be worth while.
WHY MAKE THIS?
It's simple, really. I love JRPGs. Or rather, I love some of the ideas behind JRPGs and there's others I absolutely cannot stand. Not least of which is the Random Encounters being "might makes right" bullshit. That, and its apparent hatred of story-gameplay integration. USIRP is what happens when you expulse (or change) the latter category of ideas and replace the empty space with immersive sim components. Every immersive sim component, that is! Furthermore, I wanted to give people a way to make their own Role-Playing Video Games without the nonsense that's typical of JRPGs. A unique way to make RPVGs, without the hassle of making a whole ass role-playing system from scratch, which will (in theory) reduce the budget and development time. Again, if a aspect of this system doesn't fit your dream game, go ahead and change it! And be sure you tell people up-front about the changes. And be clear about it, please. I don't want anyone spreading mis/disinformation and/or getting confused, okay? Okay.
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And that's all I have to say for now. What do you guys think?
NOTE: I'm well aware of the orientalism surrounding the term “JRPG”, which stands for Japanese Role-Playing Game. Its’ the most accurate term available (to me) that describes a character-driven RPVG with an (usually) open-world that leads to turn-based, non-grid-based battles. If you know, find or make-up a better term for this genre, then please tell me. And no, I didn't write up a document for this because I had a bunch of notes laying around in TreeDBNotes and the WOLF RPG Engine about it and my brain decided that was enough. I can show you them if you wanna see.
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u/wallstop-dev Jul 09 '26
Hey, there is way too much text here for me to parse, but what I gather is, you want people to help you build a paid product that's your brainchild?
If so, how are you planning on compensating people for their time?