Always love seeing your comments pop up, and this is a ton to digest.
> Of course, with the system you're proposing, being able to visualize when the enemy will act is crucial, such as having a turn order sequence that also shows who the foe plans to act and what skill they plan on using
Will definitely include something of the sort should I commit to this. Pretty sure this is available for RMMV, but it's a $14 plugin and I'm not usually one to shell out cash unless fully committed. With that said, I am being tempted by this idea every day so we'll see. I also want a dynamic UI in the final product rather than a simple decision list. Big pictures of your party members pop up and you could choose the order with the arrow keys or by clicking them. My mind jumps to Squad Strike in Smash Ultimate where you choose your order with the control stick. Hell, this whole idea is giving Squad Strike.
> But more importantly, a system that lets you decide turn order is going to inherently draw a lot of value from what skills each party member has and how fun it is to chain skills together during combat flow.
Definitely agree. I didn't change any moves in this build, but ideally I want a ton of synergy between the party and every member's turn order to mean something no matter their position. I actually just finished Meeting Of The Selves, which is actually a sequel to Re:PUNCH Sawyer made for last year's Harold Jam. Huge fan of that battle system, and in general seeing what he does with MV always inspires me to go above and beyond. Unfortunately the way I played MOTS wasn't that big-brained; really should've done stuff like that in the final battle.
> In comparison, this prototype demonstrates the basic idea but the available skills leave a lot to be desired for the moment.
Absolutely agree. In general this was more to test out the method that determines turn order than to show off its potential. I'll definitely need to put a ton of thought into who has what skills and how other party members will benefit from those. Even something as simple as starting with two party members with different buffs or debuffs and choosing which ones to use would make good use of the system. From there, introduce different classes and maybe even have overflow party members in your pocket to really customize your build. The possibilities are limitless and it's making me really warm up to this idea. Speaking of which...
> The current 'choose turn order and skills at the beginning of each round' seems like it has more value to be extrapolated upon for the strategy aspect.
I considered the more traditional OTB method just to make things a little more dynamic and convenient since I've been trying to consider that perspective more as a fledgling dev. However, I have been realizing the strategy in picking a set party order would be lost if you just picked on the fly. I'm really seeing the potential for a strong strategy-based battle system and I would love to do more with this idea.
Appreciate the comments as always!