Fun mechanics in tactics games

[J1M]

This thread is about stand-out mechanics in tactics games.

For example, mechanics that grant you an extra action point when you do something you probably wanted to do anyway (like killing an enemy) feel nice. Even if you don't end up using the action point all the time.

Line attacks that pierce enemies are another example of something that feels great when you pull it off.

Another one that I like but is usually nerfed by designers is the movement caused by abilities that push creatures triggering opportunity attacks.

[wndrbr]

Josh Sawyer hates this!

[Oyster Sauce]

I liked the guys who could jump around and backstab in that King Arthur game I can't remember the name of

[Acrux]

I like it when characters can use the environment in fights - blow up cover, knock over walls, push enemies off of ledges, etc.

[WhiteShark]

The ability to place walls and other obstacles.
Anything that lets you take a second action when you normally can't.
Covering fire/return fire mechanics in games with firearms.

[J1M]

I like it when characters can use the environment in fights - blow up cover, knock over walls, push enemies off of ledges, etc.

You should give this a try. It's great.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Knocking enemies off of high cliffs and killing them with fall damage in Matsuno's Tactics games is always fun.

The presentation of the 3DS Fire Emblem games with the zoom in and cutscene and the tense music really helps elevated those intense moments where your unit is at risk of being killed when attacking a boss and being counterattacked, or when surrounded by several enemy units. "Oh gosh please don't die"

Valkyria Chronicles: positioning your units and killing enemies on their turn when they walk into your line of fire. I vividly remember during the ice ravine level in VC4 parking the Hafen in front of a chokepoint so that when the bosses ran around the corner, they got mowed down by the 7.62mm machine gun.

Walking up to certain enemy units and being able to select the option to talk to that character, and sometimes persuade them to join your side.

Environmental level hazards like in VC4 with the avalanches alternating between each lane of a map, the melting ice, the humongous incoming supertank near the end of VC1, etc, are fun and tense to have to work around.

VC4 where one of your characters reaches 0 HP and fall, but you get lucky and they stand back up through sheer force of will for one final push on their turn before collapsing.

[logincrash]

The Overwatch mechanic in the modern Shadowrun games is cool. It's satisfying to shoot at and sometimes even take out enemies even before they can get to you because you prepared in advance.

[J1M]

The Overwatch mechanic in the modern Shadowrun games is cool. It's satisfying to shoot at and sometimes even take out enemies even before they can get to you because you prepared in advance.

I also like when this applies to an area, not a specific unit, so that it can be countered by intentionally running through the overwatch area with a unit you are more willing to have shot at.

[logincrash]

The Overwatch mechanic in the modern Shadowrun games is cool. It's satisfying to shoot at and sometimes even take out enemies even before they can get to you because you prepared in advance.

I also like when this applies to an area, not a specific unit, so that it can be countered by intentionally running through the overwatch area with a unit you are more willing to have shot at.

I think overwatch in Shadowrun works exactly like that. You have a cone of vision you aim at an area and the first person that comes into it gets shot.

[Manny V]

The Overwatch mechanic in the modern Shadowrun games is cool. It's satisfying to shoot at and sometimes even take out enemies even before they can get to you because you prepared in advance.

I also like when this applies to an area, not a specific unit, so that it can be countered by intentionally running through the overwatch area with a unit you are more willing to have shot at.

I think overwatch in Shadowrun works exactly like that. You have a cone of vision you aim at an area and the first person that comes into it gets shot.

I liked one of the abilities snipers can get in XCOM 2, 'Kill Zone', where you make a cone and shoot at anything that runs through it, so if you're able to get good ammo capacity or a way to refund spent shots he can just blast down whole squads of xeno scum that run into it

[DemoGraph]

This thread is about stand-out mechanics in tactics games.

I actually like combos or "effect multipliers". Elemental debuffs + elemental damage. Or unit that increases damage of neighbouring allies (leaders in Wesnoth).
Also, unit compositions that operate on different gameboards at the same time: fliers+landlubbers, meatballs+network avatars, AoW shadow plane hopping, EFS orbital jumps, etc.

I liked one of the abilities snipers can get in XCOM 2, 'Kill Zone',

How is it different from ordinary reaction fire (overwatch)? Unlimited AP?

[nepbnhurj]

"Division" mechanics that emphasize varying levels of mobility for different units, and then let you optimize weaker, faster divisions into something akin to special forces

[Tweed]

The Sharpshooter class in XCOM 2 is loaded with free moves if you specialize in the pistol (which is always the better choice). Return fire lets you fire back at an enemy that takes a shot at you, once per round. Lightning Hands lets you fire a free shot with your pistol. Quickdraw makes it so firing your pistol with your move doesn't end the round. Faceoff lets you take a shot at every enemy in range of your pistol. Fan Fire lets you fire your pistol 3 times at one target.

So ultimately what you get is one free shot, a second shot, and then either one more shot or three more shots at a target. Most of these abilities have cooldowns though.

[Magick]

Shining Force 3 - Scenario One (all special attacks)
Random chance. More attacks unlock the more a weapon is used. They differ per weapon type.
Shining Holy Ark (not "tactics" but eh) had the same.

[Eyestabber]

The enviromental hazards in Blackguards, Flying armor in X-Com, mind control, blaster launchers, merc relationships in Jagged Alliance, destructible environments in Xcom2, big maps with fully explorable sectors like in JA, interesting economic layer, targeting body parts. To name a few.

[WhiteShark]

Facing and flanking.
Elevation.
Something useful to do even when unable to attack directly.

[Eyestabber]

The trend I really DON'T like in tactical games is how for the last 10 or so years most releases were just bad Firaxis-XCOM clones. For a long time every new tactical release had full cover/half cover, overwatch button and pure THC attacks. We need more games simulating ballistics and less "attack - defense/cover". Another cool feature that is rare to find is being able to spread a burst/auto attack around, usually you are forced to attack a single enemy with all shots.

[Manny V]

I liked one of the abilities snipers can get in XCOM 2, 'Kill Zone',

How is it different from ordinary reaction fire (overwatch)? Unlimited AP?

He gets to fire once at every enemy that moves into it

although i just looked it up and realised it's limited to 3 shots (snipers only normally have 3 shots before having to reload)

must've been modded gameplay where i saw em poppin off

[Acrux]

I haven't looked at this since an early demo that was janky, but Urban Strife is ballistics based and supposed to have a robust overwatch system.

IIRC, the newer Jagged Alliance was ballistics as well.

[rusty_shackleford]

The naheulbeuk game had a neat "randomia" meter that filled up when luck didn't go your way, when it got to certain marks on the bar you could use it for things like granting a turn and such. I thought it was neat. Been a while since I played so it's hard to explain, anyone else who remembers better feel free to explain further

[Tweed]

The naheulbeuk game had a neat "randomia" meter that filled up when luck didn't go your way, when it got to certain marks on the bar you could use it for things like granting a turn and such. I thought it was neat. Been a while since I played so it's hard to explain, anyone else who remembers better feel free to explain further

Fetuscore gaming for people who can't stand to lose.

[rusty_shackleford]

The naheulbeuk game had a neat "randomia" meter that filled up when luck didn't go your way, when it got to certain marks on the bar you could use it for things like granting a turn and such. I thought it was neat. Been a while since I played so it's hard to explain, anyone else who remembers better feel free to explain further

Fetuscore gaming for people who can't stand to lose.

how many tweed vs videos will I have to sit thru before I find you advocating for savescumming?

[Tweed]

The naheulbeuk game had a neat "randomia" meter that filled up when luck didn't go your way, when it got to certain marks on the bar you could use it for things like granting a turn and such. I thought it was neat. Been a while since I played so it's hard to explain, anyone else who remembers better feel free to explain further

Fetuscore gaming for people who can't stand to lose.

how many tweed vs videos will I have to sit thru before I find you advocating for savescumming?

Dunno, guess you better get on it.

[Kalarion]

The naheulbeuk game had a neat "randomia" meter that filled up when luck didn't go your way, when it got to certain marks on the bar you could use it for things like granting a turn and such. I thought it was neat. Been a while since I played so it's hard to explain, anyone else who remembers better feel free to explain further

I liked this in Frayed Knights, too.

[Tweed]

Fetuscore gaming for people who can't stand to lose.

how many tweed vs videos will I have to sit thru before I find you advocating for savescumming?

Dunno, guess you better get on it.

Well? Still waiting.

[J1M]

This thread is about stand-out mechanics in tactics games.

I actually like combos or "effect multipliers". Elemental debuffs + elemental damage. Or unit that increases damage of neighbouring allies (leaders in Wesnoth).
Also, unit compositions that operate on different gameboards at the same time: fliers+landlubbers, meatballs+network avatars, AoW shadow plane hopping, EFS orbital jumps, etc.

I liked one of the abilities snipers can get in XCOM 2, 'Kill Zone',

How is it different from ordinary reaction fire (overwatch)? Unlimited AP?

Any examples of effect multipliers that are more sophisticated than a 2-stage apply and trigger system? I suppose elemental debuffs are a way to make it less artificial because any debuff of the right type works with any trigger of the right type. Do you know of any examples of a tactics game with a 3-stage combo? For example, 3 classes using abilities in sequence to trigger the combo (stagger -> trip -> coup de grace)?

Slightly related: are there any tactics games that give an advantage for how targets are selected across turns? For example, +10% damage because an ally already attacked this creature this turn. Or maybe more sensibly less damage for each subsequent attacker since focus fire is usually the dominant strategy without further incentives. Which could be represented as bonus damage for the first attack to hit a unit on each turn to make it better received by players. This broad category could also be expressed as extra damage for attacking the same/different target as the previous turn.

[DemoGraph]

Do you know of any examples of a tactics game with a 3-stage combo? For example, 3 classes using abilities in sequence to trigger the combo (stagger -> trip -> coup de grace)?

Nope.

Or maybe more sensibly less damage for each subsequent attacker since focus fire is usually the dominant strategy without further incentives. Which could be represented as bonus damage for the first attack to hit a unit on each turn to make it better received by players.

Don't know such a system as well.
But I think much more robust (and believable) system would be based on psychological pressure. Unit not under fire should get significant bonuses to hit/crit ("just like a simulation"). So you would want to use aoe and machineguns just like you would want to use them irl - for pinning and covering fire.

[Eyestabber]

Do you know of any examples of a tactics game with a 3-stage combo? For example, 3 classes using abilities in sequence to trigger the combo (stagger -> trip -> coup de grace)?

Nope.

Or maybe more sensibly less damage for each subsequent attacker since focus fire is usually the dominant strategy without further incentives. Which could be represented as bonus damage for the first attack to hit a unit on each turn to make it better received by players.

Don't know such a system as well.
But I think much more robust (and believable) system would be based on psychological pressure. Unit not under fire should get significant bonuses to hit/crit ("just like a simulation"). So you would want to use aoe and machineguns just like you would want to use them irl - for pinning and covering fire.

So Jagged Alliance?

[Norfleet]

So ultimately what you get is one free shot, a second shot, and then either one more shot or three more shots at a target. Most of these abilities have cooldowns though.

I remember a game where you could create an infinite killzone combo like that: An enemy walks into your attack range, so you attack, knocking him back, which sets off an ally's ability to autoattack an enemy that enters its killzone, who also knocks him back into yours, which causes you to autoattack...so the moment any enemy entered that zone, it would take infinite damage and die instantly.