A Study and Implementation of Turn-Based Combat Systems in Role-Playing Games

Abstract

Role-playing games (RPGs) have been a prominent genre that has significantly shaped the video game industry, offering a wide selection of character classes and abilities that create a rich and dynamic combat experience. The aforementioned different ability types affect characters in various ways and provide intricate interactions between their effects. Turn-based RPGs, in particular, lean more toward strategic gameplay and feature more complex ability sets and effects. A well-developed combat system should support this variety, minimizing the effort required to introduce new character classes and abilities. This could help with faster iterations in the production cycle, which is essential considering the scale of modern RPGs.

In this thesis, we create a turn-based combat system that is modular and extensible, facilitating the process of feature development for programmers. Moreover, the system prioritizes designer-friendliness, enabling game designers to easily add new classes and abilities. The system is based on the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition ruleset and is developed using Unreal Engine 5, utilizing the Gameplay Ability System plugin. We demonstrate the workflow to define new character classes and abilities and showcase how well the system integrates them.