上QQ阅读APP看书，第一时间看更新

Character attributes and actions

As with any other part of RPG development, character attributes and actions are highly defined by the storyline of the game. These actions, are performed indirectly within the game when the player commands the character to perform a specific task.

For instance, in a given RPG there will be at least a couple of character classes. The following are some sample class types:

Barbarians
Orcs
Magicians / Wizards
Zombies
Humans

Each character class might even have subclasses of its own, with its own uniquely defined attributes. Again, this will be tightly coupled to your storyline for your RPG.

For instance, we will have the player-character, who is technically the hero of our story and of the game. The hero is usually of a certain character class; let's assume the hero is part of the Human class.

The Human class or race, then, will have some specific characteristics that will be inherited by the player character, or any other non-player character of the same type or class.

Note: The character class and race usually determine the abilities of a character within the game, which then define the types of actions the character can perform.

The strength of a character within the game is defined by the character class it belongs to and the type of actions it can perform. The performance of a character is defined by the value of the attributes defined within the character's class and race.

For instance, if we take two different character classes and compare them side-by-side, such as a human and an orc, the orc will have far superior strength and brute force than the human. However, the human may have higher intelligence and problem-solving skills, which will out-rate the strength of the Orc if applied properly. Take a look at the following screenshot:

This is another key area where the RPG designer will have to spend a lot of time defining and specifying the specifications for the design and development of the characters within the game. The sky is the limit when it comes to designing and defining your characters, but there are some key attributes that you will need to consider for any RPG.

Most RPGs allow the player to modify their characters before the game starts, or even during game play. By default, every character class will have some default attributes, and the player is allowed to adjust the values based on some modifier. The basic fundamental features allowed for modification are the sex, class, or race of a character.

It all comes down to the budget and resources that are available to you during the production of the game. In some games, you can also introduce ethical attributes into the characteristics of the character. For instance, if you allow the ability to kill or rob innocent bystanders within the game, then the player will become less liked by the friendly non-player characters, and they may not be as friendly or helpful as needed to complete your quest. In other words, you will live by the consequences of your actions!

As a final takeaway, character classes define your character attributes and hence define your character's strengths and weaknesses. These physical attributes can be simplified into the following: dexterity and strength, which determine the performance of a character during battle!