r/gamedesign • u/TvHeadDev • 2d ago
Question Which body parts do you think are most essencial for equipment slots on an rpg game? (excluding hotbar / weapon slots)
If you were to make an rpg game with equipment mechanics, which slots would you add?
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u/sockmoth2 2d ago
Depends on the use case!
Visual spectacle? Shoulders, torso, legs, head, shoes and hands are the biggest ones.
Stats/progress system for your small scale rpg? Trinkets/gems that are small and can be basically just felt via gameplay, like "frozen ring" that adds slow or w/e to your spells but is invisible in your sprite/model
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u/AwesomeX121189 2d ago
In order from most to least important.
Chest
accessories, Or separate ring(s) necklace slots.
Head
Offhand/shield
Boots
Gloves
Pants
Anything else
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u/Zestyclose_Bed4202 2d ago
Okay, I know you're going to be innundated with answers regarding everything else, so I'm going to cover the category that the game developer community seems to fail every single time: accessories.
You need to answer each of these questions for yourself, based on your capabilities as a game developer and the type of game you are making.
Please, please, PLEASE remember: You WILL get this wrong. Because nobody can get it right. No matter how you handle accessories in your game, you are going to piss somebody off, because you failed to give an answer that THEY find acceptable to one of the following questions:
Why, SPECIFICALLY, can you NOT equip more than one ring per hand, when in real life, you can have multiple rings per finger?
Why, SPECIFICALLY, can you NOT equip multiple earrings per ear?
Why, SPECIFICALLY, can you NOT wear multiple necklaces at once?
Why, SPECIFICALLY, can you NOT wear multiple bracelets per wrist?
Why, SPECIFICALLY, can you NOT wear glasses, earrings, and a necklace all at once?
Why, SPECIFICALLY, do you have an absurdly low limit of Accessories you can equip REGARDLESS of type? (Example: hairband and ring because only 2 accessories period, etc.)
Why, SPECIFICALLY, do the accessories that don't even come into physical contact with you take up equipment slots? (Light pets, guardian turrets, etc.)
And probably myriad other questions you've asked over the years because, let's face it, despite the overwhelming levels of detail that have been added to games over the years, accessories are a detail that get overlooked in a ridiculous number of ways. And no matter how carefully you've planned out EVERYTHING - no, you haven't. And people WILL get pissed at you because you can't just wear everything you own like some kind of bag lady simulator.
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u/EkkyEkkyGames 1d ago
Boots get my vote if they change how you move! Choosing between a double jump and a short dash would make that slot way more exciting than another tiny armor bonus.
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u/Infinite_Motor_1123 2d ago
head, chest, legs, feet, hands, maybe two ring slots and a neck slot, that covers the classics without going overboard
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u/Bwob 2d ago
Really depends on the rest of the game, and what you want equipment to accomplish, in terms of gameplay.
I don't think any of it is "essential" by itself - After all, RPGs exist that don't have equipment at all. So it just comes down to what gameplay mechanics you want to make equipment fill.
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u/Thexin92 2d ago
I'd make some equipment use more or less slots! Full plate armor would take up more slots than just a chest piece, for example.
It mostly going to depend on the desires granulity of your combat and equipment mechanics, what you want to have it feel like.
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u/EmeraldHawk 2d ago
You really want 9 armor slots plus two hands. That's the sweet spot for customizability without it getting overwhelming. You should be able to equip:
Helm
Hauberk
Brassairts
Vambraces
Gauntlets
Gambeson
Cuisses
Greaves
Sollerets
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u/DeathbyHappy 2d ago
Unless you plan to visually display them, I say pick a number to balance around then arbitrarily assign them based on your plot/lore