PLACE COMBAT SYSTEM - RESOLVE PLAYER ACTIONS PHASE
After the player has selected a Target Group link, every allowed combat action for them is displayed along the sidebar as a series of links. Each Target Group has duplicate pages of the melee and ranged combat links, delineated by their page title with a 1) for MOOK 1 group, 2) for MOOK 2 group, and 3) for the BOSS. In the case of non-target specific SPECIAL ABILITIES, there is no designating number at the start of the page title. Furthermore, SPECIAL ABILITIES have page titles using the color code associated with that character CLASS, and are displayed in ALL CAPS to help distinguish them from regular combat actions.
Each page link initiates a combat action against the targeted group when clicked.
NORMAL MELEE ATTACK PROGRAM
This program is initiated by clicking the Normal Melee Attack Option for the selected target group. Each option is a separate program. For this example I will show the normal melee attack program versus MOOK 1 and for BOSSES.
The MOOK 1 Normal Melee and MOOK 2 Normal Melee programs are identical in all respects except for the memories used. The MOOK 1 program uses the MOOK 1 and MOOK 1 Difficulty memories, and the MOOK 2 program uses the MOOK 2 and MOOK 2 Difficulty memories. The program is four columns wide and five rows deep.
ROW 1 COLUMN 1: MEMORY GREATER (Checks to see if EVENT STATE 1 is greater than zero) for the MOOK 2 and BOSS targets, this memory will check EVENT STATE 2 and 3 respectively. This is done as a safeguard against re-executing the program when a webpage refresh is done, or when a post is made in the story or banter chatlines.
ROW 2 COLUMN 1: SET THOUGHT (Set the thought ATTACK to the value of the memory MELEE ATTACK VALUE)
ROW 2 COLUMN 2: SET THOUGHT (Set the thought MOOKDEFENSE to the value of the memory MOOK 1 DIFFICULTY
ROW 2 COLUMN 3: ROLL THOUGHT (Roll the thought ATTACKROLL to a number between 200 and 1000)
ROW 2 COLUMN 4: ROLL THOUGHT (Roll the thought DEFENSEROLL to a number between 0 and 1000)
ROW 3 COLUMN 1: INCREMENT THOUGHT (Increment the thought ATTACK by the value of thought ATTACKROLL)
ROW 3 COLUMN 2: INCREMENT THOUGHT (Increment the thought MOOKDEFENSE by the value of thought DEFENSEROLL)
ROW 3 COLUMN 3: SET MEMORY (Sets EVENT STATE 1 to zero to reset the action safeguard, requiring that a Target Group link be clicked again in order to execute another combat action)
ROW 3 COLUMN 4: THOUGHT GREATER (Checks to see if thought ATTACK is greater than thought MOOKDEFENSE
ALL CONTRAPTIONS AND CONTRIVANCES IN ROW 3 MUST PASS in order to pass to ROW 4, else RUN PROGRAM “MOOK 1 MISS” in the escape hatch
ROW 4 COLUMN 1: ROLL THOUGHT (Roll the thought DEADMOOKS to a number between -1 and -3)
ROW 4 COLUMN 2: INCREMENT MEMORY (Increment the memory MOOK 1 by the thought DEADMOOKS)
ROW 4 COLUMN 3: SHOW PAGE (Show the page MOOK 1 MELEE NARRATIVE)
ROW 4 COLUMN 4: MEMORY GREATER (checks to see if the memory MOOK 1 is greater than zero)
ALL CONTRAPTIONS AND CONTRIVANCE IN ROW 4 MUST PASS in order to pass to ROW 5
ROW 5 COLUMN 1: RUN PROGRAM (Run the program MOOK 1 COUNTERATTACK)
MOOK 1 MISS PROGRAM
If the player's ATTACK was less than the MOOK's DEFENSE, then the player has failed to eliminate any mooks with their action and the program MOOK 1 MISS is run. This is identical to the MOOK 2 MISS and BOSS MISS programs that would be run for actions against those target groups, except where they will reference different counterattack programs.
MOOK 1 COUNTERATTACK
If the player fails to hit a MOOK, or successfully attacks, but does not eliminate all of the remaining MOOKS in that target group, there will be a surviving MOOK counterattack. Only one counterattack is made regardless of how many MOOKS remain in that target group. This is done as much for streamlining the fight as it is for my own personal storytelling aesthetics. MOOKS are there to fall like bowling pins at the hands of the heroes, and while there is a chance for the MOOKS to overwhelm weaker or less well equipped characters through sheer numbers, it should be a small one.
This program is four columns by five rows in size.
ROW 1 COLUMN 1: MEMORY GREATER (checks to see if the memory MOOK 1 is greater than zero. This is done as another safeguard against game hiccups so that the MOOKS can't counterattack the player unless there is actually at least one MOOK remaining.
ROW 2 COLUMN 1: SET THOUGHT (sets the thought ATTACK to the value of the memory MOOK 1 DIFFICULTY)
ROW 2 COLUMN 2: SET THOUGHT (sets the thought DEFENSE to the value of the memory DEFENSE VALUE)
ROW 2 COLUMN 3: ROLL THOUGHT (Roll the thought ATTACKROLL to a number between 0 and 1000)
ROW 2 COLUMN 4: ROLL THOUGHT (Roll the thought DEFENSEROLL to a number between 200 and 1000)
ROW 3 COLUMN 1: INCREMENT THOUGHT (Increment the thought ATTACK by the thought ATTACKROLL)
ROW 3 COLUMN 2: INCREMENT THOUGHT (Increment the thought DEFENSE by the thought DEFENSEROLL)
ROW 3 COLUMN 3: INCREMENT THOUGHT (Increment the thought DEFENSE by the thought DEFENSEDEBUFF)
ROW 3 COLUMN 4: INCREMENT THOUGHT (Increment the thought DEFENSE by the thought DEFENSEBUFF)
We did not show the DEFENSEBUFF AND DEFENSEDEBUFF thoughts being created in the example above, but an ALL OUT MELEE ATTACK option will increase one's ATTACK while creating a temporary debuff to their DEFENSE for that action. Likewise, the DEFENSIVE STANCE and CAUTIOUS MELEE ATTACK options will decrease one's ATTACK while creating a temporary buff to their DEFENSE for that action.
ROW 4 COLUMN 1: THOUGHT GREATER (Checks to see if the thought ATTACK is greater than the thought DEFENSE) if true, proceed to ROW 5, else SHOW PAGE (BAD GUY'S DISEASE) in the escape hatch.
ROW 5 COLUMN 1: RUN PROGRAM (Runs the program called TIER 1 DAMAGE)
ROW 5 COLUMN 2: SHOW PAGE (Shows the page MOOK 1 SUCCESSFUL COUNTERATTACK NARRATIVE)
TIER 1 DAMAGE PROGRAM
If the MOOKS of MOOK 1 group successfully counterattack the player, they will do damage to the player using this program. MOOK 2 MOOKS are intended to be stronger than MOOK 1 MOOKS, and would run the TIER 2 DAMAGE program instead in the MOOK 2 COUNTERATTACK program.