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[LazyWaffle]

How could a one button RPG work? I can't really see a one button RPG existing for reasons besides novelty, but if it ends up having genuinely good one-button design then it might actually be good.

I'm thinking the battle system would be turn-based, like a traditional RPG. The player's battle sprite would be surrounded by a wheel with options (think Seiken Densetsu or Paper Mario), and holding down the button would rotate a cursor around the wheel. When you release the cursor, the action that it is on will be preformed (attack, defend, etc.)

The movement would definitely be the hardest aspect to design. I can only think of the player changing directions when the button is being held down, and if he taps then he stops moving, then taps again to start. It doesn't really sound comfortable, so if you have a better idea then please share.

The whole game could have an HUD that has an "action bar". It would have a few important actions (Move, open menu, etc.). You hold down the button, and an arrow would move along the bar until you stop, and whatever action it's on is preformed. I think it's the best way to organize the actions, but of course, there could be a better one.

Yeah, I could've necro'd the old thread but it had a lot of information that's irrelevant to this topic.

[zacaj]

Isnt the point of a 1 button game to have some cool mechanic based around one button, instead of just use the one button to do the same exact actions youre already doing.  Youre treating it like its a handycap, adapting the button to fit the game, not the other way around

[Razz]

I don't know, man. The only way I could see this working really well is if

a.) the game was linear, as in dungeons are one straight path (Possibly branching paths?) with enemies you have to fight along the way. If you die you restart at a certain point with the same amount of exp ... I'm not quite sure if that would be optimal for grinding, though.
b.) combat would have to be really streamlined. dunno how exactly that would work. press to attack, wait to defend or something?

I agree with zacaj, though. The way you're treating it right now makes it sound like more of a handicap than an adaptation.

[sergiocornaga]

Maybe it'd work a little like this?

[LazyWaffle]

Isnt the point of a 1 button game to have some cool mechanic based around one button, instead of just use the one button to do the same exact actions youre already doing.  Youre treating it like its a handycap, adapting the button to fit the game, not the other way around

I can see why the post might look like that, but I intended for this to be a thread where we can discuss how a complex game (like an RPG) can be made with just the use of one button. It wouldn't play out as a traditional RPG, it would be a lot simpler (but not dumbed down), just more accessible and easier to pick up. It wouldn't just be a cookie-cutter RPG game, it would have its own style of gameplay, while still keeping RPG elements.

[Zecks]

I think I can say that it would just be annoying as shit to play instead.

Dumbing the control down that much is pointless.

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

The difficulty of RPGs as a single button is that they often result in a lot of decision making during the game. The single button design tends to revolve heavily around timing, so you're left with a couple of approaches.

- Have the game automatically cycle through options, and you press the button to choose which one. I especially dislike this approach when it deals with menus, but it might be okay in a visual scenario. Walking through a town in a circuit, press the button to enter the shop. You could even let the player turn around by choosing the areas between shops.

- Have the decision making based upon the number of taps you do, or whether you tap or hold the button. This way you're given various degrees to your input. One tap for yes, two taps for no, three for sword attack, or maybe hold the button for 1.5 seconds to use magic, etc.

The main key is to drive it with the visuals. Imagine if a character was attacking, and they moved through a sequence of poses before unleashing their attack on the enemy, it would make sense that you needed to cycle to the correct one, and it would look cool too. You could work this into the gameplay too, so that simple attacks take less preparation time compared to MP draining special/magic attacks.

There's definitely potential, and of course you have to design the game heavily for the system rather than trying to shoehorn any expectations into the design. Sophie's linear RPG is a very good example of how it can work, but there are plenty of other good methods too.

[SirNiko]

Simplify the choices of the game into simple dialogue boxes. The player is confronted by a series of choices, and all there is to it is to pick whatever you feel has the best flavor.

Rather than a one-button RPG, maybe you'd go with two buttons? One for yes, one for no. Make all situations resolve themselves with only two choices, like "Fight or Run", "Physical or Magical", "Offense or Healing", "Weapon or Potion". Along the way, you have choices (Left or Right, North or South), options (Wear Armor, Leave Armor) or shops (Healing Potion - 10 GP, Buy or Don't Buy?). All the important stats are displayed on screen at all times, so there's no need for a menu.

Either the game could be static or procedural. In a static game, it could be difficult with lots of choices resulting in death, or it could be simple with many choices being cosmetic or just leading to a higher score at the end. If procedural, the whole thing could just be like a really convenient version of Nethack complete with lots of wacky monsters and situations that are added with each patch.

[Sir Raptor]

I believe this must be mentioned.

[J. R. Hill]

Use morse code to choose your actions.

[gimymblert]

I had once thought about a one button RTS (rose très sensée) about a princess that use the view from her tower and a mirror to send Morse like code message to direct warriors that came at her rescue. This is definitly possible. 16 commands with 4 bits is just more than enough if you had contextual actions.

[mirosurabu]

There was a one-button dungeon crawler prototype, I think. Not sure if it's public or not.

The idea was simple. The whole environment was divided into small circular areas. You start an area by exploring it which makes it reveal its content (of course, you hold down the button to do that). Single area can either contain loot or enemies. To loot, you justhold down the button and to fight you bash the button. The paths were branching, but you had no choice over that. ):

[Soulliard]

Didn't you start a topic like this already?

[deathtotheweird]

There was a one-button dungeon crawler prototype, I think. Not sure if it's public or not.

The idea was simple. The whole environment was divided into small circular areas. You start an area by exploring it which makes it reveal its content (of course, you hold down the button to do that). Single area can either contain loot or enemies. To loot, you justhold down the button and to fight you bash the button. The paths were branching, but you had no choice over that. ):

its also up on fgl, looking for a sponsor
http://www.flashgamelicense.com/view_game.php?game_id=13299

[gimymblert]

@soulliard

Yeah, I could've necro'd the old thread but it had a lot of information that's irrelevant to this topic.

read the small terms of the contract