Rythym Action Damage and Streaks

Current Choice

I like idea 2 the most so far.

Stunning enemies - While fighting, you may want to switch targets. Also, since you're concentrating on one badguy (usually) you don't want other badguys to interrupt your fat beetz. I needed a way to stun enemies while playing the song.

Implementation 1

• Increase damage output when a melody is completed, up to a maximum.
• Getting hit reduces the multiplier.
• The alternate mode brings the multiplier to maximum.

Cons

• Rewards early play too much.
• Rewards never getting hit too much (difficulty is skewed.)

Implementation 2

• Damage output is increased with each melodic phrase.
• When the melody is completed, the damage resets to normal.
• Completing a melodic phrase stuns all enemies for a short time.
• The alternate mode stuns all enemies for a bit, and maxes out the damage for one melody.

Pros

• Controls the damage to a per-melody basis.
• Emphasizes streaks, but only to one melody, and not throughout the entire song (like Implementation 1)
• Stunning enemies gives the player time to switch targets.

Cons

• Emphasizes staying on one target.
• The positive feedback loop (of damage during a melody) is limited-time-only. But it does control the song.
• The player could abuse this system by attacking safe/weak enemies to build up the damage, then switch to a hard enemy to deal real damage, and avoid its parries. Maybe this is just a high-level abuse I can leave for "hard mode" or something to handle.

Implementation 3

• When you attack freely, you "lock on" to an enemy.
• While locked on, you must play the beat that appears. If you miss too many times, you lose your lock.
• Playing a melodic phrase while still locked on deals damage, and increases your damage.
• Your damage decreases with every melodic phrase you miss (or do not complete.)
• The more you miss, the more attacks the enemy does. These attacks will hurt you and break your lock.
• Completing a melodic phrase stuns all enemies for a short time.

Pros

• Allows the user to switch targets freely, since the damage bonus doesn't switch when the enemy is beaten.
• The beats seem more like a duel. With every missed attack, the enemy notices a vulnerability and tries to poke it.
• Stunning enemies is good.

Cons

• The damage bonus emphasizes attacking weaker targets first.