===THE PREMISE===
So, Raging made a system for Operators to duke it out. This worried me and a few other people, but really it's not a big deal because he made perfectly clear that he meant for his system to be used only on special occasions.
This gave me my own idea, a way to make Operators very important. Not nearly as important as your Navi, but nevertheless able to make a big difference. There are good Operators, there are unskilled Operators, and then there are the *really* good Operators. This system would give your Operator's skill at operating a palpable presence while you fight (lol alliteration.)
===THE STATS===
Each stat will have an upgrade chart much like in Raging's system. Players will be given points to spend on upgrades to customize their starting abilities.
[Speed]
This stat works exactly like a Navi's speed. Certain actions by the Operator require an action, such as using a BattleChip.
Quote (Operator Actions)
Slot-in BattleChip
Use Operator Action
Use Escape subchip
Break attention from the PET for a moment, such as to interfere with another Operator
Flip the fuck out due to poor Focus stat
[Focus]
This stat represents an Operator's ability to perform their best even under extreme stress. Some Operators are comeback kings; others fold under pressure.
When the Navi takes a hit, the Operator loses an amount of Focus equal to how much damage was taken. When the Operator's FOC hit 0, they flip out and lose some INT points and actions. Initially, hitting 0 FOC causes the Operator to lose two points of Speed for the following two rounds, and 50% of their INT points. This can be reduced to one action for one round and 10% INT.
When an Operator hits 0 FOC, the stat immediately resets to the maximum value and starts counting down again. Focus recovers in between battles.
FOC points start at 30% of the Navi's HP. Each Focus upgrade increases this by 10%.
[Intelligence]
Intelligence basically amounts to MP. Operators will have special abilities that can be activated using a limited pool of Intelligence Points. Again, I'm not good at this kind of thing so I can't even begin to talk about how many INT points a player starts with.
The INT cost of an Operator Ability is based on the effects of the ability in much the same fashion as SigAttacks.
INT recovers between battles.
===THE OPERATOR ACTIONS===
Even though it SOUNDS like it would be nasty to consider Operator Actions and Navi Actions at the same time, it's actually quite simple. Operator Actions are easily integrated into a turn summary.
In our example, GenericMan has a Speed of 5; Opera Tor has a Speed of 3. Opera has an ability called "Analyze," which increases GenericMan's accuracy with all attacks and allows him to simultaneously input a BattleChip.
GenericMan's turn summary:
>Analyze [AccuracyUP, slot-in Cannon]
1: Cannon [40, knockback VirusA]
2: Sword [80 VirusB]
3: Sword [80 VirusC]
4: Shotgun [50 VirusC, Splash VirusD]
5: GenericGun [60 damage+stun VirusE, 3TCD]
GenericMan: 150 HP
Opera: 100 FOC/ 40 INT
Here's what just happened:
-- We clearly marked Analyze as an Operator Ability, because it doesn't require an action by the Navi.
-- Note that we didn't actually have to write what Opera did with his actions; that would be unnecessary and would make turn summaries cumbersome.
-- Opera Tor only has 3 actions. Here's what he did:
1. Analyze (60 INT) [AccuracyUP, free slot-in Cannon]
2. Slot-in Sword
3. Slot-in Shotgun
-- In our example, Opera started with 100/100 FOC and INT.
-- Note that repeated Sword swings and GenericMan's Signature Attack do not require Operator Actions. Whether this is good or bad in balance terms, I don't pretend to know. Dodges and other miscallaneous actions also would not require an Operator Action.
===THE ABILITIES===
+ accuracy with chip type (Gun, Melee, etc) for the round
+ accuracy with Buster for the round
+ accuracy for one attack
+ Dodge effectiveness for the round
Free Tactical Movement
Free Take Aim
Free BattleChip slot-in
Recover Focus
Dodges can't reach 100%, and attacks can't reach S rank, from an Operator Ability.
(Obviously these are just examples.)
===THINGS TO CONSIDER===
Virus/Chip/SigAttack effects that affect Focus should be implemented, in order to make Focus more important.
Buster-based Navis may not be as dependent upon the Operator, because they require fewer Operator Actions to do their thing (i.e. can get by with only one or two chips per round.) This could either be written off as an advantage of being a Buster Navi, or fixed.
I feel that Operator Abilities should not be allowed to make use of Nerfs, either to the Operator or the Navi. I'm a little wary of letting Operator Abilities get big and powerful.
The same goes for Navis hurting their Operators as nerfs for SigAttacks.
I feel that Operator Abilities should always be indirect-- no Shields, no damage boosts, etc. I don't feel that Operator skills should have a direct effect on the battle, only on the Navi being operated.
Items for recovering Focus (coffee?)
I don't know how Operators should advance. Perhaps experience points granted based on the difficulty of battles and the quality of RP, in the same fashion as Zenny?
===THINGS NOT DONE HERE===
Without insider knowledge of accuracy ranks, dodge ranks, and other such things, I can't be fair about giving point values for different effects.
I also feel that "Passive Operator Abilities" should be possible, that is, Operator Abilities that don't require the Operator to spend an action, in exchange for a permanent reduction in usable Intelligence Points per battle.
Operator Abilities should have caps, and probably pretty strict ones at that.
Obviously more Operator Abilities than what's listed here can and should be implemented.
It is my understanding that a system involving Operators is already in the works. I know I'm not a staffer of any kind anymore and so aren't qualified to collaborate on it, but I enjoyed writing this system and would like to see it cannibalized for ideas if nothing else. If anyone has criticism, suggestions, or whatever, please post in this thread!
