Inventory System, First Boss, Panta, and More!
Hey everyone! We've been busy integrating some new systems into the game all the while Mike has made good progress on some characters' models and textures. We've also internally initiated "Operation Fisher-Price" in which we pass over any preexisting systems that aren't as easy to use as we would like them. After hopping around the project, it can get confusing to revisit older systems.
This post will show some footage of our new systems, and the art progress we've made since the last blog update.
Encounter System
This system lets us set up an area into a full-fledged fighting zone. We can spawn waves of enemies over time, limit the play space, and create boss fights with it.
Shrine Menu System
Our world traversal will feature teleportation between save points.
Dark frag modeled/textured/implemented
A new enemy class! These guys grab and deal damage over time, all while looking incredibly ominous. Press enough buttons while grabbed, and you'll break out!
Child almost completely implemented
The Child is our first boss! His model and texture came out great and our playtests so far have taught us a lot about how bosses should function in our game. He's still a work in progress, but these snippets showcase some of his stuff.
Psefti modeled/textured
A boss character that's come to life in modeled/textured form!
Panta modeled/textured
Panta's model and texture are finished!
Voi Knight modeled/textured
Voi's knights are modeled and textured!
Inventories
We've integrated an inventory engine into our game to better serve what we have planned for the types of items you'll be able to find. They've been classified into Consumables, Equipment, and Key Items. It features a hotbar with six slots you can set for quick access during gameplay.
Vendors
Thanks to the inventory system, we could make a shop using most of the same assets that'll let us make NPCs who sell stuff to us.
Currency
In order to buy stuff, you need currency. We added currency that you can get from defeating enemies.
Hit-Cancel Charges
As we continue to playtest the game, we learn more and more about how the systems play with each other. Our first boss character has taught us a lot about the balancing of our characters and their ability to hit-cancel out of moves. Previously, hit-cancelling spent extra stamina on top of the action you used to hit-cancel. For example, if a dash cost 10 stamina, dashing out of a move that can be hit-cancelled would spend 20 more stamina, for a total of 30. We've introduced hit-cancel charges, which give all the characters a shared pool of charges. Each hit-cancel spends one, and they'll recover over time. This system makes for more interesting decisions to be made in combat since it's a powerful option that will be a limited resource.
Juggling Pass
The hit-cancel system lets players string together powerful combos that would otherwise be impossible due to the recovery time of some attacks. We've done a tuning pass over each attack's knockback applied to enemies when they're hit in the air. This lets players juggle enemies in the air for as long as they can manage between hit-cancels and calling assists!
Breakables with Health
We already had breakable tables, barrels, and crates, but they all break instantly from any attacks or rolls/landings. We've added health and the ability to show a healthbar for breakables, so we can do some interesting things with breakable walls or structures that enemies can summon.
More Sounds
We've slowly been adding more and more sounds to the game. Ambience, enemy grunts/swings/deaths, and breaking object sounds are implemented.
Ladders are in
We added ladders! This makes it a bit easier for us to work with the space in our levels since ladders provide a good way to add verticality to areas.
Dialogue Engine & Interactive NPCs
We can now interact with NPCs! They'll be used throughout the game to shed some light on the world and maybe sell you a thing or two! With the dialogue engine implemented, we can do a lot of fancy things.
Next up on our plate is a UI artwork pass, and continued polishing of our existing systems. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for the next update! Be sure to check out the instagram and twitter for more frequent updates.