Hello all, and welcome to dev update #10! There have been a lot of gameplay changes since the last update, which we're very excited to share with you all :)
Environment Spell Interaction
We've been working on some cool stuff to make magic more interesting, and feel like it has more impact on the game world as you unleash your power on your enemies. The first of the implemented changes is the way spells interact with the environment. No longer will spells disappear into thin air upon impact! Now they leave ground & particle effects on the environment depending on which surface they hit. This started by experimenting with spawning particle effects along 'splines':
Combining this with collision detection + ground VFX, we are now able to spawn these effects when the player hits the ground with one of their spells!
Status Effects
Another level to make spells feel more impactful is ensuring enemies feel the effects of your attacks. This is why we have introduced status effects to our spells. Each spell has a set of statuses it applies to enemies, and each status will affect your enemies in different ways. For example, in the video below you can see the 'Icy Mist' spell applying chill to the enemy. Chill will slow enemies down, and reduce health/stamina regen speeds.
Tree hiding
Few things are more annoying than trees getting in the way of the camera when you're trying to run through the shrubbery. With our new tree-hiding system, the player is always able to see everything they need to, with smooth fades & transitions to preserve immersion.
Combat Improvements
We've spent a lot of time improving the melee combat system in different ways. The first major change is the way enemies behave in combat. Previously, they would all charge in a herd, regardless of their health, their target's position, or any other factors. Now, they are much smarter, picking the right time to attack their enemy, and being very wary of spacing when moving around. They will be defensive at times, aggressive at times, and react to how the player is approaching combat.
As you may have noticed in the above clip, we also improved the combat music, giving smoother transitions between the exploration music & combat music, with dynamic layering based on the level of danger the player is in!
Art
Here are a couple of WIP armour sets that have been blocked out (still to be textured):
(Steel Armour Set)
(Iron Armour Set)