The main idea of this system is to recognize skilled gameplay and to give extra points for that.
When main actions are performed within a short timeframe it's considered a combo. The timeframe is 3 seconds - after an action you get 3 seconds to do the next one. Every action resets the timer, so the combo can continue as long as you keep acting within the timeframe of the last action. If no action is performed in that timeframe, the combo is concluded. A combo needs a minimum of 2 actions. Here is an example of combos that are performed during a level:
Vertical lines are combos, so the first one is M(melee) -> R(ranged kill) -> M(melee) -> C(close call). The total value of that specific combo is 577. The total value of all combos during this round is 9790.
How combo is calculated?
Every action has its base score value and 1 extra (bonus) value called Switch bonus. Both are fixed per action type:
Ranged kill: 50 points, 10% switch bonus
Melee: 70 points, 20% switch bonus
Sniped: 70 points, 20% switch bonus
Close call: 100 points, 50% switch bonus
Deflect: 100 points, 50% switch bonus
Switch bonus is extra value that's added starting from 3rd action. It only gets added if the last action is different from this one. So for example combo 3 (C -> C -> C -> C) don't have any switch bonus because there was no different actions in this combo.
When bonus is calculated for the combo it also adds 10% to total score starting from action 3, and that happens before the switch bonus - so switch bonus is calculated on top of the value that already includes the 10%. So for this first combo its calculated as M(70) + R(120) + M(190 + 10% = 209, +20% switch = 250) + C(250+100=350, +10% = 385, +50% switch = 577).
So the longer the combo chain is and the more variative it is the bigger the total bonus. Also high risk action such as Close call or Deflect gives biggers Switch Bonus as well.
The're are also some smaller bonuses that are indicated like this
This one gives you some small bonus for neighbouring combos on the same level. The gaps are ignored so this one between combo 5 and 10 is also valid
The bonuses are static for now but they also be dependent of the combo lentgth.
There will be 5 more actions in the future for more specific scenarios, for example backstab (melee but from behind), or bullet kill (when ranged shot a bullet). So there will be 10 actions in the future that will be recognized as a combo.
UI rework
I needed a place in the Level summary screen to display combos, so I decided to also rework the level summary screen. This is how it was back then:
Now:
This one will be further expanded in the future. So there is a proper upgrade screen and stats are much cleaner.
Character selection screen is also reworked.
Then:
Now:
This one was mostly reworked to look cleaner for the 2 player mode, where simultaneous selection is needed.
Leaderboard
Added integration with Steam and Leaderboards. So score is not only spendable on upgrades, but it's also visible for others (top 10).
Other stuff
Sound system: directional sound added, fixed excess enemy sound, added break sound for obstacles
Fixed Hand anomaly and Remaze
Player melee squash/stretch + trail
Combo indicator delay (prevents overcrowding)
Fixed ultra projectile not destroying concrete
Balanced anomalies. Each has its own appearance chance + timer
Fixed shooting, body recoil, snappier feedback on enemy kill
New trailer
That's about it. Try the demo, let me know what you think.