Hi, my name is Piotr and I’m one of programmers at Black Eye Games. Today I’d like to share some insight about process of Gloria Victis character controller remake.
As you probably know, there has been much talk about changing character animations lately. We have released a couple of sneak peeks, showing some of new animations in action, as well as footage of one-handed weapons and longsword combat. Animations are almost there; implementing them into gameplay, however, is just the tip of the iceberg of changes Gloria is about to receive.
We want to make sure combat not only looks great, but also feels great. This is why we have decided that changing animations is a great opportunity to remake the controller. In network games, changing controller forces synchronization update. Therefore, there are 3 main areas of change:
- Animations
- Controller
- Synchro
I’d like to discuss all of these areas briefly.
Animations - 75% ready
You have already seen some of new animations - this was, however, only a small fraction of all visual changes to come! We already have animations ready for all weapon types that are currently available in game. Due to large number of transitions and mixes between them, it makes for over 200 animations per weapon type.
Large number of animations means better look, but also - more work to be done with actually putting them into the game (e.g. some animation times need to be amended, character rig and skeleton requires some modifications etc.) Some of changes are already live; for example, the change to character model that was released recently was required by new animations.
When new combat animations are already live, we are planning to change mobs and NPCs to use new animations. Furthermore, we still need to record emoji/interaction animations along with some actions (e.g. swim). For now, these systems will use old animations.
Controller - 60% ready
Changing animations requires changing the way character behaves on server, so that client and server stay in sync. This is, however, an amazing opportunity to implement some of the combat mechanics changes that hopefully will make combat more balanced and strategically deep. For example, we currently test interrupting attacks with strong attacks, adding additional reward for players taking risk of fully loading power bar. We are also changing system of blocks, making rotation based directional blocks more reliable.
Synchronization - 70% ready
Almost none of these mechanics changes would be possible without major synchronization model remake we are currently performing. Players will no longer fall off stairs after rapid turnover or get stuck when going through door. This will also greatly affect combat, especially PvP - we will greatly reduce desync, thus making combat mechanics more reliable.
We also know that many of you play on servers that are physically distant from your location. This is why we put great effort into making game playable even with high ping. Animations remake makes it a little bit easier, as we are able to hide ping behind them; this way, game will feel fluent even with medium-high ping values.
Recap
All in all, Gloria is about to receive one of the biggest updates in its history within weeks. This is a lot of work and it takes time, but I believe all these changes are worth waiting for. Thank you for your tremendous support!
See you on the battlefield!
Piotr
Upcoming update
An upcoming update is currently being tested. We hope to be able to release it tomorrow, as it will intorduce lot of awesome content, such as 2 new locations, brand new world event and
burning buildings!