DevLog #4 – Combat system updates
Hi guys!
Why am I starting with Devlog #4? Older devlogs are on itch.io (https://atlas-corp.itch.io/station-11)
But from now on, I'll post each devlog here as well.
This week, i solely worked on the combat system or rather everything related to the expeditions (and I actually stayed with turn-based instead of realtime!) The combat actually seems fun now, even though replayed it dozens and dozens of times...
New Features:
- Combat Abilities
- Better pathfinding / Simulataneous movement of enemies
- Task system updates
Details:
- 2D grid system for pathfinding → Changed to A* for better performance
- Turn manager → All enemies first decide on their path and then start to move -> no waiting for dozens of enemies to move one after another! (This took MOST of the time...)
- Combat abilites: including UI, animation, sound → Reload: Uses 1 magazine to reload ammo → Line Attack: attacks monsters in a single line (Cooldown 1 turn) → Shock Attack: stuns all enemies in a circular range for 1 turn (Cooldown 3 turns) → Single attack: High dmg attack on a single enemy
- 2 different enemy types with different dmg and movement range
- Basic armor system for enemies
- Tasks on expeditions → Tasks have skill requirements (Engineering, Physics, Biology, etc..) and a duration → When a character performs a task, it can lead to a → Failure: No progress → Success: -1 duration → Crit Success: -2 duration → Chances are based on character skills vs task requirement
- UI changes / updates → Select characters and robots by UI icons → Robot: show abilites / cooldowns / ammo / magazines
- Map updates: more details: rocks, plants, etc.
Design Decisions:
Decision #1 - Visit expeditions once vs multiple times
At first, I planned for the player to revisit an expedition, if it wasn't finished the first time, which leads to balancing HELL! Now, you have 1 chance -> higher stakes, easier balancing, better gameplay.
Whats next?
The next days, I want to focus on the base management. After that's finished (at a basic level), the gameloop is done and I can start a few alpha test with playtesters.
Conclusion:
Very happy with the combat system and the atmosphere that it's creating.
Wishlist the game, if you like it so far!
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