Devlog #5
The Weight of Steel
Hey everyone! Last week brought horde leaders and gate assaults. This week was all about polish: making every single sword swing actually feel like it lands.
Hit feel
Every connecting blow now has layered punch:
- A bright white flash on impact, then the red damage flash settles in
- Heavy hits trigger a short camera shake, only for fights happening near you so distant skirmishes don't shake your view
- Blood bursts double in intensity on heavy hits
- Sword strikes leave a curved arc trail at the strike point that fades quickly
The result: a goblin getting tickled and a Revenant landing a crusher now look completely different at a glance.
Boss readability
Horde leaders now wear a 3D blood-red crown floating above their head, slowly rotating. The old flat ring at their feet was hard to spot from a top-down angle. The crown stands out instantly across a battlefield.
Different swings
Every fighting stance now ships with two attack variations that alternate from one swing to the next: vertical chops and diagonal cross-slashes for swords, forward thrusts and rising uppercuts for spears, crouch chops and quick counters for defensive stances. Soldiers also return to guard faster after each hit, so chained attacks feel sharper instead of dragging.
Even idle poses adapt to the weapon held: a sword tip drifts lazily forward and down, a bow rests at the hip with a slower sway. Subtle, but it sells the moment.
Bug fixes this week
- Soldiers trembling in place when a zombie sat exactly at melee range
- Tightly packed groups sliding outward like bowling pins after a fight ended
- Armor pieces flickering through the body underneath at neck, shoulder, and knee seams
- Doors landing one tile off their intended spot in certain wall orientations
Coming up
Next week I'm starting on roads and points of interest. Ancient roads will weave across the map, connecting ruins, camps, and shrines scattered in the wilds. Send a group of soldiers, clear the zombies guarding the place, crack open the loot chests, and bring back any captives you find. The map finally gets a reason to leave the colony.
That's it for devlog #5!
If you're interested in following development more closely :
Discord: https://discord.gg/MEBzGzRz5Q
Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBPSXqBWwaU
Steam : https://store.steampowered.com/app/4586360/Iskarn/
And if you haven't already, wishlist Iskarn on Steam, it really helps !