Massive update incoming!
Update #15 has some major changes from previous versions, so I've pushed an update to the beta branch to get some community feedback and make sure the new direction is enjoyable before it goes live. You can access the beta by right clicking on the game in Steam, choosing Properties, clicking the Betas tab, and then choosing the "beta" branch from the dropdown menu.
Please read the rest of the patch notes, check out the beta on Steam, and let me know your feedback here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSed1dW8r3q3nUcXgNpMPmYmESYPER7i6N_8LiM5wx0cu3DAnA/viewform
Also feel free to leave feedback on the forums or send me an email at [email protected].
The main focus of the update was improving the damage system, but just about everything has been touched in some way. The damage system no longer works off an "HP Bar" and now considers different factors when you land a hit to see if a knockdown is possible. These factors include fatigue levels (getting punched over the long term), dizziness (getting punched over the short term), if the boxer has left themself open and off balance, and how hard the last hit was or if a quick flurry of hits was landed. Flash knockdowns are now possible, as are outright KOs!
The three knockdown rule is still in effect as the main way to win a match, but in a future update it will likely be removed in place of using fatigue and recent damage to determine how likely it is for a boxer to get back up from a knockdown.
The player force cap has also been completely removed. The plan was to add in a difficulty selector that would artificially increase the player's punching force, but even as a weak fighter you will eventually wear down the opponent and score a knockdown while stronger players will finish the fights much more quickly. Your feedback on the beta will help me know if a difficulty selector is needed. At the moment, I feel the game is a little too difficult, but let me know what you think!
Full change list:
- Completely revamped the damage system.
- Overhauled the AI's combo system. Expect opponents to combo more often and more naturally than previously.
- Overhauled AI dodge system. This change isn't as noticeable on the surface, but enemies can now return punches as they recover from dodging.
- Divided punch animations based on whether they represent good punching form or bad punching form and adjusted their speed to mimic real world punches. The result is that many of the boxers now swing like Luis did and all boxers are much more difficult than they were before (maybe too difficult, please let me know your feedback here!)
- Enemies recover more slowly from missed swings than they do from hits that land.
- The play area is no longer represented by a colored patch on the floor and is now more explicitly outlined with a highlighted border.
- If you have room, the buffer space around your play area that the AI won't intentionally move into is now larger.
- The player now loads into their corner of the ring and can start the match when ready or quit back to the gym.
- Changed animation of AI getting hit to be proportional over a range to how hard they were hit, instead of just having a soft and hard hit animation.
- Added multiple knockdown animations depending on where you hit the opponent.
- Added new player camera effects for getting hit and getting knocked down.
- The trainer has officially retired from the ring, and has been replaced by a new training partner.
- Made "false positive" blocks less likely to occur.
- Punch force is now determined more consistently and fairly instead of being pulled directly from the physics system, which could be unreliable.
- Hits that connect at extreme angles (glancing blows) no longer count as full hits.
- Everybody had mouth guards now!
Known issues:
- Still adjusting each opponent's behavior, spacing, and difficulty.
- Zombie Joe and Headless Luis still need some work to fit into the new damage system.
- Sometimes when you take a punch, the AI's hand goes nuts and flies off with your opponent before flying back moments later.
- The knockout ragdoll is a little stiff.