I did not post a blog update last week as the main feature I was working on was not quite where I wanted it to be. Since then I have improved that, and developed even more to make up for it.
Previously, I had implemented dodge rolling to give the character more options in combat. I have continued to improve combat in the past couple of weeks. The first new feature I implemented was Lock On.
By pressing Tab, the player can lock on to a nearby enemy. While locked on, their movement becomes a strafe rather than moving forward in the direction of their input. They automatically strafe around the enemy as they move left and right, with the camera remaining focused on the enemy. Pressing Q and E will switch between nearby targets.
Whenever an enemy dies, your lock on will automatically lock onto the next closest target. If none exist, instead it will end the lock on and resume normal control.
The next feature I implemented was parrying and riposting. This gives the player an extra option in combat other than dodging. It is riskier, but gives a big payoff. Whenever the enemy swings, there is a window where the player can perform a Cheap Shot. If the Cheap Shot connects at the right time in the enemy's window, the enemy will have its attack be interrupted along with being stunned.
An enemy remains stunned for a couple of seconds. If, in these couple of seconds, the player tries to make a melee attack, instead of normally attacking the player instead ripostes. This locks the player in an animation against the enemy, also making the player invulnerable. The player slashes at the stunned enemy for massive damage.
So, the player can dodge attacks but have less of an opportunity to counter, or play riskier and try to time a Cheap Shot to disable and counter attack the enemy.
Miscellaneous: Strafe input needed some work and polish, such as playing footstep SFX/VFX and allowing combat, so that was added. Dodge rolls were cleaned up so that they can be moved out of easier. Bug fixes were made for when you mash input keys and dodge roll.
Next Steps: I would like to also introduce Backstabs as another part of combat. As said in my previous post, a backstab can be performed on an enemy whose back is to you and will also deal massive damage.
Comments