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[ManuScythe]

Today this week we're also working on the "Steelwolf" armor peices for the second character, I am starting to it already.

W O R K   I N   P R O G R E S S

W O R K   I N   P R O G R E S S

[ManuScythe]

Hey guys.

I would like some opinions today, specially from fans of Dark Souls / Bloodborne and Salt and Sanctuary / Death's Gambit type of games (dark arpgs with heavy combat).

Duelcide aims to be a Dark, Heavy combat  game, but the overall 3D aesthetics concern me.

I know it's still early in prototype phase and art is not final, and there's nothing about RPG elements or dealing with consequences yet...

but I want to know:

edit: added a lighting test screenshot

What do you think about the current aesthetics of Duelcide?

Please let me know how you like reference "souls" games so I can ponderate target relevance.

[MegaTiny]

The current aesthetic is looking fine, and it's still early days as you say so don't beat yourself up over it too much. However you're missing a few things things regarding aesthetic as far as I can see:

• Animation weight. The animations currently look a bit floaty and the characters feel light. Animations in the souls games are consistently incredible, so if that's what you;re going for it needs a bit of work
• A lack of clutter. Your arenas are very sterile right now and don't feel lived in (obviously some of that is lighting which you say you're reviewing). Go and spend ten minutes playing Bloodborne and take the time to notice the sheer bloody amount of junk everywhere. Gravestones, candles, cupboards, chairs. It's all over the place, and a bit of clutter can go a long way towards hiding an otherwise boring room. Put some plates on the dining tables, have a long carpet coming down the middle row from the door. Fill the space!

I hope that helps, the games looking like it's gonna be a lot of fun  

EDIT: sorry just saw what your poll was actually about! Reading comprehension level: 0. Games that reference the Souls games for their aesthetic are taking from a very good source, and I think it's a good style to aim for. I personally dislike when people use the same UI/colours/fonts however, as it feels a bit derivative.

[ManuScythe]

The current aesthetic is looking fine, and it's still early days as you say so don't beat yourself up over it too much. However you're missing a few things things regarding aesthetic as far as I can see:

• Animation weight. The animations currently look a bit floaty and the characters feel light. Animations in the souls games are consistently incredible, so if that's what you;re going for it needs a bit of work
• A lack of clutter. Your arenas are very sterile right now and don't feel lived in (obviously some of that is lighting which you say you're reviewing). Go and spend ten minutes playing Bloodborne and take the time to notice the sheer bloody amount of junk everywhere. Gravestones, candles, cupboards, chairs. It's all over the place, and a bit of clutter can go a long way towards hiding an otherwise boring room. Put some plates on the dining tables, have a long carpet coming down the middle row from the door. Fill the space!

I hope that helps, the games looking like it's gonna be a lot of fun  

EDIT: sorry just saw what your poll was actually about! Reading comprehension level: 0. Games that reference the Souls games for their aesthetic are taking from a very good source, and I think it's a good style to aim for. I personally dislike when people use the same UI/colours/fonts however, as it feels a bit derivative.

This is actually a lot of help, thanks!

I will take good note of everything you noted, I am glad you misunderstood cause you gave me useful information haha

edit: question still up: (#141)

What do you think about the current aesthetics of Duelcide?

[marcgfx]

hard to say from just a gif, but first impression is rather dull? maybe add a good image that represents the game, I had to go looking for this gif to even give you an answer.

[ManuScythe]

You are actually damn right.

I added this photo to the poll post and devlog's #1 post.

This is how it looks ingame now.

[ManuScythe]

Hey guys, I'm still interested in hear more opinions about the project.

I want to set the foundation for the narrative tool I have designed regarding the different dimensions I mentioned last year.
So while I get there, I am working on the dialogue system as that fundation.

Dialogue system v0.01

Hope it evoques.

Still super basic and WIP:
 - You get prompted when you can interact, with a verb.
 - If you do press the button the action starts.
 - In this case, a short dialogue.

Next thing I want to allow for several lines of dialogue and skip with X.
After that I would like to add some custom "Voice acting" of my own.
And make it autoskip on audio end.

Wish me luck 

[ManuScythe]

Hey guys, we kept working!

Basically on:
- *Character components* (Basically separating) 3D models in parts, to add some variety to NPCS.
- *Dialogue system* (I included some custom voices of my own. Note that main character won't speak as it's the player).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC7JaVh69jk&feature=youtu.be

Next thing I want to enable player decision with a simple binary choice of actions such as "Withdraw" vs "Challenge", with the ultimate intention of allowing for the HP/Stamina UI and Enemy AI to activate if the NPC is challenged by the character, or repeatedly attacked. Attacking without a challenge will also ultimatelly, affect player's reputation.

[ManuScythe]

Well hello TIGSource!

First of all, we decided we will focus on improving the looks on the game and we'll prioritize aesthetics over content for the moment. Now:

Remember this?

So, will the game only support XBOX Gamepads?  Have you considered using an asset for handling input (e.g. ReWired or InControl)?  as well as easier to handle more controllers.

Well I finally have Rewired implemented in the project!

 



For the moment I mapped
- Oficial Xbox360
- Generic XBox360
- Oficial PS4
- Generic PS4
Mainly because those are the only gamepads I own. Or that I thought!

I bought a generic ps4 one and it is apparently an official one...

When pluged in,the PS4 gamepad freezes the hell out of Unity, not even the project would start if it's closed!

Still haven't found a solution to this so if you know please let me know.

[ManuScythe]

Finally: DEFENSE!

Today I finished a first (working) iteration of the defense!

Defense Off / Defense On:



This baby helps us avoid getting wrekt when there's no time for a stylish Parry. We will take damage, and get moved, but damage is reduced (based on the sturdyness of the defensive item, in this case the parry dagger defends 40% damage and brings us back only a bit).


     

But remember that defense is for the scared and the turtles 

[ManuScythe]

Guard Break is coming,

(just a couple bugs away)



- Pending increase stamina depletion per defended hit
- Pending cause 100% damage when guardbroken.
- Pending enable Riposte during guardbroken state.

[ManuScythe]

Last weeks we've been rushing a lot of stuff to participate in a local event in Barcelona in seek of some low-end funding.
I have money to work until july, let's hope I can create something appealing that can help us some day working on Duelcide fulltime in the future.

Here's a scenario Jaime and I have been working on.



Here's where the characters can talk and chill between combats.

[ManuScythe]

Hey Guys,

Last week I took it a bit off, as I did a lot of progress, got new animations from my new friend Zunaira, freelancer animator, who's been making the Wolf Knight animations last month, and we finally have a pseudo proper 1 on 1.



Still looooots of work in progress but it's starting to show some very interesting potential.

[ManuScythe]

Hey guys

Jaime and I have been working for the local contest with a rushy demo, that hopefully evoques the intention of the  design, but there are so many things pending to make it look and feel as intended that I don't think the test demo vid is yet worthy of sharing here (I think it might be confusing and poor). On the bright side, it helped me to kinda prototype the level up mechanic and its narrative unfolding, so it's a win).

As a compensation here's some footage of the parry-riposte with sound effects:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V4oGNE6sUs&feature=youtu.be

I've been doing a sum up and just wanted to aknowledge it here in the devlog.

This is the current progress on the implementation of the different systems. Note that these are already designed, but yet pending to implement:

- Character locomotion
  ✅ Walk forwards, run, roll, backstep, fall, jump.
   · Walk backwards when locked target. This is very important because you don't want to get backstabbed when putting a distance from an agile dagger weilder when you are rocking a huge axe and a tower shield.

- Gear (50%)
  ✅ Weapons inflict base damage
  ✅ Weapons inflict increased damage based on the attack type (light, heavy, running, backstep, riposte, backstab, plunge...)
  ✅ Weapons can be swiched mid combat (primary and secondary).
  ✅ Weapons can be weild with one or two hands (but some weapons can only be weilded either with one or two hands).
  · Armor: Pending instantiate armor pieces on character based on equiped gear.(Wanna allow looting dead enemies gear or stealing, individually, for example you can steal a character's helmet. Or a enemy you let win rewards you with his gloves).
      _This I am struggling with the pipeline, I will try to spawin them on top of empty game objects in the empty skelletal hierarchy realtime based on the pieces that I will reference in the character sheet.
  · Pending animate weapons switch.
  · Pending animate weilding change.

- Character sheet and stats: (50%)
  ✅ Each character has its own secondary stat: Stamina Points.
  ✅ Each character has its own secondary stat: Health Points.
  · Pending include the primary attributes, that define secondary stats:(Strength, Dexterity / Agility, Constitution, Stamina or any Magic related stats).

- Level up system: (0%)
 · Pending implement the level up system: Players should be able to level up based on XP points (This requires a big iteration because there's this wild narrative mechanic involved. This will require a dedicated sprint on its own, and will need the character sheet to be working beforehand).

- Particles and overall VFX (0%)
   ✅ Weapon trail
  · Walking and running should create some dust
  · Weapon clash should add sparks both on parries and floor.
  · Hits should splatter some blood based on received damage.
  · Diying characters should also crete some atmospheric myst.
  · Fire needs a rework.

- FMOD Integration (25%)

- Ambience sound (0%)
 · Torches should sound when nearby
 · Exterior noises (trees, water) should sound when approaching windows.

- Music (15%)
   ✅ Generic battle theme
   ✅ Hub theme
  · Enemy is defeated.
   · Player is defeated.
   · Enemy is killed.
   · Player is killed.
   · Wolfang memory.
   · Pacheco memory.
   · Personalized battle themes for both Wolfang (the silver wolf) and Pacheco (the musketeer) based on variations from each one's memories.

- Sound Effects (50%)
 · Attack sounds are almost there
 · Hit sounds are almost there
 · Most locomotion sounds are there
 · Loop sounds are buggy (Walk, run...)

- Polish animations(0%)
 · Rapier light attacks are lacking 1-2-3 combo, we must do it.
  · Rapier heavy attack channeling lacks anticipation information, should redo it.
  · Rapier heavy attacks are also lacking 1-2-3 combo.
  · Turn animation delivers, but could be smoother.
  · Jump animation is too sudden, and camera moves with violence.

- UI (20%)
   · Create a hidden 2nd HP bar, for when the enemy has been defeated. If this second bar is depleated, character dies permanently.
   · Overall beautify the UI, this will make most sense specially when we have character sheet.

- Conversation system (20%)
   ✅ Talking to NPCS.
   ✅ NPCs have placeholder voice acting.
  · NPCs have true voice acting.
  · Pending allowing to chose options in conversations

- Artificial intelligence (10%)
   ✅ Rough implementation with Following (walk), Backstab, Parry, HeavyAttack.
  · Pending allow special actions: Run, Run Attack, BackstepAttack, manage heavyAttack channel,.
  · Pending implement attitudes (aggresive, defensive...)
  · Pending implement battle phases (aggresive, defensive...)

[ManuScythe]

Hey guys,

Little sneak peak of the Wolf Knight combat right now:
(This is what an UltraGreatSword can do to a distracted Cloth armor user)




It's been a while... many things have happened, I started working with my new programmer Lauren With him we're working on:

1. Gear system: Combine Armor pieces to your own taste + Armor makes you heavier but you resist stuns better.

2. Polishing/Debugging locomotion and combat feel.

3. Soon we'll start with the AI.

Due to some issues our animator can no longer work with us for the forseable future  
So I am looking for a new animation partner again.

We want to polish things such as Light Attacks, specially GreatSword one, to make it feel heavier.



Also Parry's anticipation (that is too static).
And Backstep, which doesn't work very well as a dodge as it is right now.


Also we need to start rethinking how we relate with the Animator system because now that we can add more weapons and combine them, (For instance GreatSword + Dagger, GreatSword + Shield, GreatSword+Crossbow...)or handle them with both hands, we can't just rely on creating dozens of animators because that would become impossible to mantain.

Our current approach includes assigning a weilding boolean in the animator to decide on the Attack Animation to play:




And weapon Layers for each hand overwritting the Idle-Walk-Run animations with a mask.




I guess we could use the same system to pick another weapon rather than a new Animator.
But if anyone has gone down this road before and has some advice, that will be thankworthy.

[ManuScythe]

Hey guys,

Today I've been working on the gamefeel of the Parry:



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is in slow motion by the way

I believe the results are more dynamic!

[ManuScythe]

Today I've been working on the lights a bit.