Devlog #6
You are the Hero !
Hey everyone ! Last week I teased a major feature I was rethinking from the ground up. It's here, and honestly, it changes how Iskarn feels to play. The goal with all of this : give the player real impact, pull you into the world, deepen the immersion. Stop being a god moving pieces on a board, become one of the people fighting to keep the colony alive.
Be the Hero
You're not just the architect floating above the colony anymore. You have a Hero, the main character of your clan, and you can step into him whenever you want. One key, and the camera locks in behind him. You move him, aim with the mouse, swing. Step out, and he goes back to living his life among the others, chopping wood, building, sleeping. He's not a side hero. He's the central figure of your clan. Down the line, the Hero is what's going to let you lead squads, take a handful of citizens with you to scout, fight or raid a POI, and hold special roles inside the clan beyond simple professions. This week is the foundation: a real body in the world, fully playable. If he falls in battle, it's not game over. He comes back at the menhir after a delay, time for the colony to catch its breath.
A body with weight
Movement got a real overhaul. The Hero accelerates, decelerates, coasts after you release the controls. There's a sprint with a stamina bar, enough to escape a bad fight but not enough to kite forever. Walk speed is now the same as a zombie's, so every step backwards costs you a hit. That single line of code made combat far more tense.
Combat that delivers
I went back into the combat system this week and it finally feels right. Hitstop on impact, zombie knockback, camera shake on heavy hits. You attack, you guard if you have a shield, you hold the input for a heavy swing. Reactive, weighty, and I'm proud of where it landed.
Bonus round
- Wind gusts ripple across grass and trees, and now carry seasonal flying leaves (autumn especially)
- Build fixes : decorations now place on the floor you're aiming at (works at any level of a multi-story building), roofs auto-hide while building, clear feedback when placement fails Next week I'm diving into the first POIs, the abandoned places you'll explore with your Hero and a few companions. The reason this whole system exists. That's it for devlog #6! See you out there. 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 !
More from Iskarn Demo
Other announcements
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