Hello there!
Game development is in version 0.53 at the moment and this means:
Released version 0.53 of the demo.
Released an internal Beta version 0.53 containing levels 1 to 5.
While my personal preferences are the timed and directional combat modes, I've noticed most of the demo players actually prefer the good old hack & slash combat system, usually seen in many RPG games.
So, while keeping the existing modes, I've decided to add yet another combat mode to the game: Hack & Slash.
In Hack & Slash, there is no perfect blocking, neither by the enemy nor by the player.
Every hit counts.
Every hit reduces health. The amount varies by the attack's timing and if the enemy/player were blocking.
Player has the ability for continuous block.
In this mode, timing is not important for player blocking, so you can hold the block key.
My suggestion:
In the intro/training level, try all modes and see what gives you more enjoyment.
I've also added a small info button in the intro/training level which explains the modes thoroughly.
Thrust me! I had trouble with both first-person and enemy thrust animations. First-person one didn't look like a good old thrust, and the enemy one looked more like an attack from the left, which is very confusing for Directional combat mode players. So, I reworked these two.
Speaking of thrust, added a first person stab animation as a finisher animation.
Speaking of finisher animations, added an infrastructure for finisher animations, so stay tuned for that one.
All of the above gave me the appetite for doing a back-stab animation. It is nice, but I may want to improve it a bit later on. So now, you can sneak up your enemies and give them a good old back-stab.
Having a shield in hand matters. In Timed combat mode, having a shield in hand blocks enemy arrows. In Hack & Slash combat mode, holding the block key with shield in hand will deliver less damage from arrows. No shields in Directional mode.
Sneaking matters. You are less likely to get detected when sneaking.
Enemy alert! Enemies now get alerted when:
They hear a nearby guard detecting the player.
An arrow hits close to them.
When near a corpse.
Enemy swordsmen fully charge you when you draw your bow.
Enemy archers stand their ground. Gotta say, this is one of my personal favorite improvements. I love having a cover shoot-out with the archers :)
Now you can take shields from defeated guards.
General improvements to enemy attack animations and timing.
Added a level summary window. It will be appended with more stuff later on.
Improved Sinclair's castle's wall material to look slightly better.
Better foliage in:
Sinclair's castle.
Training level.
FPS (Frames Per Second, not First Person Shooter hehe) improved in most levels.
Lord Gerald's throne room now has guards.
Added two more guard models to Sinclair's castle (thus - the demo) including female guards. Yet, in Sinclair's castle, the original models appear more.
Locked the section-finish door in level 1's second section (now you need to find the key). I want players to explore a bit and not just run to the end of the corridor. Sorry speedrunners :)
Bugfix: When striking an archer too fast while drawing a sword, the archer would stay with an empty hand.
Will release a teaser news item about level 5 soon.
Working on level 6 right now and it is going to be very special for me and I hope for the players as well.
Thanks to whoever played the demo, streamed the demo, wrote comments and wishlisted.
It is appreciated and I hope you enjoyed it and I hope the game will be pretty enjoyable as development goes on.
Have fun!