Traveling as a Party — Improving Companion Movement and Formation
GEKOKUJO: Vagrant Crown · published
In the new third-person field, we are working on a travel system that makes the protagonist, Party Members, and Wolf Companion feel like a group moving through the world together.
KEEPING THE PARTY TOGETHER
Our earlier companion movement was largely based on following fixed positions around the player. In a real field, however, that can cause companions to fall behind while running, gather on the same side, or leave awkward gaps between people and the wolf. We are now rebuilding this behavior around comfortable movement ranges and more natural spacing instead of having everyone chase a single point.
When the player speeds up, companions are being adjusted so that they can catch up without making the formation feel rigid. We are also refining how the two Party Members and the Wolf Companion choose their positions, reducing situations where everyone crowds into the same space.
We are testing these changes while traveling along the actual roads of the field. Conversations during travel are also being checked so that speaking with a companion does not unnecessarily break the group's movement and formation.
TRAVELING ACROSS SLOPES AND UNEVEN GROUND
The same work extends beyond flat roads. We are improving how the protagonist and companions stand and move across slopes, uneven ground, and steps. Issues such as characters sinking into the terrain, floating above it, or shaking on downhill paths are being measured and addressed one by one.
READING THE PARTY AT A GLANCE
The current field interface is also being developed to show the status of the protagonist, two Party Members, and the Wolf Companion during travel. We will continue balancing useful information against a clear view of the world itself.
Party battles, Job integration, and the connection between companions and the Living World are all still in development. Our goal is to make traveling through roads and forests as a group of three people and one wolf a central part of the new GEKOKUJO.
Thank you for following the development of the game.