I’m testing various environments for Chapter 2, right now this is the one I like the most because of the composition and it conforms to the game’s story.
I am also experimenting with implementing a Perfect Block (like in Stellar Blade) and some tweaks for the enemies.
I have yet to bring the various lighting and VFX tweaks I made to this new map. What do you think so far? Do you like the environment?
I went back to one of my old environments, tweaked the lighting and added a hitstop on the parry.
In my opinion visually it is better than my previous video. What do you think?
I replaced the skeleton enemy with a new character since the pirate theme didn’t quite fit the game’s overall vibe. Visually, I think the new design is on par with the pirate (though I was a bit attached to him, haha).
What do you think? Does this one work better, or did you prefer the pirate?
I’ve added jumping mechanics, as there will be sections where players need to jump. I also managed to add new voice lines for both attacking and jumping. On top of that, I’ve started working on Chapter 3 and testing the new map.
I’m experimenting with a couple of new mechanics to add more variety to exploration. The first is traps: flames shooting out from statues that you’ll need to dodge with precise timing. The second is a small puzzle to unlock a closed door. Some placeholders (like the cube) still need to be replaced, but so far, I think it’s coming together nicely.
Lately, I’ve been focusing on finishing the third scenario. At the same time, I’m refining the first level of the castle by increasing design density: adding more variety in encounters, improving progression, and fine-tuning the level design. I’ve also updated the enemy death animation (now they get launched) and started implementing breakable crates containing items. It still needs some polish, but they will eventually hold energy and currency for players to spend.
Greenmont: a secluded village where fallen warriors were buried in full armor, their swords by their sides. But the Undead King has risen, twisting tradition into terror, awakening the dead to wage war on the living. Now, Greenmont stands on the brink, torn between honor and survival.
I’m currently focusing on the third level, the cemetery. I’ve placed the 3D models in the environment, replacing most of the greybox, but there are still some clipping issues that need fixing.
I’ve also been working on the level’s boss, it’s not finished yet, as it has a couple of movesets but still lacks a final mesh.
Right now, the cemetery level is the least complete, but it’s come a long way compared to a month ago (rooms were too small, several mockup rooms were scrapped, etc.).
I’ve been working on Stage 4, The Burning Village. I’ve also made progress on Level 5, which I hope to share soon.
I added a timer, inspired by classic arcade games. There are still some issues to fix, such as clipping problems in the environment. The 3d character of the shielded knight enemy is currently a placeholder, I need to replace it and fine-tune its moveset, especially the shield block, as well as adjust its stats (too much health) and there are some animation bugs.
I also need to improve the damage feedback for the player, as the black-and-white effect when health is low becomes annoying over time. The HUD needs updates, particularly the stamina bar, since I’ve completely removed stamina management from the game.
I’m assembling the new environment for Stage 5: the Mansion.
Here you’ll encounter enemies you’ve previously faced, but with some variations. For example, the basic skeleton enemy no longer wears a helmet in this stage, and these versions are stronger than the standard ones.
I’ve also implemented item spawns in crates. In the video, you can see the treasure, which grants the player a lot of money, but I’ve also added food items that restore the player’s health.
Additionally I created a marker indicating the destination after a fight, making it easier to navigate to the next combat room without getting lost.
I also had time to replace the placeholder character for the heavy knight with a shield.
There are still plenty of bugs to fix, some of which are visible in the video, like the treasure’s brightness being too high and the enemy collision hitboxes being slightly too large.
I’ve implemented the light attack as a 4-hit combo. The fourth hit sends the enemy into a knockback state, and after that, they enter a temporary stun for a few seconds. While stunned, you can perform a takedown if you get close and strike in time.
Putting enemies in a stun state is also a useful strategy for crowd control, it gives you a chance to focus on one enemy while the others are temporarily disabled.
I sped up the startup of the player character’s light attack, since I felt it was a bit too slow for the kind of action game I want to make. It used to have 25 frames of startup, which is more typical of a Soulslike, but I brought it down to 13 frames to get closer to traditional action game frame data.
In the video it might look a bit too fast, but the feel with mouse and keyboard has improved a lot in my opinion.
I’ve started working on Stage 6, but it’s still in the early stage, so this week I’m sharing a playtest of Stage 4 along with an early prototype of its boss fight.
This week I added a lot of new things, but they’re not ready to be shown yet. So for now, here’s a clip from Stage 1.
I’ve added a new dissolve effect for when enemies spawn, and a new kick animation for the player’s takedown.
I’m currently focusing on the trailer. For now, I’m sharing a video from my latest playtest: Stage 2 , village area, featuring dodge, attack, and takedown.
In Citizen Pain, movement and spacing are key to gaining the upper hand in combat. Staying mobile and keeping your distance helps you avoid getting surrounded by enemies. The heavy attack is especially effective when used to hit multiple enemies at once.
