New Combatants Join The Monochrome RPG
This week I am off of Gazer-sitting duty and was able to get started on implementing a bunch of new characters that Otto will encounter in the Grayshade Valley area. Before I talk about the technical side of how they were set up, enjoy a quick intro from each of them!
Chirper
A small but feisty bird with plenty of songs to sing! Don’t mess around with a Chirper unless you are ready to face the chirping consequences. Fast and light, they are best to avoid when found in large groups.
Scarecrow
Watch out when you are in the fields, a Scarecrow could be nearby! With a defensive nature, they can be hard to whittle down when engaged. Be wary of his ability to call upon a friend to help keep himself alive!
Pitch Fork
Passionate singers, with the ability to voice powerful songs. Their bark is definitely worse then their bite. Boasting a high attack with low defense, your best approach is to strike fast or face the music!
Busy Bee
No work is unfinished for the Busy Bees. This includes bouts of course, in which they are ready to win at all costs. Keep this in mind when trying to face one, they don’t like being distracted from their busy work!
What Brings Them Here?
How does one add a new combatant like the ones above into the world of Monochrome? Well through ORK Framework of course! Since they handle all the RPG elements of the game, this is where all enemies, allies and bosses are input to have unique abilities, stats and animations.
First a new combatant is made. I tend to copy a precious one, as a lot of the settings are similar and just need simple value changes or component swaps. Then I fill out the basic information like name, type, stats, etc.
A key aspect of each combatant is the Battle Prefab. This game object is used when the combatant is put into a Bout and in my case new ones needed to be created. A simple copy paste was good enough once again, and a change of a portrait while I wait for the animations to be ready.
The final but most important set of steps is the Abilities and AI. It also happens to be my favorite part! Each combatant has set abilities they use in combat and they need to get made. Their effects are defined for me and I have to implement them. After this is done, I “teach” these abilities to the corresponding combatant, and start on the AI. This is the brains of the operation.
It boils down to a set of nodes that tells each combatant what to do in battle. Most enemies get a similar treatment where their moves are determined by random rolls, with some favor to certain abilities in specific circumstances.
The Weeks Ahead
Probably more of the same. Have some minor combatant things to work on, and then I should be getting new tasks as things come up that need to get finished for upcoming builds and deadlines.
Hey, Check This Out!
If you don’t follow the development of major game development platforms, or you have been living under a rock this past week, then I urge you to check out the recent trailer for the Unreal Engine 5 Early Access! It is jam packed full of insanely cool tech and revolutionary utilities to help inspire and create next-level games. Your mind will be blown the entire time, I can guarantee it! Also if you want to get your hands dirty, the Early Access is available right now.