Welcome to the EFU Dev Blog - I'm sharing updates on this project, as well as my broader journey into the misty realms of writing for games.
When sneaking and persuasion fails, and the only option remaining is to fight.
From Pokémon Silver to the legacy of online Flash games: how I developed the combat mechanic for writing a game in Ren'Py...
As a kid at school in the 00's, there was a window of time between the widespread use of computers in schools and the accessability of powerful smartphones that did something more interesting than play Snake and solitaire. During this brief period, there was a void of engagement to be filled, lest the students succumb to the intended curriculum, so rose the Flash game: a compression that allowed colourful 2d games to be streamed right to your history class.
While notable online titles like RuneScape were rife, they were too involving for the scarse moments you might have to finish a level - before smashing the keyboard shortcut to minimize them when a teacher passed. Quickfire, turn-based combat became the favourite. One I remember fondly was Adventure Quest, a battle-arena style rpg with a menagerie of loveable (and occasionally pretty ropey) animated sprites...
I've loved turn-based combat since Pokémon on GBC. It had a sense of planning the next move that I was used to from playing Dungeons & Dragons - somehow, everything feels immediate and tense - even through, if you've ever played TTRPGs with a table of 9, you'd know you could be waiting a while before your next turn...
When I was building the combat for Underrock, I had this D&D concept, mashed with an Adventure Quest aesthetic (at least for the UI): there would be basic attacks, special moves, items/potions and magic, plus equiptment that offers various bonuses to attack and defence. What I hadn't realised was how much work I was actually setting myself up for - after an initial tutorial of turn-based combat from this YouTube tutorial, I quickly implemented more complex layers - such as additional enemies, sprite positioning, critical hits/fumbles and equipment bonuses.
Plus some VERY basic "animation"... I mean, come on. I've got enough to do already...
The logic for calculating hits vs. armour and attack bonus is based on d20 system TTRPGs, so every "attack" involves a random number generator 1-20 for the roll, plus the player's attack bonus, then compares that to the opponents armour class. Currently there are two basic attack options - a standard strike and a power attack, that trades a penalty to attack bonus for more damage.
I've also designed a number of feats that influence the player's attack capabilities, such as the rpg classic "Weapon Finesse", which uses the Dexterity modifier for attack bonus instead of the standard Strength, if it is a higher bonus. Dexterity also plays an addition to the player's armour class - making it harder for opponents to hit them, though there is a limit on how much this bonus can increase your AC based on the armour they're wearing.
This "Max Dex Bonus" is actually a property of the armour itself, listed as an Item inside the invertory Class, along with its AC bonus, weight, and... wait, what's a Class? How do we build an inventory system? ...
More updates on this soon!!
*AI Disclaimer:
Placeholder images in this blog and the game's sample build have been generated using AI. It is not my intention to claim ownership, profit from or license a game using AI content, these are a tool to help conceptualise the game aesthetic and the world of Underrock. Should the opportunity arise to work with an artist on this project, these images will be replaced.
