Change Log
- References to a “run” have been replaced with the term “run”.
Note: considering the current state of the programming team, it’s not looking likely that we can add anything exorbitant. Please make sure that any requests can mesh well with current systems easily.
Requirements
Any suggestions for features must be:
- Decided in the next week. Technically we can spec for features until the end of pre-alpha, but I would rather respect the programmers’ time and planning.
- Low stakes. It should be pretty simple to implement and maintain from a programmer’s perspective. We do not want Christian to murder us.
- Not necessary for an MVP. The feature will elevate the experience, but the game will be complete and sellable without it.
- An improvement to our game’s unique strength. This frenzy started because our unique selling point isn’t so unique anymore,
Ability Variants
Summary: A final, low-stakes, easy to program feature inspired by Rabbit and Steel’s gem upgrade system. We shall allow the player to tweak the behaviour of their party’s abilities at upgrade shops. This will introduce more variance in runs with the same characters, provide more versatility to align your abilities with your items, and amplify our game’s main focus on specialised player classes (to differentiate it more from The Elephant).
Christian please don’t have a heart attack. I have considered this carefully to make sure the programmers don’t get dicked over. I promise it’s fine.
Each player ability will have a few variants that change their properties. Each variant is mutually exclusive; an ability can only be upgraded to one of its variants at a time. They will be available for purchase in the upgrade shop (the same one that lets you buy stat upgrades). This makes it more fun to play with the same party over and over, and also somewhat less punishing to get a dogshit early start since you can switch up your abilities according to the items you end up with.
Possible mutations include:
- Target type (line, radius, pattern)
- Range/AOE radius
- Valid targets (ally, opponent, etc)
- Effects applied (damage, healing, shielding, statuses, etc.)
- Potency of effects applied
- Cooldowns
- Cooldown resets?
- And more!!
Ideally, we should focus each upgrade into the same types as items — damage, defence, and utility — though that isn’t a strict guideline. Also, these won’t apply to passives, just active abilities.
Programming Impact
Each variant will likely be its own new ability ScriptableObject, duplicated or inherited from the original ability. We should have some kind of data structure or database mapping each ability to their variants. The upgrade shop system will read off that database to offer up variants to the player, and prevent them from ending up with multiples of the same base ability.
From there, the game will treat the variants just like any other ability, meaning no changes to the battle system.
Ideally, very few of the new abilities should require brand new effect implementations. We should be able to create all of the extra stuff through parameter changes and effect swapping.
- Note: this may warrant us rethinking Keeper’s proximity-based passive option, since that’s a parameter that could be baked into the ability instead.
We would also need to add the new abilities into the dev console to let us test them properly.
Design Impact
Design shoulders the brunt of the impact for this. We will have to come up with and implement a shit tonne of variants.
Each of the 6 characters have 6 abilities, so that’s 36 abilities. If we give each an additional 3 variants, that’s now 144 abilities we have to design, balance, and implement cleanly.
However, since they’re all variants of other abilities, they won’t require new animations, art, or sounds. They’re essentially just parameter changes. But it’s still a lot of work!
Art Impact
No new animations required. Might need small tweaks to VFX, which would only involve parameterisation.
The art team won’t have to draw any new ability icons (there’s no way I’m gonna make them do that). We should, however, come up with a way to convey that an ability has been upgraded to a variant, and which variant it is. (Sorry Kei.)
For example, Rabbit and Steel has different coloured/shaped gems in the corner of the icon.
Audio Impact
None. We’ll use the same sounds.
QA Impact
They have to test all the new abilities. I’m sorry.
Marketing Impact
We’ll have a new selling point (over 140 abilities) and a new way to push the game’s emergence and versatility! There will simply be more to do in the game, and more ways to ensure that no two runs are ever the same.