Coming back from spring break this week, our focus was on our combat system. So let’s finally talk about that. Here’s what it looks like so far:
So, what exactly is going on here?
Essentially, our combat is a turn-based combat system, where the standard actions that you would select from in a list like “attack” and “defend” are instead different line shapes, that you use to move around a map filled with these little dots, which we call “nodes”. In the following gif the player is making a path. They use the crank to angle their selection, and the a-button to place the parts of the path.
After finishing the path, the player then selects a node that is in range of where their path ends. The node they select determines which action they will take, be it “attack” or “defend”, or something else entirely.
Once the player has finished making the path and selecting the node, they then use the crank to move along the path. Their goal is to make a path that both moves them near the node for the action they want to do, and to pass through as many nodes as possible on their way there, which will power up their final move.
When the player gets to the end of the path, their attack is registered, though right now all their fighting is an immovable rock. (The information in the top left corner is debug information about the current attack).
You may also notice that as the player finishes their path, something flashes at the top of the map. This is the enemy’s “attack”. In addition to making their own attack, the path the player chooses to take should also try to avoid the places the enemy is planning to attack!
On the right side of the screen, you can see that the shield around the player’s health bar is destroyed when they get hit by that attack!
Our intent with this system is to create a unique take on the classic RPG turn-based combat, that takes advantage of the Playdate’s crank, and creates the feeling of moving strategically around a battlefield, while still keeping it turn-based.