Hello Traveller,
For the past several months, we've been hard at work updating and remaking the combat system. Our goal is to create a new system that is scalable, and where we can easily introduce new types of enemies, weapons, skills, and add new multiplayer features.
We now have a version of this system ready to test, and we want your input. While we're hard at work behind the scenes finalizing UI, animations, sound and VFX, we want your input on the system itself.
The new combat system is up on the Preview branch of Book of Travels. You can access it by doing the following:
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You can switch the branch from the same menu at any time, using the drop down at the top of the Betas menu.
Once you have tested the version, we would be delighted if you could fill out our survey regarding the combat system: Click here to get to the survey!
Note: We will start off with 5 rooms with 8 preview seats each, making it 40 seats total. This may change this as we go: most likely is that we will increase this number, as we want to do stress tests. But depending on the results of these stress tests, it's not out of the question that we will decrease that number as well. Also note that these preview rooms are only available on the EU server.
With that out of the way, here is an overview of how the new Combat system works!
The new combat system
The new system is currently in an Alpha state and contains both temporary and missing certain UI, UX, sound, animations and VFX. Please approach the system with this in mind.
Below is a screenshot of a combat scenario.
Do note that the HUD is a draft and will change in both presentation and placement.
Starting Combat
To start a combat scenario, you first need to equip a weapon. You can find one in your inventory, alongside some sets of equipment so you can try out combat with differing stats. You also get access to the skills ‘Weapon Proficiency’ and ‘Armor Proficiency’.
Besides a weapon, you need to find one or more NPCs that can fight.
Players or hostile NPCs can initiate a combat scenario.
When an enemy is within range, a player can initiate combat by using the Battle Stance skill. This will activate a Tension meter at the bottom of the screen.
Starting combat and the Tension meter.
The Tension meter is the same for all combatants, and its the “grace time” you get before combat starts. When its full, combat begins. If you run out of the red circle before the tension meter is full, you do not enter combat. When the meter is full, combatants will jump to their positions, and then combat begins.
In Combat
The Sequencer
This is the Sequencer. It is a main part of the combat system.
Every combatant has an icon representing them on the Sequencer, and they gradually move to the right as time goes on. Players are placed on the bottom of the Sequencer. Enemies are placed on top. Combatants also have different colors assigned at the start of combat. The larger icon on the bottom is your character, and the larger icon on the top is your current target.
While in the Decision segment of the sequencer, the icons move to the right at a speed based on the characters Speed stat. The more speed you have, the faster your character moves on the Sequencer.
Decision Phase
The segment marked with "Decision" on the Sequencer is called the Decision Phase. This is where the participants choose what action they want to take when the time is right.
Combat Skill Bar
It is here that the Combat Skills comes into play.
During the Decision Phase the player will choose a Skill to use. There are 5 standard Combat Skills and for this preview version, 1 Knot Spell available.
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When a Skill has been chosen, the participant will assume a stance which indicates the skill they have chosen.
Action Phase
The segment marked with "Action" on the Sequencer is called the Action Phase.
When you cross over from the Decision Phase to the Action Phase, your chosen Skill becomes locked and you can no longer change it. Your character icon on the Sequencer will also start moving at a different speed, which this time is based on the speed of the skill you chose.
When you reach the end of the Action Phase and the Sequencer, you will perform the Skill you chose during the Decision Phase. When performing a skill, the combatant will jump in from their root position towards their target. They will then use the skill, and jump back to their idle position again. The Sequencer will pause and let the combatant perform the attack fully before starting to move again.
Jumping in to attack
While in the Action Phase you are vulnerable, and if you take a hit while in it you will not get to perform the Skill you chose. Instead you will be knocked back on the Sequencer. Note: You can still be hit while in the Decision Phase, but you will not suffer a knockback penalty.
Being hit in the Action phase will knock you back to the Decision phase.
The Defend Skill is a way to deal with this knockback. If you get hit in the Action Phase while using the Defend skill, you will take less damage and start further ahead on the Sequencer next turn. This is only if you actually manage to block an attack though. If no attack is blocked you will go back to the start of the Sequencer as usual.
Successfully defending against an attack will let you start further ahead on the Sequencer.
Targeting
You can only attack one opponent at a time. This means that you, and your enemies, always have a target selected. This target is selected when you start the combat scenario, and you can change your target by clicking on the character you wish to target. There is currently no way to way to see which opponents are targeting you (though there will be in the full version).
Stats
- Force - Force is your attack power. The more you have, the more damage you deal.
- Ward - Ward is your defense. It acts as an extra health bar that needs to be depleted before you start taking actual damage.
- Speed - Speed determines your speed in the Decision phase.
- Burden - Burden affect your speed negatively.
- Energy - Your health. You will be defeated and lose a life petal if it reaches 0. When you are out of Ward, you will start taking direct damage to your Energy.
Ending Combat
Combat ends when one side of the fight is out of eligible combatants. This can happen either by them being defeated, or by them fleeing. For this Preview version, nothing of note happens when combat ends. NPCs fade out and despawn when defeated, and players are despawned and respawned somewhere else. In the full version, there is loot to be found, of course!
Multiplayer
You can fight against enemies with other players. If you see someone fighting, just walk up and enter your Battle Stance like normal, and you will be added into the combat as soon as the system allows for it. Remember that the maximum amount of players in one combat encounter is 4.
Specific notes to the Preview version of Combat
- Only one level is included in this preview version, West Wind Shores. In this level there are a bunch of Bandits that you can freely fight.
- You will not die in this version. Your Life Petals are endless.
- Your health in combat is separate from your overall Energy in the game. You will always start combat with full health. This will not be the case in the full version.
- A newly created character will have a Sword, some equipment and access to the Weapon and Armor Proficiency skills.
- You cannot enter combat unarmed, and enemies cannot engage combat with you if you are unarmed. We have some plans for unarmed combat in the future, but it is not implemented as of yet.
Upcoming features for Combat
Here is a list of some other things we are working on for the combat system which are not present in this preview version:
- Duels - Currently, every fight is life or death. There will still be peaceful NPCs to duel without fearing for your life.
- Loot - NPCs will be able to drop loot when defeated.
- More enemy types - The enemies you already know like Kettem, Wolves, and Maisu will of course remain, but we are also looking at increasing the amount of fightable creatures in the game.
- Combat Skills - In the full version of this combat system, a player can, prior to a battle, outfit themselves with Combat Skills that will appear in the Combat Skill bar when they enter combat. You will be able customize your loadout of skills freely, even replacing the default skills if you so wish. Enemies will also be able to use skills.
- UI - The UI in the preview version is a test version only. We are working on a readable and comprehensive UI for the system. This includes everything related to Targeting other characters, seeing who is targeting you, and seeing allies stats.
- Other weapons - In this version, much like the game in general, you can only fight using a sword. This will change. We are already hard at work animating multiple other weapons to use.
- Boss fights - Bigger enemies will require more allies to take down. We are working on allowing a larger number of participants in combat encounters of this type.
- Multiplayer changes - If a player falls in combat, they should not immediately respawn and lose a life petal if they have allies left standing. If they manage to secure victory, they could help the fallen allies back up. Or even during combat with the help of magic.
- Interactive tutorial - There will be an in-game, interactive tutorial to learn how to play the new system.
We are very excited for you to get your hands on this early version of our brand new combat system, and we thank you for being a part of testing it with us and for lending us your ear for this lengthy presentation.
Best wishes,
The Might and Delight team
