Devlog Update: Combat, Resources, and Player Interaction
This week’s devlog has arrived! As you can tell from the title, I’ve been in a development frenzy, adding several major features to the game.
I have completed the core turn-based combat mechanics and nearly everything related to the battle system. Alongside the base interactions, I’ve also implemented several "special" interactions (with more on the way).
Note: I’ve moved the more explicit details to the Patreon-exclusive page, as they are NSFW and cannot be included in a public development report.
Turn-Based Combat & Resource Management
The combat system is now fully functional. Since there’s a lot to cover, I’ve uploaded a few GIFs to help visualize how it all works.
Health, AP, and Stamina
As seen in the first GIF, there are three primary bars on the screen: Health, AP (Action Points), and Stamina.
Health: This represents your current vitality. It decreases as you take damage from enemies. You will be able to increase your max health or find ways to reduce incoming damage to improve your survival.
AP (Action Points): This represents your movement speed and action economy. There are 9 points in total. While you can replenish or recharge them during a turn, the total cap remains static throughout the game. AP is consumed by any action, such as reloading, shooting, or using handheld items. It replenishes fully every turn, so there is no need to "save" points for the next round.
Stamina: This is where the real strategy comes in. Like AP, stamina is consumed by most actions (though reloading is free). However, unlike AP, it only recharges partially each turn. While you won’t need to worry about it in the early game, longer battles will require careful management of your 100-point pool.
Combat Turns & The "Dice"
At the start of combat, enemies roll their attack dice, which is displayed on their interface. You can see these results and plan your turn accordingly.
Strategy: If one enemy rolls a high number, you might choose to eliminate them first to avoid heavy damage.
Management: If all enemies roll low, you can take that opportunity to reload, replenish stamina, and prepare for the next round.
Suppression: If you’re facing high enemy rolls and need protection, you can utilize Covering Fire.
Covering Fire
To target a specific enemy, you must "lock on" by pressing down on them. If you fire in their general direction without a lock-on, the attack becomes Covering Fire. Each shot increases your dodge chance by 20% (capping at 80%). It’s a powerful defensive tool for surviving dangerous rounds, but be careful - prolonged battles will drain your ammunition and stamina.
Retreating
Since you can't win every fight, retreating is always an option. By pressing the retreat button, you begin the escape process. However, you must survive for three turns before you can successfully flee, making "planning ahead" vital for your survival.
Player Interaction in Combat
The player character now reacts dynamically to the flow of battle. Enemies will flicker when hit and "burn down" when destroyed. Other newly added interactions include:
Dynamic Facial Expressions: Reactions to taking damage or being "stimulated."
Blood Particles & Combat Effects.
Clothing Destruction: Visual wear and removal as combat progresses.
Enemy Attack Motions & Sound Effects.
Reloading Animations: Unique animations for both clothed and unclothed states.
Status Effects: Visual feedback for "drugged" states.
Gun Shell Animations: (Note: While the revolver chamber on the UI is a visual representation of the "dice" mechanic, the player’s actual weapon is not a revolver, which is why it ejects shells).
What’s Coming Next Week?
Next week, I’ll be focusing on the Weaponry System. I also plan to implement a Combat Log to display a history of decisions made by both the player and the enemies.
If time permits, I will continue adding Enemy "Special" Attacks for the Patreon devlogs. These are partially implemented, but I wanted to add more variety and ensure they work seamlessly with the combat log and animation systems.
Once these systems are polished, the final step is "connecting the dots" and adding the story. I’ve already built a conversation system using a JSON-based framework. Since adding text and events is much faster than building the UI and core systems, development is progressing at a great pace!