Devlog Update: Battle Mechanisms, Systems, & Inventory
This week’s devlog is a big one! I’ve added so much content that it was actually difficult to pinpoint the single most important change. I've been coding and balancing non-stop, and here is a quick "brain dump" from my dev notes of everything that went in this week:
Combat: Added bullet effects, recoil/spread, miss effects, dodge animations, and critical hits.
Weaponry: Added Snipers, SMGs, and Pistols with unique firing mechanisms and sound effects.
Inventory: Added gun/accessory slots, smoothed out the UI, and added a backpack view.
Systems: Added Dice selection, "Battle Makeup," rarity effects, and item durability.
Visuals: Added rarity borders (including animated legendary ones) and reload/dodge animations.
Let’s dive into the essential updates!
Battle Mechanism Update
The final pillars of the battle system - buffs and status effects - is now done. If you check the first GIF, you’ll see a brand-new interface within the protagonist's "Investigation Files." This section focuses specifically on the player’s weaponry and Attack Dice.
Weapon Types
I’ve introduced "Weapon Frames," which define how you engage in combat. There are currently three types:
The Pistol: Your reliable base weapon. It’s the "vanilla" variant that follows standard combat rules with no hidden downsides. It features three accessory slots for customization.
The SMG: This weapon breaks the standard rules of engagement. It fires three times in a row per attack but deals halved damage. While theoretically 1.5x stronger than a pistol, its actual effectiveness depends heavily on your perks and attachments.
The Sniper: A high-risk, high-reward powerhouse. It requires double the AP to fire but deals double damage. Because of its raw power, Sniper frames are rare and drop only from the toughest enemies.
Weapon Accessories (Attachments)
Attachments allow you to modify your frame's stats. Some items, like Extended Magazines, are versatile and fit most guns. Others, like Bipods or Flashlights, are specific to certain frames.
Accessories primarily influence five stats:
Critical Chance: Base 200% damage (varies by gun type).
Spread: SMGs have high spread, meaning they might hit enemies above or below your primary target.
Base Damage: Added before multipliers like criticals.
Additional Fire Chance: A chance to trigger extra shots.
Bullet Save: A chance to not consume ammo (currently 80% in the preview GIF).
Note: Accessories have durability. If an attachment hits 0%, it loses its effect until repaired. The gun will still fire, but you’ll suffer various "broken state" debuffs.
Special Bullet Effects
You may notice brightly colored dice mixed in with standard bullets. These represent special Status Dice:
Frost (Blue): Enemies deal 30% less damage for three turns.
Incendiary (Orange): Deals 20% of the initial damage as a burn at the start of the enemy's turn.
Bleed (Red): Increases the damage the enemy takes from the player by 25%.
Multiple Systems Update
Beyond combat, several "under-the-hood" systems have been integrated:
Rarity System: Items now have distinct borders. Legendary items feature a moving rainbow gradient to make them stand out.
Dice Generation: Dice now feature random numbers engraved on the bullets. While most enemies have fixed dice for balance, world drops are now fully randomized.
Corruption & Makeup: I’ve added the foundations for the player’s visual progression. Since these systems (and the resulting body modifications) involve NSFW elements, I’ll be posting the full details on the Patreon update page.
Inventory Management
The inventory system is now feature-complete! It handles:
Clothing: Equipment with specific durability and stat effects.
Weapon Modding: Real-time attaching/detaching of accessories.
Dice Management: You can now swap dice or weapons mid-battle (though I may lock weapon-swapping in the future for balance).
I’m currently finishing the Player Status UI, which tracks the protagonist’s thoughts and physical changes as their corruption increases. Even though this involves NSFW content, it’s a core part of the narrative and gameplay, so I’ll be sharing a public (censored) version next week.
What’s Next? The Patreon polls are currently live regarding the Body/Mind Corruption paths coming next week. Now that the base mechanisms are solid, I’m finally moving into the main script and story systems!