Hey everyone! We're back with another behind-the-scenes look into our development process. This week we're diving into how we're improving combat in the game by focusing on improvements to enemy AI.
Achilles: Legends Untold is an action game - one of its most important elements is
the combat system. And, as you know, combat is only as good as the enemies you fight! Thatâs why we give
special care to the enemy AI during development. We want the game to provide you with truly formidable opponents and memorable, challenging encounters. Hereâs
an inside look on how weâre managing and continuing to improve our enemy AI:
[h2]The Old AI System[/h2]
The original system we were using was based on
âattack tokensâ. First, the game
checked the current condition of the fight - how much time has passed since the last attack? How many enemies are fighting Achilles right now? What type of enemies are they?
Then, the enemies, who were chosen after the condition check, were given some amount of attack tokens from the limited
total pool. They were able to consume these tokens by
attacking Achilles - then the AI
returned them to the pool, so they could be dispensed again, during the next condition check.
(Enemies attacking & instantly backing off)Thatâs how the game chose who will be striking at our hero and when he should do it. We decided the system needed improvements. Weâve been getting feedback from our players, that the opponents back off too quickly after attacking, and that itâs hard to counterattack efficiently. Weâre listening! - and thatâs why
weâre making some changes.
[h2]The New AI System[/h2]
The new & improved system is similar, but it
splits enemies into certain groups. The AI can either be on the
passive or the
active list. What does this mean?
- Active - An enemy that gets on the active list will stay close to Achilles and try to attack him.
- Passive - On the other hand, the enemies on the passive list will give way to the active ones - they will move around at a distance and taunt our hero, waiting for their turn.
What does that mean for the player? With these changes, the combat will feel
a lot more continuous - enemies that attack Achilles will
stay focused on him longer, giving the player a better
opportunity to punish them and counterattack. The fights will be much more natural, with enemies moving around more strategically. It will make the whole system feel
less clunky, improving on the current AI behavior.
(Improved token system, enemies stay more focused)[h2]On the Offensive[/h2]
The combat style of our AI is shifting from a focus on defense to a more offensive-minded behavior. Now the enemies will be
more vulnerable to your counters, but they wonât just let you attack them so easily. They are becoming
more aggressive and will hunt you relentlessly! You will have to adapt your fighting style and strategy in order to survive against these more aggressive enemies . This fundamental change will make gameplay
feel more dynamic and keep you on your toes, as you maneuver your way through more challenging opponents.
[h2]New Enemy Abilities[/h2]
Thatâs not all! Apart from improving the AI system, weâre also actively
expanding upon it. We want our enemies to have
a wide array of attack types and environment interactions, so weâre constantly
experimenting and adding new ones. For example, here are two new abilities weâve been working on:
[h3]The Spear Throw[/h3]
See these spears in the ground, scattered around the map? Enemies are able to locate them,
pick them up, and throw them at Achilles using all their might and strength. If you donât want to become a human shish kebab, watch out and
dodge them![h3]The Flaming Arrows[/h3]
We have many fireplaces placed in all of Greece, and itâs time we put them to a better use! Apparently, the archers havenât been taught not to play with fire - they are now able to come up to any fire source, and
light their arrows with flame. Better extinguish their enthusiasm, or youâll get 3rd degree burns!
[h3]Bonus[/h3]
Weâre also creating
unique abilities for the bosses. As you mightâve already seen, in patch 0.1.3 we expanded on
Menelausâ skillset. Now heâs carrying a bottle with a purple fluid - he can drink some of it and
spit at Achilles, poisoning him. Heâs also able to
cover his weapon with it and start
dealing poison damage on hit.
As it turns out, Menelaus is also a bit of a pyromaniac - he likes to
light his sword on fire, burning Achilles with each strike. Using it, he can also
spit fire at you! A dangerous foe indeed.
Weâre giving our all to the gameâs combat. We want to make it
dynamic and
exciting, but to also fully incorporate the
strategic aspects of the top-down view, so itâs a
challenging experience for the players. Thanks to the input weâve been getting from you, with each update weâre getting closer to that goal!
Remember that
you can also become a part of the process - weâre actively collecting and looking through
your feedback, both here and on our Discord server. If you have any thoughts you want to share with us about the game, make sure to
write us a message in a discussions thread, or in the dedicated Discord channel (link below).
See you in the next development update!
[h3]FOLLOW US[/h3]
Discord âș
http://discord.gg/achilleslegendsuntoldWebsite âș
https://achillesgame.comTwitter âș
https://twitter.com/DarkPointGamesFacebook âș
https://www.facebook.com/AchillesLegendsUntoldInstagram âș
https://www.instagram.com/achilleslegendsuntold/YouTube âș
https://www.youtube.com/c/DarkPointGames
Photo credit: Shinobi
Photo credit: Steffi Syndrome
Photo credit: LUCEFER_DW
Photo credit: Flibbley NovA
