Story of Nararale News

[h2]Weapon Restrictions[/h2]

When I'm developing Story of Nararale one thing that comes to mind is that
all the characters are fixed to specific classes.

Imagine if you love playing a melee style with a sword but do not want to use a shield. It should be possible. However, I designed my game so that a swordsman must use both a sword and a shield.

This feels too restrictive, and it becomes frustrating during my own playtesting.

[h2]The first step forward is to take a step back.[/h2]

to do that, I have to remake my sprite system so it can handle character customization.

This allows players to choose weapons freely based on their own playstyle instead of being locked into fixed class equipment.

[h2]Character Customization[/h2]

Characters can now be customized. When a character changes equipment, the visuals update accordingly. This includes weapons, armor, skin color, and hair.

[h2]Weapons[/h2]

All weapon slots are:

• Main Hand (right hand of the character)
  
• Off Hand (left hand of the character)
  

But it might need some rules to keep it simple, for example:

• Swords, maces, and daggers
  Can be equipped in either hand.
  
• Bows
  Can only be equipped in the main hand.
  
• Shields
  Can only be equipped in the off hand
  

[h2]Armour[/h2]

All armor slots are:

• Helmet
  
• Body Armor
  
• Gloves
  
• Boots
  
• Back (for example a cape)
  

[h2]Appearance[/h2]

With the new sprite system, players can customize their characters in more ways, including face, skin color, hairstyle, and hair color.

All appearance slots are:

• Hair
  
• Head
  
• Body (includes arms, hands, and feet)
  

Since we can have a bit more customization for characters,
let's look at the new skill tree. It adds more depth to character customization.

[h2]Skill Tree: Comparison (A Lot Bigger Skill Tree)[/h2]

Comparison of the skill tree size in DevLog #29 and the current skill tree.



[h2]Skill Tree: Gateway[/h2]

To compensate for travel nodes, so players can get a shorter path to their desired nodes,

I have added gateways. These act like waypoints, allowing players to pick one and move to the other side without needing too many travel nodes.



[h2]Skill Tree: Keystone[/h2]

Keep in mind that keystones are major upgrades to the character,
but they come with both upsides and downsides.

Players need to choose them wisely or equip items to overcome these downsides.



[h2]Summary[/h2]

I don't know if players will like it or not, since I only have one tester, which is myself (LOL).
So let me know in the comments on this post or even on the Youtube Page

Any negative or positive comments are welcome.

I am still thinking about doing a public playtest, but I think people might be a bit disappointed since Story of Nararale is still in deep development,

and there is not enough content yet to justify people spending their time testing the game.

So I am looking forward to the next DevLog #30.

I don't know if anyone will read my article, but thank you so much. ːlunar2019wavingpigː

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] I love skill trees. When I play games, I want to see the skills and upgrades, and now I’ve implemented them in my game. [/p][p]
[/p]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Ranged characters always have an advantage over melee characters, so in this devlog I added Block, Dodge, Parry, and also Deflect Projectile to balance the gameplay between ranged and melee characters

[h2]Battle Actions[/h2] Battle actions will trigger whenever a character gets hit, based on their Block and Dodge chances. Block chance determines whether the Block/Parry/Deflect QTE is triggered, while Dodge chance determines whether the Dodge QTE is triggered. The maximum Block and Dodge chance for each character is 100 (equivalent to 100%).

• Block
  
• Dodge
  
• Parry
  
• Deflect
  

These are called "Battle Actions."


[h2]Block[/h2]

[h3]Control:[/h3]

• Player: Player will be prompted with a QTE ring and key input to press at the right time to trigger the yellow section (Block) or red section (Parry/Deflect)
  
• Enemy: Enemy will automatically resolve their Block based on character stats between the attacker and defender
  

[h3]Result:[/h3]

• Against Melee: Character will ignore the damage from that hit but will not interrupt the combo of the attacker (the attacker can continue their attack if possible)
  
• Against Ranged: Character will stop projectiles from penetrating or passing through
  

[h2]Dodge[/h2]

[h3]Control:[/h3]

• Player: Player will be prompted with a QTE key input to press before the timer ends
  
• Enemy: Enemy will automatically resolve their Dodge based on character stats between the attacker and defender
  

[h3]Result:[/h3]

• Against Melee: Character will ignore the damage from that hit but will not interrupt the combo of the attacker (the attacker can continue their attack if possible)
  
• Against Ranged: The projectile will pass through the target and can hit another target if possible; this includes both allies and enemies
  

[h2]Parry / Deflect[/h2]

[h3]Control:[/h3]

• Player: Player will be prompted with a QTE ring and key input (same as Block) to press at the right time to trigger the yellow section (Block) or red section (Parry/Deflect)
  
• Enemy: Enemy will automatically resolve their Parry based on character stats between the attacker and defender
  

[h3]Result:[/h3]

• Against Melee: Character will ignore the damage from that hit and will interrupt the combo of the attacker
  
• Against Ranged: This will trigger Deflect — the character will stop projectiles from penetrating or passing through and redirect the projectile back toward the attacker’s direction. However, the deflect range is random, so it has a chance to hit the attacker. If the projectile hits the attacker, it will interrupt their combo
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hi! Long time no see!

It's been about seven months since I last uploaded any updates about the game.
Alright, game development requires some inspiration, right?

Let's talk about the mechanics in the game...

[h3]World Map Movement :[/h3]

• Players can move around the world map by left-clicking. Time and the environment, including any NPCs or enemies, will only progress when the player interacts with the world map (e.g., moving or waiting).
  

[h3]Movement While In Town :[/h3]

• Players can choose to move to various locations in town (e.g., the Castle, Blacksmith, Training Field, etc.).
  By left-clicking, your character will move to the selected location. Time and the environment, including any NPCs or enemies, will not progress until the player chooses to wait in town or exit the town.
  *** This feature is still in development. ***

[h3]World Map Pathfinding :[/h3]
Players can choose between two pathfinding options: Shortest Distance or Straight to the Point.

• Shortest Distance: The path will prioritize the shortest route with the lowest movement penalty.
  This option is ideal for traveling long distances.
• Straight to the Point: The path will move directly from the current position to the selected position if possible, only deviating when encountering obstacles (e.g., mountains, rivers, seas, or structures).
  This option is best for chasing targets or fleeing from enemies.

[h3]Target Chasing:[/h3]

• Enemies will chase the player within their line of sight. They will use the Shortest Distance Pathfinding (if possible) to reach the target as quickly as possible. If the player moves out of sight or evades the enemy for a long period, the enemies may eventually stop chasing and ignore the player.
  

[h3]Character Deployment:[/h3]

• Players must choose characters to deploy to the battlefield within the Command Point (CP) limit.
  
• At least one character must be deployed on the battlefield to start the battle.
  
• Each unit has its own CP cost based on its level and stats.
  
• Characters can only be deployed on tiles where the fog of war has been revealed.
  

[h3]Attack Bar Type (Time Event):[/h3]
A new Attack Bar has been added. This bar is used for skills that have a charging or wind-up animation. These types of skills deal a huge amount of damage and usually have a larger area of effect than normal skills. However, players must press the quick-time event in time to reach the threshold.

Threshold Targets

• Grey: Miss
  
• Green: Weak Hit (50% less damage)
  
• Yellow: Normal Hit
  
• Red: Critical Hit (50% more damage)
  

By default, the Quick Time Event keys are W, A, S, D
(This can be changed in the controls => Keybind settings)

[h3]Status Effect (Burning):[/h3]

• Deals damage over time
  
• Triggers damage at the start of the character's turn
  
• By default, the Burning effect lasts for 2 turns and can be refreshed by inflicting another Burning status effect
  

[h3]Status Effect (Knockback):[/h3]

• Pushes the target back by 1 tile by default
  
• Knockback power can be increased to push more targets at once
  
• Pushed targets can cause damage to both the pushed target and another target (Friendly fire possible)
  
• Pushed targets can bounce off walls or any environment, causing additional damage (Friendly fire possible)
  
• Pushed targets can fall off terrain, causing fall damage (Friendly fire possible)
  
• Pushed targets can spread inflicted status effects to another target (Friendly fire possible)
  

[h3]Counter Attack (Player and Enemy):[/h3]

• When the player/enemy character has a counter chance (e.g., Swordsman) and is attacked from any direction except from behind, it may trigger a counterattack window.
  Counter chance is reduced by half if the attack comes from the side.
  
• The size of the counterattack window is calculated by comparing the AGI of the defender to the AGI of the attacker
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Let's talk about some Skills Prototype and the Attack Bar mechanic in the game, as players will have to interact with it throughout the game.

[h3]Attack Bar and Hit Result:[/h3]

• Orange Section: When the player hits the orange section on the attack bar, the hit will result in a Normal hit, dealing x1.0 damage.
  
• Red Section: When the player hits the red section on the attack bar, the hit will result in a Critical hit, dealing x1.5 damage.
  
• Blue Section: When the player hits the blue section on the attack bar, the hit will result in a Miss hit (No Damage and can continue the combo or attack).
  
• Black Section: When the player hits the black section on the attack bar, the hit will result in a Fail hit (No Damage and can't continue the combo or attack).
  

[h3]Attack Bar Types:[/h3]

• One Hit: This type of attack bar will have an indicator that goes from left to right and back, repeating six times. The player has to hit once on a target, and the hit result will depend on the targeted section on the attack bar.
  
• Multiple Hit: This type of attack bar will have an indicator that goes from left to right and back, repeating six times. The player has to hit the target as many times as they can, and the hit result will depend on the targeted section on the attack bar.
  
• Combo: This type of attack bar will have an indicator that goes from left to right. The player has to hit once on a target per section, and the hit result will depend on the targeted section on the attack bar.
  

[h3]Attack Bar Ability:[/h3]

• Slow Time Ability: This ability power has an orange bar at the bottom of the main attack bar that indicates how much time the player can use to slow down time to hit the target. It can be used at any time when the attack bar is active, so the player will need to choose the right moment to use it to avoid wasting the ability power.
  

[h3]Post Process Effect:[/h3]

• Speed Effect: This effect will appear while the player is using the Slow Time Ability.
  
• Camera Shake Effect: This effect will appear when the player deals Critical Damage.