Monthly Dev Update #07 - Chase Gameplay, NSFW Scenes, Combat Design, and more!

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]We got so many updates to share with you that we were having trouble not spoiling them.[/p][p]And before we get to it, don’t forget to wishlist Tamer: King of Dinosaurs![/p][h3][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/h3][h3]Day 1 Chase Setup[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]In this clip, we can take a look at the first segment of gameplay of the project overall: just like in the books, Victor runs for his life from a pack of deinonychus through the jungle. However, this time around, we've changed up the plot in a significant way so that he meets Hope, his first parasaur mount, right off the bat.[/p][p]They work together to survive the situation and then go their separate ways as Victor has not mastered, nor is he even aware, of his power yet.[/p][p]It's an interesting narrative change that opens the door for some great new scenes.[/p][p]Keep in mind we are still in pre-alpha visualization at this point, and everything is incredibly rough, but this should give you an idea of the overall concept and the pacing we're aiming for.[/p][p]This serves as a tutorial to teach you how to lance dinos with your spear and dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge.[/p][p]One thing we've added to this map is obstacles on the ground that do damage if you run over them, such as the spiked brambles.[/p][p]We've also added deinonychus lancing, where they will approach you from the front or side, and you must use your spear to attack them, and this must be manually aimed. This part is still a work in progress, but we should have it done within the next two weeks.[/p][p]The empty section in the middle is where we plan to have a big "vista" moment where you can look out at the world and see some large dinosaurs, such as brachiosaurus, roaming in the background.[/p][p]After that, inside the cave, we're going to have some beautiful crystals fall from the ceiling and work as impact obstacles.[/p][p]You can see a preview of it in the following video:[/p][h3][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/h3][h3]NSFW Lighting Underway[/h3][p]Now that we have finished the first lighting pass of the cinematics, we've begun adding lighting to the NSFW scenes. Our technical artists took great care in upgrading the options available there and made it look much better.[/p][p]We've still got some color grading and VFX work to do, but check out the progress below:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Victor Outfit[/h3][p]Since Victor gets into a lot of scraps during his first month in Dinosaurland and his work shirt gets wrecked, we needed a new outfit for him.[/p][p]We designed something that he could wear underneath that would eventually replace his main outfit towards the middle of the game. Using a simple tank top base, we designed a logo for the LA County Dept of Animal Care and Control and applied that PNG to the 3D model.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Map Progress[/h3][p]We're continuing to work on the map as always, and recently made a pass over a key area you'll visit on day 10 prior to the deinonychus raid at the fort.[/p][p]This is where you'll battle a deinonychus alpha for the first time.[/p][p]We needed this area to have room for the battle while also looking good for cutscenes. We're going to tweak the colors more here so the grass isn't so yellow, but you get the idea.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]Combat Design - Adrenaline[/h3][p]As we continue designing combat, we looked at other melee-focused games in the genre and examined concepts we liked and ones we felt did not fit our project.[/p][p]In particular, stamina meters are something the team as a whole did not find particularly fun. In games where they exist, combat is seen more as something hardcore and punishing, where players rely on heavy, calculated swings to take advantage of openings and do damage while constraining themselves from becoming too vulnerable.[/p][p]While this works well for those projects, we want Tamer to be focused more on fun, arcade-style combat that can still be challenging without relying so heavily on pacing and windows of opportunity.[/p][p]To that end, we've decided to reward players for playing well in the opposite way - when you land a solid hit, parry, counter, dodge properly, etc., you will earn adrenaline. This charges up like a super meter in a fighting game.[/p][p]As you earn adrenaline, you can either maintain it for passive bonuses or expend it using special moves, like a mana bar that refills with solid gameplay decisions and execution.[/p][p]We're still working out the details, but we're really enjoying this concept so far.[/p][p]We'll explain more about combat and progression as time goes on and we begin implementing these ideas.[/p][p][/p][h3]Pachycephalosaurus Animation[/h3][p]We've finally confirmed that the pacy will be a regular enemy in the game and have rigged and started animating it for a debut very soon.[/p][p]These guys are going to be tough late-game enemies that attack in groups with some interesting patterns that need to be dodged and countered by the player.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]What's Next?[/h3][p]Keep an eye out for the upcoming 'Meet the Girls' posts, which we should still have this month! We’ll keep working hard to bring you even more updates on our monthly development journey![/p]