Charging Up

🔋 We’re in for a long ride. Make sure you’re charged up.

In this update, characters can now charge up by holding the Attack button:

Behind the scenes, (most) sequence transitions based on control input have been made configurable.

The new version can be downloaded on itch.io.

Play

Charging

Characters can now execute different attacks based on how many charge points they have. How charge points are used differs depending on the character:

A Rockman / Megaman style character will use up all charge points when unleashing an energy blast.
A fantasy hero’s attacks are stronger with charge, but charge points decrease over time.
A gun wielder’s charge represents their ammo, which doesn’t fade, but is limited.

Currently, charge points increase while the Attack button is held. In the future, other methods of charging may be implemented to allow other gameplay mechanics:

2D Fighter: Charge when an attack lands.
Proximity: Charge when in a particular area.

Create

Configuration

Charging

As there are many different types of charge up moves, there are also many configuration flags to adjust the character’s actions. The following snippet explains the configuration:

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# object.toml

# Max charge points to store.
charge_limit = 50

# Number of ticks to wait per charge point.
#
# Will runs at 60 FPS, setting this to 1 means 60 charge points per second.
charge_delay = 1

# How many charge points to subtract when used.
#
# Possible values:
#
# * `"exact"`:
#
#    The exact number of charge points are spent.
#
# * `"nearest_partial"`:
#
#    Subtract to the nearest multiple specified, an incomplete multiple counts.
#    If the entity has 21 to 30 `ChargePoints`, and the charge cost is 10, it will drop to 20.
#
# * `"nearest_whole"`:
#
#    Subtract to the nearest multiple specified, an incomplete multiple does not count.
#    If the entity has 20 to 29 `ChargePoints`, and the charge cost is 10, it will drop to 10.
#
# * `"all"`:
#
#    All charge points are spent, regardless of charge cost.
#
charge_use_mode = "all"

# How charge is retained when no longer charging.
#
# * `"forever"`: Charge does not decrease unless used.
# * `"never"`: Charge is always reset to 0.
# * `{ lossy = { delay = 10 } }`: One charge point is lost every 10 ticks.
# * `{ reset = { delay = 60 } }`: Charge points are reset to 0 after 60 ticks without charging.
charge_retention_mode = "never"

[sequences.stand]
  [sequences.stand.transitions.press_attack]
    # Buster shot - weak
    next = "stand_attack_0"

  [[sequences.stand.transitions.release_attack]]
    # Buster shot - strong
    #
    # Hijacking the `dazed` sequence while arbitrary sequence names is not yet implemented.
    next = "dazed"
    requirements = [{ charge = 50 }]

  [[sequences.stand.transitions.release_attack]]
    # Buster shot - mid
    next = "stand_attack_1"
    requirements = [{ charge = 20 }]

  [[sequences.stand.frames]]
    wait = 8
    sprite = { sheet = 0, index = 0 }
    body = [{ box = { x = 16, y = 10, w = 28, h = 53 } }]

Spriting

There aren’t any new sequence IDs in this update, but it’s still fun to create new moves. The above character sprites and buster shots were made using aseprite. It costs US $15, but it’s well worth it.

What’s Next

As mentioned, a significant amount of the 6 weeks were spent on open source projects (amethyst, atelier-assets), though that value has not yet fully been realized. This will continue into the next development period, but I will still aim to implement the following features:

Arbitrary sequence IDs.
Kinematics in configuration.

Support Me

The game is still in an early stage, but if you would like to support me, please consider becoming a Patron.

development release