WIP Update MAY 01 2023

I'm goin to add in the usual preview gif for this a bit later tonight, but the monthly download (with my special Tag.zss file included for my IkemenGo tag system) and notes are still below. I just wanted to get this posted and playable for you.

This month's update is a bit smaller than I'd have liked, but this month hit me hard and I needed to divert my attention to other things, especially commissions.

I tossed in a couple more previews to a couple of other characters I would like to add to the roster soon. The Ghast looking figure is Athis, I may have shown an earlier version of him at some point, but this is an almost completed animation of him. It was quite an undertaking to animate him, used a lot of layers and I almost ended up hating the animation as it felt too much like a dance. I slowed it down and increased it all the way to 28 frames and I think I like it again. hahah

Athis is who I plan to have the strongest defensive game, even more than Aurumo in terms of being a tank. An interesting quirk to this tho is that he will have a small lifebar, but instead a defensive multiplier that reduces incoming damage. He will have an install move that also ups this defense multiplier even further which will diminish as he takes damage, where then he will have to reinstall the defense boost. The reasons for this dynamic is lore-based, as he's a bit sick and frail, but through the use of his gear and pure willpower he takes less damage. Athis will also have a command grab that can life-steal to aid to his survival. (probably something like 50% of the damage done, will see when balance time comes.)

Athis is planned to have an alternative form called Athis EX, but I'm likely at this point to make that it's own character, but give them a unique transformation attack when tagging. Athis EX Will lack the added defense and be a glass-cannon with added mobility. The full body cloak will transform into back mounted wings that sprout out for certain actions.

I kinda want to play with a special dynamic for when both forms are selected as a team, where they maybe share the same life, or EX's life is dependent on the main form's life. In this situation, EX can be KO'd and force him to change back, but is normal Athis is KO'd they both loose. In exchange for this tho, I will give them a special team perk to make up for the significantly reduced life resource in a tag-team setting.

The other character is Chuney. He's a sort of companion fighter for Shiren. They both have the same base style of fighting, but he focuses much more on strikes and direct combos. He's a bit more of a rush-down focused take on the style, with no command grabs, but lots of pressure tools. He wants to get in and press lots of buttons, at least this is how I imagine him playing out so far. Development can always end up shifting things a bit.

This update has a universal change that now the command run was changed to the z-button instead of of it being c + left or right. My original intent was to make the feel of it feel a lil bit like smash, since dash trot has some minor evasive properties. I think it kinda overlapped or got in the way of certain other commands, such as trying to turn a throw attempt. I decided to experiment with run being it's own button. I think I like it because I made it much more lax where you can just hold the button during any state and hold left or right,. and the character will run as soon as possible. It also makes canceling dash into a special much easier to do so you can use that momentum into special moves much easier.

Taunt was changed to be c+z instead. I still need to play around with how holdable taunts will handle without canceling to guard.

Shiren got most of the character focused work this month. 

She has 2 new special moves. A counter attack and a command throw.

The counter attack is done by doing a half-circle in the desired direction + c. Holding down-forward will do a low version of the counter, otherwise you'll get the high version, but I have been having some issue with accidentals being done of one of the other, so I'm thinkin on how to better differ the command to avoid the accidental inputs.

The High version is a counter throw, the low version is a juggle starter.

The command grab is done by doing L,R,L or R,L,R + Power attack (b). I'm not certain if I will keep this command, but I wanted something that was simple enough to do, but mimicked the full-circle input command throws usually have. 

This attack is still using dummied assets from Aurumo just to get the concept down before I animate it.

The command grab has 2 versions. the "raw" version, which is significantly stronger, or the "combo" version, which can be performed after certain attacks, or linked if the grab hits a stunned opponent that is still on the ground. The two versions are communicated by how high Shiren jumps with the target when the grab connects along with an altered landing sound and screen shake.

There is also another alternative version she will do when the target is turned away from her, which will do more damage, but follows the same rules as the regular command grab.

Better function and armor was given to Shiren's Flash Chop styled Standing power attack. (It's still using Aurumo assets). But the armor effect on it is much better for counter attack or armoring a hit to dash or jump cancel it. When the target is on the ground, the attack can be canceled on hit with her command grab or normal throw to get a follow up. When the target is in the air, it puts them into a juggle state.

I removed the fire ball attack on button 1. I was struggling to feel like it fit her kit. I haven't entirely removed it from the code tho, just incase I decide to bring it back. I just feel like I want her to focus more on gettin in and it felt a bit redundant with her launching version of the move, which has been moved to take it's place on Button 1. The projectile element of that attack can still cover a bit of the function if shielding her from some projectiles. 

I played around with the still borrowed assets from Aurumo that Shiren is using to test out other ideas. Her version of the dash attack is faster. I also messed around with the forward-2 attack making it faster a little more hit stun, but dropped the sweet-spot element of it. So that she can poke and dash cancel it to get closer. I' like the idea, so I need to just decide what sort of attack it'll be.

OTHER THAN SHIREN, other characters got some small tweaks to hitstun/frame data. Making Gejhi and Aurumo having minor nerfs to them to dampen that raw pressure they have a little bit when pressuring guard, as it felt a little too oppressive still. Since I dropped parries, this is something that I need to take into account, so I'm trying to make more attack unsafe when not properly spaced or used in a block chain to push the target away (or movement used to get away from a punish attempt).

Mango got a new WIP animation to  his jumping 2 attack. The attack now reaches much further for poking, but has a very horizontal hitbox, so it wont reach as high or low, knockback was equalized with Standing 2. When Jumping 2 hits, Mango's horizontal movement is halved to make it a better poking tool on block without being so easy to punch because he too easily falls into punish range on block.

I adjusted the hit boxes on his air-turn-2 attack to hit slightly lower.

Damage values were increased slightly on Mango's Standing 2, Air 2, Air-Turn 2. 

Mango is now slightly more slippery on the ground. I nudged his ground friction down by .2 so that wave dashing or canceling dash makes him slide around more. It's an added silly-factor I want him to have.

So.. I think that's about it for this month. I couldn't put that much time into it this month. I have so much more I plan to do, but I need a lil more time because things have been a tight this month and I'm at the point where I am aware of a goofy cycle I go through that I need to break. hahah