eromancer

PURE ONYX - July 31, 2021 Test Release!

Added 2021-07-31 23:15:33 +0000 UTC

Hey again guys!

Sorry for releasing so close to the end of the month D: had to wrangle a few nasty bugs. We have one issue left that I wouldn't normally release with, but I want to get this out to you before the month rolls over. EDIT: We've updated the download links with a patched version to eliminate the issue where controls would lock up after some H scenes.

PATCHED TEST RELEASE DOWNLOAD (Mega)
PATCHED TEST RELEASE DOWNLOAD (Google Drive - Only use if Mega is slow)

This release has quite a bit crammed into it as we made a pretty big effort to clear out some of the backlog of known issues; a big one being Wraxe's bad hitboxes, which required his animations be upgraded to meet our most up-to-date workflow. We've also added a Runt portion to the Chain Splicer H scene, which can be activated if a Runt is nearby when the scene starts.

Something minor but I think you'll appreciate is that H skills now have a distinct "eyeshine" cue during wind-up, along with a sound. We still have to add this to the Chain Splicer since his H skill has a separate windup and some additional logic needs to be added for cases like this.

We had two major changes from the mid-month release worth mentioning here. The first is that the initial version of FemCop has been added for combat testing :D (we've made some additions / improvements to her since then). The second is a big performance boost by way of greatly optimized enemy models.

Changelog (** indicates items added or being added since the July 18 Inner Circle test release):

** Added Runt multi-team animation to the Chain Splicer H scene
** Added "EyeShine" FX/SFX as a cue for Splicer Thug's / Street Lord Wraxe's H Attacks
** Overhauled Wraxe's animations to fix garbage hitboxes (finally!)
** Fixed about a dozen cases of really ugly clipping with Wraxe's combat animations
** Added Wraxe's death animation.
** Added Backstep ability to FemCop.
** Increased FemCop's FlipKick hitbox size
** Increased FemCop's health
** Added LOD (optimized) model for Charger
** Enemies should no longer instantly attack/continue combos after being interrupted.
** Wraxe should no longer dash attack in reverse >_>.
** Fixed an issue where enemies improperly enter bystander mode if Onyx breaks grapple quickly.
** Sparks FX during FemCop's Flip Kick now display correctly
** Added FemCop's settings to the wave system aggression system (she will become more difficult at later waves like other enemies now)
** Fixed an issue where equipping / using an item that affected HP could wreak havoc on Onyx's stats/health indicator, given specific conditions.
** Onyx will no longer glitch out if she attempts to attack/jump while standing up.
** Onyx is once again vulnerable to grapple attacks while knocked down / standing up (this was previously changed in error).
** Hitting an enemy with no combat target no longer causes them to aggro without watching their target.
** Edited pickup spawns to ensure they always appear within the map boundaries
** Kanji now mirrors properly on the back of Chain Splicer LOD (optimized) model
** The debug mode's actor state viewer now properly displays the most up-to-date substate.
Added FemCop enemy to the game for combat testing.
Added highly optimized models for the Splicer Thug, Runt, Chain Splicer, Vioreaper, and Ball Drone characters at virtually no loss of quality. Should result in big performance gains when these characters are on screen.
Added a versatile new system for enemy repositioning. Can work for jumps (see FemCop), teleport skills, etc.
Implemented new workflow for improved enemy hitbox tracking (you can even knock FemCop out of the air). Expect to see other enemies retrofitted with this soon.
Fixed an issue that would break H scenes if Onyx escaped a grapple at the same time the enemy won the grapple.
Physics system can now be interrupted to stop active forces. This should prevent characters from misaligning during grapples / H scenes.
Performed backend animation overhaul to more easily address common issues with the animation system.
Performed major backend overhaul on actors / loot / pickups and map data in line with working toward complex multi-map missions.
Made Chain Splicer more aggressive / increased depth of his attacks' hitboxes
Optimized WaveSpawner enemy position determination.

Known Issues

Here are the newest/most relevant known issues.

At minimum zoom, you can see the incoming/outgoing Ball Drone used in the Runt's section of the Chain Splicer H scene before it's meant to appear.
Charger can currently (and improperly) change facing direction between his wind-up and Ground Slam ability.
Some of Wraxe's combat FX need to be updated to work with new animations. Some may display as being rotated improperly or slightly out of position.
Additional SFX for the new Runt section of the Chain Splicer H scene are still in-progress.
Chain Splicer does not yet have the "eyeshine" FX cue for his H attack.
Still have a few fixes/improvements to make on the Chain Splicer H scene intro.
The Chain Splicer currently has no unique H attack animation. His windup animation will receive new FX soon to distinguish between an H attack and regular attack.
Charger's hitbox shifts slightly after he charges. If he charges repeatedly this shift can add up to be significant. It will soon correct itself however.
Enemies can appear floating above the shop characters after an H scene, but should fix themselves quickly.
Liquid won't show on Onyx during the Thug's solo H scene. This will be fixed soon.
The liquid spurt FX on one of the Thug's H scene finishers sometimes doesn't play. We're aware of the cause and seeing if it pops up anywhere else before fixing it.
Infinite jabs are way overpowered against bosses right now. Jab spam will be changed to a standing combo soon-ish (among other combat improvements).
Street Lord Wraxe sometimes blocks the view of H scenes with his big fat wraxe when he's a bystander.