Hello everyone! Welcome to the May Holomento Devlog!
This month (as always) was filled with adding new features, fixing bugs, balancing elements and packaging the first few pre-alpha builds for Steam! Highlights of the month include:
- New serpent enemies
- A blocking/parrying system (reworked twice already)
- A completely reworked tutorial area
- An all-new lush valley area
- Clothing-based items
- A completely reworked item-based class selection system
- 4 distinct new enemy types with unique weapon arts
- A WIP far-east area
- Improved dodging
- UI improvements
- A working item shop
- Tons of save/load bug fixes
- Hitscan weapons
- And much more!
Steam Builds!
Arguably one of the most exciting developments this month is finally getting a Steam build working! This was something that was in development for a long time as I had been battling countless build errors for months. This feature was absolutely critical as it will serve as the test platform for Holomento’s Alpha!
Serpent Enemy Prototypes
One of the first mini-projects I worked on this month was a “serpent” enemy prototype. These prototypes will provide the foundation for several enemy types I plan to add to the game. A flying version similar to what is shown in the gif above for long dragons and “sky snake” style enemies. I also plan to work on an “underground” variant that will burrow into the ground before popping up to attack the player.
Hitscan Weapons
For those unfamiliar with the term, a hitscan weapon in games is one that fires a “bullet” that instantly travels to its destination. This is implemented with a simple line trace that travels a specified distance based on the player’s “projectile speed”.
Blocking and Parrying
The first version of blocking and parrying was implemented in early May and featured a “slapping” animation to deflect projectiles. This version was very buggy and had its fair share of issues. Later in the month I redid the system to a full blocking-while-moving system that reduces damage the player takes while blocking by 50%. In addition, a perfectly timed block will result in a parry that return damage back to the foe as shown in the gif below.
New Tutorial Area
The tutorial area has been completely reworked to make gameplay functions more clear. Two “freebie” chests have been added to introduce the player to the concept of collecting items and consumables. At the end of the tutorial area, an elevator has been added that allows the player to skip the tutorial for every run thereafter.
Clothing Items
A new item type has been added that swaps the player’s clothes in pieces. Clothes come in the form of hats/helmets, chest pieces, gloves, pants/leggings, boots and undershirts/overcoats.
Class Selection Re-Work
The class selection system has been completely reworked to simplify the system and make classes much more customize-able. Classes are now split simply by the difference in their starting items. This will make changing class items extremely straight-forward and will make balancing much easier as only the items will need to be balanced.
4 New Enemy Types
One of the biggest additions this month was four unique new enemy types showcased in the above gif. Each boasts their own unique weapon and combat style. Weapons are as follows:
- Twin Swords
- Greatsword
- Sword and Shield
- Spear
Each of these attack styles can be used with a variety of weapon meshes to create a vast array of enemies. Of course balancing and tweaking animation speed, health and damage are where a lot of time will be spent.
Far East Area
Early progress on a far-east inspired area has begun as well. This area is still very early as a WIP but will give some great variety to the world further down the line.
Improved Dodging
Dodging has been greatly improved with different styles and improved dodging while aiming! There are now four distinct dodging styles: dodge (sidestep), rolling, handsprings and flips.
UI Updates
Many UI improvements have been made including more visible enemy healthbars, enemy names with their difficulty and an “item card” that displays information about an item including the stat buffs/debuffs you will receive from it.
Item Shop
The item shop located in the main town is a convenient way to purchase items with your hard-earned cash. Run by a friendly bear shopkeep (yes he’s a derpy prototype right now), the first iteration of the shop will allow you to purchase 3 items. As you upgrade the shop (not yet implemented) the item pool will expand and you will be able to purchase more items at once.
Other Features
This month was so feature packed, I’ve decided to share the rest of the gifs in this section before this post gets way out of hand!
Readable signs, vending machines and improved dialogue interaction.
Wrap-Up
Phew! That was a lot of information, but afterall May has been incredibly busy in preparation for the launch of the Alpha next month!
There are still openings for the Alpha if you are interested!
To signup simply join the Holomento Discord and ping @SheenWeedy in the #request-alpha-access channel!
See you all next month!
Sean