06. Stances?

As I previously mentioned in my first blog post, one of the key features of the game is the ability to swap between weapons. However, as the project progressed, I realized that a larger system was needed, and decided to shift away from multiple weapons to a stance-based system. This new system involves four different stances: Melee, Ranged, Defense, and Magic. Each stance has its own unique abilities and passives, as well as a distinct playstyle. Players can freely switch between stances, gaining stance-specific buffs that can be carried over to other stances and stacked, providing powerful bonuses. However, each buff has its own cooldown, so players must strategize when to use them to maximize their effectiveness.

At the beginning of the game, players will have access to only one stance, the melee stance. As they progress through the game, they will have the opportunity to obtain the remaining three stances by defeating bosses who utilize similar abilities to those found in the other stances. This means that players will have to earn these stances if they wish to explore new gameplay styles and abilities (Optional).

Stance Icon effect when the player change stances

Gems still play a role in the game but in a different manner. Instead of being placed in individual weapons, they are now assigned to each of the four stances (Melee, Ranged, Defense, and Magic) with their own gem slots. This allows players to enhance the abilities and passives of the stances themselves, rather than just individual weapons.

New stance gem pages Inventory tab

The current state of the game features two available stances: melee and ranged. Both stances have a base attack ability, with the melee stance offering four different punch combo abilities. These punches consume stamina, requiring the player to manage it effectively for maximum damage and to dodge enemy abilities as needed. Additional passive and active abilities for the melee stance are currently in development, and the visuals for the skills will feature a variety of weapons to reflect the close combat nature of the stance.

The Ranged stance is designed for players who prefer to engage in combat from a distance. Unlike the Melee stance, which uses stamina as its resource, the Ranged stance uses mana. This means that players will need to manage their mana more carefully, as it cannot be regenerated over time like stamina can. The base attack for the Ranged stance is a bow, which allows players to aim and fire arrows using the left mouse button. Additionally, players will be able to access different ranged abilities, such as spells, which can also consume mana. In order to use these abilities again, players will need to use mana potions to replenish their mana.

To give you an idea of how the different stances in the game currently function, I have prepared some gameplay footage that demonstrates the current state of the available stances and the appearance of their base abilities. This will give you a sense of how the game plays and the different styles and abilities that are available to the player as they progress through the game.:

Thanks for reading!

-Bence (Oliminor)