Hey all,
In this development update we would like to give you a glimpse into the iterative process of creating an ability.
Let’s take a look at some of the Ranger’s abilities and create modifiers for them such that those abilities synergize well together.
On one hand we have Aimed Shot. In its current state Aimed Shot fires a projectile that pierces all targets along its way. Aimed Shot also has a charging ability mechanic: after activation you can hold a button (or finger on the screen) for up to 2 seconds, improving its damage and potentially activating other perks. Let’s see this ability in action, in its vanilla state:
As we can see, with the added skill element of having the targets neatly aligned, Aimed Shot is already a lot of fun to play.
But why stop there?
What if we create another ability that briefly aligns the targets in front of us then we use Aimed Shot on those aligned targets. Let’s call this ability Inflow:
Not bad, but the new ability has some issues:
We gained an ability slot at the expense of a perk that needs to be present on an item. A good trade. However, while the effect does what we want, it has its own issues:
That gives us an idea, we already have this Ranger ability: Disengage.
In its current state, Disengage causes the hero to dash away from the current target. A very useful and flexible mobility ability: it can be used to avoid dangerous situations, gain distance from a target, and travel faster.
What if we create a perk for Disengage that synergizes well with Aimed Shot: “When using Disengage, targets in the area are pulled in a line along the hero trail”?
Let’s see it in action now
Some more gameplay, with a double tap perk for Aimed Shot
This was just one iteration over an ability, and is far from done. During development we repeat this process many, many times, until we are happy with the result.
Enjoy the videos and let us know what you think.
In this development update we would like to give you a glimpse into the iterative process of creating an ability.
Let’s take a look at some of the Ranger’s abilities and create modifiers for them such that those abilities synergize well together.
On one hand we have Aimed Shot. In its current state Aimed Shot fires a projectile that pierces all targets along its way. Aimed Shot also has a charging ability mechanic: after activation you can hold a button (or finger on the screen) for up to 2 seconds, improving its damage and potentially activating other perks. Let’s see this ability in action, in its vanilla state:
As we can see, with the added skill element of having the targets neatly aligned, Aimed Shot is already a lot of fun to play.
But why stop there?
What if we create another ability that briefly aligns the targets in front of us then we use Aimed Shot on those aligned targets. Let’s call this ability Inflow:
Not bad, but the new ability has some issues:
- It occupies an active ability slot. When you are limited to 4 active ability slots, you realize that a slot is very valuable for the player. An ability needs to do a lot more work to be considered in the player’s arsenal.
- It kind of feels artificial, i’s sole purpose being to align your targets
We gained an ability slot at the expense of a perk that needs to be present on an item. A good trade. However, while the effect does what we want, it has its own issues:
- Might be too easy to execute (personal opinion, fun might be reduced)
- The targets being aligned by some magical force before the projectile is fired feels kind of odd.
That gives us an idea, we already have this Ranger ability: Disengage.
In its current state, Disengage causes the hero to dash away from the current target. A very useful and flexible mobility ability: it can be used to avoid dangerous situations, gain distance from a target, and travel faster.
What if we create a perk for Disengage that synergizes well with Aimed Shot: “When using Disengage, targets in the area are pulled in a line along the hero trail”?
Let’s see it in action now
Some more gameplay, with a double tap perk for Aimed Shot
This was just one iteration over an ability, and is far from done. During development we repeat this process many, many times, until we are happy with the result.
Enjoy the videos and let us know what you think.
oh wow
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