Devlog 26 - Movement Rules, Nutcracker Music, and Combat Polish

art/dev whiteboard

Summary

The Nutcracker idea is starting to affect more than the enemy art. This update was mostly about giving movement actions clearer roles, cleaning up the attack flow, and finding a musical direction that fits the same strange tone.

What changed?

  • I separated movement behavior from movement bonuses. A move can now have a clear physical purpose without every extra effect being baked into the same idea.
  • Current movement direction:
    • roll can pass through enemies
    • slide rewards making contact while sliding
    • dash can give a short defensive bonus after stopping
    • dive should feel like the special movement, but still needs a stronger identity
  • I redrew the attack flow to make normal movement, combo movement, enemy range checks, and attack timing easier to reason about.
  • I also started testing bigger/faster enemy variants and two broad attack behaviors: direct pursuit and a more telegraphed distance attack.
  • On the audio side, I spent a lot of time listening to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and heavier reinterpretations of it. Monomamori stood out as a useful reference for how far familiar material can be pushed, and DAGAMBA's Tchaikovsky rock treatment was another good reference point.

What I'm unsure about?

  • Dive still needs a reason to feel genuinely special.
  • I am still testing how much directional/timer feedback the player actually needs.
  • The heavier Nutcracker music direction feels promising, but I do not want it to become too obvious or one-note.

Next steps

  • Finish the northeast high-kick.
  • Keep defining enemy attacks and model sheets.
  • Tighten attack movement so Jack only moves during the intended hit frames.
  • Continue testing VFX, critical-hit feedback, and the sound direction.