Devlog 27 - More Directions, More Enemies

art/dev whiteboard

Summary

This stretch was mostly about filling holes: more directional attack art for Jack, clearer enemy categories, and a pile of small engine problems that were getting in the way of testing.

I also finally backfilled the older public devlogs, so the development history is much less fragmented now.

What changed?

  • Drew more attack directions for Jack, including the north/northeast high-kick.
  • Kept pushing Nutcracker variations until some of them started feeling like different enemies, not just alternate skins.
  • Worked through a set of practical engine issues:
    • movement/facing indicator experiments
    • restart flow
    • broken enemy spawn positions
    • missing run-animation shadows
    • larger/longer critical-hit feedback tests
  • Started testing music placeholders in-game to see how a Nutcracker-derived rhythm feels during actual combat.
  • I was also reminded of Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system. It is not the same system, but it is a useful reference for the idea of preparing behavior in advance and then making it work during live combat. This short breakdown was a useful refresher.

Next steps

  • Keep separating the enemy roster into clearer roles.
  • Add controller input.
  • Continue solving the trailer's payoff scene and testing music in context.