Today is far from over, but my sinus-ravaging cold be damned I’m going to get as much done as I can.
Unfortunately one of the few things I can’t share with you all here is my sound programming, which may be one of the reasons I waited until today to actually put more effort into it. Originally all I had was one BGM with one bokken swing sound effect, but the closer the game is getting to fully functional the more obvious the lack of sound is getting. So today I added the code to the menu system for navigation sounds (though I still have to find a few more sounds I like), along with making the projectiles I recently coded able to cue sounds on their own, and finally added the music adjustable for each map. If the map being loaded uses the same music as the currently playing music, it won’t change, but if there is a difference there is a crossfade between track changes. All in all, adding sound has been one of the few painless procedures the further I get into the game.
Now this screenshot shows the next implementation I’ve finally gotten around to (which is LONG overdue), the Aura meter in the upper left. By holding down the R-shoulder button, Arashi can charge the Aura meter at a rate that increases the longer the button is held down, so it can be maxed out relatively quickly (and can be maxed out even faster if the player chooses to boost her Willpower rating in equipment and levelling-up). The Aura meter has several functions, but the most primary abilities it offers are the B-button Special Items and the R-button “Aura Burst” abilities.
The Aura meter starts to flash when it reaches the minimum charge needed to “use” the currently equipped Special Item. This charge is affected by the item itself and Arashi’s Intelligence rating, though some items may not need any charge or may not have a special ability. At a higher charge level, “Aura Burst” is enabled which opens up several gameplay options such as high-level Shinkirouken combo attacks if used during normal attack combos, “Perfect Guard” mode when used with X-button defense, or second-tier magic/techniques with the currently equipped special item. These abilities are very powerful but due to the high amount of aura charge needed to use them will not be spammable. Luckily, the Aura meter charges automatically in combat based on damage taken or combos, so the player isn’t forced to run away from fighting just to use a special AB technique – of course it is entirely situational.
Since the player can cycle through special items, I decided to show all the currently equipped special items on the Aura meter bar, letting the player know what item is next up in the cycle. I still need to make a graphic for Shinkirouken (Arashi’s special sword technique) which will be placed in the blank square you see here.
Other adjustments I’ve done today involve giving enemies a flag for contact damage. Obviously walking up to a cute, fuzzy kittri shouldn’t cause damage unless they are actually attacking, but spiky creatures or other dangerous encounters will hurt Arashi if she decides to run into them. From here I don’t know what exactly I’m going to work on next, but I want to implement as much of what I’ve been putting off as I can.
