PFC Progress Report 3

It's been quite some time since the last update and frankly the reason why was to create enough content to present for the 3rd progress report. Not only am I now proud to say that there's enough, but I am also proud to say that the game is now available to play in open beta! I have managed to complete what was needed to be done to release the game in a testable, early-access version of the game, and in this post, I am going to go over as to what was needed to be created in order to be satisfied with publishing the game early.

Round System

With three maps to choose from!

One important feature to include is a way to rotate the maps and the only to do so is to incorporate rounds. The game will collect everybody's KOs and their highest Streak and display who got the highest of each at the end. In addition, the game will display how the same stats for the player as well as their wipeouts. Wipeouts don't show anywhere else since nobody necessarily needs to know how many times a player has died. One cool detail about this system is that if you leave the game and return, so will your stats. This is possible since the server records every player's stats into a table.

Each map has its own lighting, skybox, and ambient noise. The game simply shuffles all the maps and displays them in the shuffled order. This means the order the maps show is random but a map will only repeat once all maps have been shown, allowing each map to have a chance to be played.

To make the game more fun to play, I added 3 tools since the last progress report and I'm happy to discuss them.

Mr. Stabs

One tool that I needed to complete as soon as possible was Mr. Stabs; that'll allow me to make more daggers sooner like Ice & Rogue Dagger. Mr. Stabs, being one of the tools that were made by my friend GearTitan, was one of the first tools ever made in the game. Aside from animation changes and a slight increase in swing time, not much has really changed for Mr. Stabs. I really enjoy the animations for Mr. Stabs. The animations were inspired by the knife from Valorant. I opted to make the animations for Mr. Stabs always stab directly in front of the player as opposed to short slashes. This change makes it easier to hit and a bit harder to accidentally block with the dagger. It also allows the backstab effect to activate more consistently.

From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!

Shield

The iconic tank tool, the Shield makes its return to the revision at launch. The Shield has its same attributes as its original version. With a hefty passive 35% damage reduction and 90% while active, the Shield maintains its presence as the quintessential tool to pick for those who value durability. I chose to remake Shield as soon as possible in order to set up the code for any passive tools. One nice change about the tool is that you no longer have to equip the tool once in order to gain a passive reduction bonus. 

The Shield has a nice updated animation that plays and, at the moment, a simple beam that surrounds the player when the tool is equipped.

Immobile like rocks.

Health Potions

One of the more unique ultimates in the game, Health Potions allows you to quickly heal up your health on a dime. Inspired by the Estus Flask from Dark Souls, Health Potions were made for the game's debut. This allowed me to set up more unique ultimates for the future, specifically, those that don't scale with the player's KO streak. Restoration now comes out quicker in order to accommodate the equip time change made to all tools. As with all tools, Restoration has more polished animations as well as new particles for when you drink them. In addition, an animation now plays when you're hit drinking the potions as well.

It has that cherry medicine taste.

All that being said, the game is ready to play! There's much more that needs to be done for the game to be out of its Beta status. I would like to touch up the effects and visuals in the game as well as create a loading screen and a menu. For now, though, I would like for the public to try the game out so I can collect information on how I'm doing as early as possible.

PFC Progress Report 2

It's been another few weeks and I thought I'd like to make another post updating on what's been completed so far. Much of the most recent work that's been completed has been behind the scenes such as status effects and other miscellaneous features. While not as interesting as tools, I thought it'd be fun to discuss the changes to the game as well as how the game will function.

The HUD

The space on the right will display all ultimate info.

With a game like PFC, it's important to have your information clear and concise at all times to better your chances of survival. In order to do this, a good heads-up display is critical in order to improve the enjoyment of the game. Much like the tools of PFC, the HUD was also inspired by Dota2's MOBA-oriented display. While the current version of the game is using the older version of the HUD, many of its elements are going to persist through future iterations of the display. The display may change visually but the information present will always be there. One major change between the HUD of the original remake and the current revision is the increased transparency of the HUD to grant more vision on the screen.

Of the things notable, the jump counter, speed indicator, and killstreak information are all bunched together on the side. These numbers change often and having them bunched together makes it easier to read all three at once as well as helps in retaining information. When you attempt to jump after consuming all your jumps, the indicator flashes red to show you you're out of jumps. In addition, any time you attempt to do an action and it fails, the game will display a red notification coupled with an old ROBLOX sound to tell you why your action did not go through. This will help make it clear if you're out of range for an ultimate or telling a player they're stunned.

If you find yourself stunned or exhausted, you'll be able to find out why through a box that appears above your HUD. An icon represented by the status effect's source is displayed when under an effect and hovering over the icon will give you more information. You'll be able to see what exactly is stunning or slowing you by quickly looking below at your HUD. Similarly, the tools underneath the buttons and your health work similarly since you can hover over the box to inspect the tool's attributes as well as see its cooldown.

Status Effects

Brain hurt!

While most status effects remain the same mechanically in PFC, their visual effects are getting a touch up just like tools. After having replayed the first revision of the game, I was able to instantly see how much better these new particles and effects contribute to a cleaner, more enjoyable game. The more I played the old version, the more I wanted to make better effects because the old version was so bad visually. At least now I have a direction in mind and can reliably go towards it. As always, these effects were created by my wonderful partner.

The stun effect has a new animation to it as well as some stars spinning around the player's head. The stun effect was accomplished by spinning 3 offset blocks around the player's head on everybody's client. I wanted the parts to be anchored and always follow the player's head to make it look cleaner and I played them on the client for access to RunService's Heartbeat function, which alexnewtron has recently explained to me the difference between Heartbeat and Renderstepped. The tilted angles, as well as the alternating rotations as suggested by my partner, make the effect clear, concise, and visually appealing, which is a success in my book.

In this iteration of PFC, most healing will be accompanied by the same effect. While some abilities may include another visual indication, such as Darkheart's vampiric effect, the healing effect will still be there regardless to make clear that the player is healing. The effect is a simple part welded to the player's HumanoidRootPart that plays the effect and is destroyed. It's nothing too fancy but I want to make clear that the part is under an object in the game's workspace that every player's mouse clicks through as well as every ray ignoring, so no need to worry about hitbox issues while healing.

Feeling pretty healthy

Satellite

Did I mention the ultimate, Satellite, was finished? Satellite is a classic tool that has the ability to damage anyone on the map. The only global tool in the game at the time, this ultimate was inspired by Dota2's Invoker's Sun Strike and its reputation for being a global finisher that required precision to be effective. I chose Satellite to be the first ultimate to be made because it was simply the easiest. I needed an ability that was simple and had some form of killstreak scaling so I decided to go with Satellite instead of Healing Potions or Lava Staff. That being said, Satellite is my favorite ultimate in the game specifically for its satisfying ability as well as the hilarious combos you can pull with it (specifically the Moon Katana, Blink Dagger, Blackhole combo).

The ability remains unchanged compared to its original incarnation: the radius is the same, the distance is (of course) the same, and its cooldown is the same. The only changes made to it are its visuals as well as its cast indicator. Not many moves in the game have some sort of visual aid with the purpose of assisting the user in using the ability, however, considering the global nature of Satellite, as well as the fact it can hit any enemies above or below the targeted point, a transparent beam follows the player's mouse, making it easier to see who's going to be hit. The indicator also includes a small disk to better visualize what's inside the beam since the beam itself does not cast shadows.

One detail some people don't know is that an actual satellite appears above the location where the Orbital Strike is called to. Clever players who notice a player holding the tool may constantly look above themselves to see if an Orbital Strike has been called. In the original game, the height of the actual satellite was a bit too high to be seen properly. In this revision, the Satellite's height is fixed at about 350 studs in the air. If you look above while an Orbital Strike is used, you will see the satellite drop from the sky and charge its beam. The charging effect is new and adds to the urgency of the ability, indicating to any player observing it that it's time to run if you're under it. When the beam strikes, debris will fly in the air based on the color of the parts that have been hit.

Then the Lord rained ... fire from the Lord out of heaven

In the future, I plan on making ultimate abilities look prettier the more kills you have. Not only will this make users with larger killstreaks feel more rewarded, but it also lets other players know someone is doing too well and they must be stopped. This post's unofficial theme is clarity and transparency between the user and the game. Not only is this crucial to PFC, but it's paramount for anyone making a game. The more information presented to the player, the more likely they'll understand what happened to them preventing them from getting angry at the game from something they don't understand. That being said, it does go both ways in that you don't want to overload the user with too much information. Hopefully, all these indicators help the future players of Project Fight Club. See you guys around for the 3rd blog post!

PFC Progress Report 1

It's been about two weeks since I announced the recreation of Project Fight Club so I'd like to share what has been done and what's being done differently as well as proving I'm actually working on the game. The progress may not seem like much since I'm also working on Testing Playground still. I try to do what I can for each game so I can make sure that stuff is still being made for both. 

One thing I would like to discuss with the new PFC is its balance changes; I've learned a lot since the first iteration of the game so I'm adjusting the game accordingly. For example, the damage a weapon does is now consistent instead of a random range. This way, you'll know how much damage you'll be doing instead of estimating it. Following the pattern of consistency, swords now play their animations in a set pattern instead of being random. With this change, you'll be able to know where your sword will be when you attack, allowing you to adjust your character's direction accordingly.

Gotta hate when swords make your torso fly off in real

At the moment, 3 tools have been completed: Mr. Slice, Blink Dagger, and Kunai. All three of these tools have been revamped mechanically and visually.

Mr. Slice

The classic, well-rounded, infamous Mr. Slice. This tool has seen both sides of the balance spectrum from its original 60 damage crit to its abysmal crit chance and damage. Hopefully, we will be able to find a good spot for this wicked blade. 

Mr. Slice hasn't changed too much aside from the global changes listed above; it deals a constant 34 damage unless it deals a crit, which it'll then do 47.6 damage instead. One visual difference of Mr. Slice is that its red glow will occur even if the crit didn't land, as opposed to the original only turning red when a crit landed. In addition to the sword glowing red, the trail on the sword will turn red as well.

Yeah that's cool I guess

Blink Dagger

The Blink Dagger: one of the first tools created and one of the few that are straight up from Dota 2. For what it's worth, it was a tool created for fun and never really for the game, especially because it wasn't created by me, but my friend GearTitan. If you don't know yet, he handed me Mr. Stabs (which he named), Mask of Madness, and Blink Dagger; that's why there's a statue of him in my version of Raven Rock. This tool was notorious for being a staple in everyone's loadouts: it had a huge range, allowed you to teleport instantly, and had a pretty solid cooldown time. Clearly, all that had to change.

In the new iteration of the game, Blink Dagger's range drops from a staggering 150 down to 40. The reason for its drastic drop was how universally good the dang thing was. This tool was so good, it made it nearly impossible to make any new mobility tools without instantly being invalidated. I even made a post about it here. Aside from the large distance nerf, everything else about the tool remains the same, including its cooldowns and hit-cooldown mechanic. 

With the change to its range, I found testing the dagger to be difficult since I'd always try to blink using the old dagger's range. To help make it easier to visualize what a 40-stud radius looks like, when you click out of range, a feint bubble will show where you'll be able to teleport to. 

While we're on the topic of visual changes, the Blink Dagger has a new, very pleasing effect when you successfully teleport. Replacing the old Blink Dagger's block petals are a wonderful black petal particle that gently falls when you teleport, drawn by my wonderful partner. 

Elegant, yet, somber

Kunai

The Kunai: a staple disabling tool that everyone has used at least one. The Kunai has always had a nice design. It was straight forward and that's good for something essential such as disabling another player from moving. Back when the only ranged weapon was the Hookshot and the only stun was from using the Lava Staff, the Kunai filled a necessary role by creating a quick, low cooldown stun that requires a bit of practice to land. 

The Kunai's return to the revamped version of the game is no surprise, however, it does come with a few changes. The speed the Kunai travels is a bit slower than its original version which means it'll take a bit of predicting to land the throw and further throws are more predictable. That being said, an upside is that now the Kunai can be thrown while moving, allowing you to manipulate the starting position at which the Kunai starts its travel. Other than those two changes, its values are identical to its original incarnation.

Visually, however, the Kunai looks much more appealing. Instead of the Kunai just being thrown forward, the Kunai now has a ribbon attached to the end of it to make it easier to see in darker areas, as well as a trail following it. When the Kunai lands on a surface instead of an enemy, the Kunai will stick to the surface accompanied by a loud thunk. These visual and auditory additions should make it more clear as to what happened: you'll know when you've thrown the Kunai, you can see where it's going, and you can tell when it has ended and what the result was.

Goodbye edited superball

Working on the game is a lot of fun. I'm excited to see how this will all turn out in the end as we have some great ideas for PFC. I'm hoping it will all come together for an enjoyable and visually pleasing game. The idea of the game looking updated and fluid is my motivation to keep working, so I hope to be posting more soon.

Project Fight Club: The Return

Now I'm not entirely sure as to how many people read this blog (I mean technically I do but I'm not sure how many people check it), but to those who do, I'm sure you're aware of my old project that is nearly 6 years old: Project Fight Club. The game has gone through many iterations and a rework that was never released but now is the time I present the good news to those who care: I am remaking the game with my partner. Together, we'll be able to elevate what the game was to whole new levels with our current standards of polish.

The game will be made from the ground up to make it easier to maintain; the old code was very sloppy and contained a lot of redundancy considering I was not as good at coding as I am now. While this sounds like it'll take a while, it shouldn't be too bad, I've made everything in this game at one point, haven't I? Instead of the approach I had with the rework, which was to wait until the whole game was finished before releasing it, I will be updating the game as I go. Similar to how Dota2 rolled out heroes from Dota1 over time, PFC will be doing the same. At the moment, we will be prioritizing making tools that, when completed, will reduce the time it takes to make future additions. For example, Mr. Slice will be made first to lay the foundation for all the swords in the game, and by extension, daggers and greatswords. It's already being worked on right now!

Draw speed not to scale

If you're even more interested in the game's development to the point you wish to help out, I'm still accepting map submissions so long as they fit our criteria. For now, shoot a comment in the group to let us know you've made a map and we'll review it. 

I'm excited to work on this again, especially with someone I know I can rely on to provide assets I can't make myself such as 3D models and graphics. If you're interested in the game's development, I plan on documenting what I've done on the blog so be sure to check back often and join the group!

Making Unique Combat

While Testing Playground is a sandbox of various creations Rin and I make, I wanted to create a foundation that allows me to be creative with anything I make in the future, especially those that are very conditional. In addition, the idea of making a combat system that felt very dynamic was always something I've always wanted to attempt and I'd say that I did a decent job. To make the place stand out from other beat-em-up roleplays on ROBLOX, I wanted to utilize the environment and real-world thinking to solve problems and succeed in taking someone down or escaping with your life.

Although it wasn't the first thing I made, the first thing I want to talk about is the status system. In Testing Playground, you may find yourself with a notifier telling you that you're wet or hotter than usual. These little changes to your avatar affect the way your character acts and how other entities may interact with you. One of these status effects is wetness. In Testing Playground, the wetter you are, the darker your clothes become. Once you reach 70% wetness, your stamina regenerates more slowly and the speed you sprint at is 60% slower. Some sources of wetness include fire hydrants, swimming in the ocean, standing in a fountain, and standing in the rain. In the future, wetness will allow players to be electrocuted or extinguish burning fires.

Towels to be added 2025

Another status effect you can find yourself having is temperature. Temperature measures the change in heat or coolness of the player. When higher, the player is hotter than usual while conversely, negative numbers indicate how cold they are. The player's temperature could change from eating warm foods or drinking cold beverages, being near water sources, or experiencing friction. While extreme temperature change currently doesn't affect the player, it lays the infrastructure for future stands such as Sheer Heart Attack or The Grateful Dead.

One major source of wetness is rain. Every two minutes, the game has a 5% chance of summoning rain if it hasn't been summoned yet. The game turns grayer for one minute then the rain begins to pour for 6-7 minutes. Once the rain begins to fall, the sounds of raindrops fill the player's audio. If the player is underneath something, the sound becomes a bit more muffled. If you're not underneath something, you begin to get wetter and wetter so if you value being able to run fast and take a breather, you might want to invest in an umbrella. 

Singing to be added 2029

In addition to rain, swimming almost instantaneously grants the player complete wetness. Not only that, but while you stay in the water, your stamina begins to deplete at a steady rate; you can't swim forever without getting tired, you know? If the player mismanages their stamina, they'll find themselves floating to the surface unable to move. If the player attempts to dive into the water and hide from someone, they'll discover they possess a small reserve of oxygen. Once that depletes, their health begins to drain. With both of these mechanics together, one must be very careful with how they address being in the water.

Cardio training to be added 2049

Lastly, the game has a day and night cycle that's a bit different than most other games. In Testing Playground, when the game turns to night, the environment becomes noticeably darker. Often when the game turns to night, first-time players note that the game is too dark and needs to be fixed while others who are familiar with the game will say night turns Testing Playground into a totally different game. When the game turns to night, light is absolutely crucial when it comes to finding a player you're chasing or hiding from one chasing you. In addition to making the game dark, player nametags only appear when you are directly in front of them, making it easier for a player to hide in the darkness. Many of the game's lights are on at night however most of the light sources in the game are destructible, allowing the player to manipulate the light in the game.

Nightvision to be added 2186

All of these elements mesh together to allow the players to utilize what's nearby in order to give them an advantage. I wanted the players to feel smart for knowing what's nearby or for being familiar with the various interactions in the game. For example, knowing there's a window on the second floor of the music shop can come in handy if you're being chased by someone, so long as you have something to break the window. The game also stunts your stamina and health regeneration when the player's health is very low, allowing clever players to recognize that their wounded target couldn't have gotten far, just like you see on TV. When designing a game, it's common knowledge that heavy consequences out of a player's control can be very frustrating to those playing it, therefore, conversely putting a lot into the player's hands gives a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when a player's plan works. The freedom of the game coupled with the game's forgiving death mechanics makes for a relaxed and light-hearted PvP experience that I hope to expand in the future.