Isometric Battle Tactics RPG Devlog 4- Huge Enemy AI Improvements, UI Changes and Hatching Eggs??

CUTSCENE SYSTEM

The cutscene system now works alongside quest lines and uses sequences so it’s much easier to create them. I’ve created a short set of cutscenes to show how it can work alongside quests. There’s also a pick up system that you can see in the below cutscene system, which can also advance quests if a specific item is required for a quest.

NEW UI FOR AOE

I’ve added a few elements to the UI.

The hit chance and damage to the enemy is shown near the arrow that confirms the action so it makes for better strategic decision making for the player.

Damage displayed above the arrow, hit chance displayed below the arrow

The main thing I’ve added to the UI however is the UI for AoE’s, as it now shows the pattern the attack will hit as well as the enemies in those squares, and if you hover over each enemy you can see more details on that enemy (such as HP and MP).

AoE new UI

ENEMY AI

This is probably the biggest improvement of this month; enemies can now have a larger variety of different behaviours. There’s not simply ranged preference and melee preference, but they can now be ranged AoE preference, melee AoE preference, ranged status effect preference, or melee status effect preference.

For the AoE type enemies they will check if there are more than 1 party members in range for their AoE, whether they have enough MP or charges of the attack, and if both of these factors are true then they will use the AoE attack. 

The melee preference AoE attacker has melee range AoEs, as shown below:

Melee AoE Enemy AI

The ranged preference AoE attacker has ranged AOEs, as shown below also:

Ranged AoE enemy AI

For the status effect type, they will check if the nearest range party member has the status effect applied to them, and if they don’t, they will apply the status effect if the party member is in range, as shown below:

Status effect enemy AI

The green square that shows up above the party member’s portrait symbolises the poison status effect- I need to change where this shows up and the icons for the status effects, as these are placeholders for now.

Some enemies will now also act defensively and if they have not already moved during their turn, after they attack they will move to the safest square (furthest from all party members in their range). As shown below, this can sometimes lead enemies to backing themselves into a corner which I will have to account for with improvements in the AI or map design.

Defensive enemy AI

HATCHING SYSTEM

Eggs can now appear on the field, and after a certain amount of turns (min of 1, max of 3 depending on how cracked the egg already is) will hatch into a new enemy. I’m hoping to add a laying system for large enemies such as bosses to be able to place these eggs on the field, and a system by which the eggs can be attacked so they can be destroyed before the new enemies hatch.

Hatching enemy

Next month I want to focus on the art for the tutorial area and have most of it completed. Some sneaky art below of one of the interiors!

Example of interior art