I’ve been busy with some prototyping…

I’ve written a new character controller from scratch (all the combat and animation handling is copied across, this is just for the physics/movement).

I’m going to make a “lock on” mode where you can target an enemy and then advance/withdraw, like the old “2d” system, but also circle each other. However, it also means that there could be more than 2 characters involved in a fight at once now and you could choose not use the “lock on” mode so you can quickly spread your attacks between multiple enemies.

I’ve also done a bunch of work around nicely handling stairs, slopes, and jumping, so we could even look to bring an element of platforming into it at some point. It also all lends itself well to a “Streets of Rage” mode, or a mini story/adventure mode.

Finally, I made a new camera system to work nicely with this kind of movement. It will obviously change upon locking on to a target but this new version feels really nice for general movement.

This is just a prototype to explore some options but I’m really happy with how this is feeling already and with the vast array of options it opens up for variety and expansion in the gameplay.