Nappy's Whenever, Wherever Worklog

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
Heya, it's been a while. I must admit, I continue to be stuck in my ways of showing through action rather than through words, but the gaps have gotten a bit too large between the two, so I'll be dropping more worklogs here, just as I have in the past.

As we knock out more of the major features on the list, I've continued keeping an eye on the playable, fighty portions of the game. As the timing involving PVE content creation fell behind many a schedule, I've also been poking away at various move concepts/mechanics using existing characters and predators. The predators were always intended to be very simple in combat and numerous in type, with each type focusing on a specific playstyle or mechanic that players will have to learn to overcome when going up against human opponents. Since then, players have plowed through these and are itching for something new.

As totally new predators are likely to show up at a later date, I've worked to introduce a bit more variance to the current roster. For now, the predators are gaining 3 things: Dedicated Air attacks, Jump-Cancellable Grounded Normals, and a Super.

Predators at lower levels of PVE content will continue to mimic the one-track mind of the current ones, with harder predators putting these new tools to use. Here are some examples of what the predators are now capable of:



Be careful out there!
 

Arcanel

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
71
64
And now the new names for these supers shall be Full Moon, Black Panther and uhhhhh..."BRUTAL".

Yeah let's go with that. (They preds are looking soooooo good tho). Good job Nappy!
 

Redness

The Class Pet
Oct 17, 2016
372
2,266
Fœnum
www.youtube.com
Heya, it's been a while. I must admit, I continue to be stuck in my ways of showing through action rather than through words, but the gaps have gotten a bit too large between the two, so I'll be dropping more worklogs here, just as I have in the past.

As we knock out more of the major features on the list, I've continued keeping an eye on the playable, fighty portions of the game. As the timing involving PVE content creation fell behind many a schedule, I've also been poking away at various move concepts/mechanics using existing characters and predators. The predators were always intended to be very simple in combat and numerous in type, with each type focusing on a specific playstyle or mechanic that players will have to learn to overcome when going up against human opponents. Since then, players have plowed through these and are itching for something new.

As totally new predators are likely to show up at a later date, I've worked to introduce a bit more variance to the current roster. For now, the predators are gaining 3 things: Dedicated Air attacks, Jump-Cancellable Grounded Normals, and a Super.

Predators at lower levels of PVE content will continue to mimic the one-track mind of the current ones, with harder predators putting these new tools to use. Here are some examples of what the predators are now capable of:



Be careful out there!
These are lookin veeeeery nice~ ;)
 

Valsion

Well-Known Member
Feb 24, 2018
62
181
Looking good. By the way, I'm not sure if it has been stated somewhere before but since Arizonas story was supposed to come out February before issues hit, are you now trying to get the story mode released whole or will we still get it in episodic format?
 

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
Looking good. By the way, I'm not sure if it has been stated somewhere before but since Arizonas story was supposed to come out February before issues hit, are you now trying to get the story mode released whole or will we still get it in episodic format?
We are still going with the episodic format, especially since players have waited far more than long enough as is. All parts of the story mode's development tools have been drastically improved, and with our new pixel artist we've been able to quickly re-implement features that were previously removed due to lack of time and assets. With the fixed up systems we are now working with, each episode will have far more functionality than they were originally going to release with (which also completely changed how every map was designed in the first place), so this wait will be quite a bit more worth it.

Also, when all of the pieces are properly put together in the end, players will absolutely be rewarded for going all the way through from the beginning.
 

Valsion

Well-Known Member
Feb 24, 2018
62
181
We are still going with the episodic format, especially since players have waited far more than long enough as is. All parts of the story mode's development tools have been drastically improved, and with our new pixel artist we've been able to quickly re-implement features that were previously removed due to lack of time and assets. With the fixed up systems we are now working with, each episode will have far more functionality than they were originally going to release with (which also completely changed how every map was designed in the first place), so this wait will be quite a bit more worth it.

Also, when all of the pieces are properly put together in the end, players will absolutely be rewarded for going all the way through from the beginning.
Now that I love to hear. Hope everything goes smoothly now.

Edit: On reflection, there is one thing I would like to add. Improving the game is always good but please resist the temptation to overdo it. Nothing kills ambitious projects like starting new every time an opportunity for improvement arises because then you'll be forced to push back the release further and further every time.
 
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Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
...On reflection, there is one thing I would like to add. Improving the game is always good but please resist the temptation to overdo it. Nothing kills ambitious projects like starting new every time an opportunity for improvement arises because then you'll be forced to push back the release further and further every time.
Yup, this is why the only things reintroduced were specifically things that can be done quickly. To be clear, i mean little things like being able to walk in shallow water. This adds a bit of variety to what you'll be walking on, but it doesn't push is too far outside of getting you from place to place, fight to fight, etc. etc. It (and other little things like it) also introduces more potential pathways to interesting things that can be added to over time, which in itself actually makes it easier to bring the maps back to what we originally planned, rather than having to design around the previous limitations.

The dangers of going too far off the deep end with this stuff is a constant bomb that i personally make a point to keep in the forefront of everyone's minds
 
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lovesnhugs

Crowdfund Backer
Crowdfund Backer
Jun 11, 2016
25
263
well this becoming in a QnA, everybody listen!! put your question here and wait for a nappy reply <3 :3
i have several questions hehe
1) will we receive a final boss for the arizona story mode?, or only the devourer when finish every character story? or it's a surprise?
2) lauren still working in this proyect? :D
3) you do planing a new trailer for the game with the story mode release?
and I would like a work stream for the 1.0 release hoho :$
4) the casual and competityve mode is release with the next patch or need wait more? :'c
5) oleander and fred have a "serious" relationship?
6) and... i dont know... you enjoy for reply more question in the future?

pd: sorry for my english :'c
 

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
1) will we receive a final boss for the arizona story mode?, or only the devourer when finish every character story? or it's a surprise?
2) lauren still working in this proyect? :D
3) you do planing a new trailer for the game with the story mode release?
and I would like a work stream for the 1.0 release hoho :$
4) the casual and competityve mode is release with the next patch or need wait more? :'c
5) oleander and fred have a "serious" relationship?
6) and... i dont know... you enjoy for reply more question in the future?
1. I refuse to close out a chapter without a meaningful gameplay related end, so there'll be some form of boss battle/situation to cap off each one for sure. You have permission to come slap me if i fail to do so! just once, though
2. Yep, she is still the loremaster and character designer. I don't think that's going to change much if at all.
3. I really would like to do so. I have so many ideas!
4. Matchmaking features are indeed the highest priority right now in the list of upcoming major features
5. *shrug*
6. I'll try to answer whatever i can, though i hope to have more work logged to the worklog soon enough
 

edzepp

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
May 26, 2017
27
44
1. I refuse to close out a chapter without a meaningful gameplay related end, so there'll be some form of boss battle/situation to cap off each one for sure. You have permission to come slap me if i fail to do so! just once, though
2. Yep, she is still the loremaster and character designer. I don't think that's going to change much if at all.
3. I really would like to do so. I have so many ideas!
4. Matchmaking features are indeed the highest priority right now in the list of upcoming major features
5. *shrug*
6. I'll try to answer whatever i can, though i hope to have more work logged to the worklog soon enough
So, any big things to share? I hope it's all going well.
 

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
Are you willing to answer lore-related questions? There are several of us who are hungry for more, and I'm curious if we need be patient, or if there's a place where we can ask our questions.
I'm not the person to ask lore questions, though there'll be a little bit more inter-personal (inter-...ungulatal?) tendencies revealed in coming updates through voice lines. (you could bother @Anukan about it, he always has hilarious takes on things that may or may not actually be canon)


So, any big things to share? I hope it's all going well.
Ah yes, we've been hunkering down to focus on bigger things once again. This patch was going to be a much much smaller one just tossing in a bug fix or two and the updated predators i posted about earlier, but since then we've focused on a bit more polish/back-end fixes and making ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that the matchmaking system works as well as it possibly can for its first release. @beta will be providing more details on that ASAP. There is a lot more to this kind of thing than 'press-button-leg-drop-the-first-connection-that-comes-in' and it's been quite a bit of eye-opening fun seeing how many edge cases have to be accounted for to avoid players having a bad time.

I've also been working with @Leedin to bring in the rest of our intros and victory animations, all tediously fully lip synced! For the first batch we took care of the individual generalized intros, and only player 1 would speak, with player 2 silently filling in with silence of a set length. Now, depending on the length of player 1's intro, player 2 will also slip in their own intro of relative length, now with and additional 81 lines of character-specific calls and/or responses. The characterization is an important part of this game (and of this entire genre, really..) and as we bring in more of the lines we have recorded, you all can get to know a bit more about how some of these characters ACTUALLY view eachother (hint: it's not all hugs and..uh...sprinkles?...apples and rainbows?..............friendly.)

Here are a few examples:

Curiosity grills the cow
Mirrors can also be exciting

These should make for more personal, wordy intros while carefully avoiding/mitigating the issue of extending the current match start wait time. (I'm also attempting to introduce a clean way to skip intros for those with a MIGHTY NEED TO GO IN. I cannot make promises for this particular patch though.)

Victory outro animations (also lip synced) have also been introduced. After such a serious workout, our fighters should never be as stiff as they have been up to now. (Except Velvet, she's a cheater)

Here are a few examples:

Toldja so
You may have been defeated by a flame noodle this time, but the soul still burns

Character specific victories and defeats are also on their way, but there's just so many of them that they'll have to come in future batches.

As we've been focused on content creation (storymode maps, matchmaking functionality and mapping tool refinement) ingame bug fixes and balancing will be RELATIVELY light this time around, with more focused changes coming in afterwards. This is not to say there are zero significant changes, just not as many as there otherwise could have been. In addition to this, @Anukan has been keeping y'all relatively up to speed with his posts regarding mapping + brand new spritework, so you're likely to see things coming in from that end as well. I'm quite excited to show the new look for Reine!
 
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Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
Any fixes for Arizona’s rope animations? Some of them still look a bit weird.
Yes, Arizona actually just got a ton of updates to her animations to give her expressions, fixing up partially completed animations like that one are absolutely on the list

(believe me, that's bothered me for a lonnggg time too)
 

Redness

The Class Pet
Oct 17, 2016
372
2,266
Fœnum
www.youtube.com
I'm not the person to ask lore questions, though there'll be a little bit more inter-personal (inter-...ungulatal?) tendencies revealed in coming updates through voice lines. (you could bother @Anukan about it, he always has hilarious takes on things that may or may not actually be canon)




Ah yes, we've been hunkering down to focus on bigger things once again. This patch was going to be a much much smaller one just tossing in a bug fix or two and the updated predators i posted about earlier, but since then we've focused on a bit more polish/back-end fixes and making ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that the matchmaking system works as well as it possibly can for its first release. @beta will be providing more details on that ASAP. There is a lot more to this kind of thing than 'press-button-leg-drop-the-first-connection-that-comes-in' and it's been quite a bit of eye-opening fun seeing how many edge cases have to be accounted for to avoid players having a bad time.

I've also been working with @Leedin to bring in the rest of our intros and victory animations, all tediously fully lip synced! For the first batch we took care of the individual generalized intros, and only player 1 would speak, with player 2 silently filling in with silence of a set length. Now, depending on the length of player 1's intro, player 2 will also slip in their own intro of relative length, now with and additional 81 lines of character-specific calls and/or responses. The characterization is an important part of this game (and of this entire genre, really..) and as we bring in more of the lines we have recorded, you all can get to know a bit more about how some of these characters ACTUALLY view eachother (hint: it's not all hugs and..uh...sprinkles?...apples and rainbows?..............friendly.)

These should make for more personal, wordy intros while carefully avoiding/mitigating the issue of extending the current match start wait time. (I'm also attempting to introduce a clean way to skip intros for those with a MIGHTY NEED TO GO IN. I cannot make promises for this particular patch though.)

Victory outro animations (also lip synced) have also been introduced. After such a serious workout, our fighters should never be as stiff as they have been up to now. (Except Velvet, she's a cheater)

[*Moderator's note: There were videos in this post, and they will be added back in shortly. There was an issue with off-site file hosting. Stay tuned for updates when this sneak-peek footage will be added back in.]

Character specific victories and defeats are also on their way, but there's just so many of them that they'll have to come in future batches.

As we've been focused on content creation (storymode maps, matchmaking functionality and mapping tool refinement) ingame bug fixes and balancing will be RELATIVELY light this time around, with more focused changes coming in afterwards. This is not to say there are zero significant changes, just not as many as there otherwise could have been. In addition to this, @Anukan has been keeping y'all relatively up to speed with his posts regarding mapping + brand new spritework, so you're likely to see things coming in from that end as well. I'm quite excited to show the new look for Reine!
I can’t wait to see what this next update has in store and to hear all those new voice lines! Hype! ^^
 

gatorafan

HOLAS: (tm)
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
238
567
Ship02: Ur
nightarks.enjin.com
I'm also attempting to introduce a clean way to skip intros for those with a MIGHTY NEED TO GO IN.
I didn't know Rich Homie Quan played this game.





So if I'm reading this post right next patch is going to be a bunch of animations and dialogue (with more coming later) + Predators 2.0 (now even hungrier) with Matchmaking update coming up next, right?
 

Lurk

Well-Known Member
Feb 17, 2018
234
266
Yes, Arizona actually just got a ton of updates to her animations to give her expressions, fixing up partially completed animations like that one are absolutely on the list

(believe me, that's bothered me for a lonnggg time too)
Thanks for the response. Looking forward to using Arizona again when those are fixed.
 
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SmokeRulz

Where there is smoke, there is fire!
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
356
525
Now, depending on the length of player 1's intro, player 2 will also slip in their own intro of relative length, now with and additional 81 lines of character-specific calls and/or responses.
OH LAWDY LOO

Oh man these Tian lines though. :ollielove:

Character specific victories and defeats are also on their way, but there's just so many of them that they'll have to come in future batches.
Now these are sure to be epic.

Thanks a lot for the update!
 

Redness

The Class Pet
Oct 17, 2016
372
2,266
Fœnum
www.youtube.com
I'm not the person to ask lore questions, though there'll be a little bit more inter-personal (inter-...ungulatal?) tendencies revealed in coming updates through voice lines. (you could bother @Anukan about it, he always has hilarious takes on things that may or may not actually be canon)




Ah yes, we've been hunkering down to focus on bigger things once again. This patch was going to be a much much smaller one just tossing in a bug fix or two and the updated predators i posted about earlier, but since then we've focused on a bit more polish/back-end fixes and making ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that the matchmaking system works as well as it possibly can for its first release. @beta will be providing more details on that ASAP. There is a lot more to this kind of thing than 'press-button-leg-drop-the-first-connection-that-comes-in' and it's been quite a bit of eye-opening fun seeing how many edge cases have to be accounted for to avoid players having a bad time.

I've also been working with @Leedin to bring in the rest of our intros and victory animations, all tediously fully lip synced! For the first batch we took care of the individual generalized intros, and only player 1 would speak, with player 2 silently filling in with silence of a set length. Now, depending on the length of player 1's intro, player 2 will also slip in their own intro of relative length, now with and additional 81 lines of character-specific calls and/or responses. The characterization is an important part of this game (and of this entire genre, really..) and as we bring in more of the lines we have recorded, you all can get to know a bit more about how some of these characters ACTUALLY view eachother (hint: it's not all hugs and..uh...sprinkles?...apples and rainbows?..............friendly.)

Here are a few examples:

Curiosity grills the cow
Mirrors can also be exciting

These should make for more personal, wordy intros while carefully avoiding/mitigating the issue of extending the current match start wait time. (I'm also attempting to introduce a clean way to skip intros for those with a MIGHTY NEED TO GO IN. I cannot make promises for this particular patch though.)

Victory outro animations (also lip synced) have also been introduced. After such a serious workout, our fighters should never be as stiff as they have been up to now. (Except Velvet, she's a cheater)

Here are a few examples:

Toldja so
You may have been defeated by a flame noodle this time, but the soul still burns

Character specific victories and defeats are also on their way, but there's just so many of them that they'll have to come in future batches.

As we've been focused on content creation (storymode maps, matchmaking functionality and mapping tool refinement) ingame bug fixes and balancing will be RELATIVELY light this time around, with more focused changes coming in afterwards. This is not to say there are zero significant changes, just not as many as there otherwise could have been. In addition to this, @Anukan has been keeping y'all relatively up to speed with his posts regarding mapping + brand new spritework, so you're likely to see things coming in from that end as well. I'm quite excited to show the new look for Reine!
Ok, these videos just sent the hype train into maximum overdrive :ollielove:
 

Delusional Dreamer

Dreamer of Delusional Dreams
Sep 29, 2016
258
784
The Moon.
steamcommunity.com
I'm not the person to ask lore questions, though there'll be a little bit more inter-personal (inter-...ungulatal?) tendencies revealed in coming updates through voice lines. (you could bother @Anukan about it, he always has hilarious takes on things that may or may not actually be canon)




Ah yes, we've been hunkering down to focus on bigger things once again. This patch was going to be a much much smaller one just tossing in a bug fix or two and the updated predators i posted about earlier, but since then we've focused on a bit more polish/back-end fixes and making ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that the matchmaking system works as well as it possibly can for its first release. @beta will be providing more details on that ASAP. There is a lot more to this kind of thing than 'press-button-leg-drop-the-first-connection-that-comes-in' and it's been quite a bit of eye-opening fun seeing how many edge cases have to be accounted for to avoid players having a bad time.

I've also been working with @Leedin to bring in the rest of our intros and victory animations, all tediously fully lip synced! For the first batch we took care of the individual generalized intros, and only player 1 would speak, with player 2 silently filling in with silence of a set length. Now, depending on the length of player 1's intro, player 2 will also slip in their own intro of relative length, now with and additional 81 lines of character-specific calls and/or responses. The characterization is an important part of this game (and of this entire genre, really..) and as we bring in more of the lines we have recorded, you all can get to know a bit more about how some of these characters ACTUALLY view eachother (hint: it's not all hugs and..uh...sprinkles?...apples and rainbows?..............friendly.)

Here are a few examples:

Curiosity grills the cow
Mirrors can also be exciting

These should make for more personal, wordy intros while carefully avoiding/mitigating the issue of extending the current match start wait time. (I'm also attempting to introduce a clean way to skip intros for those with a MIGHTY NEED TO GO IN. I cannot make promises for this particular patch though.)

Victory outro animations (also lip synced) have also been introduced. After such a serious workout, our fighters should never be as stiff as they have been up to now. (Except Velvet, she's a cheater)

Here are a few examples:

Toldja so
You may have been defeated by a flame noodle this time, but the soul still burns

Character specific victories and defeats are also on their way, but there's just so many of them that they'll have to come in future batches.

As we've been focused on content creation (storymode maps, matchmaking functionality and mapping tool refinement) ingame bug fixes and balancing will be RELATIVELY light this time around, with more focused changes coming in afterwards. This is not to say there are zero significant changes, just not as many as there otherwise could have been. In addition to this, @Anukan has been keeping y'all relatively up to speed with his posts regarding mapping + brand new spritework, so you're likely to see things coming in from that end as well. I'm quite excited to show the new look for Reine!
Woohoo! I absolutely can't wait!
 

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
...So if I'm reading this post right next patch is going to be a bunch of animations and dialogue (with more coming later) + Predators 2.0 (now even hungrier) with Matchmaking update coming up next, right?
Correct, lots of little annoying animation/state change issues are being cleared up this time around, and the first version of matchmaking is being hard focused to be the main component of this upcoming patch

Any plans to lip synch the taunts? Also curious if lvl 3s are still gonna be a thing. :arismile2:
There are no plans to lip sync taunts, since those are meant to be simple, generic loops

level 3's are still gonna be a thing, they remain super late to the party entirely due to other animations taking top priority. We're actively trying not to introduce more cardboard to the game, afterall!

..Perhaps cardboard versions of what they will become could be a thing i post at some point in the future (no promises, though that sure sounds like one)
 

Brutus

Crowdfund Backer
Crowdfund Backer
Feb 4, 2016
44
87
..Perhaps cardboard versions of what they will become could be a thing i post at some point in the future (no promises, though that sure sounds like one)
Pap stealing Oleander's glasses and presenting the cardboard level 3s like a slideshow when
 

Valsion

Well-Known Member
Feb 24, 2018
62
181
You know, cardboard versions of the main characters might be a fun idea for an alternate skin. Maybe one where everything is entirely made of cardboard. Granted, I think those skins should be unavailable in matchmaking since it would be pretty hard to read wtf they are doing but for Arcade or Pixel lobby they might be a fun little idea.
 

ty4brawl

Feed b ack
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 4, 2016
480
1,897
FL
discord.gg
You know, cardboard versions of the main characters might be a fun idea for an alternate skin. Maybe one where everything is entirely made of cardboard. Granted, I think those skins should be unavailable in matchmaking since it would be pretty hard to read wtf they are doing but for Arcade or Pixel lobby they might be a fun little idea.
I'd like a cardboard mode too, but I don't think they hold onto it.
 

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
First version of matchmaking, you say. Will ranks be wiped when V2 or another patch for the matchmaking system comes out?
You will keep your medals, and your current rank will go towards your points to a certain limit.

For clarity, what's going to be in this first iteration is just the basic levelling system we showed in our situation update post, with the true skill-based ranking coming in another iteration.

A clearer picture of what i'm talking about (and probably some corrections, as i may be wrong on some details) will come from @beta whenever he makes a post about it
 

Redness

The Class Pet
Oct 17, 2016
372
2,266
Fœnum
www.youtube.com
You will keep your medals, and your current rank will go towards your points to a certain limit.

For clarity, what's going to be in this first iteration is just the basic levelling system we showed in our situation update post, with the true skill-based ranking coming in another iteration.

A clearer picture of what i'm talking about (and probably some corrections, as i may be wrong on some details) will come from @beta whenever he makes a post about it
Alright, sweet!
 

Valsion

Well-Known Member
Feb 24, 2018
62
181
Now, once that patch is done there are story mode and the salt mines remaster. Is there anything else left in planning?
 

Nappy

Mane6 Dev
Mane6 Developer
Now, once that patch is done there are story mode and the salt mines remaster. Is there anything else left in planning?
Oh, certainly! Once all of those things are done, we'll have finally reached a proper 1.0 release. This means (Outside of continued, hyper focused story mode updates) IT'S GOAT TIME

(and other things)

I really miss getting to play around with magic systems and other mechanics on a clean slate. I've learned a lot by now and look forward to showing frequent, funky prototypes here once I get to!
 

edcellwarrior

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
May 27, 2017
2
0
Oh, certainly! Once all of those things are done, we'll have finally reached a proper 1.0 release. This means (Outside of continued, hyper focused story mode updates) IT'S GOAT TIME

(and other things)

I really miss getting to play around with magic systems and other mechanics on a clean slate. I've learned a lot by now and look forward to showing frequent, funky prototypes here once I get to!
Are backers ever going to get the “Best Of” edition of the digital soundtrack?
 

Valsion

Well-Known Member
Feb 24, 2018
62
181
Oh, certainly! Once all of those things are done, we'll have finally reached a proper 1.0 release. This means (Outside of continued, hyper focused story mode updates) IT'S GOAT TIME

(and other things)

I really miss getting to play around with magic systems and other mechanics on a clean slate. I've learned a lot by now and look forward to showing frequent, funky prototypes here once I get to!
Oh man, I'm already curious what the goat will be like.
 

inknail

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 8, 2016
21
28
Are backers ever going to get the “Best Of” edition of the digital soundtrack?
I'm pretty sure we did? If you had the digital soundtrack tier or above it should be in your backerkit account. At least it's in mine.
 
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