Dev update 03/14: Fight For The Future! Pre-PAX Fighters Update.

Hello friends! SB here again with a chunky update for March. So we've been balls to the wall with work on the Shot One Fighters Proto- And we are basically at a state where it's ready for PAX East, GDC, and everything in between. The new UI reflects how I feel about it- Fight for the Future, Rebirth Awaits. If this is the direction we need to go, may it be our guiding light.

The video above demonstrates some concepts we'd like to illustrate from the second you boot up the game. A Y2K aesthetic, a stylish score and visual presentation style inspired by a lot of games from around the era. Less was more, live service hadn't degraded gaming into a neverending cash grab and there were unlocks and progression from just playing the game. It was a simpler time and we're leaning into that.

In a few weeks the team is splitting up- I'll be headed to GDC to show off Fighters before rejoining the rest of the team at PAX East end of March to show the prototype off and get some impressions.

Since we last talked there's been a ton of quality of life improvements and additions:

Buster Cannon (Super Move):

While you may have seen previews of the rather cinematic Hyper move known as the Bunker Stampede on Twitter and previous updates- We just added a new category of moves called 'Supers'- Which are one category beneath hyper moves. Quicker to execute and less consuming of bar, it's a quick move that sees Volley use her Buster arms to deliver an explosive blow to the enemy. This was done over the last week or so so you'll see the VFX and other aspects get more polished. We just wanted it in before PAX to give players options.

One thing is that we'll make these moves easy to execute- With it only requiring a shoulder button press instead of complicated inputs.

Bronco Buster (Throw):

A shorter version of the original Bronco Buster, which was deemed far too long and will be relegated to an EX version (Empowered version that costs bar)- This one is way punchier and basically allows your opponent to kiss the dirt. Rigman reanimated some aspects here including the knockdown to give it more punch. 

We just are missing a back throw and grab break animations, which we hope to add soon.

Wall Bouncing (Mechanic):

Certain moves in Fighters will include attributes such as heavy knockback, which can result in a condition known as wallbounce. In this instance, Volley is sent flying by an EX Bunker Dash Punch, which causes her to bounce off the wall and be juggled. Only certain moves will be granted this kind of attribute, but it allows for some rather interesting interactions in stages if you're pressuring someone in a corner. 

Re-Animator: 

Rigman spent the last 40 or so days reanimating every single move from scratch, as we were using proxy anims I did (I'm a pretty ass animator). This accounts for over 70 anims redone from scratch and reimported, and let me tell you it's a night and day difference now in terms of how things move.

The only anim we're missing probably is Volley's forward walk cycle, but every day we basically make micro improvements and are adjusting moves based off playtesting we're doing. Above are some examples of aerial punches and kicks, and all the kinds of variations dependent on if you're jumping vertically or diagonally.

Justin Wong and JM Crofts Give Their Thoughts:

Don't ask how we did this but as of now we have 2 fighting game people attached to the project. Even if it's not announced yet they're already helping us with design and general feedback.  

Not gonna lie we were nervous as hell to hand off an early prototype but the feedback was in general very positive. Myself and Rigman were sweating fucking bullets before these calls but they had some very good feedback to offer that we've already begun integrating. The fact we managed to get some compliments on stuff like the sidewinder (Volley's projectile) and movement feel were huge wins for us.

One of the main points of feedback was move canceling, which basically gives you windows to interrupt normal attacks into other attacks to create combos. Keep this on the D/L.

This is an example of a successful link between 3 moves into a 4 hit combo. Setting up links and cancels properly allows players to easily do combos. In this case it's standing light punch, light punch, medium punch, medium kick. So we're curious to see what people cook up during PAX combo wise. As it's very complex to set up (Each move has around 40-50 variables to account for) you'll probably see these systems evolve and get refined over time.

Who's This? owo 

While we probably won't get to work on a new character till the first one is SOLID, we've already started kitting out ideas on paper for the next few characters from the roster. A certain cuffed character brings some unique challenges, but we already  have some ideas laid out.

Vlad (Due to his timeskip nature) will probably need a proper rebuild model wise to account for the changes to him as a result of events in Shot One Core.

With an emphasis on summoning fiery tornadoes, anti air and sweeping moves- This grumpy character will pack a proper punch. Slower but much more damaging, she'll rely on specific moves to close ground and maintain a wall between herself and opponents. Concepts are by Requin Cobalt.

Updated Menu:

So this brings us to our progress visualized- Compared to the previous update...We have made a decent amount of progress on adding moves to Volley. As of now the only move probably missing in her kit is a leg centric move. We currently have one in mind that will be built following PAX East and based off the feedback of Justin/JM.

Diamond Update (Final Milestone, Manufacturing):

As mentioned in the Diamond Discord Channel, new plushes have entered production as of a few days ago and will be arriving in April. We scrambled to get a bunch of new prototypes made and were set on getting them rolling before the team splits up for East/GDC.

It was a bit of a mess due to Chinese New Year shutting down most manufacturers, but as of this point I'm happy that we have a good candidate in production. I will make a video when we get back showing off every single proto! Thanks to your patience the new ones will be a few inches larger and more detailed. Overall I think you all will be happy. I'll probably have enough prototypes to fill a corner of my office with them at this point! Thanks for your patience.

In Conclusion:

Anyways- Wish us luck with PAX and GDC! We'll be posting updates as they come in Discord and other channels.