Special Preview - A Missing Piece to Combat (Patreon)

I've been working on something secret behind the scenes for quite some time now. I'm still not going to go fully in depth just yet as more work needs to be done, but as you can see in the screenshot provided this system is already implemented in game, and functional.

But what IS this system? This is what I would refer to as the missing piece to Project Red.

Let me state bluntly first, combat wasn't working. Like it wasn't working even a little bit. As I'm sure you're aware, combat was a combination of various mechanics and concepts inspired by different sources. But the meat of it was heavily inspired by Persona. And that core, with weaknesses, and extra turns and all that, works GREAT...in Persona. A game where you will actively have a wide roster of characters with which to use.

But in Project Red, the vast majority of the gameplay focuses on a single party member. This presented a number of problems. See in theory it should have been fine. Because if it worked like Persona, when Red fought a Shroom, they would each get 1 turn to take an action. Each being able to exploit the other for an extra action. But as you know, a Shroom doesn't get 1 turn in my game. It gets 4. 1 per limb. And so there is no balance. That is why certain skills, like First Aid, do not cost Red's turn to use. Because otherwise the game would quickly become unplayable. And yet being able to heal yourself at any time with no real cost...well that just makes the core gameplay loop trivial.

I was well aware of these problems. Which is why I made the decision to scrap essentially everything that I had built and start over. It's not the first time after all. When I realized the game itself wasn't going to work we got the jump to 1.0 where I updated every visual component and enhanced the story. The combat system I chose though, ended up being deeply flawed. And while I tried fixing it with various updates there was never going to be a way to fix it without restarting.

So with all that being said, let me introduce you to a major component of the game going forward. One that will reshape your entire experience with these systems. The Arcana system. Each of the Major Arcana can be equipped to Red to change her class/job. Each Arcana has it's own list of skills, specializing in different areas, and their own weaknesses that enemies can exploit and take advantage of. Now this system alone does not FIX combat. But it does allow me to rebuild combat around this system. A turn economy and enemy movesets can all be built around these classes and their functions. And the skill list can be heavily streamlined so that recognizable skills are shared between Playable characters and enemies.

Now this is just an early preview. So I won't be breaking down all the ins and outs of this system, nor the new combat just yet. But I did want to leave you with just a little teaser of some of the big changes that are on the way.

Does this impact existing systems, such as the various goddess related skill trees? Weapon skills or magical items?

Great question! None of the above mentioned systems will be significantly altered no. Some skills will be updated or replaced, however these systems are all meant to feed into each other, offering an enormous jump in player expression and character customization.

Want to use an Arcana with a focus on hard hitting physical attacks? Pair it up with some magic rings to cover areas that Arcana alone doesn't. Or stick with the Fool as it covers all the basics of combat, and supplement it with some damaging attacks from the Bloodlust skill tree. With 22 unique classes to pick from, and a wide range of unique weapon skills, magic accessories and 3 different skill trees to pick and choose from, the theme of choices in Project Red has never been more important to combat than it will be in the full 2.0 release.

Thank you for your patience and support. I truly hope you look forward to 2.0 later this year.