Strategic Expanse devlog #9 5/31/2024 click/press any key to change screenshots Last devlog: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/953881558/ Wow look at how fancy these devlogs are getting, I decided to make an actual thumbnail for once! (that's definitely the reason where there was a solid 4-month gap between devlogs) Thumbnails aside, I have made the animation engine in (pretty much) all of its glory! Like the skill system, this new iteration of the animation engine is more advanced in multiple ways. I know you can't see a lot of this stuff given these are just pictures (and I can't be bothered to upload a gif lol), but here's a rundown of what I've done for this engine: ~ I've decided to store the frame data (how long to stay on each animation frame) in a list rather than in each costume name. Figured it's a lot easier to edit that way ~ I've added secondary idle animations that units do every now and then (with this test stick figure guy, he takes a breather every now and then). It's a nice touch that breaks up the monotony and brings the game to life a bit more. ~ I added a feature in skill data that makes the unit wait for a certain frame in animation before continuing with the rest of the skill. I used it here with the slash attack so damage is dealt when the slash part of the animation actually happens (rather than at the beginning or end). It's more of an aesthetic choice than anything (isn't that the whole point of animation in the first place?), but it's a nice touch. ~ There's also a loop feature, so if an animation needs to go through some frames multiple times (for example, the character is charging up something) then the engine just loops them. I also added a rudimentary damage indicator. It needs some work in terms of visuals but the code itself works. (That's why I made a new version of my text engine actually!) Overall I'm really happy with this animation engine, and I think it'll serve its purpose well going into the future. Speaking of the future, what am I going to work on next? I think it's time to implement the first hero of the game (again): D̶w̶a̶y̶n̶e̶"t̶h̶e̶ R̶o̶c̶k̶"J̶o̶h̶n̶s̶o̶n̶ Huckleberry! I'm excited to see where and how this goes. But until then, thanks for sticking around everyone! - Huckleberry Some clarifications: ~ This stick figure guy isn't going to be in the game (unless for some reason I decide to have him in but very unlikely). I just drew him quickly for something to test the engine with. ~ I'm not doing pixel art, even though it looks like it on the thumbnail. That's just me converting vector to bitmap for this devlog. Music: by me, made in Musescore 4 SFX from wherever got them
