Posted October 23, 2025 by Gore Gone Studio
This update further strengthens the core systems of ETHER GORE, making combat, regeneration, and enemy AI behavior feel more dynamic and immersive. From animations and sound design to stat calculations and balance adjustments, many fundamental aspects of the game have been refined or expanded.
Characters are now fully defined by five core stats: Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, Intellect, and Perception. Each stat has a direct impact on combat, exploration, and progression. The new character creation screen allows players to allocate points and preview derived stats in real time. A new game start system has also been implemented—alongside the regular game mode, there is now a “Test Mode” that allows players to experiment without obstacles. Character creation is now fully integrated into the game start process.
The Fog of War system has been completed, introducing line-of-sight–based exploration where visibility depends on the player’s Perception stat. Discovered tiles remain visible, while sight dynamically updates as the player moves.
The combat system has been heavily overhauled. All attack actions, including misses, now properly play their animations. Each combat outcome—hit, block, parry, or miss—has distinct visual and sound effects. Blood effects only appear on actual damage for better consistency. The new sound system provides unique audio layers for every action and offers cleaner, higher-quality sound output. Sound caching improves performance, and the Attack of Opportunity (AoO) system now uses the same animation and sound logic, ensuring accurate visuals and logging for every attack.
Health regeneration has been reworked into a turn-based system tied directly to the Endurance stat. Each point of Endurance restores 0.1 HP per turn, starting only after three turns without combat. The body part system has also been expanded—each limb now has its own HP pool and regenerates twice as fast as main health. This creates a foundation for future injury mechanics and tactical combat decisions.
Enemy AI has become more intelligent and responsive. Enemies within close range immediately enter hunting mode, while those spotting the player from afar become suspicious. If the player remains in sight for two consecutive turns, enemies escalate to hunting mode; if they lose sight, they revert to patrol. These transitions make AI behavior more natural and reactive, encouraging careful stealth play.
On the interface side, the health bar now dynamically scales to the player’s true maximum HP, and the combat log accurately displays all combat types, regeneration events, and body part recovery. Technically, the sound engine has been optimized, and animation, sound, and damage systems have been modularized for improved performance and reliability.
From a balance perspective, Endurance now provides meaningful sustainability outside of combat. The three-turn cooldown before regeneration prevents mid-fight abuse, and improved audiovisual feedback ensures players can instantly identify combat outcomes. Smarter AI patterns also make stealth and tactical approaches more rewarding.
Future plans include a body part injury system, weapon-specific sound variations, AI communication between enemies, expanded regeneration mechanics based on food and rest, and visual indicators for regeneration.
Five-stat character system: Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, Intellect, Perception
Real-time preview character creation screen
Fog of War system with vision-based map discovery
New game start and test mode integration
Revamped combat animations and effects
Distinct sound design for all combat outcomes (hit, block, parry, miss)
Complete Attack of Opportunity overhaul
Turn-based health regeneration tied to Endurance
Three-turn post-combat regeneration delay
Expanded body part system with individual regeneration
Smarter AI transitions (Patrol, Suspicious, Hunting)
Health bar scaling with actual max HP
Enhanced combat log with detailed regeneration entries
Optimized sound engine and modular code structure
Improved gameplay balance and clearer combat feedback