Hi there!
We are back with new improvements on Immortal Redneck, more precisely, on our enemies movement. We had some problems concerning how they moved through different heights and how they reacted to another creature in their path, so we implemented two solutions.
In first place, we built a tool to tell the enemies where they had to jump down a ledge if that helped them pursue you.
His main function is to figure out the exact positions creatures have to jump from.
The tool finds out the edges on each plane or object and determines a initial jumping point and a final one, creating an extra link for the object (enemy) that's moving vertically. Here's a comparison between how the warrior fall down without that animation and with it.
OLD ONE
NEW ONE
Another aspect of the enemies' movement that we improved is their still pose and how they interact with each other.
In the beginning, one archer could block a warrior's trajectory because it stood still in front of him before shooting you.
We solved this by making a hole in the mesh each time a enemy stopped moving. Sounds silly, but works beautifully. When an enemy 'notices' that empty space in the mesh, the creature will figure out a new way to reach you. And since each enemy is programmed to follow you through the shortest path, they will change their course just a little so they can avoid it the empty space in the mesh and charge again towards you. It looks really natural, don't you think?
Before implementing this, we considered making different points around the main character so enemies would focus on different points while moving and attacking. It was a little problematic and this other solution we did was just simpler and more effective. We love it when one solution actually solves several potential problems.
We want our game to be silly and funny, but not in a Goat Simulator way, where everything fails around you and you laugh at it. Quality and presentation can be really different depending on the game – Goat Simulator is perfect in its own way and it's great –, and we chose to build a neat experience that, even if our resources are limited, seems solid and unbreakable to the eye.
Something as silly as an enemy not going after you the way you understand it should can really break your fun.