- Devlog 3: Updates on Shodo VR Singleplayer Rework - 15 December 2021
It's been a while since the last update... almost half a year. Graduated, got a job, etc... so much to talk about but not enough time!
- Major gameplay changes, huge art upgrade - 28 August 2021
Hey all! It's been a while since the last update, so I'll fill you in on the details of what's been going on. Shodō is going through some big changes in terms of how players experience our core gameplay loop. Currently the game is nothing more than a proof of concept - a testbench of sorts for the select alpha testers to interact with. It's been several months since it's been on steam and no actual gameplay experience ... what's up with that?! So, I've chosen to change my direction towards making what makes the game fun accessible ASAP. As the developer (and primary customer) I want to be addicted to experiencing and building the world of my dreams, not lamenting gamedev hours over networking, balancing stuff, making things hacker-proof. So what does this mean for you, the wishlisters and owners? Shodō is being re-imagined as a single-player experience taking place in feudal japan, with…
- Roadmap announcement and Calibration Revamp - 17 July 2021
This devlog goes over our progress towards the Kickstarter campaign, and some convenient coincidences that let me redefine how players interact with VR environments in my game. VR UI interaction right now is kinda annoying, imo. I took advantage of Shodo's fog system and the casting idea to let players execute commands with the flick of their wrist. Note: This won't be live until I finish working out the little issues here and there. Everyone that owns a copy, please join the discord server, I need testing help. If you don't have a copy, alpha testing has closed for now :( You can join anyways though! Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/shodovr Join the discord: https://discord.gg/BTQTq5n
- Fixed bug which prevented casting in training without preexisting spells - 27 May 2021
Fixed a bug in training mode which prevents training without preexisting spells Rotation no longer triggers the slow time visual Made sure spells visible initially
- Shodō Devlog 1: Ramp-up - 26 May 2021
After many delays, the first devlog has finally been released! Check it out to learn more about Shodo and what we have planned ahead, as well as some of the development tricks I'm using. Join the discord to let me know about bugs, join the closed-alpha program, or just keep up-to-date through the kind-of daily screenshots feed!
- New features, bug fixes - 20 May 2021
New Features: Greatly improved AI Animation Implemented cast-locking, enabling combat casting (simultaneous melee attacking and casting) Implemented weapon passing through bots if it kills them and energy remains Updated strength display system Implemented graphics for time dilation field Bugfixes: Fixed strength unit appearance and relic inversion animation Fixed bot health mask sync with actual health Fixed throwing physics. Completely done. Fixed weapon cast animation so it doesn’t look so weird Fixed relic and weapon team-based color synchronization Fixed bug that prevented dual cast in training scene Fixed bug that caused melee attacks to never touch bot Fixed menu positioning and angling relative to player Known Issues: Bots are too casual, throw weapons backwards and are very passive aggressive Moving close (melee range) to bots causes lag Time dilation field causes lag
- Fixed game-breaking bug, several critical fixes - 15 May 2021
Main patch: Fixed a bug that broke the game and prevented it from running/ rendering correctly Bugfixes: Fixed bug that prevented saving spells Fixed bug that prevented training and vs AI from properly initializing Fixed text being unreadable Dual casted spells can be recorded while in dual mode Fixed duplicated input after moving menu around Fixed target rendering in training scene Fixed training scene UI panel and cast disjointness Fixed menu being weirdly far
- Temporarily Restricting Purchasability - 5 May 2021
Hey all! You might have noticed that the purchase option has been hidden from the Shodō page. This is to guarantee that when players buy the game, they aren't purchasing something incomplete. We want to make sure that players can experience what they paid for, even in Early Access standards. To do this, we will be reverting the game back to closed alpha testing. If you're interested in joining the Alpha program or want to see the incremental updates we're making towards public release, check out the small but growing discord community! discord.gg/BTQTq5n As stated in the earlier announcement, we will also be producing devlogs for monthly updates on game progress. Though right now we're swamped with exams, as soon as they are over we'll do our best to put the first one out. To everyone else with finals, good luck!
- Announcing the start of Shodō Devlogs - 1 May 2021
The first of Shodō's Devlogs has been posted on the Shodō YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZiOn77-oV573Q7zELOm7tw The video gives background on how Shodō came to be, from it's roots in my first 2-year project, HexMaster/Phy Psy. It follows the history from when I thought of it, how deadly scope creep is to gamedev, and how I'm working to prevent it. A devlog covering the general Shodō (formerly Shuuji) content leading up to now is in the works. In the meantime, this video may give better insight into how the other videos on my channel relate to Shodō, and what kind of features may be in stock as the game advances.
- AI implemented, physics upgraded, damage system upgraded - 6 March 2021
The AI system has been implemented! While the bots themselves aren't very smart, and there is little to no animation, this will be changed in future updates. Also, the physics system has been upgraded for disk weapons, and bladed weapons can have their handles bounce off things without sticking into the ground. The sweet/sourspot system has also been implemented, and along with the improved complexity to damage calculation, the damage is more balanced.
- vs AI Revamped - 3 March 2021
The coming update brings with it the first exposure of players to the neural-network based intelligent enemies. Using Unity's state-of-the-art reinforcement learning package, this month was invested into developing the first enemy brain, and with great success. First, let's talk about the AI combat game mode. Players are presented with knives, tomahawks, and large axes scattered throughout the battlefield. In this mode, players fight against intelligent agents which know how to grab and throw weapons at the player. The first generation of enemies only know how to throw the 3 blade weapons, which the stage is populated with; it will ignore other weapon types, if the player spawns them. Your advantage in this mode is your ability to summon and store weapons, your close-quarters melee abilities, as well as your territory dependent abilities - time contraction and space dilation. Your disad…
- Warping and Weapon Sound Effects - 31 January 2021
- Added an air resistance sound effect for when you swing around weapons - Added warping (Right controller thumbstick down to start, up/release to stop) - Multiple small bugfixes
- Graphics Improvement Update - 25 January 2021
Waterfalls, forests, ferns, oh my! This update brings lush grass, trees, vegetation, and rocks to the battle arena, conforming to the subtle, focused theme of this game. Some players may experienced increased lag. This will be patched soon. It also includes a (very) experimental vs AI mode, where you will battle some dummy bots. The purpose of this mode is to solidify the general game play players will face. Each of the 5 lanterns is a "relic." Upon killing an enemy, the nearest relic will absorb their soul, increasing your team's influence that the relic emits. The above image shows three relics, of which two (the blue ones) are currently controlled by the enemy, while the other orange one is controlled by you. Relics emit an "aura" based on how many souls it contains, which creates a visible border between which the terrain is divided into dark and light territories. This image captur…
- Upcoming Features - 5 December 2020
Finally free from exams. Now I have the time to add all the stuff I want. A huge update: I'll be implementing Tilt Brush's brush graphics, so see some greatly improved visuals! Also, the calibration system is pretty flawed, and I'll be fixing that with some new ways to calibrate your body more easily. After I finish up on the avatar calibration issues, and that one problem where your hand goes missing, it's onto the interesting stuff. One major mechanism I'll be implementing is the multiplayer combat system: The map is divided into an inverted side and a non-inverted side. While on the side that isn't your color, you have the power to dash/warp. This means you can dash up to the enemy player and strike them, or dodge away. However, while in the enemy grounds, your weapons decay over time, preventing spawn killing and cornering from being effective. While you're on your color, you can't…
- Roadmap - 3 November 2020
The current state of the game: Currently in Shuuji, single-player Sigil binding, simple casting testing, and avatar calibration are functional in the released version. I have two major updates in the works: 1) Single player combat training grounds 2) Steam peer-to-peer combat Details Single player combat training grounds are currently being designed. Here's what will be available with the next big update: Training to deceive your opponent: Combat Training: BindingWeapons A training environment where you get to test Pre-built sigil corpuses, as inspiration to create your own language of magic. Part 1: Shape Binding A basic set of shapes bound to weapons. Easy to remember and cast, but also easy for your enemy to learn in combat. Shape binding will help you discover which of its successors - symbolic and sequential - you want to focus on. Part 2: Symbolic Binding A set of more complex sym…
- To Those Who Purchased the Game - 2 November 2020
Firstly, thank you! It's both amazing and kind of frightening, but I saw that on the first day of this game's release, I already had customers. Which is nuts! It's very important to note though, that this game is very alpha. Like, VERY ALPHA. Everything you see in the videos, you can play. I guarantee this 100%. I'm also pretty sure that this will be the best throwing physics you've ever experienced. Because it's based on actual mechanics. So alpha, that there's a dedicated alpha testing server, where you can keep in track with what's going on, and let me know about the countless bugs here and there. You can find the discord here: discord.gg/BTQTq5n Also, feel free to message me!
