Dev Update 4: version 0.0.6 and keyboard & mouse support

Hello again. Today marks the release of Project Magic version 0.0.6 and in this update comes with some of the systems that I have discussed in previous devlogs.  Along with it are some features that I have worked on over the past month. These include an interaction system which opens up several actions that the player can do. One of which is interacting with NPCs that offer dialog. There is also the first implementation of attacks and damage to enemies as well as a full implementation of keyboard and mouse support. Below is a video of keyboard and mouse working along with the interaction system working.

Interaction System:

The interaction system is an early iteration of a framework that allows the player to interact with different objects within the game. The way it was implemented was so that your Party members can interact with these objects on their own or if you tell them to (though the AI systems needed to make this work is yet to be implemented). The system as mentioned earlier allows for the ability to have the player character interact with NPCs. This part of version 0.0.6 is a last minute addition so I do not expect it to be that well tested.

KeyBoard Support:

Keyboard support is something that I have been pondering since the reboot of this game. I was just not too sure how to go about implementing it. Originally I was contemplating on doing a virtual thumbstick which allows the mouse to interface with the repositioning command similarly to how it works on controller. I realized that this specific implementation would require a lot of extra testing to make it feel at least somewhat comfortable to use. Then it came to me. Why not have the mouse reposition them using a more CRPG/MOBA style way of navigation. After some fiddling I got the system to work and it works pretty well. There are some additions to how the camera operates when this system is enabled as a concession. For instance, whenever the command buttons are pressed the camera will now point downwards slightly to allow the player to see the area at which they can reposition their allies. Now that the work is done all future updates of this project will have full keyboard support.

Patch: 0.0.6 Change list:

• Mannequin
• Dummy Enemy
• Target Detection System
• Target Reticle UI
• Camera Rotation Constraints
• Virtual Camera System | Initial Version
• NPC Navigation Framework | NPC movement
• Party Command | Target
• Party Command | Follow
• Party Command | Hold
• Party Command | Reposition
• Character Rotation
• Action Graph - basic implementation
• Interaction System
• Simple Enemy (done)
• HitBox/HurtBox System
• New Party Manager
• Adapt Input Manager to new Action Graph character
• Interactable NPCs
• Keyboard Support

Rounding up this update:

This update kind of marks a turning point for me (or at least that is how I feel). A lot of core systems and ideas that need to be seen working together are now done and I can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. I grow ever closer to a working vertical slice of the game envision. Stay tuned for more updates on Project Magic