Version 0.20 : Combat, Unit AI, Stances

Changes

Hey guys! Been a little since our last update; however rest easy, we've been hard at work on version 0.20. There are a few things that we still have coming in regards to this update (ballista towers, walls, abilities! ːsteamthisː), but the meat of it is here!

Unit AI Update

The new AI engaging

The biggest change you'll notice in 0.20 is regarding unit AI. We've completely changed unit decision making and target acquisition in order to make them smarter and more reactive across the board. Units will now approach with shield raised, charge wielding two handers, play defensively if low on health or poise, and back off and regain stamina when winded. Gone are the times when you could just run up and attack a group of enemies from behind without them noticing; they'll notice you and be rightfully angry!

Units will now attack structures properly; they'll move on from one segment in a building when it's ablaze, and will move on to new structures when their current target is burned down.

Archers on the wall!

Archer AI has been fixed up a lot; we've also given them the ability to hold position using stances. This is especially useful when defending the walls in the wave defense mode!

Stances

With the addition of enhanced unit AI, we've also added in stances to units that will effect their behavior. You can choose from 3 stances at the moment :

Aggressive - Units will always charge and will attack more often, even when low on health.

Defensive - Units will always approach with shield or weapon raised; they will be more likely to block in all situations. Archers will hold position and not chase opponents (Useful for walls!)

Balanced - Units will try to be versatile; will balance offense and defense depending on their own status. Will charge with two handers, approach defensively with shields.

Changing stances is easy; all you need to do is select your units and click on the stance order. This will toggle between stances for all units selected, so be careful!

Blocking and Holding Attacks

Blocking is something we've been itching to get to, as it's been neglected since way before launch. We've finally revisited blocking to make it a lot better balanced; now each shield has a hitbox, AI units will block, and all blocking animations have been properly fitted for gameplay. Being broken from a blocking status will now leave you vulnerable and will not recoil the attacker.

The new charged attacks allow for a bit more strategy

We've also added functionality in for charged attacks. Holding the attack button for your first attack in a combo will result in you "charging" your attack, and releasing your mouse will initiate the attack animation. We have a lot more coming for this, including power bonuses for charged attacks, so stay tuned!

Wave Defense Loot!

Epic loot!!!

Wave defense has gotten a lot of changes! Primarily, Overlords will now drop items on death for you to loot. Higher difficulties will guarantee better loot; and past battalion 3 the overlords will always drop a legendary item. We've added in some cool new items to make this change a bit more fun, so happy hunting ;)

We've also rebalanced the amount of enemies once again, especially in multiplayer scenarios.

Better Feedback

Some of the new effects we've been working on

In order to better show what's going on with attacking, fire fighting, or repairing