Mechanic I: Sprinting

A new mechanic that I have put into this demo is sprinting. In my previous demo, some of the feedback that I received was the player took quite some time from getting to different points.

With this, I added a small change to the player’s moveset, allowing them to sprint when unarmed by holding down LEFT SHIFT while inputting a directional key (W, A, S or D).

For a moment, I also considered adding a stamina bar like the one featured in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but for this demo, I decided against it as it would require to much time.

The player can break into a sprint from walking by holding a button while moving.

Mechanic II: Attacks

The combat in Seeds of Conflict should feel flashy and pleasing when the player lands hits. Attacks are split into three categories:

Mechanic III: Abilities

Abilities are a key gameplay mechanic that allows players to customize their combat abilities. Abilities, which consist of strong non-elemental and elemental attacks, can be used during battle to damage enemies, heal damage taken, or otherwise affect the tide of battle.

Abilities are acquired throughout the game and can be equipped into Ability Slots (See UI), allowing the player to access and use them effortlessly in battle. After use, each Ability has a cooldown period, with more powerful Ability requiring longer cooldown times.

ABILITIES are categorised by rarity and power into three tiers: Basic, Advanced, Master and Darkos.

Mechanic IV: Darkos

Some abilities and weapons in the game possess a unique and ominous trait known as ‘Darkos’. These abilities and weapons are immensely powerful, capable of unleashing devastating attacks and overwhelming force against enemies. When Ka'Sipho wields a Darkos weapon or activates a Darkos ability, he taps into a dark, forbidden force that greatly enhances his combat prowess. This power surge allows him to deal significantly increased damage, outmatching many of his adversaries with ease. Though, this advantage is not without consequence…

Terra from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep using the ‘Sacrifice’ COMMAND, a powerful attack that works similarly to Darkos abilities by subtracting from the character’s HP ‘sacrificing’ a portion of his HP to perform the attack.

For instance, some Darkos abilities might drain a portion of Ka'Sipho's life force, reducing his health even as he deals out massive damage. This forces the player to weigh the benefits of its use against the potential risk to his survival. Similarly, Darkos abilities may sap Ka'Sipho's stamina, lower his defences, or even inflict debuffs on him after use, making him more vulnerable to enemy attacks or impairing his ability to fight effectively.

Darkos Charges concept.

As Darkos weapons have a significant boost in damage, there are limitations to ensure that player’s cannot abuse this power. For balancing purposes, Darkos weapons are typically secondary weapons that Ka’Sipho can wield.

These secondary weapons instead use Darkos Charges that are used up per hit. When the charges are depleted, they will enter a cooldown state until they can be used again.

Mechanic V: MARKS

MARKS are feature that I had briefly touched upon in my Game Design Document for the original version of the game. In this version, weapons, shields & armour/clothing have slots (Number of slots depends on rarity) that can be fitted with materials (MARKS) which adds passive effects and stat boosts to Ka’Sipho. MARK types are separated into three categories: