May 31

Dreadshot - ZenDev

Hello to everyone who follows Dreadshot! Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time to sum up the results of spring, or more precisely, what happened with the game during the spring period. A lot has happened, but let's take it one step at a time.

As usual, let's discuss which of the previously set goals were achieved this season:

At least 1 mid-range weapon
Add all missing objects to the map editor
Music system
1-2 more enemy NPCs, in addition to WMPv1

I crossed out two of the four goals. But the catch is that they are not fully implemented, they are currently only at the concept stage. I crossed them out because coming up with a complete concept is the most difficult part of adding new content, at least for me personally.
In addition to the tasks that were set, other work was also done in the game (and outside of it):

Kill reload system
WMPv1 AI optimization
Dynamic camera when moving sideways
Updated Steam page
Many different sounds have been changed and added
Added the ability to blow up an enemy's flying projectile with a revolver shot
Updated UE version from 5.4.4 to 5.5.4
Added speed rings
Created models for new enemies: WMPv2 and WMBOmB (working title)
Completely remade the revolver and pistol
Reworked the animation system for weapons
Created a concept for a new mid-range weapon: Rail AK-72 (working title)
In early/mid-spring, active work was underway on TikTok to promote the game

Yes, a lot of third-party work was done. Let me tell you about the most interesting points from the list above.

Kill reload system

The reload system is designed to solve two problems: reloading itself (namely its long animations) and the use of only one weapon. The system works in such a way that if you don't have a full magazine in your weapon, and you switch to another weapon, then kill an enemy with it, the ammunition is automatically restored on all weapons. Thus, if you constantly change weapons and kill enemies with different weapons, reloading will not be a problem for you, and you will be able to increase your effectiveness in combat.

Dynamic camera when moving sideways

I won't hide it: this improvement was blatantly taken from Ultrakill. But it fits so well with the dynamics of the gameplay that I really wanted to include it. Of course, you can disable it (or enhance it) if you don't like the standard sway.

Standard sway:

Without sway:

х2 sway:

Acceleration rings added

Acceleration rings are another element of the environment that can be used to move around the map efficiently. The ring always gives momentum in the direction of the player's gaze. It doesn't matter where the player was moving before flying through the ring — they will always receive momentum in the direction of their gaze, whether it's down or up. Due to the fact that these rings knock down aim on targets, they are unlikely to be used often in combat arenas, but will rather be used in parkour segments between arenas.

Models created for new enemies: WMPv2 and WMBOmB

WMPv2

WMPv2 is a logical continuation of WMPv1. It is a very similar model with almost identical behavior. The only difference is the firing rate. While WMPv1 fires a single-shot blaster that needs to be reloaded for 5 seconds after each shot, WMPv2 fires an automatic blaster and fires a burst of bullets for several seconds before reloading. It has not been implemented in the game yet, only the model exists, but in essence, adding it will not be difficult, since its AI is very similar to WMPv1.

WM_BOmB

WM_BOmB is an amusing case, by the way. During one of my sick days, while running a high fever, I had a dream about this head on legs with dynamite in its teeth, and I realized that it would actually make an excellent enemy. It will encourage the player to move around more and stand still less, because if the player stays in one place, WM_BOmB will run up and explode.
WM_BOmB will also have various other uses. For example, it can be kicked with your foot, and it will fly in the direction of the camera's gaze and explode at the point where it stops (whether it's an enemy or a wall). Or you can just shoot it, and it will explode immediately with one shot.

Completely remade revolver and pistol

Pistol.

Yes, two weapons have been completely remade. Let's start with the pistol.
The pistol used to be a very ordinary gun with no special features. It wasn't bad, but it was too boring, and most players would probably replace the pistol with any other weapon. But now it's not just one pistol, but two.

The point is that one pistol can automatically target a pre-selected enemy. The player, after targeting the enemy, can press the right mouse button, and the left pistol's crosshair will automatically target the selected enemy, and each shot will deal damage to that enemy, regardless of the player's crosshair. This way, the player can either increase the speed of killing one enemy by reducing the number of potential misses, or shoot at two enemies at once.

Revolver.

The revolver is not yet ready for the game, but some of the mechanics for it have already been created. The point is that previously, the revolver simply fired its entire magazine in a row as an alternative shot. I decided that this was rather boring and not very effective. So I replaced the alternative shot with throwing dynamite. By pressing the right mouse button while using the revolver, the player can throw dynamite. It flies with roughly the same physics as a coin in Ultrakill. The dynamite explodes passively one second after bouncing off the surface. Dynamite will also explode immediately if it is hit by a rocket or an enemy shot, and the explosion will be amplified. Dynamite can also be kicked with your foot, in which case it will fly forward, just like the aforementioned WM_BOmB, and explode immediately upon hitting the surface. In general, dynamite is quite functional, and in the future it will be interesting to combine it with almost any other weapon.
The revolver itself has been redesigned.

Concept created for a new mid-range weapon: Rail AK-72

This assault rifle took too long to create. I understood that everyone loves assault rifles in games: they are versatile and practical. But I needed to make an assault rifle that wouldn't overshadow all other weapons, but would harmonize with the entire arsenal. I'm not sure if I succeeded, but I tried my best, and I will change it in the future if necessary.
In short, I find the mechanics of the machine gun quite interesting. The idea is that when you fire the machine gun, you fill your enemies with potential energy. The more energy they have, the more damage they will take from an alternate shot. An alternate shot is a shot from the rail that consumes half of the machine gun's energy, but deals more damage the more potential charge there is on the enemy.
The two barrels at the bottom are the main barrels, from which the main barrel will fire. They will fire alternately. The design is engineered with “anti-recoil” in mind, so the barrels will slide nicely into the machine gun when firing. By the way, I don't care at all that this will have no effect in real life; I do everything with an emphasis on style, not realism.

What's next?

Next up is the summer period. During the summer, we need to work even harder and focus on polishing what we've added so far, as well as finishing up any unfinished aspects. So, the tasks are:

Music system
Full implementation of the rail AK-72
Full implementation of the new revolver
Full implementation of WMPv2
Full implementation of WM_BOmB
Redesign/rework of the shotgun, BBHML, and katana for the new animation system

The goals are quite modest and, in my opinion, more than achievable. I need to focus on them and strive to create all the conditions necessary to start designing gameplay levels and, along with them, publish an open gameplay test of the game for everyone interested in order to gather more feedback. And so you don't miss it, add the game to your wish list!

Speaking of wish lists... The game is on the wish list of 6,644 people (+1,190).

Thank you all for reading, see you at the end of summer!