Hello everyone!
I just finished the ION cannon, the second add-on for the Component Tower. It is an energy weapon that fires a large energy projectile which deals damage is able to paralyze its target.
I also extended the damage system for more tactical possibilities.
Damage system:
Every unit now has its basic set of hitpoints (HP) plus an optional armor bonus depending on the hit location. The armor bonus is distributed across front, side and rear armor sections. For reasons of balancing I decided that the minimum damage taken is always 1 HP even if the armor bonus is greater than the damage inflicted. Instead of heavily armored units becoming invulnerable to small weapons fire, they take a small amount of damage and can be destroyed with patience.
To introduce some tactical gameplay, the armor bonus may vary between the three armor sections. For example, the basic tank currently has a front armor bonus of +5 HP, a side armor bonus of +2 HP and no rear armor bonus at all. Although the tank will automatically try to face its target with its strong front armor it can easily get surrounded by fast moving smaller units which then can concentrate their fire on its weak rear section. This tactic requires some micro-management but is actually really fun to play. Below is a short list of other features of the new damage system.
- damage types for different effects on target are introduced
- units can absorb ion energy when hit by ion weapons
- absorbed ion energy is reduced over time depending on a unit specific recovery factor
- when unit specific ion energy level is reached, target gets paralyzed and it takes much longer to recover
ION cannon:
The ION cannon is the second add-on for the Component Tower. It is an energy weapon that fires a large energy projectile which deals damage and increases the targets ion energy level on impact.
This weapon has a slow firing rate and high power demand but is highly effective when used to paralyze heavily armored units, making them vulnerable to attacks on their weak spot.
It is useful to counter light armored but maneuverable units as they may get paralyzed on first hit.
What's next?
Next, I will overhaul the game interface and begin to work on the mini-map. I have some ideas for new map assets and some power-ups as well.
Stay tuned for more!
Dennis
