A lot of the work going into this next update concerns the Adrenaline System, a new gameplay aspect that requires half the game to be rebuilt from the ground up but also opens up a whole new level of gameplay and tension for the player. It's a new twist on the old D&D formula that helps make July Anarchy Prologue feel like you're playing a completely different game from NWN.
Here's how it works: Every enemy you kill awards you not just with experience, but Adrenaline. Bigger and badder kills mean more Adrenaline. Building up Adrenaline earns you some bonuses to your strength, dexterity, attack rolls, saving throws, and gives you regeneration. The bonuses are small at first, but they stack up as you build up Adrenaline, excelling your character well beyond the limits of his level. The tradeoff: you have to keep fighting to keep your Adrenaline! For every round you are out of combat, your Adrenaline drains quickly until you're back to square one.
Here's the best part: When you build up 100 Adrenaline points, your reach an Adrenaline Rush. Once you hit this Rush, your Adrenaline bonuses are doubled and you are hasted, turning you in to a lightning-fast killing machine! However, once you hit an Adrenaline Rush, your Adrenaline levels are going to drain as though you were out of combat, and will be all over once you run out. The only way to keep an Adrenaline Rush going is to rack up as many big kills in as little time as possible, so while you're virtually invincible, you're also racing against the clock to make it count.
What makes the Adrenaline System such a great addition to July Anarchy Prologue is that it balances out the combat without having to remove the impression that the player is facing impossible odds. The player still doesn't stand a chance against some enemies in his normal state, and so in order to take those enemies out, the player simply targets the weakest enemies he can find, or gets creative and tries to kill stronger enemies with tactics or groups of enemies in one hit. It also encourages players to get more involved in the battles by adding a more immediate sense of progression to each fight. There's still some tweaks to be made, but already the Adrenaline System makes for some addictive, tactical gameplay, and Adrenaline Rushes are freakin' sweet!
Here's a video demonstration of an Adrenaline Rush. Keep in mind this is only to show off how the Adrenaline System works, so I didn't bother grabbing any cool weapons or using many tricks.
