Hi guys I hope you are enjoying the mod (Gametype)
I thought I'd post about the future of Noontide and the current mechanical framework it functions under.
MSU Contest Phase 4
Next phase Noontide will move into a proper single player experience and among the various aesthetic tweaks it will include an improved Defensive Array and a new system going under the acronym ASH.
The Defensive Array is generally Noontide's core gameplay innovation. The Defensive array's design goal is to have the player focused on choosing the defensive method that will incur the most damage to the enemy when presented with a threat.
I guess Resident Evil 4 & 5 are my most recent inspirations for this direction, both games are in my opinion the best modern examples of real-time defensive tactics with weaponry which makes the game as a whole thoroughly engaging even at high levels.
As for Noontide the current state of the defensive array includes elements from various games. Zelda and Devil May Cry 1 have both attack clashing and projectile deflection, though in both cases this is a risk vs. reward system where the player must decide to either deflect for large benefits or simply evade.
Conversely Noontide will provide a number of valid options with tangible benefits. It's my belief that by adding an extra layer of logic behind the defensive system even players of a high skill level will still find a higher level of engagement, rather than simply ensuring their own safety.
Bottom line is its way more badass if you turn the enemy's every attempt to hurt you back onto your opponents.
Attacking in Noontide and Source Code
Of all of Noontide's technical elements, attacking is probably its greatest feature. Our workflow when creating a new attack is a basic three step process, Create the Animation, Insert the Attack's Data, and Expand the Combo Tree
This is achieved through a modified Unreal Tournament Projectile which is attached to the player much like the third person weapon model is. The end result is very similar to a Hitbox in a fighting game.
The Hitboxes in Noontide have clean collision detection with the collision cylinder that Unreal Tournament uses to detect collisions from projectiles. This fact alone made creating attacks with various ranges and areas of effect as simple as creating the actual animation.
It is highly likely that I will create a tutorial on how to create a basic hitbox, or you could try and sift through the compiled script.
Either way if Noontide's design helps you out in anyway, don't forget to credit me and the Noontide Project, and chuck the header comment (provided below) on the top of the relevant files. It's mainly for my own peace of mind and it's the honest thing to do =)
/**
* Attack/defensive mechanics and Collision inspired by Gavin Lo and
* Unreal Tournament 3 modification Noontide released on May 15th 2009
*/Note: Noontide was never developed with net code capabilities, though I do remember testing an old build and it worked.
