One of the most important things in an effect heavy game like Grimoire is having spells that not only look good, but also read well and are easily understood by new players. One of the pieces of feedback we’ve received multiple times is that sometimes people can’t tell if they hit their target. We have a hit sound and the cross-hair flashes, but when testers told us this wasn’t enough- we agreed.
This week Kyle's been working tirelessly to improve Grimoire's overall effects systems. Now each class has a specific elemental effect that plays on any target they hit. Fire magic sets your target ablaze, Nature generates explosive life energy, Ice creates a frozen effect (admittedly, this one is temporary while we work on some tech), and Lightning sends electricity coursing over your enemies.
New Fire Hit Effect
In addition, there are new range indicators for the sustained damage spells (the ones that emit continuously from your character’s hands.) For now these range indicators are element-appropriate particles that appear at the edge of your spell range and drift in place while your wizard moves. On Fire wizards, for example, holding down left-click will allow you to briefly write with smoke in the air. Our hope is that these slightly longer-lived particles will allow for some depth perception. However, if this isn’t enough we’re considering other options including the classic MOBA indicator, i.e. a decal that is placed on the ground that will indicate your precise range. Ultimately, none of these effects are using final textures and will look much better as we get further in development. Our goal is to make combat in Grimoire feel responsive, coherent, and fun. Spell effects are a big part of that. While certain skills intentionally reduce visibility we’re keeping a close eye on the visual chaos generated by some effects.
New Thunder strike Particles and Effects
This week we've included a download link that includes a single player practice mode and the multiplayer functionality for an alpha test we're running on Sunday 6/15 at 4PM EST. Feel free to come play with us! For more information on our alpha testing or Grimoire, check out our forums!
Excellent work! Only think I think is you could scale up the size of the fire effect inside the palm. It really looks very tiny, as if it was far away. Maybe blur it a little to avoid that scaling effect, too.