Hi everyone, welcome to our third dev blog!

In this blog post, we will be going over the core combat mechanics, as well as an in-depth look into one of the Hunter classes! Stick through to the end for the full combat video! As a quick refresher, each Hunter in Laxidaze will have a specific class that has access to certain weapons and armors. Each weapon has its own set of abilities. In case you missed our Q&A, here's the full list of Hunter classes:

Protean: The jack-of-all-trades of the classes. The benefit of this class is that it can specialize into any of the other classes. This is the main player's class.

Beastmaster: This class specializes in befriending and battling with Nanims.

Engineer: This class specializes in technical abilities as well as tech-focused weapons.

Nanomancer: This is the "Mage" class. This class focuses on dealing with elemental damage and excels at large area-of-effect attacks.

Panzer: This is the "Tank" class. A Panzer class hunter will have more defense-focused attributes while also being able to deal massive damage.

Phantom: This class of hunters will have stealth and high single target damage at its disposal. This is the "Assassin" class of hunter.

Combat Mechanics

Laxidaze will feature real-time 3rd person ability based combat. Weapons in this game will each have their own respective abilities/move sets and can be either ranged or melee. Players will have a basic attack that charges their ability meter (Nano-Meter) and the players use these charges to perform various abilities.

Tactical Mode

In addition to real-time combat, the game will also feature a Tactical Mode. This allows the player to slow things down and think through their strategy in the middle of combat. Entering Tactical Mode slows downtime within the game and allows the player to select their next move, as well as their next target. Below is a gif outlining the flow of Tactical Mode within our combat system, the gif shows the player entering the Tactical Mode, selecting an ability & target, and finally using the ability.

Team Battles & Summons

The combat system also features Team Battling and Nanim Summoning. The typical battle that you may encounter, involves your hunter and up to 2 squad mates. On top of that, you are able to summon Nanims throughout the battle by using the Summoning Meter. You will be able to build your Summoning Meter in the following ways: receiving damage, dealing damage, and gradually over time. Your hunter will be able to summon certain Nanims depending on how full the Summoning Meter is, with more powerful Nanims requiring more of the meter. Your squad mates will also be able to summon their Nanims. Throughout the battle, you will be able to switch between your various squad mates and Nanims. When you control a different character you will have access to their full moveset and combat will function the same. We will release more info on Team Battles and Nanim Summons in an upcoming Dev Blog!

Nano-Sync

The life of a Hunter often revolves around fighting dangerous enemies, human and Nanim alike. As such, Hunters in Cascadia need to be as prepared as possible, with some Hunters going as far as undergoing the often fatal procedure of Nano-Synchronization. The procedure is a series of injections of supercharged Nano-Bytes into the bloodstream which rapidly replicate which results in either, death or enhanced physical abilities (including strength, stamina, health, etc.). A person who successfully undergoes Nano-Synchronization develops their own unique ability.

In the case of the main character, their Nano-Sync ability is called "Blink". Using Blink allows the player to perform a short range teleport, often use for dodging incoming attacks or for closing the gap between yourself and the enemy. Over the course of the game, the player will be able to upgrade their own and their squad mates' Nano-Sync abilities. Below are two gifs showing the Blink ability.

Hunter Class: Engineer

In the world of tomorrow, technology reigns supreme - at least that's what every Engineer will tell you. The Engineer class specializes in all things technology, which allows them greater proficiency with tech based weapons and armors.

Weapon and Armor

The R4-BB1T prototype suit: Engineer class Hunter suit, excellent in rapid stamina recovery. Perfectly suited for those on the move. This suit gives a decent amount of protection for how light it is, it has resistances to Electric and Alloy type attacks.

The Nano-Crossbow: standard Engineer type crossbow that fires supercharged Nano bolts and inflicts Nano damage.

Ability #1 - Nano Grenade

The Hunter throws a grenade filled with volatile Nano-Bytes that explode upon impact and deal a moderate amount of Nano damage to the target.

Ability #2 - Heal

The Hunter overloads the self-repairing mechanism of the crossbow to heal themselves. This ability heals a small amount of health over time and removes any negative status effects.

Ability #3 - EM Bolt:

The Hunter fires an electromagnetic bolt that damages and stuns targets on hit. This attack is specifically powerful against robotic enemies and Alloy type Nanims.

Ultimate Ability - Droid Assault:

The Hunter summons a fleet of autonomous battle droids that hone in on the nearest target and release a barrage of Nano bolts. After their target is defeated, the droids will continue their assault on the next nearest target. After 10 seconds, the droids will return home and leave the battlefield.

Full Combat Video

Thank you for reading and watching! Make sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for notifications on when we release our Dev Blogs. Next time we'll be going further in-depth into the combat system and showcasing the next Hunter class!

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Catch ya soon!