Gravity Breakers - New Character GERZIL!

[mayhemking]

Hey, everybody! We're a small indie team making a gravity-defying fighting game. Find out more here http://gravitybreakers.com/ and hangout in our discord server https://discord.gg/EvCP5bX

**Early Access Alpha**

https://gremlin-ent.itch.io/gravitybreakers
**Alpha Gameplay Walkthrough**

**GENERAL FEATURES**
* Zero Gravity Combat
* 1-4 players (free-for-all or teams)
* HD 2D characters
* 3D hand painted Sci-Fi/Fantasy environments

**FUTURE CHARACTERS**

**FOLLOW DEVELOPMENT**
https://trello.com/b/bpskvp6v/gravity-breakers-roadmap]

**Some GIFS**

Thanks everybody :D

 

[skull person]

I'm guessing defend grappling cancels all blockstun and performs a grab like Smash.
I don't think that would work well for this.

Can you throw tech?

Does this game use hitstun deterioration or something else? What stops you from doing String > Dash> String > Dash X Infinity?

How does shield burst work?

Having 3 different ranges for attacks seems a bit much, you'd have to have 3 different moves for each button no?

You could also consider looking into this game for a bit of inspiration:

 

[mayhemking]

I'm guessing defend grappling cancels all blockstun and performs a grab like Smash.
I don't think that would work well for this.

Can you throw tech?

Does this game use hitstun deterioration or something else? What stops you from doing String > Dash> String > Dash X Infinity?

How does shield burst work?

Having 3 different ranges for attacks seems a bit much, you'd have to have 3 different moves for each button no?

You could also consider looking into this game for a bit of inspiration:

DEFEND GRAPPLING
Defend grappling is basically a throw tech. You will be able to hold it down to block any incoming grabs and trigger a throw tech animation (depending on the type of grab you can be positive or negative). You are vulnerable to strikes/projectiles while attempting to defend grappling.

INFINITE PREVENTION
There is a straightforward combo limit of 8 moves that will be indicated under the combo counter.

• Multi-Hitting attacks count as one move. I.E. a move initiated with a single button press that hits x5 only counts as 1 move against the combo limit.
• Performing a Quantum Shift will raise the combo limit to 10 moves. You are only allowed to use a Quantum Shift once per combo.
• Once you reach the combo limit your opponent will become temporarily invincible during hitstun until they return to neutral position. Depending on which attack you end your combo with this could lead to a frame-trap opportunity.

SHIELD BURST
You can perform this ability while neutral, shielding, or dashing. You can also use a Shield Burst while in hitstun (combobreaker).

• Costs Energy (since it's a safe option that doesn’t require any timing)
• Close Shield Burst will push the opponent away (if they are in the blast radius) and leaves both players at neutral advantage
• Far Shield Burst will destroy projectiles and let you recover quickly

TOO MANY RANGES?
It is quite a lot of animation. We have 5 buttons (linear, wide, exotic, armor piercer, super). The first character I plan to implement has roughly 60 animations. Some animations are universal like Idle, Shield, Dash, etc. Some of the animations are variants on other attacks, I.E. clinch jab is a tweaked version of the close jab, etc. Also I'm hoping to use Spine2D to produce skeleton-based animations which should speed up production exponentially.

Thanks for the link dude. Checking it out now.

 

[skull person]

Burst mechanic during hitstun I don't like but oh well.

Spending meter during blockstring gaps while the opponent pressures you is ten times more interesting and requires both players to pay attention compared to "press a button to force your opponent to hit you one more time"

If the limit is just 10 hits, won't every combo be "how can I turn this hit into my most powerful set in stone combo" especially with dash links?

And WOW negative throw tech window.
I've heard of 1/2f throw techs but never having to tech before they even throw you.
So each character will have a 50/50 with hit / throw since you can't block while throw teching?
At that point the armour piercing attack seems overkill.

 

[mayhemking]

Hey thanks for the link. That game has some pretty interesting ideas which I will analyze further.

To answer your questions:

I'm not exactly a fan of combo-breakers myself so that might not stay in. I was just thinking that if the combos get too long or obnoxious a combo-breaker might be necessary.

It's not 10 hits, its 10 moves (multi-hitting attacks count as 1 move). But yes depending on which attack you start the combo with there will be an optimal damage combo. But you will also have the option of ending a combo that keeps your opponent close or far, or ending with a move that has advantage, or resetting and starting a new combo, or link into a grab reset. You can combo into grabs and grabs put you into the Clinch stance where you have access to your most powerful attacks.

Yes, that's correct throws will be dangerous BUT they don't lead into guaranteed damage. When you connect with a standard throw you put your opponent into a clinch state which basically resets the situation. Whoever is in the top position has super beefy attacks with ridiculous properties. The bottom position has weaker attacks but can reverse positions or escape with a good read/timing.

I plan on making Special Throws lead to immediate damage and be comboable like a regular special attack BUT they should be pretty slow, maybe 15 frames. I plan on making a grappler with a strike special and a grab special so his strings become 50/50 guesses. Both attacks would be negative on block and punishable of course.

Also the reason I added Armor Piercing attacks in because there is no high/low/left/right blocking in this game. You can block any strikes from any angle by simply holding the shield button. Of course, you may have a point, throws may be scary enough depending on the frame data...
The other reason I added Armor Piercing attacks is to open up opponents at far range. Hmmm.

 

[skull person]

Chip damage should be the reason you need to not block projectiles from afar rather than relying on some piercing attack imo.

If you make chip damage meaningful for the characters that need to zone, then they will force them to come in or dodge well.

If you don't want people to block all day, proper throws aren't a bad option for creating mix up.

Unblockable attacks in general are super awkward to deal with when balancing imo because you have to create a bunch of exceptions.
Like if you say I can end a combo up close with frame advantage then I can just do that into unblockable and hit them on wake up.

Or I could use some projectile that's slow and use it if they ever block it.

You'd have to have a lot of rules to prevent that junk.

Adding combo breakers to prevent combos from being long is not good reasoning for combo breakers.

You can just limit your combos so that people don't get bored and feel the need to burst.

Here's another touhou fighter which doesn't have throws and you fly around and shoot things at each other and have some proximity normals.

Their combo's are super short and fun and dynamic.

 

[skull person]

Once you get a prototype up and running I'll be sure to take a look at it.

 

[Kai]

Seems cool. I'd play a protoype/demo.

 

[North888]

Reading over everything, I don't know if having a parry function when you already have multiple forms of blocking and bursts and whatnot is a good idea. Generally I frown on having parries outside of things like Perfect Shielding, where you get rewarded for guarding perfectly instead of just being able to outright ignore an attack.

Perhaps for that whole unblockable argument if could be like Melty Blood, where doing a shield at the exact moment of impact with an unblockable would still block or nullify it.

It looks cool, just like there's a bunch of stuff going on. I'd looking into possibly simplifying it a bit.

 

[mayhemking]

Thanks for the feedback everybody!

snip

You make some good points. I've been on the fence about the unblockables and combo breakers so I'm not opposed to throwing it out. Thanks for the link!

Reading over everything, I don't know if having a parry function when you already have multiple forms of blocking and bursts and whatnot is a good idea. Generally I frown on having parries outside of things like Perfect Shielding, where you get rewarded for guarding perfectly instead of just being able to outright ignore an attack.

Perhaps for that whole unblockable argument if could be like Melty Blood, where doing a shield at the exact moment of impact with an unblockable would still block or nullify it.

It looks cool, just like there's a bunch of stuff going on. I'd looking into possibly simplifying it a bit.

Yeah maybe I'll just remove the unblockables... As for Parrying, I was envisioning a sort of mini-game. When you parry an attack your opponent is put into a special stun state where they cannot shield, they can only parry or block throws. So landing a parry puts your opponent into a mixup situation but it isn't guaranteed damage. And you can actually parry each other back and forth if you guess right. Check the 29 sec mark of the vid for an example.

 

[mayhemking]

Here's a mockup design.

 

[mayhemking]

Good news! I've secured a programmer! We will begin work on the prototype shortly. Hopefully, we'll have something to show in a month or two. Meanwhile, I'm painting the main character and getting ready to set him up in Spine2D.

 

[North888]

I'd give it a little more than just a few months. You got an engine for it or are building it from scratch?

 

[Squire Grooktook]

Just wanna say zero-g fighter sounds innovative and rad. More developers should think outside the box.

Don't have time to read all the gameplay stuff, but as someone who also started out with a simple concept and ended up changing/tweaking it for a year straight, be sure to do plenty of research and testing before you commit to anything too funky

^^^
You probably already know this :3

 

[mayhemking]

@North888 We have a solid plan so hopefully we can at least have 1 character semi-functional by then. We're using Unity so it should be possible.

@Squire Grooktook Thanks for the advice dude. I've been doing a TON of research. I've mapped out the move sets for a handful of characters and created a spreadsheet with all of the frame data.

 

[North888]

I look forward to the results. Just remember to be open to outright altering movesets and mechanics as necessary. Part of the problem with a lot of projects is that they try to be too rigid with some idea they had, I know its part of what sank the idea I was going for with a stock system for bursts and cancels, so don't be afraid to add or change things as you get new ideas.

 

[mayhemking]

You're absolutely right. The point of this prototype is to figure out if the design plan works. We'll make adjustments to the design for sure.

 

[mayhemking]

Here's a look at our first build! It's not much to look at right now but I'm excited!

And I'm almost finished setting up the first character in Spine.

 

[mayhemking]

We got movement!

 

[Silktail]

id love to help on this project hmu on steam if i can in any way

http://steamcommunity.com/id/le_stones_bro/

 

[mayhemking]

id love to help on this project hmu on steam if i can in any way

http://steamcommunity.com/id/le_stones_bro/

Could you PM me and be a bit more specific? As in how exactly would you contribute to the project?

 

[mayhemking]

https://twitter.com/x/status/776683868803915776

 

[mayhemking]

To those asking how they can help our project: I have a programmer already working on the game and I'm handling the art/animation myself. That's all the staff I can afford atm. Once the prototype is ready we will be looking for feedback on the game. And in the future, when we can secure some additional funding we will be expanding the team so keep an eye out for job postings. Meanwhile, if you could just follow us and spread the word that would help us immensely!

 

[mayhemking]

https://twitter.com/x/status/778740790163943425

https://twitter.com/x/status/778750005939015680

 

[skull person]

Proximity normals that turn into projectiles. Hm.
I hope you're able to keep a good feeling of control over your characters with this.

Shouldn't matter to much for 5A vs projectile, but if other close range moves have slow wind up, that would be very annoying to not be able to do those early when you want them.

This really reminds me of the Touhou fighters!
A = Normals, Command Normals, Proximity Jab / Far Attack / Dial A Combo
B = B Projectiles, Motion + Button for Specials
C = C Projectiles, Motion + Button for Specials

 

[mayhemking]

Proximity normals that turn into projectiles. Hm.
I hope you're able to keep a good feeling of control over your characters with this.

Yeah, that's one of the goals of this prototype, trying to make it fun! Even in this early state, it feels pretty good.

Shouldn't matter to much for 5A vs projectile, but if other close range moves have slow wind up, that would be very annoying to not be able to do those early when you want them.

This really reminds me of the Touhou fighters!
A = Normals, Command Normals, Proximity Jab / Far Attack / Dial A Combo
B = B Projectiles, Motion + Button for Specials
C = C Projectiles, Motion + Button for Specials

Not really sure what you mean by "5A vs projectile" but in general the plan is to make close range attacks quicker than long range attacks. The philosophy is close range is more about prediction and mixups, long-range is more about reactions and setups.

 

[skull person]

Not really sure what you mean by "5A vs projectile" but in general the plan is to make close range attacks quicker than long range attacks. The philosophy is close range is more about prediction and mixups, long-range is more about reactions and setups.

I meant like short jab vs shooting a projectile.
Because the jabs range and recovery is so short, at long range it shouldn't matter because you don't want to use that preemptively.
I'm thinking more like if you are fighting a close range character who wants to get in your face, it would be annoying not to have access to a closer ranged normal with long start up that you could use to stuff his approach, because he's not close enough yet for it to unlock.

Pretty hypothetical at the moment I know :P

Having any tools and buttons locked behind proximity really annoys me usually.

 

[mayhemking]

Well if you press the A button prematurely you'll just shoot the opponent in the face. And if you want to stuff an opponent's approach you'll have some projectile options for that.

 

[North888]

Could always have some characters have projectiles that are meant to deal with rush down and other projectile, like a wind clap that isn't much longer than a normal but has a wide radius and destroys other projectiles.

Basically there are plenty of options per character to design around this issue so it's not a big deal.

 

[mayhemking]

@North888 Yes, exactly. We have plans for another character who can fire a shotgun which functions almost exactly as you described. Our first character, Cardinal, has a dive attack that is projectile invulnerable.

 

[mayhemking]

https://twitter.com/x/status/780594789947289601

https://twitter.com/x/status/780528867303829504

 

[mayhemking]

We're slowly adding in attacks. We'll have some simple combos working soon hopefully...

https://twitter.com/x/status/781333966544572416

 

[mayhemking]

We added the Personal Space Barrier to prevent characters from passing through each other.

Except when you are dashing.

 

[Cheesedragon]

Alright, this is just plain cool. You've clearly got something going here, a lot of people wanting to dev their own fighters are all talk, but you've got the skills. And the characters remind me a lot of Harvey Birdman (not sure if that's a compliment).

Only point of contention so far is the title obviously, but instead of "Fight Verse"(pretty generic), i think you could with the old one a bit more. I really like the feel of the "ominous sci-fi" name.

How about "Universal Disturbances" or "Ripples In Spacetime"?

 

[mayhemking]

@Cheesedragon Thanks, man! But its not just me! I'm directing the game and handling all of the art assets. Programming is being done by Joe Strout of Luminary Apps.

As I'm a fan of Harvey Birdman I'll take that as a compliment! They share a similar bird motif, but I think our main man Cardinal has some style of his own :P

The title is growing on me actually... Its short, sweet and to the point! The problem with "Universal Disturbances" and "Ripples in Spacetime" is its so many syllables its a mouthful. "Fight Verse" is nice because its just 2 syllables and it still conveys the same general message, which is: some shit is going down in this Verse! But I'm still open to changing it.

 

[Cheesedragon]

I forgot to mention that was another part of why i liked the original name, I kinda like annoying, mouthy names like Under Night In-Birth: Actress Again Current Code, Touhou 7: Immaterial and Missing Power ect... because they convey certain story elements subtly through their subtitles, and for me it makes me want to play the game's story though just so i can find out what the heck the name means! And rarely, a big story element or twist is subtly name-dropped in the title too (Twilight Princess).

Especially since too-the-point names are really common as far as fighters go, and they aren't always able to capture what the game is about in two words ("Skullgirls" doesn't really capture the true beauty and essence of the game, does it?). And besides, people will always abbreviate no matter how short the name is, right? SG, VSav, MvC2....and in this case DtU, UD, RiS, FV....

I think I'd be best to iterate after you've got more of the story worked out.

 

[mayhemking]

@Cheesedragon I also like ridiculously long and silly titles haha. 'Fight Verse' isn't final so we'll see!

Check it out. Cardinal can shoot fireballs from his feet too!

 

[JoeStrout]

Hey all — I'm the programmer Joseph found (and just to make things confusing, my name is also Joseph, though I shorten it to Joe). I am very excited to be working on this game!

One thing we were discussing today is, at what point to put a playable prototype out there to get feedback. We want to make a good first impression, but on the other hand, you guys probably have a lot of wisdom you could share — and the earlier we get feedback, the less painful it is to make changes.

Note that, even when the prototype is 'done', it probably won't have an AI; it'll be strictly local two-player. So, to even test it properly you'd have to find somebody to sit with you and give it a go. (Though I do have some thoughts rolling around in my head about an inexpensive "trainable" AI that would basically copy your own play style... but that may or may not ever see the light of day, so let's ignore it for now).

What do you all think? Is it better to wait until there are lots of different combos and a decent start at balancing before posting a downloadable demo? Or would you be interested in trying an early prototype even if it's very incomplete?

 

[OmegaTriad]

honestly I would prefer the wait for balancing and a decent start since this project is something unique and requires a bit of a perfectionist attitude. I am interested in this and i feel that it's worth the wait.

 

[Cheesedragon]

I would wait. I hate playing incomplete stuff, it's so hard to give feedback when there's little to work with, and you have no idea what the developer's true vision is yet.