Devblog: Improvements to Tactical View 2022-08-22 16:00
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Starting with this version, three views will be available in combat:
Classic view
This view has not changed, and is still the one that sticks most closely to the regular in-game environments.
Semi-tactical view
This new view combines classic and tactical elements for a mode that still adheres to the in-game environments, while also making noticeable improvements in terms of tactical clarity.- Red blocks (default color) represent obstacle elements. The blocks are limited to about two-thirds the height of the characters.
- A grid is added to the battlefield to make cell locations clearer.
- The area outside the combat bubble is completely black, as in tactical view.
- Lighting and environmental effects are maintained: it will still be dark for fights taking place at night or in the mines.
Tactical view
The tactical view has been overhauled to provide significant improvements.
- Red blocks (default color) represent obstacle elements. The blocks are limited to about two-thirds the height of the characters.
- A checkerboard effect has been added: cells are marked in alternating colors to make it easier to estimate distances.
Other additions
Besides the improvements to the combat view, we're also strengthening the strategic aspect of the game.
- The "Select a cell" function has been enhanced: there are now eight markers that can be simultaneously placed on the battlefield. They will remain in place until removed by a player, and are only visible to the team.
- A new "Show resistances" function is now available through a keyboard shortcut. Pressing CTRL (default shortcut) in combat displays resistance information over each character in the fight.
This function allows you to instantly see targets that are vulnerable to your character.
Modding
We know that gamers love customization, so we've opened most elements of the tactical view to customizable themes. The elements that can currently be modified by players are listed below. Note that when choosing a custom color, you can also set the associated transparency, e.g. to make obstacle elements less opaque.
Semi-tactical view- Obstacle color
- Cell grid color
- Background color
- Obstacle color
- Cell grid color
- Cell color 1
- Cell color 2
- Background color
- Movement zone
- Movement zone – Locked
- Casting a spell – valid target and in line of sight
- Casting a spell – spell's area of effect
Conclusion
The tactical view is an aspect of the game that's really important to us, and one that can provide significant improvements to the combat experience.
As a final note, we'd like to express our disagreement about certain ideas for tactical features that are sometimes requested by players. These suggestions include the idea of a "Creature Mode", damage previews, or displaying total damage inflicted at the end of the fight. Although these features are not directly related to the tactical view, they are still related to the general topic of the combat experience in-game. For various reasons, our team has no plans whatsoever to add these features, and we will probably never consider developing them.
In the future, we'd like to look at more in-game experience and interface issues (not to mention the complete overhaul of the interface itself). One of the main areas we'll be focusing on will be continuing to transition various elements to the account entity, but we also have some other equally promising plans that should be on their way in future updates.