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Jason de Heras

24 May, 10 tweets, 5 min read

What does the act of getting hit convey about the melee combat system? How the player controls/reacts when taking damage contributes to the combat difficulty. Let’s look at two different 3rd person melee combat games, Sekiro and Devil May Cry 5. #gamedesign #combatdesign 🧵

Generally, in melee combat games, taking damage disables the player’s input for a small amount of time and becomes vulnerable to follow up attacks. If the player gets hit consecutively without being able to escape (dodge/block) this is usually referred to as STUN LOCKED. 1/4

In DMC5, the reaction system has safeguards to prevent Nero from getting stun locked. If hit during a reaction, the 2nd hit will not trigger a reaction (only damage). If hit multiple times within a short time, he’ll play an EJECT reaction that prevents follow up attacks. 2/4

In Sekiro, stun lock is a teaching method to tell the player they have reached a bad state. Enemies can land more than 1 hit in a very small time frame. The player can still mash evade to escape extended stun locks, ensuring the game is fair but keeping TENSION high. 3/4

Each respective reaction system reinforces the overall TONE of the combat. In DMC5, combat is designed around the player experimenting/creating ways to stun lock enemies. In Sekiro, the player has many overpowering tools to escape hits so getting hit is dangerous. 4/4

HIT DIRECTION - Nero instantly faces the attacker while Sekiro stays in the direction he was facing when hit. DMC’s player hit reaction rules feed into the overall goals of the combat system which encourages a hyper offensive play style. 1/2

Even when taking damage against minor/moderate attacks, the player is instantly in a position to attack. In Sekiro, hit reactions are positional and Wolf maintains his facing when hit. This makes it easier for the player to sprint or evade away from danger. 2/2

AIR REACTIONS - Sekiro’s basic air reaction doesn’t translate the player away, making it more dangerous to take damage in the air. The player will land right next to the attacking enemy and be in range for follow up attacks. Stronger enemy attacks can send Wolf flying back. 1/3

Large displacement reactions actually help the player from getting stun locked in addition to selling the strength of the enemy attack. In the video, the player must quick recover in order to exit this reaction faster - all other inputs are disabled during this time. 2/3

In DMC, Nero is usually ejected away from enemy's follow up attacks in a stylish and positive position compared to Sekiro. This plays into Nero’s, and the combat system’s, personality/goals of having more opportunities to OVERPOWER enemies. 3/3

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More from @jasondeheras

Jason de Heras

@jasondeheras

8 May

What are some design elements that make a challenging boss in Sekiro? Overall, Sekiro bosses skew hard compared to other action games so each boss needs to provide unique challenges. Let’s look at one of the middle difficulty bosses - the Guardian Ape. #gamedesign #combatdesign

ARMOR - Hit armor is an attribute that allows the enemy to absorb hits without taking hit reactions or having their current action become interrupted. This provides a risk / reward element in which the player must learn when each attack will hit. 1/3

There’s a limited number of attacks the player has time to land after the Ape has finished attacking. The player must be deliberate in how many swings to attempt before deciding to stop, block or evade. 2/3

Read 18 tweets

Jason de Heras

@jasondeheras

22 Apr

- PART 2 - #gamedesign #combatdesign Game freeze can also be used as NEGATIVE reinforcement. In Hollow Knight, the game freezes every time the player takes damage. In Bayonetta, the game freezes when she takes damage but only when the she’s past a certain health threshold. 4/6

The CONTEXT of how freeze is used makes sense for the rules of these respective games. Bayonetta is harder to hit and has more health so taking damage isn’t frequent; conversely, Knight’s health is an important resource that needs to be managed against casting spells. 5/6

In Street Fighter V, game freeze is used to inform the players that special attacks have been initiated. Aside from providing an exciting/visceral action, the freeze gives the players time to plan their next action given the highly technical nature of the game. 6/6

Read 23 tweets

Jason de Heras

@jasondeheras

22 Apr

How do 3rd person melee combat games communicate GAME and HIT feel? Combat design is one part rules/goals and one part FEEDBACK. Let’s examine some popular techniques that enhance moment-to-moment interactions. #gamedesign #combatdesign 🧵 - PART 1 -

ANIMATION - In 3rd person melee games, animation readability is the FOUNDATION for game/hit feel. Properties like sound/vfx/etc enhance the animation. Attacks are authored with gameplay CONSTRAINTS (hit timing/attack distance) that focuses the construction of the animation. 1/10

In Street Fighter V, Ryu’s jab hits on frame 2 (or 0.03s) giving the animator literally NO TIME to include certain traditional animation principles. The 12 principles of animation have to be modified or even ignored depending on gameplay needs. 2/10

Read 25 tweets

Jason de Heras

@jasondeheras

7 Apr

What are some techniques melee combat games use to add DEPTH to player actions? Depth = “doing more with less.” Deep mechanics gives the player more possibilities to explore/master. Let’s examine some popular techniques for adding mechanical depth. #gamedesign #combatdesign 🧵

INPUT DEPTH - Input depth requires the player to manipulate button inputs in various ways. A single button input can be pressed/held/released and each of these input types can have timing variance (fast, slow, delay, long) to create a wide array of input timing/feel/intent. 1/10

Devil May Cry combat is built around single button input depth that allows the player to mix up their attacks. This type of depth COMPLEMENTS the combat rating system which encourages the player to mix up their attacks to look the most Stylish. 2/10

Read 25 tweets

Jason de Heras

@jasondeheras

22 Mar

How do melee combat systems REINFORCE the fantasy of the player character? These gameplay systems are designed around a set of INTERCONNECTED rules that nudge players towards a certain playstyle or action. Let’s compare some popular melee action games. #combatdesign #gamedesign

Sekiro replaced the global stamina system from Souls game and implemented a Posture/guard meter. This discourages the player from being PASSIVE; however, the addition of the Parry mechanic allows the player to COUNTERACT this limitation via skill and mastery of each enemy. 1/5

Combat mechanics in modern melee action games have their roots in fighting games. Guard meters have been around for 20+ years and their purpose is to discourage players from INACTION. Since fighting game rounds are time limited, guard meters force the pace of the action. 2/5

Read 16 tweets

Jason de Heras

@jasondeheras

7 Mar

How do Hollow Knight enemies provide meaningful challenge with minimal behavior? Each enemy builds on the ones before it, introducing small TWEAKS. These INCREMENTAL changes forces the player to be deliberate. Let’s look at EARLY GAME enemies. #gamedesign #combatdesign 🧵

VARIANTS - Husk Wanderer and Husk Hornhead are perfect examples of NUMBER-BASED variants. Their base behavior is EXACTLY the same except for 3 variables: charge speed/distance and hit collision reach. 1/5

Husk Warrior is a LAYERED variant that builds upon the previous offensive Husks, but adds an entirely new behavior (Blocking) that forces the player to wait for enemy attack recovery to land hits. The player can sneak in hits during sword swings, but requires good spacing. 2/5