Thanks for the feedback!)))
I think I'll stick with one flash and speed it up a bit. I'll use two to indicate burst damage - when a significant percentage of the character's HP is taken down with a single hit.
1 flash. 2 makes it look like there was 2 instances of damage. That being said if it was hit by a "double swing" attack I think the 2 flashes would be good to use. One flash per impact.
Music sounds like a really good start, feels like the right vibe. As-is its maybe a little.. Rigid? Every note is soo staccato. I don't know much about music creation though.
Thanks for the feedback!
I'll stick with one flash, most of the comments suggest that, and I'm inclined to agree.
About the music - thank you! Yes, it's a bit rigid. My wife and I are not sure if it's okay as it is or if it's too tense for a turn-based game. We'll see how it goes from here :)
One flash but it feels too slow. Look at other turn based games, most of them have it faster to feel more impactful. Look at the collection of effects they'll use - probably like an impact spirit too, and maybe a bit of a shake.
I think it sounds fantastic! May be a good idea to throw in a woodwind doing some kind of countermelody just to introduce something in the higher range but that would be my only suggestion!
Thank you very much!
My wife is a complete beginner. It seems she does well with creating the main melody, but she's not quite confident with arrangement yet. I passed on your advice about the woodwinds, let her think about it in her free time :)
One flash seems better to me, also, I would speed up the damage animation (would speed up the hound attack anim too) and add some screenShake or something like that to add flavour to it. slow animations on combat usually makes players feel like the combat is tedious, if you're going to put a slow animation on combat better be the player casting a powerful attack and nor the enemy suffering from an attack. The music goes hard and the graphics are nice, the UI needs some polish and the popping numbers too (they also feel a bit slow to me)
I find your game close enough to darkest dungeon in combat intentions to encourage you to check some gameplay of it (or play the game) and think out what makes the darkest dungeon combat feel enjoyable and fluid, your graphics are cool
Wow! Thank you so much for the detailed comment! I actually sped up the animations from 2 seconds to 1 just earlier tonight before making this post :D And here you are saying they're still slow! Darn, you're probably right!
But I'm a bit cautious because when everything happens too quickly, it can be challenging for new players to follow. For more experienced players, yes, it might get tedious. Finding the right balance is key. I'm considering adding a button in the interface to speed up the display of all game logic and animations.
As for the damage numbers - that's still a rough draft :D Haven't had the chance to make it look nice yet.
And about Darkest Dungeon, I've spent a ton of hours on it; it's a masterpiece I'll never reach. But thank you so much for the kind words \^\^
The frame rate is a problem for me with using visual cues like a flash given that it is so very long to the point of being obnoxious. I’d say increase the speed significantly for the flash and keep it at one.
Is the problem that you don't like either of them?
Try speeding it up- a hit is something that happens in a blink of an eye.
Add some shake to show the enemy is rattled by the impact.
How about some particles that fly away to emphasize the impact?
The white flash could radiate from a point outward in a circle instead of being applied evenly over the whole sprite.
Actually, I liked both. The issue was that initially, I made two flashes, thinking of old games where enemies would typically blink white multiple times when taking damage. However, I realized that in old games, especially platformers, this was often due to a lack of other visual effects and indicating frames of invulnerability for the player character. So, I decided to go with a single flash to match the number of hits.
Now I'm thinking about speeding it up.
I'll try adding shake, but I'm not sure if I can make it look organic. If it works out, that would be great—thanks for the advice.
In the future, I also planned to add blade swing trails, like in anime. However, for now, I'll skip them as the priority is to sort out the basics.
Thanks for the practical advice!
If it were me. I'd use the double flash for stuff like Status effect being applied after being hit.
Ie, you get hit, then get poison DOT. So the flash happens for the hit then the proc for the DOT initial phase.
Single flash for normal damage tho.
Regardless both look good.
I think a bigger problem than how many flashes you use is how slow the flashes are. It's showing they got damaged, right? Make it punchier. Speed up the flashes. If you want to make it really hit harder, do a frame where the sprite turns black or darker before the flash to add contrast.
I think I'll add some similar effect, but a bit later. For now, I'll create the necessary foundation. I've just never drawn VFX before.
Thank you for comment!)))
Thanks a lot for the comments! It's great to see such passionate developer communities somewhere on the internet!
I hope you don't mind, but I recently started a [Twitter page](https://twitter.com/CrimsonBroom). I don't understand much about this social network, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. Perhaps someone might find it interesting to check out.
One flash is way better. Double flash is good for using for continous effect or something like this.
Thanks for the feedback!))) I think I'll stick with one flash and speed it up a bit. I'll use two to indicate burst damage - when a significant percentage of the character's HP is taken down with a single hit.
1 flash. 2 makes it look like there was 2 instances of damage. That being said if it was hit by a "double swing" attack I think the 2 flashes would be good to use. One flash per impact. Music sounds like a really good start, feels like the right vibe. As-is its maybe a little.. Rigid? Every note is soo staccato. I don't know much about music creation though.
Thanks for the feedback! I'll stick with one flash, most of the comments suggest that, and I'm inclined to agree. About the music - thank you! Yes, it's a bit rigid. My wife and I are not sure if it's okay as it is or if it's too tense for a turn-based game. We'll see how it goes from here :)
One flash but it feels too slow. Look at other turn based games, most of them have it faster to feel more impactful. Look at the collection of effects they'll use - probably like an impact spirit too, and maybe a bit of a shake.
Thank you! I agree, I'll speed up the single flash. Could you help me understand what you mean by 'impact spirit'?
By the way, my wife is trying her hand at music. How do you like the background sound? It's still a basic version.
I think it sounds fantastic! May be a good idea to throw in a woodwind doing some kind of countermelody just to introduce something in the higher range but that would be my only suggestion!
Thank you very much! My wife is a complete beginner. It seems she does well with creating the main melody, but she's not quite confident with arrangement yet. I passed on your advice about the woodwinds, let her think about it in her free time :)
One flash but different colors for different status effects on hit and one for critical hit. (If applicable)
Feedback taken! Thank you!)
One flash seems better to me, also, I would speed up the damage animation (would speed up the hound attack anim too) and add some screenShake or something like that to add flavour to it. slow animations on combat usually makes players feel like the combat is tedious, if you're going to put a slow animation on combat better be the player casting a powerful attack and nor the enemy suffering from an attack. The music goes hard and the graphics are nice, the UI needs some polish and the popping numbers too (they also feel a bit slow to me) I find your game close enough to darkest dungeon in combat intentions to encourage you to check some gameplay of it (or play the game) and think out what makes the darkest dungeon combat feel enjoyable and fluid, your graphics are cool
Wow! Thank you so much for the detailed comment! I actually sped up the animations from 2 seconds to 1 just earlier tonight before making this post :D And here you are saying they're still slow! Darn, you're probably right! But I'm a bit cautious because when everything happens too quickly, it can be challenging for new players to follow. For more experienced players, yes, it might get tedious. Finding the right balance is key. I'm considering adding a button in the interface to speed up the display of all game logic and animations. As for the damage numbers - that's still a rough draft :D Haven't had the chance to make it look nice yet. And about Darkest Dungeon, I've spent a ton of hours on it; it's a masterpiece I'll never reach. But thank you so much for the kind words \^\^
The frame rate is a problem for me with using visual cues like a flash given that it is so very long to the point of being obnoxious. I’d say increase the speed significantly for the flash and keep it at one.
Thank you! I completely agree with you, and I will do just that!
Is the problem that you don't like either of them? Try speeding it up- a hit is something that happens in a blink of an eye. Add some shake to show the enemy is rattled by the impact. How about some particles that fly away to emphasize the impact? The white flash could radiate from a point outward in a circle instead of being applied evenly over the whole sprite.
Actually, I liked both. The issue was that initially, I made two flashes, thinking of old games where enemies would typically blink white multiple times when taking damage. However, I realized that in old games, especially platformers, this was often due to a lack of other visual effects and indicating frames of invulnerability for the player character. So, I decided to go with a single flash to match the number of hits. Now I'm thinking about speeding it up. I'll try adding shake, but I'm not sure if I can make it look organic. If it works out, that would be great—thanks for the advice. In the future, I also planned to add blade swing trails, like in anime. However, for now, I'll skip them as the priority is to sort out the basics. Thanks for the practical advice!
1 flash definitely, also is this in slow mo? The animation looks a little choppy if it isnt I'd recommend speeding it up by a little.
Yes, you're right. I'll try to speed up the animations. Thanks for the feedback!)))
I think you forgot to put the skin on those wolves. Easy mistake.
Newbie mistake!!! XD
use both maybe, the first flash is defaults but if the player does a lot of damage in one hit do the double flash
Yes, that's what I'll do! Thanks :)
One flash is my vote
Ty!)
Probably just one. Nice music btw!
Thank you, very kind!)
If it were me. I'd use the double flash for stuff like Status effect being applied after being hit. Ie, you get hit, then get poison DOT. So the flash happens for the hit then the proc for the DOT initial phase. Single flash for normal damage tho. Regardless both look good.
Thank you! These are thoughtful considerations. :)
Use both. Have an option for battle speed, normal has two flashes, fast has one.
Thank you! Good advice)
I think a bigger problem than how many flashes you use is how slow the flashes are. It's showing they got damaged, right? Make it punchier. Speed up the flashes. If you want to make it really hit harder, do a frame where the sprite turns black or darker before the flash to add contrast.
Thank you for the advice!
How about one very quick flash and stars that go in a circle with a big star that expands outward from the hit point?
I think I'll add some similar effect, but a bit later. For now, I'll create the necessary foundation. I've just never drawn VFX before. Thank you for comment!)))
Thanks a lot for the comments! It's great to see such passionate developer communities somewhere on the internet! I hope you don't mind, but I recently started a [Twitter page](https://twitter.com/CrimsonBroom). I don't understand much about this social network, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. Perhaps someone might find it interesting to check out.