Devlog Update: The Road to Battle!

Hey everyone!

Work continues on World of Sopho, and I wanted to give you a big update on where the combat system is at. We've laid down a ton of foundational code, and while you can't quite throw punches just yet, all the plumbing is connected and ready to go.

Here's a look at what's already humming away under the hood!

What's Working Right Now

• The Hunt is On! 🐺 The Northern Plains are no longer a simple walk in the park. We've implemented a dynamic encounter system where enemies now roam the map. They have their own simple AI—some will wander aimlessly, but others, like the new Baby Plains Wolf, will actively stalk you. Thanks to a new "Aggressive Intercept" mechanic, if a hunting enemy gets close enough, they'll lunge and attack, pulling you into a battle. This makes exploring feel much more tense and exciting!
• Gearing Up for a Fight ⚔️ Our inventory and equipment systems are fully operational. You can find and equip a range of armor and improvised weapons, from a sturdy stick to a surprisingly effective (and silly) salad bowl helmet. Each piece of gear has its own stats, affecting your damage and defense. We've also added strength requirements, so you won't be able to use the heavy-duty gear right from the start.
• Fists, Claws, and Magic ✨ The core math for combat is in place. The game can calculate hit-chance based on your Dexterity, and damage for physical attacks is based on your Strength and whatever you're holding in your paws. We've also got a solid magic system working! You can learn and cast different types of spells—destructive, healing, and protective—each with its own MP cost and stat requirements. Your Faith stat will even influence how effective magic is against a target!

What's Coming Next

So, with all that in place, what's left to do before you can start fighting back? The main missing piece is the battle loop itself.

Right now, when an enemy intercepts you, the game knows a battle has started, but it just... stops. Here's what we're building next to bring it all to life:

1. Turn-Based Action: We're creating the system that will manage the flow of battle. This includes a turn queue based on character speed and, most importantly, allowing you to input commands like attack, cast, use item, defend, and flee.
2. Enemy AI in Combat: Once you can take your turn, the enemies need to be able to take theirs! We'll be giving them a simple brain to decide whether to attack you, use a special skill, or defend.
3. Using Your Items: Those healing poultices and other consumables you can find? We're hooking them up so you can actually use them during a fight to turn the tide of battle.
4. Victory & Defeat: Finally, we need to define what happens when a battle ends. This means getting sweet, sweet loot and EXP when you win, and... well, facing the consequences when you don't.

We're really close to having a fully playable combat loop! Thanks for following along with the development. Stay tuned for the next update!