Monthly Archives: March 2020
Scarlet Moon 4.2.17

With some help from a fan, I’ve been able to track down a bug that was causing crashes in combat if you were using the Average AI.

So if you’ve been using the Average AI, and you’ve been having problems with combat crashing, download the latest version and try again!

AKA

Scarlet Moon 4.2.16

Uploaded a new version that fixes some bugs kindly pointed out by Aymer over on animeotk.

This version also *massively* nerfs s-chords, s-fists, and s-eyes. Before, the stat transfers and buffs scaled based on Scarlet Moon’s power stat. However, I realized while debugging that I’m balancing characters to be fairly close in stats. As a result, s-chords and s-fists will only get more powerful relative to your opponent, and will in fact get more powerful very quickly. This plus the new buff in defense means that s-chords is all you need to make Scarlet Moon nigh untouchable.

Now, all three powers modify your stats by a flat 2 points (well, s-fists reduces your power by 4, but increases your strength and speed by 2 each). If as the game goes on, combat becomes a drag (because energy ends up going up faster than damage, which is very possible), then I’ll “manually” upgrade s-chords at a later point in the story. For example, I could imagine Scarlet Moon having a training montage, after which s-chords gives you a 4 point buff or something. S-armor will still scale based on power, and every power’s duration will still be going up as you increase in power. I’ll probably go through and similarly nerf headwind and tailwind when I release episode 5.

I also reduced the power of some enemy powers, since Scarlet Moon now has a much lower defense. Let me know if the combat becomes too difficult (especially Prometheus and Poseidon).

Scarlet Moon 4.2.14

A new version has been uploaded with a bugfix for the Love version that was causing the combat UI to crash after you defeated an opponent.

Sorry about that!

AKA

Scarlet Moon 4.2.13

A new version has been uploaded. There isn’t any new content, instead a new
combat system has been introduced. The big changes are the introduction of
secondary statistics:

1. Attack – This is how much damage you do. It’s base value is strength +
speed/2.

2. Defense – This is how much damage you reduce enemy attacks. It’s base value
is speed.

3. Shield – This is effectively temporary hitpoints. Whenever an enemy damages
you, it reduces your shield stat before it reduces your energy. For example,
suppose you have a shield stat of 5, and an enemy does 3 damage to you. Then
they will do 0 damage, and your shield will be reduced to 2. If they do 3
damage to you *again*, then they will reduce your shield to 0 and do 1 damage
to you. By default, shield is 0, but powers can be used to increase it.

4. Retaliation – This behaves just like shield, except instead of blocking
damage, you retaliate. For example, suppose you have a retaliation of 5 and an
enemy does 3 damage to you. Then, you take 3 damage, do 3 damage to them, and
your retaliation is reduced to 2. If they do 3 damage to you *again*, then they
do 3 damage to you, you do 2 damage to them, and your retaliation is reduced to
0. Note that retaliation ignores defense, so it can be a great way of damaging
enemies with high defense. However, it is blocked by shields.

Buffing and debuffing powers now increase and decrease attack, defense, shield
and retaliation. Most of Scarlet Moon’s powers are the same, except:

1. Scarlet Chords now increases attack and defense based on your Power stop,
rather than increasing your speed based on your Strength. Furthermore, if you
are inflicted with Away at the start of your turn, Scarlet Chords automatically
cures you of it at the start of your turn (rendering you effectively immune to
Away).

2. Scarlet Fists and Scarlet Eyes work the same they did before, except they no
longer inflict a status. This means that they don’t increase your attrition,
they cannot be disrupted by spankings, and they remain in effect until you
cancel them.

3. Scarlet Beam uses your attack stat, rather than your Power stat. This is so
that Scarlet Fists more obviously increases your damage output (before it
increased your Attack damage, but reduced your Shoot damage, which was lame).
Shoot does not trigger retaliation, but is not affected by your weapons.

4. S-Armor – Now increases Scarlet Moon’s shield stat, rather than increasing
her defense.

For Tempestas:

1. Tailwind – Increases all allis’ attack.

2. Headwind – Decreases all enemies’ attacks.

3. Wind tunnel – increases Tempestas’ retaliation.

4. Twister no longer inflicts damage on a character when they are inflicted
with Away. Instead, it does damage at the end of their turn if they are
inflicted with Away. What this means is that Scarlet Moon is effectively immune
to Twister if she is inflicted with Scarlet Chords, because that removes Away
at the start of her turn. Twister also cures Tempestas of Away and gives her a
bonus to her attack that lasts one round.

5. Airburst – Works the same way it did before, except it inflicts Away for a
minimum of two rounds.

Anklyana:

1. Armor – Increases Anklyana’s Defense.

2. Bubblesaurus – Reduces her energy, and increases an ally’s shield by the
same amount (basically, she gives her energy to someone else as temporary
hitpoints). Note that this *does not* inflict a status, which means it stacks,
and it cannot be disrupted by spankings.

3. Wallsaurus – Increases a target’s defense, and decreases their attack by the
same amount.

Also, the game now tells you at the start of every combat whether or not
winning that battle is optional.

Hopefully, people find this combat system fun and well-balanced (Lord knows
it’s a lot simpler to implement at least). Feedback is much appreciated.