Spankers, Spankees, and Switches of All Ages (18 and above),
So, Scarlet Moon has been released with a brand spanking new engine
written in Lua. I did this primarily because distributing the Java
version has been a huge pain in the ass, especially for users who
aren’t technically savvy. The distribution was also *very* bloated.
The Lua version should be much simpler and much easier to run. Unlike
the Java version, you don’t need to download anything extra. Just
download the game and play it. Directions can be found under the Downloads
page.
I’m using the *wonderful* LOVE game engine, and it lets you build a Windows
executable and Mac App without actually owning a Windows or Mac machine. Which
means that we now have a Mac App for you Mac users! I have no idea if it works
obviously, but fingers crossed.
There isn’t any new content (except for a few tweaks and edits here or
there). However, the combat is *very* different. First, I’ve removed the
positioning system. It wasn’t adding much to combat, and it made the
AI more complicated than necessary to implement.
For the new combat, the key conceit is that you get to use *every* action
avalable each round. This is different from most RPG’s, where you pick one
action from several. You start with just the ability to attack a single
target, and use one power. Additional powers may give you additional
actions, or stop enemies from using actions.
I’m *super* excited about this combat engine. When I play-tested it, it
felt very dynamic to me. I think it does the best job yet of capturing
the fast paced, dynamic combat that makes superheroes so much fun to
watch.
Combat itself is also deterministic now. Each supervillain has their own unique
pattern. A lot of combat will be figuring what each supervillain does when.
AI also has a *much* bigger impact than in the previous game:
1. With the dumb AI, enemies will only attack, and they will attack the target
with the most energy. Use this AI if you don’t care about all this RPG crap
and just want to warm some supervillain bums.
2. With the average AI, enemies will attack just like with the dumb AI, and
use *only* powers that deal damage.
3. With the smart AI, each supervillain has their own strategy, and will use
their powers to their fullest.
Needless to say, the game is balanced for the smart AI. You *will* get your
bum roasted a few times, and even the fights you do win will be near things.
However, none of the battles will be luck based, since as I said above, enemies
are deterministic. So once you find a winning strategy, it will win every time
(in that particular battle).
Get it over at the Downloads section! As always, don’t hesitate to let me know
if you run into any problems.
Because the combat is so very different, I decided not to make the saves from
the old engine compatible with this engine. You’re gonna want to learn the
new combat engine, and the best way to do that is from the beginning.
I beat Buzzsaw on my first try! 😀 But it was a close fight. I found myself alternating between every power except Scarlet Spring. Speaking of which, the text before the fight calls the power “Scarlet Hammer,” but in the battle it’s referred to as “Scarlet Spring”. I do miss the in-combat spanking, but appreciated that the positioning is no longer a factor. I never really cared for it in the old version of the game. I’m looking forward to continuing past the first chapter another night, and seeing how the Succubus fight plays out.
Don’t worry, the Succubus fight should give you your fill of in-combat
spankings. 😉
I considered including “Spank” as a default combat action along with Attack and
Power, but I just couldn’t come up with a good way to make it balanced, not in
a world of “do everything you want in one round.”
I’m kinda surprised that you didn’t use Scarlet Spring against Buzzsaw. It was
critical to my strategy for beating her. That does make me happy though. In
my opinion, a combat system’s sufficiently rich when there are multiple ways of
winning.
Thanks for pointing out the Scarlet Hammer mistake. That’s been fixed in the
latest release. Scarlet Spring was originally called Scarlet Hammer, but then I
remembered a suggestion someone made for a power where Scarlet Moon creates a
spring and can use it send enemies flying. Since that’s the whole purpose of
this power, I felt that was a better name for it.