Hello everyone! It's been a while since the last dev update, and we do sincerely apologise for that. Our team members all simultaneously got caught up in extremely busy periods with university & work, but we're through that busy period and back in full swing now! There have been a lot of changes since the last dev update, including UI improvements, combat changes, abilities, and a whole new enemy! [h1]Abilities[/h1] We've been fleshing out the abilities system in Stormrite, particularly with two different abilities to show the range of abilities in the game, and our design philosophy in regards to the abilities system. Players will be able to level up & unlock abilities to use in combat, some more 'flashy' with high damage, high costs and long cooldowns, and some more 'functional' that are less effective, but much cheaper to use & have very short cooldowns. The flashier abilities tend to be [b]special abilities[/b] - these typically have high costs, and can be seen as your character's 'signature move'. An example of such a special ability is [b]Frost Nova[/b], a powerful, icy blast that blows away nearby enemies (or neutral characters, so be careful where you use it!) applies [i]chill[/i] to affected enemies, and deals high damage. However, it has a very high mana cost and a long cooldown. [previewyoutube=ar_n03xNNJM;full][/previewyoutube] An example of a less flashy, 'functional ability' is [b]Swift Strike[/b], a quick attack that deals increased damage, and can be used to interrupt enemies mid-swing! Here is a video of it in action: [previewyoutube=ClY3vkXAZvg;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]New Enemy![/h1] You may remember the Strigoi from a previous dev update. We've fully implemented them into the game as an enemy now. Strigoi are night-dwelling creatures that will attack anyone or anything they see, on sight. They usually move in hordes, so our player was lucky to only encounter three here... [previewyoutube=HzFKf_S5HzE;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]Dynamic Blood FX[/h1] Whilst in combat, your character's body, clothing, weapons and shield will react dynamically to the amount of damage you have taken & dealt, and will add dynamic blood effects to their surfaces. This was added to simulate blood splashback effects & increase immersion. [previewyoutube=2cyPL__lDdA;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=qYSKjwc2WPI;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]UI[/h1] The UI has been updated to include information about your abilities, showing whether they are usable with your current weapons, and their cooldown: [previewyoutube=wD9qjKizA5A;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]Horse Riding Improvement[/h1] We've changed the horse riding camera angle, it's now closer to the player to increase immersion. Also improved the footstep sounds as well! [previewyoutube=5hNg0nw1P7M;full][/previewyoutube]