[Blog] Vampire Killer Beaumont Engine - November Update #02 (Patreon)

I've been working on the Beaumont engine a little (sometimes a lot) each day. You can keep track of what kinds of things I may be working on via a Trello Board that I update as I work. It's become my primary goal for some days, so if you're interested in what's happening during the quiet days here on Patreon... There you go.

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After some days, I've finally added another sub-weapon to the game: The firebomb. Or the "Holy Water", if you're not in the know. So far, I only have two weapons.

While the classic games have thrown the holy water in a small arc, I specifically want it to be thrown at a consistent 45 degree angle. The immediate range is shorter, but will have more control & utility when used at different elevations. Instead of lobbing it, Elayne flicks it, actively contributing to the impact - like Richter does in Rondo of Blood / Dracula X. It reads as more aggressive as a result.

Concept: Backup Weapon Slot

When thinking about the kind of experience I want to deliver, I know I want it to feel challenging, but not without its comfort and accessibility. The Classicvania titles are hard for people to get into, so modernizing & providing extra empowerment where we reasonably can would be smart. I also don't want to make a simple clone of CV, so I am also looking to other games for design inspiration. 

For instance, I feel no need to keep the whip upgrades from the original CV. I don't see a reason why the player shouldn't always have a max level whip from the start. 

Another consideration I've had is actually inspired by Super Mario World's Backup Item Storage mechanic. In SMW, you can store a backup item to swap to later.

With this, players will essentially have access to 2 sub-weapons at any given time. So now players have more accessible tools and level design can make use of that. I also think it could be cool to always start the player off with a Dagger sub-weapon. After acquiring a new sub-weapon, the dagger will be moved to your Backup Slot.

This system has a few benefits, I think:

1. It empowers the player, giving them access to more tools at once, mitigating the pain of acquiring a weapon that isn't currently useful.

2. Encourages using more weapons, like the dagger. The dagger isn't an awful item in CV, there's just always more useful items and only one available weapon slot.

3. Opportunity to strategize. Which weapon should you trade for a new weapon?

In most CV games, you lose your sub-weapon after death. But if players always start with a dagger, they will always have access to the dagger unless they choose to get rid of it. I hope that means this weapon will see more use since it won't come at the expense of a more powerful item and since it only costs 1 Ammo, will allow players to get more use out of the final few weapon points they have left.

This mechanic also serves to differentiate Elayne as a character when compared to a  hero like Simon or Trevor Belmont (in-game). Although the game has the same basic rules, this change may communicate her overall resourcefulness and aggression.

As it's currently implemented, the player can only use the weapon in their currently active weapon slot. Players can press [RB] to swap between their weapons, like in Mega Man Zero. This ensures players don't become too much powerful while also limiting the amount of buttons a player will have to constantly keep track of.

Anyway, don't forget to eat & sleep.