After nearly three weeks of no posts, you'd think I had forgotten about the game. Not true! I just finished a very large update to the MegaMan RPG Prototype that I had been working on for the last few weekends. The update includes plenty of visual tweaks to the menu systems and battle graphics, unique abilities for all sixteen robot masters(!), and a tons of new mechanics to make the game more fun. :D

The prototype menu itself has been updated to include randomized banners for each of the robot masters. At the moment there are only six (AirMan, CutMan, GutsMan, WoodMan, IceMan, and BubbleMan) but I plan to add more as time goes on (they're not that difficult to create). I've also updated the overall engine to dynamically adjust to the browser window size, including a "landscape" mode for wider browsers. The iPad version of the prototype still works in both landscape and portrait, though some positioning tweaks have been made to keep robot placement consistent.

In terms of new mechanics, I've added functionality for (what I call) "attachments". This way, I can attach persistent objects to the robots to allow for a greater sense of realism when using abilities (within 8-bit, browser-based limits of course). For example, the Leaf Shield now stays active after use and continues rotating in the background until thrown at the enemy. Atomic Fire creates a sort of blazing halo effect behind the user while charging to show the building power of the attack. Even BombMan has a Hyper Bomb persistently attached to him until thrown at the enemy. I'm absolutely going to add more abilities that make use of this new feature, and it's very exciting to play with. Because these abilities can be copied by MegaMan or ProtoMan with the Copy Shot, some pretty awesome combinations are possible. At one point I had ProtoMan with a raised Leaf Shield and a charging Atomic Fire simultaneously and it looks pretty cool with the Game Speed turned up. Oh, and that's another thing. If your browser can handle it (or you're using an iPad), you can go into the Options and turn the "Game Speed" up or down to your liking. Having it up really high makes the game pretty fast, and having it low gives it an almost storybook quality. The last new mechanic I can think of would be the change to the "Scan" option. Before, scanning the target required a whole turn, leaving your robot open to attack. Now, scanning can be done as many times as you want without sacrificing a turn and to anyone on the field. Simply tap any sprite on the field during a scan (even your own!) and you can see their entire breakdown – stats, weaknesses, resistances, everything.

In terms of new abilities, I've added Copy Shot (copies target's last used ability), Crash Bomber (higher accuracy, explodes on contact), Hyper Bomb (higher damage, explodes on contact), Leaf Shield (raises shield first use, throws shield the next), Quick Boomerang (always strikes first), Super Arm (changes based on battle field), and Super Throw (throws target to bench, forcing switch).

There are tons more tweaks under the hood that I'm not thinking of, but I invite you to take a look and test the engine out. And if you're still unsure (it's not like you have to sign in or anything…) you can take a look at some screenshots from the game that I took today. Thanks for reading, and take care! :)