Devlog #6: Fixing Combat and Implementing Dynamic Systems

This week, I focused on fixing the combat system, making sure everything spawns dynamically and works properly. There were a lot of issues that needed to be addressed, but after troubleshooting and refining the system, combat is now functioning smoothly.

Fixing Combat Trigger and Character Assignments

Originally, combat was triggered when the player walked into an in-game enemy, but once combat started, clicking attack buttons did nothing. After investigating, I realized that the combat system was still referencing the world player instead of the UI combat player. This caused major issues where enemy attacks moved toward the game world origin, and the player appeared frozen.

The fix was to ensure my CombatTrigger2D script correctly grabs the UI version of the player and enemy. Now, when combat starts, it dynamically spawns and assigns the right combat UI elements while disabling the in-world enemy. The FindCombatUIPlayer() and FindCombatUIEnemy() functions were implemented to properly retrieve the UI versions, ensuring that combat actions target the correct objects.

Implementing Dynamic Health Bars

Once the correct characters were spawning, the next step was making sure health bars updated properly. We set up the HealthBarUI component to dynamically assign itself to the correct player and enemy every time combat started. However, there was an issue where the enemy’s health bar persisted between fights instead of resetting.

The solution was to modify CombatManager so that upon battle start, the health bars get assigned to the correct characters using SetupHealthBars(), and at the end of battle, the enemy’s stats are reset using ResetEnemyStats(). The player's health persists while the enemy always starts fresh in the next battle.

Syncing Player Health Between Combat and the Overworld

With health bars working inside combat, the next step was syncing them with the overworld stats. I linked the combat health bar to the PlayerNeeds system so that when combat starts, it pulls the player’s current health. This was done by modifying TurnManager to assign the overworld player’s PlayerNeeds.health value to the combat player’s health when the battle starts.

After combat ends, the updated combat health is transferred back to the overworld PlayerNeeds system using SyncWithCombatCharacter(). This ensures that if the player takes damage in battle, it persists after combat ends and properly reflects in the overworld UI.

Handling Battle End States and Game Over

Once combat was working, I needed to make sure everything reset properly after a fight. Now, when an enemy dies, combat UI disables, and all combat elements are reset so the player can start a new battle without issues. This is handled through TurnManager’s OnCharacterDie(), which determines if combat should end and calls CombatManager.EndCombat().

If the player dies, a Game Over screen is triggered by loading a new scene through SceneManager.LoadScene() ensures the game properly transitions to a failure state. This check is performed inside OnCharacterDie(). If the player character dies, the game loads the Game Over scene instead of simply ending combat.

Working on Combat VFX

I started working on basic combat VFX to improve the combat feel. While they aren’t implemented yet, I created sprite sheets for attack effects (mainly just slash effects). These will be integrated into the combat system later using animated UI elements. The plan is to trigger VFX whenever a combat action is executed, adding more visual feedback to attacks and abilities.

Starting Sound Design and Music

I also started working on the game’s sound design and music. I’ve been experimenting with ambient soundscapes for the overworld, eerie atmospheric effects for the forest, and different battle themes. Right now, I’m focusing on getting a balance between medieval folk instrumentation and unsettling horror elements to match the game’s tone. Sound effects for combat, item interactions, and UI navigation are also in progress.

Final Results

Combat is now fully functional with:

• Dynamic UI player and enemy assignment, ensuring proper targeting.
• Health bars dynamically assigned and updated every fight.
• Player health syncing between combat and the overworld, ensuring survival stats persist.
• Automatic battle reset, allowing multiple fights without issues.
• Game Over screen triggering properly when the player dies.

Next Steps

Next, I plan to integrate stamina and magic into combat and ensure those stats also sync with the overworld. This will fully connect the survival mechanics to the combat system and make resource management more important in battle. Additionally, I need to refine combat interactions, polish VFX, implement a saving system to track player progress between play sessions, and ensure combat continues to function smoothly without lingering issues.