It's been five months since the Corsairs Legacy demo was released on Steam. Preparations for the first game release are in full swing, and we would like to share our work with the ground combat system during this time.

First of all, the combat strategy will differ depending on the difficulty level the player chooses. The higher the difficulty level, the more important it will be to reduce the size of the enemy crew before boarding to have a realistic chance to take the ship.

Compared to the demo version, fewer strikes will be required to defeat a single enemy. The amount of the protagonist's health has also been increased so that one combo with several strikes in a row from the enemy does not kill the protagonist.

So, the game has combo attacks that have already been implemented in the demo and have been significantly improved in recent months. They are available to both the protagonist and NPCs. Each of the three types of attacks has three levels. The first attack in the combo is a normal attack, the second attack continues the combo, and the third attack deals increased damage. The main advantage of combo attacks is the opportunity to deal more damage to the enemy per unit of time.

When you use the same attack type against enemies, NPCs adapt and try to choose a strategy to counteract the same kind of attack. Therefore, combos can be realized through different types of attacks.

For example, we strike a regular fast attack and then a strong attack. If we don't get the combo knocked down by a riposte, shot, or parry, then the second attack, in this case, a strong, will be a combo. Then, if we hit again with a fast attack, there will be the strongest fast attack combo. The fourth attack will again be a regular attack, the fifth one will be a combo, and the sixth will be the strongest combo of the type of attack you are using the opponent with.

Now a few words about the shooting. You can shoot in combat if you have a pistol in your inventory. We've improved the target selection system, added a cursor for aiming, and animated the arms tilt. We also tested moving while aiming, but we saw that such improvements require a significant amount of time to implement new animations, so we left this task for the future.

After the shot is fired, the reloading starts, which is visible on the player's screen. It is specially made barely noticeable so as not to distract from the battle with the enemy. The recharge indicator becomes brighter if you try to make another shot before the reload is complete. You can right-click to cancel the shot if you decide not to shoot during the aiming phase.

Many have noted that in the demo, the damage from a pistol is always the same. Now it depends on the characteristics of the pistol and, with a certain chance, critical damage can be inflicted. In the future, we want to implement increased damage for hitting the vital organs of the enemy. Currently, this logic has not been implemented yet, and the damage will not depend on the part of the body that the player hit.

Critical damage has been added to all types of attacks and is displayed in red. An important tactical change in combat is moving during blocking. Now the player has a greater variety of actions in battle by combining the logic of movement and block. Also, for comfortable use of potions, it can be used while moving. Thus, there is no longer a need to run far away from enemies so that they cannot approach and interrupt healing because the player cannot move.

We've also added corpse looting. When looking through the belongings of defeated NPCs, you can find the same saber and pistol that the NPC was fighting with in life, as well as ammo, healing potions, and money. During the battle, the NPC can make only 1 shot, just like in reality: 1 pistol - 1 shot. Therefore, when looting enemies with firearms, the player has a high probability of replenishing their supply of bullets and gunpowder. 

Initially, we tied looting to the "F" button and made it active only outside of combat mode. During testing, we noticed that it's convenient to be able to find healing potions or extra bullets during a battle, so now looting is also possible in combat. To avoid situations where the enemy corpse is lying near an active item, door, or active NPC, and there is no confusion about whether the player wants to loot the enemy or perform an action, we have dedicated a separate key for looting. Also, if the corpse has no items left, it can't be looted.

At the same time, you shouldn't mindlessly take everything from defeated enemies. In case of overloading, the game character will not be able to run until the player removes unnecessary items from the inventory. The game character can carry up to 100 pounds of equipment without penalty. 

We have already added a battle with the captain in his cabin. After winning, you can find new useful items in the chests or on the body of the deceased captain. Each type of ship has its own unique captain's cabin that matches the appearance of the ship. We also finalized the number of boarding scenes. In the new devlog video, you can see a new boarding scene that was not available in the Steam demo.

Muskets have also been added to the game. It is now possible to switch from the saber+pistol combat mode to a rifle if it is worn by a character in the inventory. We have a lot of plans for the use of musketry, but everything comes in due time.

Now it's time to share your impressions of the update in the comments for the new devlog on YouTube. Don't forget to register on the Corsairs Legacy website to be the first to know about the game's release.

A video version of this devlog is available on YouTube by link.

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