v0.1.8 - "Workers and Combat" updates

This is the dev notes for what's currently in the works for the upcoming update. I thought it would be good to post and keep updating the devlog while changes are in progress, rather than only when a new version is finalised and uploaded. 

Aside from the usual bug fixes, v0.1.8 brings a huge bunch of tweaks and updates. Summary:

• workers: being individual entities, who learn their own skills, 
• host of new passive combat-related skills, such as weapon and armour proficiency, 
• and for the first time - active skills in combat!
• combat pacing improved, with pauses between actions, minor animations, dmg indicator, current player highlight, and adjustable speed

UI/Layout/Code

• Splash screen/Main menu updated, with "new game" and "continue" options. 
• Some info text added to splash screen, explaining that the game is a prototype
• Settings button now has a "main menu" button 
• Encyclopedia added! Context-sensitive help in various areas. (will add more entries over time)
• "Party" tab now has 3 submenus: Player, Adventurers, and Workers. At first only "Player" is available.
• Game now remembers which submenus (Barn/Upgrades/Crafting and Player/Adventurers/Workers) you were last on 
• Upgrades are now displayed sorted into categories
• Resource icons added to side panel
• Currency labels added, shows "Copper", "Bronze" etc instead of "copperp", "bronzep", etc
• "Highlight" animation added to make it more obvious when new things are unlocked:
  • When certain new elements are unlocked, the background colour highlights yellow, before fading back to the normal colour. 
• Settings menu updated: 
  • combat speed option (instant, fast, normal, slow). (note: there's still a slight pause before a turn in "instant")
  • credits changed to a single link that opens a popup dialogue box
  • added links to opengameart.org asset sources
• Major code fix: didn't know how object = object really worked. Stuff like setting a Worker skill to a Skill, then changing the Worker.Skill would actually change the base Skill object as well. Sometimes that's useful, other times it's bad. This is fixed now.

Combat

• Minor combat damage animation - a blood splatter appears on portraits indicating damage done 
• There is now a slight pause between combat actions, so you can actually see what's happening!
• Turn indicator: Current player (incl. enemies) have a blue highlight border around them when its their turn
• Combat speed (pause length) can be adjusted in the settings menu

Workers 

You can now search for lost strangers in the woods, who can become workers. Though you need to unlock this option through a secret means... Can you find it? 

• Once unlocked, searching the woods costs 100 (carried) wheat
• Lost strangers need to be "restored" to turn into workers, just as with the first 2 strangers.
• You can have up to 5 workers total in this stage of the game. 

Rudimentary worker submenu is available in the Party tab. You can see your workers, but for now it's just a simple list. 

• To access the worker menu, you first must unlock and purchase an upgrade, which becomes available after your 3rd worker is restored
• Workers are now individual entities, and specific workers are (automatically) assigned to specific gathering tasks rather than adding/subtracting from an abstract "worker pool" number. 
• You can't explicitly decide who does what yet - this is intentional. V0.2.x will unlock deeper worker management gameplay.
• Workers learn and gain skill xp over time, but at a much slower rate than the player (currently 4x the XP req. of the player)
• They do nothing if they lack the necessary skills level (e.g. mining LV. 1 for copper ore)
• Workers have classes, which will later provide stat and skill bonuses. Though they can't be changed yet, and don't do much else yet. 

Really excited that the existing skill and gathering code could easily handle training workers skills, without any additional functions or code needed - this means my last "code cleanup" update is starting to net some benefits.

Skills

• Fix: you can no longer train skills when gathering something thats already at max
• Mouseover skills shows a tooltip description
• Skills now have maximum level caps, currently for all skills lv. 10  is the max
• Skill XP is now carried over on levelling up (e.g. if you needed 10xp for next level, and had 11xp, you keep 1xp. Before it reset to 0.)
• Skills can unlock other skills, on reaching a specified level.
• Weapon skills added to the game. Hitting things with a weapon trains the relevant weapon skill (e.g. "wood sword" trains "swords", etc)
  • Some weapons will have penalties while untrained in the skill, like Swords, as they are harder to just "pick up and use", whereas others, like Daggers, will have no penalty
• Armour skills added to the game. Being hit while wearing an armour trains the relevant armour type skill
  • As with weapons, light armours can be used without any penalty, but using heavy armour while untrained will incur a significant penalty, and thus be more challenging to train manually
• Toughness skill: being hit with no armour on trains the toughness skill, which increases your max HP.
• There are now passive SKILLS and active ABILITIES
  • Slash: a powerful sword slash that does additional (+10% per lv) dmg. Requires Swords lv. 2, Combat lv. 2
  • Cross Slash: a powerful double sword slash (2x dmg). Requires Swords lv. 3, Combat lv. 4, and Slash lv. 3. 
  • Stab; a stronger Dagger attack
• As you can see, skills can have prerequisites to learn them, and get automatically unlocked when the preq. skills are levelled up. 
  • Prerequisites for abilities can include various passive skill levels, and active skill levels.
  • Prerequisites for (passive) skills for now can only include other passive skill levels.
• For the time being, abilities dont have any mana/energy costs, cooldowns, etc.  Go hog wild! Later, there will be some sort of MP system in place.

Right now it can be a bit painful having the only option for learning a skill by suffering through a large, partly blind, untrained period with penalties. In future, there will be many ways to train skills without having to manually tough it out, perhaps training at dojos or with masters, reading ancient books, or even learning from other guild members who have the skill already.  There will also be various ways to illuminate how to gain skills, and get more information on skills that you are close to learning, etc.

Upgrades

• Upgrade the "Human Resources" branch to display more information about skills: First upgrade shows % to next skill level, next shows precise XP, last tier shows also untrained skills

To Do/Plans

Instead of a universal "actor factor" for skill learning for non-player characters, each worker or adventurer could have their own "learning rate." Some will learn faster than others. You could possibly train or upgrade it to improve learning rates. In future, things like race and class could also affect an actor's learning rate (positively or negatively).