There a new bonus comic up on TWC if you vote. New ROM too.

I'm running a bit late right now so here's a quick teaser for a future Ink update that relates to an important part of both the battle system and the story line...

Ink: Mystery Teaser
A strange feeling came over Jessie as she felt the power flowing through her, suffusing every part of her body, her very being. She had never felt anything like it before, never heard of anything like it. And yet, somehow, someway, she understood. It wouldn't last long, already the power was beginning to ebb away like the tide on a distant beach, but she knew that, until it vanished, there was nothing in the world that could touch her, nothing that could stop her. Right now, for this single moment, the power was hers, and she was supreme.

That's all for now. Have a great Independence Day (if you live in the US at least)!

Josiah

I've been pretty busy since E3 but I'm finally getting a few days off for Independence Day, or the 4th of July, or whatever you want to call it. One of my teachers pointed out though that 4th of July doesn't really say much about what the holiday is or what it represents. And Independence Day is the official name and all, so I've been try to use it more. But anyway, I finally have a few days off from school. Not that it's going to be all relaxing. I have some projects I need to work on (both school related and other stuff) but I'll also be doing some things with friends and will have some time to play video games (hopefully something I won't lost once the break ends).

Hmm... I really can't think of much to say at the moment so I'm gonna get some sleep. I've got some things to work on later today and then some friends and I have a Munchkin game planned. I'll see you Friday, by then I should be rested up a bit and able to think of something more interesting to write about.

Josiah

Vote and see Friday's bonus comic if you want to. The comic will be switching back to Brendan and May on Wednesday, but some other familiar characters will be popping up in the near future...

Ink's Battle System: Dual Attacks & Special Attacks:
When two party members have consecutive turns (as shown in the turn order list), the first character can initiate a dual attack. Doing so uses both characters' turns. When performing a dual attack, the length of the combo bar is extended to 1.5x the length of the initiating character's combo bar. Basic attacks are placed on the combo bar like normal, but every other attack placed on the combo bar will be performed by the second character.
As with ordinary single character attacks, certain combinations of moves will trigger special attacks. Dual special attacks may require a sequence of attacks at least four long, with a maximum of twelve. Newly discovered special attacks are added to the combo list. The available dual special attacks are different for each combination of characters.

Magic & Dual Attacks:
When initiating a dual attack, one or both characters can use magic instead of physical attacks. When only one character is using magic, the combo bar will be equal to 1.5x the length of the attacking character's physical combo bar, whether that character initiates the attack or not. If both characters use magic, the length will equal 1.5x the initiating character's magic combo bar.
Certain combinations of magic and physical attacks will trigger special dual attacks, which work the same way as regular dual attacks. They are different for each combination of characters.
When both characters are using magic, they can chain their elements to form the same spells that can be cast by a single character. However, there are additional spells that can only be triggered during a dual attack and some spells which require the additional combo bar length available during dual attacks to cast. However, the combinations are the same for every combination of characters.

Designer's Comments:
No reason to attack one at a time when you're part of a group. In addition, everyone seems to love it when RPGs have multi-character special attacks, even though it's not all that common of a feature. Though characters can not perform dual attacks unless they have consecutive turns, I don't want to force the player to be stuck hoping that the characters he wants end up together. That would just be annoying. Instead, the player can always choose to have the currently active character wait instead of performing an action. A waiting character's turn immediately ends and he gains a new turn immediately after the next person on the turn order list. This will allow easy preparation for dual attacks and another yet another element of strategy to the battle system.
Like regular attacks, the system encourages experimentation to find new special attacks. Physical dual attacks and physical and magic combination dual attacks will give the player a large number of dual special attacks two find and use. Naturally, when balancing the battle system, it will be important to ensure that such attacks are strong enough to be worth using two characters' turns to to perform. If a regular attacks from both characters routinely deal more damage than a dual attack would, than the entire system would be a waste of time. Special techniques, no matter how flashy, just aren't much fun if they aren't strong enough to be useful.
While dual magic attacks may seem a bit less exciting, the presence of a few unique spells should help. Also, the increased combo bar length will allow the player access to far stronger spells than he can cast with a single character.
Whether or not Josiah will be able to participate in dual attacks will depend on whether or now I decide to allow him to fight directly in battle. I'm also considering the possibility of triple or even quadruple attacks (depending on the maximum party size) but haven't made any decisions yet.

And that's all for today. Hmm... Maybe I'll take a break from the battle system for now and talk about some different parts of the game for a change... Well, we'll see.

Josiah