Devlog · Episode 11
My duel ended before I could blink
The duel between two players needed rhythm. Here is what changed and the key shortcuts that make life easier.
At first, the duel ended so fast that nobody understood who had won. Two hits and it was over. I would stare at the screen and think: if I don't know what just happened, the player won't either.
The invitation
A duel is a conversation between two people. So I started at the beginning: the invitation card. Now it says exactly who is calling you, what the rules are and what is at stake. In my test, it read: Aurelio invites you to a friendly duel, best of 1, no loss and no PK.
That last part matters a lot. A friendly duel takes nothing from anyone. You don't lose items, you don't lose experience and nobody becomes a target for other players. You can try a new build with a friend without fear of ruining your day.
The pace of the fight
I thought a lot about what the player feels in the three seconds before the first hit. The countdown exists for that: to breathe, pick a skill and decide whether to attack or wait.
I changed the countdown before the start, so both players have time to get in position. I also changed the screen that shows up at the end. It used to vanish too fast. Now the result stays there, clear, for both sides.
The fight itself is easier to read. When a hit lands, you can see what happened, and you have time to answer with another skill.
Every skill has its key
I used this round to sort out the shortcuts. It was a mess: one key here, another one there. Now the bar at the bottom shows everything in a simple way. Q and W are the quick skills. Slots 1 to 5 hold the skills you pick. Shift and E keep the strongest actions, with the number of uses written below.
If you prefer another key, just change it. Everyone plays their own way, and the bar adapts.
When it happens
The duel also joined the world's schedule. On Thursday at 9 PM there is the Ranked Duel, together with the Siege. It is the day to prove your build against people who came for the same thing.
What is still missing
I still need to test with more people. Two players only show one part of the problem. But you can already invite a friend, fight and understand what happened from the first hit to the last. For me, that was the goal of this round.