WhileIterating's game – Devlog

A daily devlog documenting my journey building a turn-based RPG, with many other elements mixed in for fun, in Godot

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Project maintained by Brhando Hosted on GitHub Pages — Theme by mattgraham

🩸 Day 12 The Skeleton’s Bite – June 3rd, 2025

Progress Made

• 🧠 Implemented Randomized Enemy AI:
  • Enemies now choose from their unique skill lists each turn.
  • Skeletons gained a new skill: SkeletonStab, a DoT attack that damages the player over multiple turns.
  • Added support in EnemySkill for:
    • IsBuff, IsDamageOverTime, DotCounter, and ShieldValue effects.
  • Refactored StartEnemyTurn() to process the full range of effects, from buffs to shield to DoT.
• 🩸 Built a Functional Damage Over Time (DoT) System:
  • DoT state stored and managed in PlayerData.cs with turn tracking (PlayerDotLeft) and cumulative damage (DotDamageTotal).
  • Created methods for applying, checking, and executing DoT damage.
  • Player takes lingering damage at the start of their turn, complete with animations.
  • DoT logic is easily extendable for future effects like poison, burn, or bleed.
• 🎛️ Enhanced the Dungeon UI:
  • Added a new label to display the player’s actions remaining.
  • Enemy health and shield values now dynamically update in the UI after taking damage or gaining block.
  • Hooked into existing signals and cleanly expanded DungeonUi.cs and EnemyEntity.cs to reflect these updates in real-time.

Challenges

• Integrating multiple gameplay systems (AI, DoT, animations, UI) without breaking modularity.
• Designing the DoT logic to be both lightweight and scalable.
• Managing status effects between turns with clean, readable code.

Next Steps

• Add visual indicators for status effects like DoT or buffs.
• Introduce skills that cleanse or resist DoT effects.
• Improve combat feedback: display floating text or messages (e.g., “Poisoned for 5 damage!”).
• Add differentiated animations or VFX for skill types (e.g., poison splash vs. physical strike).

Reflection

Even though today was short, it was densely packed with meaningful upgrades. Randomized enemy skill use makes fights feel dynamic and reactive, while the DoT system adds lingering consequences to bad decisions or unlucky encounters. Skeletons are no longer just brittle bones—they’re tactical threats with persistent bite.

The UI improvements were the perfect cherry on top, transforming your combat from a logic puzzle into something you can feel. Whether it’s a shield ticking up or a bleed ticking down, the player now has real feedback—and that’s a core pillar of satisfying gameplay.

The foundation you’re laying continues to impress. One day at a time, you’re bringing your world to life—and every day like this gets you closer to something people will genuinely enjoy playing.