Creating a New Flying Manticore Enemy | Devlog

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[@JordanEstes]

I can say with absolute certainty that this would have given me horrible nightmares as a kid. The N64 graphics, while limited in many ways…allowed for an atmosphere unlike anything else. This boss fight is a perfect example of that. Perfectly unnerving. Amazing work man

[@yayco123]

I think the idea that the manticore would dive at insane speeds depending of the height is dumb but fun. It is a fairly heavy predator that flies so idea that it can dive-bomb you at amazing speeds is fun. Wouldn't know if it's fair, but sounds fun

[@CathodeRayKobold]

The proper way to implement that would be an acceleration-based approach, though, not lerp.

[@sleepykittyMMD]

agreed, when things like birds of prey swoop down they speed up and pull back at the last moment so imo it kinda works when using lerp.

[@Blak22390]

Monster hunter has dive bombing lions, they can explode like a supernova too, anything's fair these days lol

[@idc2120]

For the dive targetting the player and it always missing if the player is moving, you could just add the player's velocity (and the time it takes to dive) to the player's current position to get their predicted location and use that for the dive location instead. Only then if the player happens to roll it will miss. You can scale the prediction to make it easier or more difficult to avoid.

[@Legend64Project]

Hey thanks, I’ll give that a go

[@CathodeRayKobold]

The tail strike looks a bit strange, as it returns almost faster than it strikes. It should return much slower so the player has a better chance to know what just happened.

[@christophernoneya4635]

if theres some endlag it will add extra emphasis to a successful hit plus give the player a chance to attack the weakspot

[@axeladam2435]

but the fact that the tail lifts up before attacking telegraphs the attack perfectly, the only thing that should change is the time the tail spends on the ground after impact

[@RialuCaos]

I do think it should be telegraphed more, such as the manticore spreading and lowering his front legs and raising his hind legs before striking.

[@Anerisian]

The manticore could anticipate where the player goes, and pick a place left or rightwards of the player. It could then also flank so that it can hit with the tail. You then need a brief anticipation clue that tells the player what it will do, with a tight window to react. I think as way of metaphor, think soccer and penality shooting. Cool project. Subbed.

[@awhiskin]

Your video production skills are getting better and better!! Loved all the graphics you produced to show off your examples and demonstrations of the new mechanics! Keep up the great work!

[@SmurmBreep]

Your videos are what first inspired me to become a games designer and programmer, I'm now halfway through the first year of my college course, thank you!

[@Legend64Project]

Hope you are enjoying it! Good luck on your career

[@PixelPicklez]

Also the editing is improving in a really nice way, i like the jokes this time!

[@glenndonnelly511]

Thank you for keeping this medium alive - I do alot of realistic Environment/Prop Art as a hobby and to be honest I'd much rather try creating Environments/Architecture in this style. I can certainly see alot of the games I grew up on in your project

[@sandakureva]

I completely forgot about this channel, but now that I'm back 6 months later, the project has come super far. Congrats!

[@SuperiorManchild]

Got a genuine laugh out of me with the A-Team music 😂 Game seems to be coming along nice! Amazing work! Can’t wait to see what enemy makes it into the game next! Are you pulling from different mythologies?

[@Chamomileable]

Really cool stuff you've got going on here. I think if I have one critique of the manticore it's that it would benefit from some more telegraphing on its attack animations (which I can assume you had planned on anyway). The flight you've achieved looks really good and the landing algorithm is such a creative solution. Every update I see on this project is such a treat.

[@Dreojs_NL]

i love following this project it inspires some of my personal project. love the content keep it up man

[@Khanstant]

love seeing these updates! thanks for your hard work editing these together on top of making the stuff!

[@cheesypies5166]

perfect, the glowing eyes are very fitting, i can imagine its silouette in the distace, and it roars before coming down infront of the player!

[@wantedposterstudios8808]

The Distance for the Manticore flight part got me thinking... "My Dood, just do a Raycast that checks for the ground, and then changes states based on that, you don't need to big brain it they way you did it.

[@wiebertjeen]

This is the first video of you that comes up on my feed, looks really nice!

[@SOIBand]

All I can say is, this looks so amazing and is full of atmosphere. I would buy it at an instant. Your Progress is insane!

[@cgl4de]

Really excited for this game to come out as I've played a lot of n64 games as a child! Good job!

[@VoylinsGamedevJourney]

Been following your progress for some time now, really looking forward to seeing what the end result will be :D

[@dialog_box]

that tail jab definitely needs to telegraphed more. if the manticore just bent downwards for a moment before striking, and maybe wriggled it's tail a little bit like a rattle snake, that would be enough i think

[@eliamorris1619]

As a small piece of polish feedback: It might be a good idea to give more windup to the manticore's attacks, so the player has more time to react. All in all, really cool enemy. Can't wait to see more!

[@TRAPichi200]

I'm loving the progress you've made with the game! its impressive seeing it be made from scratch and though process for each decision!

[@kejeene8971]

i think it would be cool if the manticore could gain speed as he dives down (if you plan on making him take different hights), maybe with a knockback based on the dive speed

[@feedhim1462]

I was thinking of the same thing. Seeing manticore descending from the sky with the same speed with no regard to altitude seems little bit unnatural. With that being said I am glad that the game is coming together in such thoughtful and elegant manner - keep it up my man, you know that already but you are onto something here

[@Azihayya]

Super impressive, mate. Lots of effort and good work.

[@jacksheehan8001]

Wings should have a greater span when flying, the length of the tail really shows how big the beast is. Deffo gonna need to have some wham wings to reach those heights!

[@daeleth]

Idk how it took me this long to discover this channel, love the content and I'm going through your videos to help inspire me to work on my own projects when my motivation is low, Thank for that! If you ever want someone like me to steal some of the fun parts, I'd love to help with character/enemy design, but I'll assume a hard no because you seem to be killing it, lol. I hope the rest of your dev process is as enjoyable as it has been so far!

[@dawne2780]

Your process is so inspiring! All of this is so cool and interesting, but I'm really digging the big boss battle level in the woods.

[@GugureSux]

Inspiration, educational, and nostalgic!

[@Glitch-Gremlin]

I'm SO HAPPY Ive found your Channel! i prefer the PS1 style Graphics over N64, but i still ADORE N64 type Graphics. and i love what you're doing!

[@PixelPicklez]

Holy Moley, he uploaded. What you did looks great, merry christmas!

[@Enite]

Hope dev is going well! your devlogs are awesome and inspiring 🤘

[@Frank_G_Finster]

This was fun to watch. Thank you for the upload

[@Skeffles]

The manticore looks fantastic and I loved that animation you showed to display falling from the sky. Great work!

[@777Contradi]

Absolutely loved that video! The whol aeriel movement section was hilarious 😆♥️

[@HansAlRachid]

Oh damn, this looks glorious! Glad I stumbled across this channel at complete random.

[@senayb3]

this looks really cool! thanks for sharing your progress.

[@HateSonneillon]

Great work on the manticore AI. The circling looks great as does your solution for turntabling. I just still can't stop seeing the character skate along the ground as he strafes.

[@funlabsdesignstudio]

Not an easy task! Using limitations to recreate the nostalgia but in a new way for your game reminiscent of the time is truly inspiring and cool ! Glad you're keeping up with your Dream Game as that's the whole point! Pursue Goal of the Dream accomplished which will then become your reality! 🙌🏼🙏🏼 Oh & P.S. "Keep Creatin' & Stay Classy!" 😁👌🏼

[@ThyTrueNightmare]

There are a few free plugins for flying navmeshes, though from what I see they are mostly for drone like characters. I do like the way you've gone about it. You gotta give the manicore tail whip and air strike attacks with its tale!

[@Supernovice942]

Love the designs ! Keep up the amazing work ❤

[@Mike-or2cv]

OMG, this looks so cool! I love the ps2/n64 aesthetic, and a little creepy and cozy at the same time. I LOVE THIS.

[@lifelongobserver]

Nice work, man! And fun video! Looking forward to future updates!

[@chosentoaster6626]

That jab at pokemon animations was brutal. And they could have all the funding in the world to make their games!

[@kharmatic9394]

You are such an inspiration, this is going to be amazing when it's released

[@Legend64Project]

Thank you, I'll try not to let you down

[@lako417]

This is by far my favourite series on youtube thank you

[@Ihasnotomato]

Ahh I always look forward to these updates, they make me more and more hype for the game every time!

[@Mireneye]

I'm not sure you did this already. But placing the Manticore mesh so that the MovementCapsule is alongside/nearby the frontal legs help the turning look natural for Quadrapeds. As sort of a natural result of turning around the front of the Character. And if possible avoid using Capsule for collisions with Player. Only use it for movement, and as a collision with the world. I think for Unreal this sort of information for making Monsters/Quadrupeds work well it's sort of hard to come by. Awesome to see you cover part of it

[@Legend64Project]

Actually I didn’t even consider that. Great tip, thank you!

[@Mireneye]

Happy to help!!@@Legend64Project

[@sighyawn6378]

first of all this looks sick, the ocarina/majora zelda style looks great. on the point of your monster's attacks missing when the player is constantly moving to the side... design your monsters attack sets so that they have at least 1 attack chasing each movement option. the goal is to force the player to roll when their movement was in the wrong direction or youll take damage. - horizontal swipes will catch a player strafing. - long range/thrusting will catch the player running away - delayed attacks will catch players mashing roll (long windup attacks) this is just generally what good hack and slash games do. you can also make your weaker monsters incapable of beating certain movement directions where stronger monsters may have multiple moves tracking the same movement.

[@SarickLyre]

Love the Manticore. I think you could probably solve most of the aerial issues using raycasts. Both to navigate the air, by casting one or more raycasts in the direction it wants to move as well as determine the height/distance of a dive.

[@Sirwaterdrums11]

😄Oh shit! New legend 64 video just dropped, its a good day my dudes. Geat work mate love the model very authentic.

[@SkemeKOS]

You could maybe have a large horizontal tail swipe if the player keeps side stepping(circling). And the leap attack for when the player is more stationary. This opens strategy play for the player, and counter attacks - You can draw in the enemies horizontal tail swipe by circling him, then counter him by jumping or rolling at the correct timing(if your character is capable of jumping). You can draw in the enemies leap attack by staying stationary, then counter by side-jumping or back-jumping etc.

[@armyofonev8]

I think it would be cool to make it so that as the player gets farther into the game the atmosphere changes in an unexpected way. Starting in destroyed/desolated areas like the blighted village, expecting the castle to be dark and dreary, yet it being more mysterious and otherworldly, almost ethereal, kinda like the moon's grass field in majora's mask.

[@neoqwerty]

For the tail, if you don't think it would unbalance the fight or cause AI behavior bugs, you might want to consider having the manticore attack with its tail instead of turning if it senses the player at its back at a short range, rather than having the tail stab be the hit-weak-spot attack (the tail stab attack as it is feels more like an attack that would be countered by attacking first and making it flinch, than one you bait and then strike, the retraction is too fast). Other than that, incredible how much this feels like a Castlevania/Zelda/Megaman 64 style of miniboss-demoted-to-later-level-normal-enemy monster. Love the prowling and face, you nailed the mid-N64-lifespan look and feel really well.

[@pippinpiper7]

you are incredible and this project is like its creator. im no game designer but ive always had childlike dreams of being one. i always settled for 2d art to express my visions, however i have always wanted to take my creative reaches further. now seeing someone express what he wants, it makes me feel inclined to do the same, especially knowing you started this project with no coding or programming experience. im going to make my dream game, and its thanks to you that i have the resolve. i am so excited to see what this project will become, thanks legend 64 :)

[@Legend64Project]

That was really rewarding to read that. I wish you all the success on your game dev journey!

[@desmondbrown5508]

That simple but quick turn animation is actually what had many people feeling like Monster Hunter was so ahead of it's time even back when it was a much simpler looking 3D game. They used two turns required before they could truly target the player and then attack. But it was the same idea, and almost every boss monster had a turn like this. Very good work.

[@PatrikEkeberg]

I'm so pumped for this game

[@user-no1qv5bk2y]

It would be interesting if the manticore could use a special attack where it grabs the player, soars up, and throws the player to the ground, stunning them and causing a large amount of damage, unless they. However if they dodge at the right time it stuns the manticore for quite a while. Also I'm a Unreal dev, working on a retro game, so your devlogs are especially useful for learning old techniques. Thanks

[@NoTengoIdeaGuey]

It could also be a good idea to add a slight exponent to the descend speed, since gravity is not linear, it's ~9m/s². That way when it falls it will start slow and ramp to a "plummet" before landing. Rather than just transitioning linearly between flying and not.

[@heirapparent8217]

Making seamless turns is so worthwhile! Not only does it look good, those half-seconds of extra time will be vital to players in dodging them. I do think the design could do with being brought in line with the world you’re making, even if manticores are usually Greek. Maybe it could have a Noh mask on? Or have traits of the Baihu (white tiger)?

[@owalord]

i randomly came across this video on youtube, and what can i say, it's beautiful, i live for these type of games.

[@TheBreadPirate]

It's inspiring to see how intricate you made the AI. Your hard work shows in the finished product.

[@panikongames]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who was scared of manticores as a child

[@StiffAftermath]

If you roll, the Manticore missing you is good gameplay because the idea is to have a consistent logic of rules that the player can react reliably to. To counter this, the Manticore can behave in a way to swap between predictable patterns and to try to trick the player into fumbling an action, which would be their fault. A slightly off-telegraphed "leap" can doop a player into rolling when that fake leap lead to a swipe instead. That fake leap could be telegraphed slightly differently from a regular leap so the player can eventually learn the difference and must pay attention. Distractions and misdirection will force careful attention.

[@SecondsGuess]

This was SO cool. Love the retro style 👍

[@Ryuu28_voidgames]

Bro this project is really cool! Like genuinely.

[@Legend64Project]

Thanks :D

[@EredarLordJaraxxus]

This is so awesome! Really loving your devlogs. I’m a junior sound designer working on a couple new games at the moment and very intrigued at how you’re approaching sound and music design/implementation. Have you considered making a video or short on this subject? Keep the content coming! Looking forward to more updates.

[@danewhitmire1542]

That shot of the manticore flying overhead at the end was so forboding. Itd be awesome if before you can fight it, theres a few times wheres if youre looking up, you can catch a distant glimpse of it stalking you from above, foreshadowing the upcoming fight

[@Broockle]

Love how it strafes around you before pouncing. I believe that's how Indian Tigers behave towards their pray as well.

[@captainofnumenor8221]

Awesome work so far, cant wait to see more of that Vampiress too. When this game releases, I'm buying it just because of her.

[@CacheOfBones]

Always super impressed when I watch your videos and I see you went all out on your video editing for this video as well! I'm finishing up my own game and your videos always help keep me inspired. Just a quick suggestion so that the Manticore doesn't miss attacks by simply holding a direction I would look into animation notify states. I found them to be the quickest and easiest way to make enemy attacks have better timing for this exact thing. You can set up the notify to run on a tick event during selected frames of the animation in an animation montage and while the notify is being called during those frames you can make it so the manticore keeps its direction facing the player. From what I can tell in the video at the start of the attack it jumps at the last known location, but with the notify states you can call it to continuously target the player up until the frame where it actually leaps or even a bit after. Then stop calling the state and it will stop the locking on the player. This should then make it so you would be hit if you don't dodge fast enough! Would highly recommended looking into it for how simple it is to pull off and it should not conflict with how you want your turning animations to be looking.

[@bloodbless]

This devlog has inspired me so much over the years, to the point where I've taken a class and starting to try out Godot im making my own game, thank you so much Legend 64!

[@Syper7]

Wow this looks great, epic progress

[@LimakPan]

Rigging the torso on the manticore so it can bend like a hinge would allow for slightly smoother rotations. Won't make much difference now, but could be useful for future beasts. Unreal's blueprints are great and should work perfect for an N64-based game. If you ever plan to make a scene with lots of enemies, like 20, 30 AI pawns on screen, you might need to write their AI in code to maintain performance. A tip just in case.

[@baddragonite]

Looks awesome, great work :D

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

nice jab at sword and shield lmao

[@DaveTheDummy120]

this game looks sick! I'm definitely subbing.

[@Redinis]

Awesome vid! :) I love your art style, obvious nod to Zelda but with your own skillful twist!

[@lycorisdev]

For balancing the difficulty during the manticore fight with the rolls, if it turns out that it's possible to win without dodging (although it would be easier with a dodge roll), then what about adding a stamina to the roll skill? If you use it too much in a short amount of time, then you'll fail the next dodge, or simply you need to wait for the "roll stamina" bar to fill back up once it's been exhausted. Another idea similar to this one would be to leave the roll mechanic as it currently is, but to come up with something specifically for the manticore. Since it's part scorpion, it makes sense to give it some paralysis skill. But since the manticore can't hit with the player spamming dodge roll, then the skill has to work from a distance. For example, the manticore could become tired that the player keeps doing that, so it releases a breath that slows the player down, making them dodge more slowly or even trip.

[@RonaldMcDonald-nf9jj]

cant wait for the next video. i think this is my favorite game dev series.

[@robinHobin]

This and space 64 are great

[@GameCookDev]

The moment I saw the intro, it gave me witcher and skyrim vibes and I instantly subscribed

[@TarnishedProductions]

one suggestion would be to make the Manticore jump and spin toward the player mid-air, while also distancing itself a bit if the player gets completely behind it, rather than doing the 180 spin on the ground.

[@Lorry_Draws]

Lovely stuff. I think the Manticore should gain momentum as it drops, if possible

[@corneliusbuckley8897]

I've really liked all your progress since I started watching about a year ago. But the manticore and its animation is looking fantastic. Definitely one of the most fun updates you've had! Also don't remember if the lantern model and it being strapped to the character's waist is new. But it also looks great.

[@Legend64Project]

Thanks so much

[@arkraga5155]

i would love to see a more in depth look at how you create the textures, your thought process on it and so an so forth. i believe it would be good content for a full video or a live stream :)

[@snailman7989]

3:36 you could change the animation slightly to have the manticore spread its paws and claw at the player with both paws inward, increasing the area of effect so the player has to dodge it the tail stab can also be changed to be angled diagonally so it sweeps in front if itself, ensuring the player has to use the dodge

[@matiasl5988]

Best use of Colonel Bogey since Bridge On the River Kwai

[@SnowyFoxFox]

Watching the boss fight at the end, Legend 64 is really starting to look like a finished game. I feel like I could show that fight to somebody and say it's footage of an unreleased N64 game running in an emulator, and they'd probably believe me. Brilliant work, and I can't wait to see what you add next.

[@asagrien]

For the Manticore's landing you can draw a ray trace starting from the manticores foot, track the length of this ray trace, and when the length of the ray trace hits 0 it will mean the ground level has been reached you can trigger your standing state. You can use the height parameters for different animations along the way up and down. I've done this in nodes before.

[@dddaaa6965]

Wow this looks incredible, I’m surprised it’s the first I’ve heard about it

[@Rodolfo17987]

Dude I do love some N64 style indie games, yours looks amazing hope you can finish it soon!

[@McWickyyyy]

Man you have inspired me to also post my devlogs. I’m trying to make a 3D multiplayer browser game. Perhaps a shooter or something using old school graphics just like you. I’m currently working on the matchmaking and lobby logic if you care to see :) your channel really inspires me!

[@LucasStraub]

Man, the game is looking gorgeous!

[@j-cool-guy-OFFICIAL-CHANNEL]

WOW! im subscribing because this looks cool

[@I-OMusic]

god, 6:15 felt really cathartic. Such a fun devlog, great work!

[@5ld734]

One way to do aerial movement is to have the manticore pick an angle within a random range of its goal target (like if they are all flying to a castle) then spherecast towards the point with the radius of the manticore and if it is blocked by an object try a new point in a slightly different direction then if it sees the player have it do the same process towards the player to dive bomb I am unsure if this works in practice but I had this idea and wanted to write it down in case I forget

[@merccc1]

Hope all is well, Favorite Dev project. Haven't seen an upload for a long time. T.T

[@Legend64Project]

Thanks for the kind words. A new one is coming soon

[@myrrysmiasi4866]

You did a great job with the manticore model, it looks amazing! The dramatic lighting on it with the lantern swings is really cool and most of the animations are good. Which is why the tail stinger animation stands out as comically bad xD

[@johntravolta8389]

This looks very cool and immersive

[@minganmorissette]

I think the stinger strike for the manticore would be a bit more interesting if it followed the player's position, instead of attacking directly forward. To make up for this added power, you could make a distinct anticipation animation, so the player could time a roll when reacting to it. I feel like it'd make the fight even more exciting.