Jacob Mott

System Goal: Four weapons that offer different approaches to gameplay.

From its start, combat systems in Tempus revolved around the player eventually having four different weapons–a balanced weapon, the sword, a slow heavy hitter, the gauntlets, a medium ranged utility weapon, the whip, and a long ranged gun style weapon, the railgun.  The original concept also saw each weapon imbued with an element–fire, earth, water, and electricity, respectively–and having unique attacks depending on the weapon used before and after each strike, as well as whether the strike was light, heavy, or special.

The system quickly became very complex, and given time constraints, required simplification.  After dropping the elemental aspect, one of the programmers suggested mapping each weapon to a face button on the controller.  Additionally, at the request of the professor, the gun weapon was changed into a single, devastating weapon in the form of the railgun.

The final system used a three strike combo system: each weapon had a unique first, second, and third attack, which would come into play depending on whether it was the first, second, or third strike in the current combo.  For example, a three strike combo could begin with the first strike of the sword, the second strike could be the second strike of the whip, while the final strike could be the third attack of the gauntlets.

The Sword

• Average length reach
• Average attack rate
• Mid-air attack is a downward slash

The most balanced of all the weapons, the sword has moderate stats across the board.  It also allows Belle to perform a mid-air downward slash.  It was designed to give players a reliable weapon for almost all situations, while its downward slash allows players to quickly get back on the ground and into the fray.

The Gauntlets

• Shortest reach
• Slowest attack rate
• Third attack is a charge

The Gauntlets have the slowest attack speed and shortest attack range of the three standard weapons.  Its third strike is a charge which carries Belle across the battlefield.  It was designed to be a heavy, in-your-face, brawler style weapon that allows players to move through the fight and capitalize on openings in defenses.

The Whip

• Longest reach of the three standard weapons
• Below-average attack rate
• Keep the player at a distance, but still in battle

The whip has the longest range of the three standard weapons, as well as a somewhat slow animation and windup.  It was designed to give  players a means of keeping enemies at bay while still allowing them to stay in combat.

The Railgun

• Massive damage
• Spreads entire length of panel
• Single-Use, no combos
• Long animation

The Railgun is a special weapon that has no combos.  Rather, it fires once, dealing massive damage to everything in a large path.  Since players only get access to the Rail Cannon at the end of the game, they were allowed to use it essentially at their whim, though they would need to be wary of its long animation and windup.  It was designed to be an ultimate devastator style weapon.