Hoshikuro/Evil Dan Revision (Changelog Updated: Sept. 6th, 2022)

[Nocturnis]

Okay so, I have a beta tester build ready. Is it more appropriate to link it here or in Releases?

I don't want to put it in the wrong place 

Edit: For now, I'll leave it here unless otherwise instructed. Moved.

Current Bugs I'm aware of:
Afterimages not being destroyed properly.
Damage scaling is still wonky.
AI is uh.. well.. a cheater.
Screenedge issues with various attacks.

[Shin DANZEY]

excellent job! i can'wait the next update!
that 's my only words!

[Nocturnis]

Putting future update info here as there is no longer a beta and the next version should be considered a release.
Updated Sept 7th, 2022.
Changelog

Spoiler (click to show)

The Road So Far...
--------------
General:
Sept. 7th:
  Adjusted all i-frames for specials and hypers as needed.
  Ground Bounce for Koryuhiji adjusted.
  Modified Throw damage, eliminated recovery state that was too early. Explod issue corrected.
  Fixed Flash Variant Scroll expenditure bug on Koryuken.
  Throw escape/recovery window adjusted. Throw damage and p2 end of throw state also adjusted.
Sept. 6th:
  Removed the shadow from Dan's Ghost during Legendary Taunt.
  Legendary Taunt Helper facing and velset's adjusted.
  PalFX adjusted for helper in Saikyo mode.
  Gadouken Sprite tweaked (Dan, not the projectile.)
Sept. 5th:
  Saikyo Mode Added.
Sept. 4th:
  Legendary Taunt Added.
  More Dan Comedy stuff.
  Scroll & Kanji system now in place. (I'll explain later.)
Sept. 3rd:
  Dan Comedy stuff added.
  Flash Variant Shun Goku Satsu finished. 
Aug. 31st:
  Redid all of the previously edited face sprites for Evil Dan.
  I was today years old when I realized what SFFv2 does with palettes.
  Small SGS update.
Aug. 27th:
  Did some work on AI. I hate it. When it's working, it's good. It can go toe-to-toe with a SpecOps or PotS character. When it's not working, which is
  most of the time, it's buggy stupid, and a cheater... and I hate it. Seriously considering scrapping what AI I have and starting over.
Aug. 26th:
  Corrected powercharge bug. Command timing also a bit less forgiving now.
  Wrote the Intro/Ending script.
  Outlined AI behavior to code.
Aug. 25th:
  Guard damage tweaks.
  Nerfed the heavy Gadouken damage.
Aug. 24th:
  Alpha Counter finished (I think, lol)
  FX Updates.
  Additional Intro added.
  Additional Winstate added. (Not the secret one.)
  Messatsu Buraiken Lvl2 and 3 now have additional hits. Damage not yet balanced.
Aug. 22nd:
  Alpha Counter coded. Final touches to be added.
  Minor sprite corrections.
  Some hitsparks adjusted to proper positions. Not finished.
  Changed filename to EvilDanX to eliminate character confusion. It's Evil Dan, after all. No need to codename it any more.
Aug. 21st:
  Transformation intro updated further. I think it's done.
  Screenflash on KO added.
  Sprite adjustments.
Aug. 20th:
  Additional input option during new taunt added.
  Transformation intro updated - partially, anyway. This is almost finished.
  Winposes updated.
  Intros updated.
Aug. 19th:
  A little bit of PalFX adjusting for aesthetic consistency when selecting palettes 7-12.
  New Taunt Added: Dan turns his back to his opponent and glows with evil energy.
Aug. 17th:
  Some sprites adjusted.
  Palettes adjusted. Skin tones for pals 1-6 are no longer all matches for Akuma. Variety is the spice of Evil Dan.
  Minor coding adjustments.
Aug. 16th:
  Some Damage adjusted.
  Poweradd per move adjusted. These were way out of control. Getting to Level 3 power isn't so fast now. This should encourage using the
  power charge taunt option.
Aug. 14th:
  Corrected new Taunt and Charge animation.
  Removed shadow from FX helper.
  Cleaned up statedef/state orders in code.
  Had some good chicken with a bit of cheeky nando's sauce last night.
Aug. 13th:
  So much code updating I can't remember everything.
  Additional sprites added (a friend gifted me aseprite.)
  New Taunt: Modified Stomp that glows with red power that does small damage and pushback. It's possible to initiate power charge from this state.
  Evil Bubbles of Doom are finally replaced.
  A bug fix for something. I can't remember what, but I know I fixed it.
Aug. 10th:
  New select screen portrait. It ain't great, but it's different.
  Small portrait updated.
Aug. 9th:
  Fixed Koryuken to hyper air cancel bugs.
  Koryuken cancel to Messatsu Gadouken working.
  CMD file tweaks.
  Better damage scaling now (PotS to the rescue).
Aug. 7th:
  Partially fixed another infinite. Discouraged it. Maybe. It kinda works. I dunno.
  Roll to Koryuken (alt) bug fixed.
Aug. 6th:
  Removed some code bloat.
  Corrections on various things.
  Fixed an infinite.
Aug. 4th:
  Divekick Hyper scrapped.
  Dankuu Hyper added to roadmap.
Aug. 3rd:
  Some CLSN adjusting.
  Corrected Kanji Explod orientation.
  Some sprites had their orientations corrected.
  Volume on Hyper/Superpause Sound lowered to 65%. It was pretty obnoxious before and not every Mugen character needs to wake the baby.
Aug. 1st:
  Juggle values adjusted.
  Unused Var cleanup.
  CMD maintenance (Fixing weird chains, commands, etc.)
  Palette stuff.
  Secret thing added.
  Afterimage bug fixed.
  Chain string fixed.
  Guard sound bug fixed.
  Frasier Crane mode added.
  Frasier Crane mode removed.
  Placeholder sound added for Ground Roll Koryuken.
  Flash Variant tweaks & maintenance.
  Some CLSN Cleanup.

Specials:
Aug. 3rd:
  Koryuhiji now has width adjustment to prevent guard-locking the opponent in the corner.
Aug. 1st:
  Koryuken tweaked. This move may end up being recoded. I'm not happy with the cancel window to Messatsu Gadouken.
  Koryuhiji tweaked. General fine tuning. Flash Variant added.
  Ground Roll added: Evil Dan can now roll forward on the ground and execute a modified Koryuken for air juggles, or cancel the roll early.
  Gadouken Tweaked: General fine tuning. Flash Variant added.

Hypers:
Aug. 7th:
  Messatsu Dan Kuu Rekka added. It's fun to do.
Aug. 6th:
  Messatsu Koryuken now has 3 rotations.
  All Hyper damage values have been adjusted.
Aug. 1st:
  Messatsu Gadouken: Stomp-hit pulls opponent into proper range for the projectile to hit.
  Messatsu Buraiken: Juggle values corrected.

Flash Variants: These moves have a 15% chance of flashing white and performing a variation of the special move. Keeps you on your toes.
Aug. 1st:
  Koryuken: Retains i-frame.
  Gadouken: Hits at higher velocity and causes a wall bounce for combo extension.
  Koryuhiji: Causes ground bounce for combo extension.
  Flash Variants now have an accompanying explod.
  Flash Variants now have a new made-from-scratch sound effect. (Hope you don't hate it.)
  Flash Variants now have a white bgpalfx on-hit.

Other:
Aug. 1st:
  Bonus intro added: ********* appears and is taunt-stomped away.

Changelog v4.3c beta
--------------
Launcher adjusted further. Can now be tech recovered.
CLSNs for Gadouken adjusted.
Messatsu Haoh Gadouken animations & move added. It's a new Level 3!
New Messatsu Buraiken added. It ends with a Haoh Gadouken that increases in hits per level rather than a Koryuken.
Minor tweaks here and there.
Juggle maintenance.
Removed Divekick afterimages. Can't remember why I had them in the first place.

Changelog v4.3 beta
--------------
Messatsu Gadouken Input now more forgiving.
Koryuken Command corrected.
Only standing and crouching lp can be spammed at moment. Other light attack animations look and feel clumsy when spammed.
Normal, Special, and Hyper chains should be working properly.
Superjump window timing adjusted.
Aerial launcher adjusted. Can no longer relaunch, opponent recovers at apex of launch.
Gadouken damage adjusted. These values are subject to change. 

Upcoming

Spoiler (click to show)

The Road Ahead...
Normals:
  Neutral Throw: Dan's weird noogie throw. More env shake on hits and a nastier throw at the end. Opponent should be skidding on floor.

Specials:
  Koryuken: May undergo more alterations. As stated in changelog, I am not happy with the cancel window for Messatsu Gadouken.
  Powerup*: DBZ style energy gather.
  Ikari Mode*: General powerup state dependent upon meter.
Flash Variants:
  Done for now.
Hypers:
  Messatsu Buraiken: More hits to be added to level 2 and 3.
  Messatsu Koryuken: Add additional rotation to level 3.
  Messatsu Dankuu Rekka: Changes dankuu kicks into a Rekka style version. First cost is 1000, then 500 for the additional kicks. Kicks are continued
  with a button press sort of like Street Fighter EX.
  Shun Goku Satsu Flash Variant: Yeah... Not gonna tell you

Intro:
  Additional low chance secret intro.

Winstate:
  As above. A low chance secret win state.

Taunts:
  Taunt 2: Dan stands, evil energy on back.
  Taunt 3: Dan releases a pulse of evil red energy.
  Legendary Taunt: It's a secret.

Various minor updates, sprites, sounds, etc.

*This may or may not happen.

Eine kleine Video:

Spoiler (click to show)

excellent job! i can'wait the next update!
that 's my only words!

Thank you! <3

I'm always open to suggestions for the character keep in mind that it does not guarantee a suggestion will be added. The Divekick and Divekick hyper currently have me scratching my head, though. I was originally going to have a lightning bolt strike after Dan performs a heelstomp version of the kick. But I feel like that's too similar to Vyn's version on MvC Evil Ryu.

[Nocturnis]

Flash Variants now have a solid look and feel. They still have a 15% activation chance (obviously set to 100% for the video). When active, both visual and audio cues will fire. I made the sound from scratch and I'm pretty happy with it. 10 points if you can guess what it originally was!

[TheDevil_69]

YO!! You're Dan sprites look GREAT!! Can I use some of it... please

I need a few for Parry, Dodge, Zero Counter and Dash Backwards

[Nocturnis]

YO!! Your Dan sprites look GREAT!! Can I use some of it... please

I need a few for Parry, Dodge, Zero Counter and Dash Backwards

Thanks!

Sure, you can use them. Keep in mind that the face and hair are pretty altered from normal Dan (as they were meant to look 'evil'), so you might have to copy paste/edit an old head onto him in order for him to look right. Oh - and the palette organization & application is a total mess that I haven't fixed yet. I think bits of his face use the same color as his gauntlets, among other things.

If it helps you cut any corners I can tell you the base was R's Dan. Also, don't be afraid to just slap a black undershirt on any old shoto sprite and swap the heads.  I do it all the time.

[Nocturnis]

I'll just leave this here.

      Evil Dan's Current Development

I forgot to add Koryuken to the showcase. It still needs work anyway (issues cancelling into Messatsu Gadouken.) I also didn't show a secret intro or more advanced combos.

I feel like it's getting closer to a release, or maybe even an early release.

[Lasombra Demon]

I actually remember this one from the old days.

How about actually making his Tenma Kuujin Kyaku go *upwards*, as an aerial anti-air? This would differentiate him from the other evil shotos that already have the downward kick.

I'd also make his Ashura Warp a variant... On his roll.

The SGS could really use an autograph attack or reference.

The rest, honestly looks really neat.

[Nocturnis]

I actually remember this one from the old days.

How about actually making his Tenma Kuujin Kyaku go *upwards*, as an aerial anti-air? This would differentiate him from the other evil shotos that already have the downward kick.

I'd also make his Ashura Warp a variant... On his roll.

The SGS could really use an autograph attack or reference.

The rest, honestly looks really neat.

I like the reverse (upward) divekick idea, but I'm honestly still on the fence about the move as a whole. But if I decide to actually do a hyper for it, it'll probably be something like that - good idea.

For the Asura variant on roll: Do you mean have an option to cancel into Asura Warp from the roll? Or do you mean a Flash Variant that turns the Asura Warp itself into a Asura Roll?

[Nocturnis]

I did a lot the past few days. Fixed up the CMD, found so many bugs and then fixed them, added sprites (my friend bought me aseprite cause he was tired of me complaining about GIMP haha), worked on a secret intro (10% chance for it to happen), cleaned up code bloat... I honestly can't remember all of it - sleep isn't so great right now   

I recorded the new Special FX pass for the level 3's and the new Taunt (It does damage on hit, I just forgot to show that) that can activate charge mode by pressing and holding Y+B. The Evil Bubbles of Doom are now gone. Sorry if anyone actually liked them.

So, yeah... Progress is being made!

Edit: Sorry for fumbling the SGS. I'm tired heh.

Edit Edit: I updated the animation to fire properly while charging, and removed the shadow from the red circle helper. I really don't know how I missed that yesterday, even as sleep deprived as I was.

[Nocturnis]

Just a better video showing off the former charge and its application. The animation is corrected and I'm not fumbling every stinkin' move.

[Nocturnis]

Things have progressed in a significant way since the Beta release and I'd like to know if those of you who are still interested think that I should keep working or have an early release. The reason I'm asking is because I have limited time in the day to work on this and am often dead tired in the evenings, or have other things I have to do. Please, feel free to chime in!

What's Left To Do

• Neutral Throw.
• Update Messatsu Buraiken with additional hits per level.✔
• Flash Variant Shun Goku Satsu.✔
• Replace some Explod Effects.✔
• Taunt 2: Dan turns his back to the opponent. ✔
• Legendary Taunt: I want what happens here to be a surprise.✔
• 1 Secret Winstate.✔
• CLSN Maintenance.  (WIP, a lot of stuff done.)
• Alpha Counter.✔
• New AI.
• Palette Correction on a lot of sprites.
• Sounds. Both adding and editing. (80% finished.)
• Screen effect when ending round with a hyper.✔
• Intros vs certain Fighters (e.g. Sagat, Gouki, Sakura.)

All of the things above (in no particular order) are things that I really want the character to have. I fully intend to have them integrated at some point.

The items below, however, I am unsure about. I really really want some feedback on these.

Might Be Added?

• Air Fireball & Hyper. Probably not. Every Evil Shoto has one. Evil Dan has enough crap as it is.
• Guard Push. (Note: This sort of feels a little unnecessary if not kind of cheap when he has an alpha counter. Thoughts?)
• Ikari Mode.✔
• A heal. (300hp Heal, difficult to pull off.)✔
• A couple of extra normals.
• Intro/Ending storyboards.

Again, please let me know what you think about an Early Release vs a longer wait for a Full Release. Thank you!

Edit: Just a fun little combo video. A lot of things were adjusted from the Beta that allow for a little more creativity in the combo department. Ignore the sound error. It's from recording on headphones for the second half.

[Two-Tone Dearly]

aw sweet! didn't expect to see Evil Dan get a huge update like this. looking good so far.

gonna wait for the full release to check him out

[Lasombra Demon]

Or do you mean a Flash Variant that turns the Asura Warp itself into a Asura Roll?

Keep the Asura Warp only very very short, and have the long version be an Asura Roll.

The SGS could use him putting on the tengu mask first (once it connects) before fading to black.

Again, this would differentiate him from other Evil Shotos.

This looks awesome!

[TheDevil_69]

 

[Two-Tone Dearly]

thinking about the SGS (and because it's Dan), why not have a rare chance for the SGS to backfire (I.E. he connects with the move and the screen fades to black and the hitsparks appear, but after it's done. Dan is seen on the ground instead of his opponent)

[Nocturnis]

A lot of people are worried about the SGS and Dan Comedy still 

Okay, I understand.

The Shun Goku Satsu will have a Flash Variant that I think you'll all be happy with.

If you're among those who are worried about Dan comedy and such, reveal the spoiler below. But it DOES ruin a surprise.

Spoiler (click to show)

Dan's Saikyo Spirit lives on! There are rare chances that it may appear in intros, winstates, on interactive button press, and even during some moves! It's not done yet, of course, but it's there.

Spoiler (click to show)

Spoilerception: The legendary taunt will result in Dan's Saikyo Spirit breaking free and performing the move instead.

I hope you're happy you ruined the surprise!

[Nocturnis]

This is where I'm at with Evil Dan's progress. There's still a good amount of things that need to be done, but I'm getting really burnt out. I'm really struggling with the AI coding and will likely have to scrap it and start over in order to eliminate the plethora of problems that are arising - a systematic approach isn't working. I think I've just done something wrong in the process. What I've got now is unreliable and not staying in the parameters very well. For Example: You can see the excessive jumping and random normals in the video above.

Funny fact: The AI trashed Reu's Evil Ryu once, when it actually was 100% working. I was super surprised and certainly wasn't intending for that level of difficulty.

Alpha Counter is pretty cool, though. I'm pretty happy with the Asura option and I really love the sprite for it (it almost makes me want to add a parry.) Hopefully no one hates it.

You can see the new intro/winstate in the video above, too.

Anyway, I think I'm taking a break this week. I feel like I'm spending too much time trying to force progress. Besides, my kid is learning to walk and that's a lot more fun right now

Edit because I don't want to bump the thread:

I updated every face sprite that was previously edited. I wasn't happy with the look and felt it wasn't a close enough match to Dan and it felt incongruous with the full sprite set. I wanted to keep that signature Dan butt-chin, but still make him look like he's actually turned evil. I think the result is a good compromise. Pictures in Spoilers (sorry if the watermark is screwing it up).

Spoiler (click to show)

Spoiler (click to show)

[Nocturnis]

Edit: Accidentally pressed save instead of preview. Oops!

Had fun doing this version of the SGS.

Like the video says, it requires the player to be paying attention in order to maximize the damage output of the move. Most of the Flash Variants operate in that manor, anyway. So I figured: why mess up an established trend?

The highest number of hits I've gotten is 27 so far. That's an extra 81 damage. It's so fun to just mash the hell out of buttons when this move is activated.

I may tweak some BGPalFX and AllPalFX in the future, but it's basically done.

You can also see the new retouch of Dan's face in this video.

[Nocturnis]

Updated Information:



See that thing up there? Let me explain.

The Scroll System

Evil Dan is a bit more interactive than the usual shoto. Because Dan never completed his Shotokan training, he cannot utilize some of the hidden (Ansatsuken) abilities as well. He must instead store the power in order to use his Level 3 Power abilities (e.g. Shun Goku Satsu). In order to store the power, he utilizes the Ten Kanji.

During 2 of his standard Taunts, you can press any Punch to cause the kanji to appear. This is stored on a scroll icon on the upper playerside portion of the screen. Using any Level 3 uses Kanji Scroll. If Dan tries to use a level 3 without a Kanji Scroll, he loses 1000 power, gets hurt and is in a winded state - leaving him wide open for attack.

The other scroll is the Flash Variant scroll. Dan may not have finished his training under Gouken, but he is constantly evolving his Saikyo techniques. During 3 of Dan's Taunts, the player can summon forth his Saikyo Spirit and gain one Flash Variant Scroll charge. This allows Dan to use a Flash Variant at will. Using a Flash Variant Scroll will consume ALL charges.

Kanji Scroll can be charged 1 time.
Flash Variant Scroll can be charged 3 times.

If all charges are stored and the scroll is complete, Dan can use the Flash Variant Shun Goku Satsu, or the Legendary Taunt.

This should encourage the player to do what Dan does best during gameplay: Taunt!

Saikyo Mode

Saikyo Mode is a secret mode enabled by a button combination at a specific time. What happens during Saikyo mode? Dan's Saikyo Spirit begins to take back control of his body and enables him to use all Flash Variants with impunity. That's right, you don't have to build a scroll to use the Flash Variant Shun Goku Satsu any more. It's not easy to enable this mode during gameplay, but if the player is skilled and sets it up accordingly, it's ultra powerful.

The only move that will require a Kanji scroll during this mode is Messatsu Haoh Gadouken.