Sigma Busters (Name Pending): Official Discussion Thread

[Glubbfubb]

Noted. I'll see what I can come up with for Ahab and make sure to include those in future reworks.

Thanks, also how did you like the new concept for Aremi's home stage, do you feel the default platform layout may be a bit too prone to circle camping? I feel their set up in a way that that might not be an issue but you never know.

Also, since Levi is the ice lizard, do you think he should have the lowest traction in the game? This has more ramifications, as lower traction obviously means a higher wavedash, meaning he can go some crazy speeds; likewise, Wynnie has among the best traction in the game as another contrast. Another contrast is that their dash and air acceleration are swapped with each other, Levi has a poor sprint but good air mobility while its vice versa for Wynnie. Of course their other stats are way different, Wynnie is designed more as a grounded weapon-using bruiser, while Levi is a fast-paced spacer.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Quick comment on the Aremi home stage. I like the mechanic for the leaves but I do think the platform layout should be less uniform/symmetrical to emphasize that these are plants have overgrown and overrun the place. Feels a bit odd to have them so neatly and evenly spaced for the intended setting.

I want symmetry since it makes the hazardless layout more consistent for competitive play.

 

[Kirbeh]

I want symmetry since it makes the hazardless layout more consistent for competitive play.

So you're doing two layouts per stage then? One competitive, one casual?

 

[Glubbfubb]

So you're doing two layouts per stage then? One competitive, one casual?

My hazards are less in your face than Smash's stage hazards, but a hazard toggle is always nice, plus a feature is that you can save both hazard and hazardless versions of each stage in a custom stage list so that you can have both legal hazard and hazardless stages to select in competitive play, that way you won't have scenarios like Yoshi's Story/Battlefield and Smashville/Hollow Bastion being too similair to each other for competitive use.

 

[Kirbeh]

Thanks, also how did you like the new concept for Aremi's home stage, do you feel the default platform layout may be a bit too prone to circle camping? I feel their set up in a way that that might not be an issue but you never know.

Also, since Levi is the ice lizard, do you think he should have the lowest traction in the game? This has more ramifications, as lower traction obviously means a higher wavedash, meaning he can go some crazy speeds; likewise, Wynnie has among the best traction in the game as another contrast. Another contrast is that their dash and air acceleration are swapped with each other, Levi has a poor sprint but good air mobility while its vice versa for Wynnie. Of course their other stats are way different, Wynnie is designed more as a grounded weapon-using bruiser, while Levi is a fast-paced spacer.

Rather than basing his traction on his element, I would actually base it on Levi as a character. He's more experienced and should reflect that with a better sense of control and precision, especially with being a swordie spacer. I think it'd be a good idea to give some moves that incorporate creating ice to slide on in short bursts but I don't think his overall traction should be slippery.

That was actually one of the things I had in mind for his rework. I was going to give him a sliding down tilt where he puts the tip of his sword to the ground and slides forward on a trail of ice. The feel is overall supposed to be more like Vega's slide kick from Street Fighter not necessarily the sliding on your back sort of thing common in Smash.

As for air mobility, while I don't think his should be poor, I actually think Wynnie's should be a little better. To reflect her eager nature and pair with her fire both in spirit and literally. Flames spread fast after all.

As part of that I would actually give her slightly less traction as well to reflect her lack of experience through giving a feeling of slightly less control. (Kinda like how Marth and Roy were in Melee funnily enough.)

So combined with her larger weapon, she'd require less precision and could land attacks quickly but Levi has a better combo game and higher damage output when taking proper use of the tipper into account.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Rather than basing his traction on his element, I would actually base it on Levi as a character. He's more experienced and should reflect that with a better sense of control and precision, especially with being a swordie spacer. I think it'd be a good idea to give some moves that incorporate creating ice to slide on in short bursts but I don't think his overall traction should be slippery.

That was actually one of the things I had in mind for his rework. I was going to give him a sliding down tilt where he puts the tip of his sword to the ground and slides forward on a trail of ice. The feel is overall supposed to be more like Vega's slide kick from Street Fighter not necessarily the sliding on your back sort of thing common in Smash.

As for air mobility, while I don't think his should be poor, I actually think Wynnie's should be a little better. To reflect her eager nature and pair with her fire both in spirit and literally. Flames spread fast after all.

As part of that I would actually give her slightly less traction as well to reflect her lack of experience through giving a feeling of slightly less control. (Kinda like how Marth and Roy were in Melee funnily enough.)

So combined with her larger weapon, she'd require less precision and could land attacks quickly but Levi has a better combo game and higher damage output when taking proper use of the tipper into account.

That could work too, of course they have their own pros and cons too, Levi is going to have slightly better air moves while Wynnie has slightly better ground moves. Of course it's not a whole Little Mac situation as she still has a proper recovery. The worse air mobility was from carrying a heavy weapon, like Wynnie would totally be in character to lug around a giant flaming axe without a care of the nuances of practicality and swiftness. This can also reflect the players seeing how flashy Wynnie is but notice that Levi has stronger finesse, again they have stuff to balance each other out but that's how I imagine both to be perceived.

BTW I based Wynnie's Up Tilt/Eruption on Ganondorf's Volcano Kick, minus the kick but high on fire regardless, while Up Air/Solar Eclipse is based off Cloud's Up Air. If she were to have the right fall speed, she could more easily confirm Eruption with a well timed Solar Eclipse, making it a bit more practical in actual combat. I do want to keep these moves BTW, I quite like them. Another thing, if you didn't noticed, Levi's Up and Down Airs were named Waxing and Waning Moon respectively and I wanted a sun-based motif for Wynnie's Up and Down Airs as well.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Rather than basing his traction on his element, I would actually base it on Levi as a character. He's more experienced and should reflect that with a better sense of control and precision, especially with being a swordie spacer. I think it'd be a good idea to give some moves that incorporate creating ice to slide on in short bursts but I don't think his overall traction should be slippery.

That was actually one of the things I had in mind for his rework. I was going to give him a sliding down tilt where he puts the tip of his sword to the ground and slides forward on a trail of ice. The feel is overall supposed to be more like Vega's slide kick from Street Fighter not necessarily the sliding on your back sort of thing common in Smash.

As for air mobility, while I don't think his should be poor, I actually think Wynnie's should be a little better. To reflect her eager nature and pair with her fire both in spirit and literally. Flames spread fast after all.

As part of that I would actually give her slightly less traction as well to reflect her lack of experience through giving a feeling of slightly less control. (Kinda like how Marth and Roy were in Melee funnily enough.)

So combined with her larger weapon, she'd require less precision and could land attacks quickly but Levi has a better combo game and higher damage output when taking proper use of the tipper into account.

Thinking of what you said, for animations I feel Wynnie should be an overall top heavy character, not in terms of build but in terms of the size of her body compared to the comically large axe she carries. Maybe she could be a minor parody of all those characters who wield really big weapons, showing how someone who would actually move carrying one of those weapons. This results in her being a fast faller due to her heavy weapon, as well as she being saddled with the worst traction in the game, complete with a unique slippery brake animation when she tries to stop moving that gives her some janky movement. This on the surface makes her seem more impractical than Levi since she can be seen as a character whose raw power doesn't justify their odd controls. However, as you may know, low traction means a great wavedash, meaning she has some of the best ground movement in the game, this combined with a long DACUS and high fall speed means she can quickly transition from strong air strings with her potent charge moves or even her dreaded Eruption if lined up properly. That is how I imagine her to play, someone who is difficult to control, as you would expect an untrained rookie, but one with the potential to be very skilled. How does that sound to you Kirbeh ?

 

[Glubbfubb]

I discovered a new function in Godot that allows certain actions to be performed based on how hard you hit the button or tilt the stick, meaning if I can get this to work, it would open the door for new functions

 

[Glubbfubb]

Dev Update - Good news and bad news, the good news is that I managed to fix most of the bugs and bad code in my games and make it overall more original from that bad tutorial I was following, the bad news is that turns out Godot glitches when you don't assign any sprites to each state, so I can't really do much original coding stuff until I get some sprites. As of right now I am trying to make Levi and Wynnie as my first original characters, with Levi gaining most of the focus. I just want to put it out there. Thanks for partaking in this thread so far. Definitely, this is a win since I fixed some major issues, so I have no complaints.

 

[Glubbfubb]

When sleeping I just had the best idea for implementing the meter mechanic.

Hyper Meter
This meter gets filled with Hyper Energy, a strange cosmic force from beyond the galaxy. You gain this energy by either taking damage or dishing out damage and it fills up in 5 segments. Several functions can be performed with the Hyper Meter, firstly you can simply press the meter button to activate a Hyper Barrier, which can help you defend against damage. Each use of the Barrier consumes a segment of Hyper Meter and if you run out of that segment the Barrier will shatter and you will get stunned. Hyper Jumps allow fighters to either escape freefall or gain some extra air mobility by giving you an extra jump, a single Hyper Jump takes 1 segment of the Hyper Meter, while successive Hyper Jumps take 2, meaning you can do up to 3 Hyper Jumps per filled meter. Hyper Specials are Specials enhanced by Hyper Energy, they usually are stronger than the base special or they gain new properties, increasing the options of each fighter. Each Hyper Special takes 1 segment of meter. Finally you have 3 Hypermax Attacks, each unlocked by reaching certain thresholds of the Meter. Level 1 Hypermax Attacks need you to go to segment 1 or the Meter, Level 2 Hypermax Attacks need you to go to segment 3 of the Meter, and Level 3 Hypermax Attacks need you to go to have a full meter to activate. You aren't locked to Level 2 or higher Hypermax Attacks when you reach that threshold, as holding the Meter Button lets you choose which Hypermax Attack to perform.

How does that sound to you?

 

[Glubbfubb]

Hey Kirbeh I decided to make a consistent template so all of the fighter's movesets would become clean and consistent with one another:

Spoiler: Moveset Template

Name -
Gender -
Species -
Origin -
Appearance -

Archetype -
Gimmick - (If Applicable)
Intended Strengths -
Intended Weaknesses -

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed -
Running Speed -
Traction -
Jump Height -
Air Acceleration -
Fall Speed -
Weight -

Ground Moves:
Jab -
Forward Tilt -
Up Tilt -
Down Tilt -
Back Tilt -
Dash Attack -

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge -
Up Charge -
Down Charge -

Aerials:
Neutral Air -
Forward Air -
Up Air -
Down Air -
Back Air -

Grabs:
Pummel -
Forward Throw -
Down Throw -
Back Throw -
Up Throw -

Specials:
Neutral Special -

• Neutral Hyper -

Side Special -

• Side Hyper -

Down Special -

• Down Hyper -

Up Special -

• Up Hyper -

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 -
Level 2 -
Level 3 -

I feel like this formatting can help make character designing more consistant and help plan just how each character would be balanced. Here is a potential minor rework for Aremi to better fit this formatting.

Spoiler: Aremi's Rework... Again

Name - Aremi
Gender - Female
Species - Wikkan
Origin - Aremi is a Wikkan from the planet Wikko-1, a planet infused in methane and sulfuric gasses, making it near impossible to breathe from outsiders without a special suit. Wikkans are essentially living plants, using the methane in their air to retain body warmth and even manipulate it for self-defense. Aremi's people used to be very wealthy, as the gases in their homeworld were mined and converted into a powerful fuel named Pyronite, with the largest stow of the substance being used to power the Double Sigma. However, after the ship was lost, Wikko-1 was blamed due to their fuel being said to have caused the ship's disappearance; as a result, the planet was blacklisted from all known trade, and the planet fell into civil war as a result. Aremi, feeling trapped in her home world, took a risk and decided to travel outside her small planet and take back the Double Sigma for herself for profit, making her noticed by EPSILON in particular.

Appearance - Aremi takes inspiration from plague doctors, scare crows, and Jack-o-lanterns. Her body is draped in a straw-based cloak that has an olive color; this cloak also lacks sleeves, making her ghostly in appearance. The limbs she does show resemble gnarled bark with blacking-olive coloration. Her face resembles that of a typical jack-o-lantern, with each of her skins giving a different face "carving." She has glowing purple eyes and mouth, matching the color of the fire she creates.

Archetype - Zoner/Rushdown
Gimmick - Vine Tether

• Aremi shoots out a vine from her arm that gives her increased grab range in exchange for higher lag on the grab itself. She can also use this to catch on the sides of walls to give her another usuable jump.

Intended Strengths -

• Rather beginner friendly, with easy to pick up and play combos.
• Solid ground and air stats allows her to excel in several areas.
• Fast attacks and strong projectiles lets her fill a variety of roles.

Intended Weaknesses -

• Fast fall speed means she has a harder time recovering compared to others.
• Recovery options can be easy to edge guard.
• Her light weight makes her easy to launch and KO.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - B-
Running Speed - A-
Traction - B
Jump Height - A-
Air Acceleration - B-
Fall Speed - A
Weight - C-

Ground Moves:
Jab - Root Kicks – A standing kick, followed by two more using her vine for support as she roots herself into the ground.
Forward Tilt - Wick Lighter – A small flame projectile fired from Aremi's finger. Travels a short distance before disappearing.

• Forward Tilt (Low Diagonal Input): Fire Stamp – A forward stomp that produces flames. Can be performed up to 3 times in quick succession.

Up Tilt - Torch Bearer – Aremi swings her arm in an overhead arc, producing flames from her fingertip.
Down Tilt - Underbrush – A sliding kick with a low profile, allowing Aremi to duck under projectiles and some standing attacks. It also has a high chance to trip opponents if they get hit by the heel.
Back Tilt - Flashfire – A quick, flame covered kick from behind. Can be used to retaliate against opponent and knocking away weak projectiles.
Dash Attack - Root Sweeper – Aremi's vine roots herself into the ground for support, she then gets thrust forward a short distance, attacking with a leaping kick before retracting to her original position.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Spitfire – Aremi spits out a burst of roaring flames. It's got a short range but is fast and powerful, can be angled up or down.
Up Charge - Firework Flare—Aremi raises her hand, pointing straight up while charging a flame at her fingertip. She then fires it into the sky where it explodes in spectacular fashion. The image produced by the flame can vary, but it is purely aesthetic and does not affect the moves attributes.
Down Charge - Arcane Flare – Aremi summons a wall of purple fire from the ground to surround herself and keep opponents at bay. The middle frames of the move gives her temporary invincibility.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Branch Kick – Aremi extends her leg to kick and holds the pose, allowing the hit to momentarily linger.
Forward Air - Fire Orb – Aremi swirls a large orb of fire in front of her, dealing multiple hits of damage. Hitting the opponent with the center of the orb deals more damage and knockback.
Up Air - Autumn Breeze – A quick upwards kick wreathed in flames with a wide arc.
Down Air - Flame Burst - Aremi leans downard with both hands brought close together. She then fires a short-range burst of flame to spike opponents caught directly beneath. The explosion has a deceptively wide radius, though the rest of flames will not spike.
Back Air - Vine Whip – Aremi quickly turns in the air, swinging her vine like a whip, its fast with good range but high end lag.

Grabs:
Pummel - Scalding Flames - Aremi burns the opponent with purple flames.
Forward Throw - Vine Slinger - Aremi wraps her vines around the opponent and launches them forwards.
Down Throw - Firestamp - Aremi stomps on them like a person would stomp on flames to put them out, though this time Aremi actually conjures flames to brun the opponent as well.
Back Throw - Flame Burst - A kill throw where Aremi launches the opponent back with a burst of flames.
Up Throw - Mindblown - Aremi tosses the foe above her head, which then explodes into a large orb of flames, another notable kill throw.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Seed Shot – Aremi spits seeds from her mouth that travel quite far but deal only light damage and no knockback or hit stun. She can hold the button to charge the move into a larger seed that deals more damage as well as hitstun.

• Neutral Hyper - Seed Burst - Aremi shoots a line of flaming seeds that deals more damage and knockback than the charged seeds.

Side Special - Pyro Pumpkin – Aremi throws a Pyro Pumpkin forward in a short arc. Hold the button to launch the bomb in a farther but lower to the ground arch, can either be used to spike opponents in the air or be used to create a lingering fire trap.

• Side Hyper - Pyro Patch – Aremi will hold multiple Pyro Pumpkins in here arms and throw them all together creating a series of small explosions in a wide radius.

Down Special - Pyro Dance - Aremi leaps like a ballerina and performs a spinning motion while her body is wreathed in flames. In this state she can move left and right on the ground or in the air as a recovery tool. She can also perform an explosive leap while in the middle of her current spin, spiking opponents directly beneath her, but the force sends her to tumble and leave her in free fall.

• Down Hyper - Pyro Hurricane – Aremi will begin to rapidly spin while producing flames, becoming a great tornado of fire. You can move left and right as well as gain height by mashing the special button when in this state.

Up Special - Head Shot - Aremi turns herself over and charges her head with fire, causing it to explode and propel her upwards like a rocket. After performing the attack she enters a helpless state until she lands on the ground, causing her head to grow back. The blast the head explosion creates causes a potent spike.

• Up Hyper - Pyro Missile - A higher but more vertical blast upwards. This move trades some horizontal drift with more vertical distance and the explosion is bigger with a spike in the tip of the blast.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Paralyzing Scream – Aremi will perform a scary face while unleashing a parlaying scream with a wide radius in front of her, this freezes opponents in place, letting you set up combos.
Level 2 - Pyro Beam – Aremi shoots a laser beam onto the ground, which causes the ground to explode in a fiery burst.
Level 3 - Trick'n'Treat - Aremi's head opens up to shoot out a thick beam of fire to push opponents off the stage.

I decided to simplify Aremi's moveset a bit so as to be a bit more beginner friendly, as well as combine both our ideas for the character together. I think this is easily the most fully realized version of the character, and I like how the Down and Up specials were handled. I think this would also make her more straightforward to animate. How do you like it Kirbeh , any comments?

Since both of the moves that send her into freefall has her escape an explosion of some kind, I think having her freefall animations be her body covered in soot from the fire she creates would be funny. While the animation of her being tripped would involve her head falling on her lap when she falls down, which she then puts on when she gets back up.

 

[Kirbeh]

Hey Kirbeh I decided to make a consistent template so all of the fighter's movesets would become clean and consistent with one another:

Spoiler: Moveset Template

Name -
Gender -
Species -
Origin -
Appearance -

Archetype -
Gimmick - (If Applicable)
Intended Strengths -
Intended Weaknesses -

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed -
Running Speed -
Traction -
Jump Height -
Air Acceleration -
Fall Speed -
Weight -

Ground Moves:
Jab -
Forward Tilt -
Up Tilt -
Down Tilt -
Back Tilt -
Dash Attack -

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge -
Up Charge -
Down Charge -

Aerials:
Neutral Air -
Forward Air -
Up Air -
Down Air -
Back Air -

Grabs:
Pummel -
Forward Throw -
Down Throw -
Back Throw -
Up Throw -

Specials:
Neutral Special -

• Neutral Hyper -

Side Special -

• Side Hyper -

Down Special -

• Down Hyper -

Up Special -

• Up Hyper -

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 -
Level 2 -
Level 3 -

I feel like this formatting can help make character designing more consistant and help plan just how each character would be balanced. Here is a potential minor rework for Aremi to better fit this formatting.

Spoiler: Aremi's Rework... Again

Name - Aremi
Gender - Female
Species - Wikkan
Origin - Aremi is a Wikkan from the planet Wikko-1, a planet infused in methane and sulfuric gasses, making it near impossible to breathe from outsiders without a special suit. Wikkans are essentially living plants, using the methane in their air to retain body warmth and even manipulate it for self-defense. Aremi's people used to be very wealthy, as the gases in their homeworld were mined and converted into a powerful fuel named Pyronite, with the largest stow of the substance being used to power the Double Sigma. However, after the ship was lost, Wikko-1 was blamed due to their fuel being said to have caused the ship's disappearance; as a result, the planet was blacklisted from all known trade, and the planet fell into civil war as a result. Aremi, feeling trapped in her home world, took a risk and decided to travel outside her small planet and take back the Double Sigma for herself for profit, making her noticed by EPSILON in particular.

Appearance - Aremi takes inspiration from plague doctors, scare crows, and Jack-o-lanterns. Her body is draped in a straw-based cloak that has an olive color; this cloak also lacks sleeves, making her ghostly in appearance. The limbs she does show resemble gnarled bark with blacking-olive coloration. Her face resembles that of a typical jack-o-lantern, with each of her skins giving a different face "carving." She has glowing purple eyes and mouth, matching the color of the fire she creates.

Archetype - Zoner/Rushdown
Gimmick - Vine Tether

• Aremi shoots out a vine from her arm that gives her increased grab range in exchange for higher lag on the grab itself. She can also use this to catch on the sides of walls to give her another usuable jump.

Intended Strengths -

• Rather beginner friendly, with easy to pick up and play combos.
• Solid ground and air stats allows her to excel in several areas.
• Fast attacks and strong projectiles lets her fill a variety of roles.

Intended Weaknesses -

• Fast fall speed means she has a harder time recovering compared to others.
• Recovery options can be easy to edge guard.
• Her light weight makes her easy to launch and KO.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - B-
Running Speed - A-
Traction - B
Jump Height - A-
Air Acceleration - B-
Fall Speed - A
Weight - C-

Ground Moves:
Jab - Root Kicks – A standing kick, followed by two more using her vine for support as she roots herself into the ground.
Forward Tilt - Wick Lighter – A small flame projectile fired from Aremi's finger. Travels a short distance before disappearing.

• Forward Tilt (Low Diagonal Input): Fire Stamp – A forward stomp that produces flames. Can be performed up to 3 times in quick succession.

Up Tilt - Torch Bearer – Aremi swings her arm in an overhead arc, producing flames from her fingertip.
Down Tilt - Underbrush – A sliding kick with a low profile, allowing Aremi to duck under projectiles and some standing attacks. It also has a high chance to trip opponents if they get hit by the heel.
Back Tilt - Flashfire – A quick, flame covered kick from behind. Can be used to retaliate against opponent and knocking away weak projectiles.
Dash Attack - Root Sweeper – Aremi's vine roots herself into the ground for support, she then gets thrust forward a short distance, attacking with a leaping kick before retracting to her original position.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Spitfire – Aremi spits out a burst of roaring flames. It's got a short range but is fast and powerful, can be angled up or down.
Up Charge - Firework Flare—Aremi raises her hand, pointing straight up while charging a flame at her fingertip. She then fires it into the sky where it explodes in spectacular fashion. The image produced by the flame can vary, but it is purely aesthetic and does not affect the moves attributes.
Down Charge - Arcane Flare – Aremi summons a wall of purple fire from the ground to surround herself and keep opponents at bay. The middle frames of the move gives her temporary invincibility.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Branch Kick – Aremi extends her leg to kick and holds the pose, allowing the hit to momentarily linger.
Forward Air - Fire Orb – Aremi swirls a large orb of fire in front of her, dealing multiple hits of damage. Hitting the opponent with the center of the orb deals more damage and knockback.
Up Air - Autumn Breeze – A quick upwards kick wreathed in flames with a wide arc.
Down Air - Flame Burst - Aremi leans downard with both hands brought close together. She then fires a short-range burst of flame to spike opponents caught directly beneath. The explosion has a deceptively wide radius, though the rest of flames will not spike.
Back Air - Vine Whip – Aremi quickly turns in the air, swinging her vine like a whip, its fast with good range but high end lag.

Grabs:
Pummel - Scalding Flames - Aremi burns the opponent with purple flames.
Forward Throw - Vine Slinger - Aremi wraps her vines around the opponent and launches them forwards.
Down Throw - Firestamp - Aremi stomps on them like a person would stomp on flames to put them out, though this time Aremi actually conjures flames to brun the opponent as well.
Back Throw - Flame Burst - A kill throw where Aremi launches the opponent back with a burst of flames.
Up Throw - Mindblown - Aremi tosses the foe above her head, which then explodes into a large orb of flames, another notable kill throw.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Seed Shot – Aremi spits seeds from her mouth that travel quite far but deal only light damage and no knockback or hit stun. She can hold the button to charge the move into a larger seed that deals more damage as well as hitstun.

• Neutral Hyper - Seed Burst - Aremi shoots a line of flaming seeds that deals more damage and knockback than the charged seeds.

Side Special - Pyro Pumpkin – Aremi throws a Pyro Pumpkin forward in a short arc. Hold the button to launch the bomb in a farther but lower to the ground arch, can either be used to spike opponents in the air or be used to create a lingering fire trap.

• Side Hyper - Pyro Patch – Aremi will hold multiple Pyro Pumpkins in here arms and throw them all together creating a series of small explosions in a wide radius.

Down Special - Pyro Dance - Aremi leaps like a ballerina and performs a spinning motion while her body is wreathed in flames. She can perform an explosive leap while in the middle of her current spin, but the force sends her to tumble and leave her in free fall.

• Down Hyper - Pyro Hurricane – Aremi will begin to rapidly spin while producing flames, becoming a great tornado of fire. You can move left and right as well as gain height by mashing the special button when in this state.

Up Special - Head Shot - Aremi turns herself over and charges her head with fire, causing it to explode and propel her upwards like a rocket. After performing the attack she enters a helpless state until she lands on the ground, causing her head to grow back. The blast the head explosion creates causes a potent spike.

• Up Hyper - Pyro Missile - A higher but more vertical blast upwards. This move trades some horizontal drift with more vertical distance and the explosion is bigger with a spike in the tip of the blast.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Paralyzing Scream – Aremi will perform a scary face while unleashing a parlaying scream with a wide radius in front of her, this freezes opponents in place, letting you set up combos.
Level 2 - Pyro Beam – Aremi shoots a laser beam onto the ground, which causes the ground to explode in a fiery burst.
Level 3 - Trick'n'Treat - Aremi's head opens up to shoot out a thick beam of fire to push opponents off the stage.

I decided to simplify Aremi's moveset a bit so as to be a bit more beginner friendly, as well as combine both our ideas for the character together. I think this is easily the most fully realized version of the character, and I like how the Down and Up specials were handled. I think this would also make her more straightforward to animate. How do you like it Kirbeh , any comments?

Since both of the moves that send her into freefall has her escape an explosion of some kind, I think having her freefall animations be her body covered in soot from the fire she creates would be funny. While the animation of her being tripped would involve her head falling on her lap when she falls down, which she then puts on when she gets back up.

Got off work late, I'll give it a full read when I wake up.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Got off work late, I'll give it a full read when I wake up.

Thanks, I'm going to be too, glad I got this out

 

[Glubbfubb]

Just realized I need to program that some attacks will cause you to get knocked down rather than just simply get hit, meaning you need you need to roll, stand up, or perform a getup attack to continue fighting

 

[Kirbeh]

A few comments on the last couple updates.

I like the additional uses of meter and the overall management of the Hypermax stuff, but I would like to ask for more detail on how Hyper Barrier works. Is it a replacement for the shield? Is a barrier continuous or single use per bar? Or does it basically function like a meter bound parry mechanic?

On to Aremi.

Is it just a result of copy/pasting from previous posts or are you changing her appearance again? I notice that her description still mentions the plague doctor influence and a sleeveless look which I'd assumed we'd move away from. Same thing for the different "faces", I was under the assumption we were going to have her emote like any other character. The different carvings would be fine if the jack-o-lantern inspired face was a mere mask. Otherwise, if it is meant to be her actual face then it's simply unfeasible to give her a different face and facial animations for every costume.

The moves:

I'm surprised you ditched your original Up Charge; you seemed pretty keen on keeping that one.

Same thing for Up Special. I actually thought the whole lobbing her own head thing was a lot more charming and interesting. The proposed animation for Head Shot also just feels a lot more awkward in execution imo. And a more minor gripe, but I feel like some of the names aren't as fitting either.

I think the move names should still tie into the action being performed somewhat so I feel like Head Shot would have been more fitting for the original Up Special. It fits more with throwing her head like a ball, taking a "shot", launching a projectile that happens to be her own head, etc. The new idea simply has her flip over and blow up. There's no tie to the action or a play on words there. It's a cool name but less of a match descriptively.

That extends to Trick'n'Treat as well. I get that's supposed to tie into her jack-o-lantern theming, but the move itself is just a fiery, beam super so the name feels a little out of place.

I'd personally also ditch either TnT or Pyro Beam. Giving her two beam supers is less interesting than some of the stuff she had before.

Pyro Dance is neat, I really like it.

 

[Glubbfubb]

A few comments on the last couple updates.

I like the additional uses of meter and the overall management of the Hypermax stuff, but I would like to ask for more detail on how Hyper Barrier works. Is it a replacement for the shield? Is a barrier continuous or single use per bar? Or does it basically function like a meter bound parry mechanic?

On to Aremi.

Is it just a result of copy/pasting from previous posts or are you changing her appearance again? I notice that her description still mentions the plague doctor influence and a sleeveless look which I'd assumed we'd move away from. Same thing for the different "faces", I was under the assumption we were going to have her emote like any other character. The different carvings would be fine if the jack-o-lantern inspired face was a mere mask. Otherwise, if it is meant to be her actual face then it's simply unfeasible to give her a different face and facial animations for every costume.

The moves:

I'm surprised you ditched your original Up Charge; you seemed pretty keen on keeping that one.

Same thing for Up Special. I actually thought the whole lobbing her own head thing was a lot more charming and interesting. The proposed animation for Head Shot also just feels a lot more awkward in execution imo. And a more minor gripe, but I feel like some of the names aren't as fitting either.

I think the move names should still tie into the action being performed somewhat so I feel like Head Shot would have been more fitting for the original Up Special. It fits more with throwing her head like a ball, taking a "shot", launching a projectile that happens to be her own head, etc. The new idea simply has her flip over and blow up. There's no tie to the action or a play on words there. It's a cool name but less of a match descriptively.

That extends to Trick'n'Treat as well. I get that's supposed to tie into her jack-o-lantern theming, but the move itself is just a fiery, beam super so the name feels a little out of place.

I'd personally also ditch either TnT or Pyro Beam. Giving her two beam supers is less interesting than some of the stuff she had before.

Pyro Dance is neat, I really like it.

Currently the Hyper Barrier is sorta like a traditional shield, with of course the ability to parry allowing you to save on Meter usage if timed correctly. I jsut think linking you main defensive option to you main offensive option adds some extra strategy to the game.

Also yeah some stuff was copied and pasted from the original moveset due to me making the rework at like 11 PM and I didn't have the time to change the aesthetic elements. The current direction we are doing with her design is still her current design.

The reason I changed her Up Special is because I feel like her old Up Special is a little too weak due to the lack of ledges, so I decided to change it up tp make it better as a recovery tool. If you have a better idea with a similar execution to my current Up Special I'm open to suggestions. Maybe she can still do that attack where she grows her head to a giant size and rolls it across the ground to either push opponents and/or bury them in the ground. How does that sound?

Also I was actually going to FINALLY make a rework for Kowalski's moveset, so be on the lookout for that.

 

[Kirbeh]

Currently the Hyper Barrier is sorta like a traditional shield, with of course the ability to parry allowing you to save on Meter usage if timed correctly. I jsut think linking you main defensive option to you main offensive option adds some extra strategy to the game.

Also yeah some stuff was copied and pasted from the original moveset due to me making the rework at like 11 PM and I didn't have the time to change the aesthetic elements. The current direction we are doing with her design is still her current design.

The reason I changed her Up Special is because I feel like her old Up Special is a little too weak due to the lack of ledges, so I decided to change it up tp make it better as a recovery tool. If you have a better idea with a similar execution to my current Up Special I'm open to suggestions. Maybe she can still do that attack where she grows her head to a giant size and rolls it across the ground to either push opponents and/or bury them in the ground. How does that sound?

Also I was actually going to FINALLY make a rework for Kowalski's moveset, so be on the lookout for that.

To resolve the lack of ledges on the old up special I think you could give her head light armor properties, so she doesn't immediately get knocked off course. Second, I would have the explosion take place on contact with the head rather than at the start of the move. This way, an explosion occurs when she lands, making her landing safer and forcing opponents to take a trade if they choose to intercept her in the air.

If you're sticking to the new up special, I would actually simplify it even further and just make it an aimable self-destruct type of move. Sort of like a combination of Ness/Lucas' human bullet and a Luigi misfire. Upon using up special she immediately explodes into a burst of purple flames, launching her in the desired direction as an active hitbox. Predictable recovery, but harder to contest/intercept. You either gimp her with a strong projectile, a reflector or barrier/wall style move, or you punish the landing. Same thing would apply to the former up special too.

Looking forward to the Kowalski update. Out of the entire cast (including your EX-additions) he's the one in need of the most work imo.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Decided to FINALLY make a reworked moveset for Kowalski:

Spoiler: Kowalski's Moveset

Name - Kowalski
Gender - Male
Species - Albino Protochimp
Origin - Animal smuggling is one of the most prolific crimes in the galaxy, with several rare species being threatened with extinction due to overhunting. Of the many critically endangered species in the galaxy, the Albino Protochimp is at the top of the list of the most rare. Their rarity comes in the fact that their bone-like scales are considered a strange delicacy among the affluent, and they provide some good slapstick entertainment for the highest bidder. The species is often written off as unintelligent due to a lack of speaking abilities; however, they are a crafty bunch, being very dexterous in combat. Recently a shipment of Albino Protochimps have been shipped out the the highest bidder, rumored to be the last in existance, however one managed to escape, tagged Kowalski, and is now on a journey to save his colony and prevent his species' extinction.

Appearance - Kowalski is a monkey-like reptile with gangly limbs, a fanged mouth of serrated teeth, and a long, sharp tail. His eyes are red in color and his outer body contains shades of pale yellow and pure white. The scales on his body form in a way that makes it so that he resembles a skeleton. He carries a long bone resembling a bow staff, and one side is tipped with a barb made out of a sharped tooth.

Archetype - Spacer/Traper
Gimmick - None
Intended Strengths -

• Kowalski has the highest jumps and excellent air mobility, which combined with his thin frame, makes him hard to hit in the air.
• His tilts and aerials have the longest range out of the entire cast, letting him space his opponents out better than everyone else.
• He has both a long wavedash and very low crouch, making him excellent at evasive maneuvers,

Intended Weaknesses -

• Kowalski is both the second lightest and second tallest in the game, meaning if he does get hit he lacks good survivability.
• Most of his attacks are very weak up close, meaning he is nearly defensless if you dodge his ranged attacks.
• Some of his attacks are very laggy and committal.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - C+
Running Speed - B+
Traction - C-
Jump Height - A+
Air Acceleration - A-
Fall Speed - B
Weight - D+

Ground Moves:
Jab (Button Press) - Poking Out - A rapid jab where Kowalski stabs his staff at several different heights and angles, this makes it the longest ranged jab in the game, though its weak power and knockback means its best used as a keep away tool.

• Jab (Hold) - Spinning Femur - Kowalski spins his staff forward like a propeller, what it lacks in range it makes up for with its ability to reflect projectiles and deal good knockback.

Forward Tilt - Piked Piledriver - Kowalski's spiked staff tries to stab the opponent from above, the tip of the staff leaves a devastating spike, great for ledge guarding.
Up Tilt - Hook and Sinker - Kowalski's spiked staff hooks the opponent to launch them upwards. The sweetspot of the attack has some killing power if lined up properly.
Down Tilt - Tripping Femur - A slanted poke to the ground with Kowalski's staff, when sweetspoted you have a very high chance to trip the opponent.
Back Tilt - Pushback - A strike from behind with his staff, among the best Back Tilts in the game due to its range, speed, and power.
Dash Attack - Leaping Monkey - Propelling him with his staff, Kowalski then performs a leaping jump that can go over projectiles.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Batter Bone - Like a baseball bat, Kowalski swings his staff forward, what it lacks in big power it makes up for with potent knockback if sweetspotted.
Up Charge - Death Spinner - A buzz saw like motion made with Kowalski's staff, it has some devastating kill power and gives Kowalski some invincibility, however its range is exclusively above him.
Down Charge - Vital Strike - A precise strike with his staff, the Charge Attack is normally quite weak, but it has a devastating sweetspot that can instantly trip opponents if it connects.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Corkscrew Cut - Kowalski spins his staff in a 360 degree motion, his shortest ranged but fastest and safest aerial.
Forward Air - Spinal Spinner - Like a drill, Kowalski performs a spinning motion forward, this is a multihit move that can shred shields.
Up Air - Propeller Pinwheel - Kowalski slows his descent as he spins his star upwards like a propeller, it can be used as both an attack and recovery option.
Down Air - Pogo Jump - Kowalski comes down with his staff, if he lands on an opponent he will be propelled upward while the opponent will be spiked downward.
Back Air - Toothpick Takedown - A triple hitting motion made with Kowalski's staff, if all three hits connect you have a solid kill move.

Grabs:
Pummel - Feral Thrash - Kowalski animalistically bites the opponent with his jaws.
Forward Throw - Strikeout - Kowalski pikes the opponents with his staff to bury them.
Down Throw - Jaw Drop - Kowalski grips the opponents with his jaws before dropping them downwards.
Back Throw - Jaw Lock - Kowalski spins around with the opponent in his jaws to toss them backwards.
Up Throw - Guillotine - A kill throw where Kowalski launched the opponents by impaling them with his staff.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Femurang - Kowalski launched a rib-bone like a slow-moving boomerang, unlike other projectiles of its type it doesn't directly travel back to the user, rather flying in a straight line.

• Neutral Hyper - Staff Snap - Kowalski launched his staff to create a slow, lingering, and large projectile, less used as a traditional projectile and more like a zoning tool.

Side Special - Rigorous Mortis - Kowalski performs a somersault attack with a zombie-like pose. His feet and head deal the most knockback and damage while the rest of the body is quite weak. Can be used as both an approaching tool and recovery move.

• Side Hyper - Leaping Predator - A much higher arch is performed, and can be cancelled midway to perform an amiable divekick.

Down Special - Femur Fort - Kowalski pogos off his staff to create a long bone to act as a wall, can be used to set up combos or as a keepaway tool for defensive play. Be careful, as Kowalski is also blocked by the wall he creates, though he has an easier time breaking it.

• Down Hyper - Rib Cage - Kowalski tosses a rib-cage shaped projectile that traps opponents in a cage of bones, free for Kowalski to attack with his staff. Be careful, as the trap can be reflect to trap Kowalski as well.

Up Special - Tibia Twister - A spinning motion that has him spinning like a buzzsaw with his staff, hold the button to increase the total height.

• Up Hyper - Targeted Tibia - At the end of the attack, Kowalski can aim to perform a follow-up mid-air dash.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Catcher Cage - Kowalski launched a large rib-bone to capture opponents and bring them towards him like a command grab.
Level 2 - Dummy Bone - Kowalski dash backwards and creates a clone made out of bones, attacking this clone will cause it to explode.
Level 3 - Feral Pummel - Kowalski thrashed the enemy in a cartoony dust cloud, then he can launch the opponent with an amiable command grab.

Aside from the Up Specials, I think this moveset is solid Kirbeh , how much do you like it? Any notable comments?

 

[Kirbeh]

Decided to FINALLY make a reworked moveset for Kowalski:

Spoiler: Kowalski's Moveset

Name - Kowalski
Gender - Male
Species - Albino Protochimp
Origin - Animal smuggling is one of the most prolific crimes in the galaxy, with several rare species being threatened with extinction due to overhunting. Of the many critically endangered species in the galaxy, the Albino Protochimp is at the top of the list of the most rare. Their rarity comes in the fact that their bone-like scales are considered a strange delicacy among the affluent, and they provide some good slapstick entertainment for the highest bidder. The species is often written off as unintelligent due to a lack of speaking abilities; however, they are a crafty bunch, being very dexterous in combat. Recently a shipment of Albino Protochimps have been shipped out the the highest bidder, rumored to be the last in existance, however one managed to escape, tagged Kowalski, and is now on a journey to save his colony and prevent his species' extinction.

Appearance - Kowalski is a monkey-like reptile with gangly limbs, a fanged mouth of serrated teeth, and a long, sharp tail. His eyes are red in color and his outer body contains shades of pale yellow and pure white. The scales on his body form in a way that makes it so that he resembles a skeleton. He carries a long bone resembling a bow staff, and one side is tipped with a barb made out of a sharped tooth.

Archetype - Spacer/Traper
Gimmick - None
Intended Strengths -

• Kowalski has the highest jumps and excellent air mobility, which combined with his thin frame, makes him hard to hit in the air.
• His tilts and aerials have the longest range out of the entire cast, letting him space his opponents out better than everyone else.
• He has both a long wavedash and very low crouch, making him excellent at evasive maneuvers,

Intended Weaknesses -

• Kowalski is both the second lightest and second tallest in the game, meaning if he does get hit he lacks good survivability.
• Most of his attacks are very weak up close, meaning he is nearly defensless if you dodge his ranged attacks.
• Some of his attacks are very laggy and committal.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - C+
Running Speed - B+
Traction - C-
Jump Height - A+
Air Acceleration - A-
Fall Speed - B
Weight - D+

Ground Moves:
Jab (Button Press) - Poking Out - A rapid jab where Kowalski stabs his staff at several different heights and angles, this makes it the longest ranged jab in the game, though its weak power and knockback means its best used as a keep away tool.

• Jab (Hold) - Spinning Femur - Kowalski spins his staff forward like a propeller, what it lacks in range it makes up for with its ability to reflect projectiles and deal good knockback.

Forward Tilt - Piked Piledriver - Kowalski's spiked staff tries to stab the opponent from above, the tip of the staff leaves a devastating spike, great for ledge guarding.
Up Tilt - Hook and Sinker - Kowalski's spiked staff hooks the opponent to launch them upwards. The sweetspot of the attack has some killing power if lined up properly.
Down Tilt - Tripping Femur - A slanted poke to the ground with Kowalski's staff, when sweetspoted you have a very high chance to trip the opponent.
Back Tilt - Pushback - A strike from behind with his staff, among the best Back Tilts in the game due to its range, speed, and power.
Dash Attack - Leaping Monkey - Propelling him with his staff, Kowalski then performs a leaping jump that can go over projectiles.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Batter Bone - Like a baseball bat, Kowalski swings his staff forward, what it lacks in big power it makes up for with potent knockback if sweetspotted.
Up Charge - Death Spinner - A buzz saw like motion made with Kowalski's staff, it has some devastating kill power and gives Kowalski some invincibility, however its range is exclusively above him.
Down Charge - Vital Strike - A precise strike with his staff, the Charge Attack is normally quite weak, but it has a devastating sweetspot that can instantly trip opponents if it connects.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Corkscrew Cut - Kowalski spins his staff in a 360 degree motion, his shortest ranged but fastest and safest aerial.
Forward Air - Spinal Spinner - Like a drill, Kowalski performs a spinning motion forward, this is a multihit move that can shred shields.
Up Air - Propeller Pinwheel - Kowalski slows his descent as he spins his star upwards like a propeller, it can be used as both an attack and recovery option.
Down Air - Pogo Jump - Kowalski comes down with his staff, if he lands on an opponent he will be propelled upward while the opponent will be spiked downward.
Back Air - Toothpick Takedown - A triple hitting motion made with Kowalski's staff, if all three hits connect you have a solid kill move.

Grabs:
Pummel - Feral Thrash - Kowalski animalistically bites the opponent with his jaws.
Forward Throw - Strikeout - Kowalski pikes the opponents with his staff to bury them.
Down Throw - Jaw Drop - Kowalski grips the opponents with his jaws before dropping them downwards.
Back Throw - Jaw Lock - Kowalski spins around with the opponent in his jaws to toss them backwards.
Up Throw - Guillotine - A kill throw where Kowalski launched the opponents by impaling them with his staff.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Femurang - Kowalski launched a rib-bone like a slow-moving boomerang, unlike other projectiles of its type it doesn't directly travel back to the user, rather flying in a straight line.

• Neutral Hyper - Staff Snap - Kowalski launched his staff to create a slow, lingering, and large projectile, less used as a traditional projectile and more like a zoning tool.

Side Special - Rigorous Mortis - Kowalski performs a somersault attack with a zombie-like pose. His feet and head deal the most knockback and damage while the rest of the body is quite weak. Can be used as both an approaching tool and recovery move.

• Side Hyper - Leaping Predator - A much higher arch is performed, and can be cancelled midway to perform an amiable divekick.

Down Special - Femur Fort - Kowalski pogos off his staff to create a long bone to act as a wall, can be used to set up combos or as a keepaway tool for defensive play. Be careful, as Kowalski is also blocked by the wall he creates, though he has an easier time breaking it.

• Down Hyper - Rib Cage - Kowalski tosses a rib-cage shaped projectile that traps opponents in a cage of bones, free for Kowalski to attack with his staff. Be careful, as the trap can be reflect to trap Kowalski as well.

Up Special - Tibia Twister - A spinning motion that has him spinning like a buzzsaw with his staff, hold the button to increase the total height.

• Up Hyper - Targeted Tibia - At the end of the attack, Kowalski can aim to perform a follow-up mid-air dash.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Catcher Cage - Kowalski launched a large rib-bone to capture opponents and bring them towards him like a command grab.
Level 2 - Dummy Bone - Kowalski dash backwards and creates a clone made out of bones, attacking this clone will cause it to explode.
Level 3 - Feral Pummel - Kowalski thrashed the enemy in a cartoony dust cloud, then he can launch the opponent with an amiable command grab.

Aside from the Up Specials, I think this moveset is solid Kirbeh , how much do you like it? Any notable comments?

It's better than the original, but a lot of does still kinda feel like a jumble of unfocused ideas, and the naming scheme is still weird. Again, that's less important, but still. Honestly, I would double down on giving him straight up calcium manipulation/bone powers over having all these random bones on his person.

Individual move criticisms (in no particular order.)

• Why is neutral special named Femurang when it uses a rib bone?
• Is Kowalski immobile or free to move during Staff Snap? What benefit comes from throwing his staff if he can't perform any follow ups and remains defenseless until it returns? The base idea is fine, but like with the neutral special, I think it'd make more sense to launch another newly spawned bone over using his primary weapon. Even if the intended function is similar to Pyra's Blazing End, I don't think it fits well due to the length of his weapon and his long-range playstyle. He's a spacer not an outright zoner right?
• Side Special just feels incredibly out of place compared to the rest of his moves.
• I fully expect and Up Tilt to launch upward but calling it Hook and Sinker seems a bit odd. I get what you were going for but you could alternatively go for actual fishing terms and call it Hook Strike (strike referring to when a fish actually bites,) Hook Set (when you jerk back the rod to secure the fish onto the hook) or Foul Hook (when the fish is hooked anywhere that isn't the mouth, which you could use here for the brutality of being speared.)
• Up tilt being named for the motion makes good sense, but why is Back Air called Toothpick Takedown. It deviates from the bone theme kind of randomly compared to the clearly fishing inspired Up Tilt nor is it a play on words.
• Up Throw being called Guillotine similarly seems ill fitting given that guillotine's drop down rather than fly upward.
• The supers are imo the oddest of the bunch.
• Cacher Cage seemingly overlaps a lot with the Rib Cage move.
• Dummy bone also seemingly comes out of nowhere as we're now establishing, he can just produce full on skeletons. Not saying he shouldn't be able to mind you, but I feel like that should be reflected in his move set more. Being able to create bones and then relying almost exclusively on a staff seems like it doesn't make full use of the power set.
• Feral Pummel in addition to the name not fitting the actual move also feels like a disconnect. The cartoon dust cloud comes out of left field compared to most of his other moves.

There's more, but I will leave it at that for now.

 

[Glubbfubb]

It's better than the original, but a lot of does still kinda feel like a jumble of unfocused ideas, and the naming scheme is still weird. Again, that's less important, but still. Honestly, I would double down on giving him straight up calcium manipulation/bone powers over having all these random bones on his person.

Individual move criticisms (in no particular order.)

• Why is neutral special named Femurang when it uses a rib bone?
• Is Kowalski immobile or free to move during Staff Snap? What benefit comes from throwing his staff if he can't perform any follow ups and remains defenseless until it returns? The base idea is fine, but like with the neutral special, I think it'd make more sense to launch another newly spawned bone over using his primary weapon. Even if the intended function is similar to Pyra's Blazing End, I don't think it fits well due to the length of his weapon and his long-range playstyle. He's a spacer not an outright zoner right?
• Side Special just feels incredibly out of place compared to the rest of his moves.
• I fully expect and Up Tilt to launch upward but calling it Hook and Sinker seems a bit odd. I get what you were going for but you could alternatively go for actual fishing terms and call it Hook Strike (strike referring to when a fish actually bites,) Hook Set (when you jerk back the rod to secure the fish onto the hook) or Foul Hook (when the fish is hooked anywhere that isn't the mouth, which you could use here for the brutality of being speared.)
• Up tilt being named for the motion makes good sense, but why is Back Air called Toothpick Takedown. It deviates from the bone theme kind of randomly compared to the clearly fishing inspired Up Tilt nor is it a play on words.
• Up Throw being called Guillotine similarly seems ill fitting given that guillotine's drop down rather than fly upward.
• The supers are imo the oddest of the bunch.
• Cacher Cage seemingly overlaps a lot with the Rib Cage move.
• Dummy bone also seemingly comes out of nowhere as we're now establishing, he can just produce full on skeletons. Not saying he shouldn't be able to mind you, but I feel like that should be reflected in his move set more. Being able to create bones and then relying almost exclusively on a staff seems like it doesn't make full use of the power set.
• Feral Pummel in addition to the name not fitting the actual move also feels like a disconnect. The cartoon dust cloud comes out of left field compared to most of his other moves.

There's more, but I will leave it at that for now.

Yeah TBH, the second half was bot much harder to make for me and was at a time when I was hungry and I don't think straight when I am hungry. He and Ahab just seem like the hardest characters for me to design moveset wise. What specific ways would you update the moveset?

 

[Glubbfubb]

Spoiler: Aremi's Rework... Again

Name - Aremi
Gender - Female
Species - Wikkan
Origin - Aremi is a Wikkan from the planet Wikko-1, a planet infused in methane and sulfuric gasses, making it near impossible to breathe from outsiders without a special suit. Wikkans are essentially living plants, using the methane in their air to retain body warmth and even manipulate it for self-defense. Aremi's people used to be very wealthy, as the gases in their homeworld were mined and converted into a powerful fuel named Pyronite, with the largest stow of the substance being used to power the Double Sigma. However, after the ship was lost, Wikko-1 was blamed due to their fuel being said to have caused the ship's disappearance; as a result, the planet was blacklisted from all known trade, and the planet fell into civil war as a result. Aremi, feeling trapped in her home world, took a risk and decided to travel outside her small planet and take back the Double Sigma for herself for profit, making her noticed by EPSILON in particular.

Appearance - Aremi takes inspiration from plague doctors, scare crows, and Jack-o-lanterns. Her body is draped in a straw-based cloak that has an olive color; this cloak also lacks sleeves, making her ghostly in appearance. The limbs she does show resemble gnarled bark with blacking-olive coloration. Her face resembles that of a typical jack-o-lantern, with each of her skins giving a different face "carving." She has glowing purple eyes and mouth, matching the color of the fire she creates.

Archetype - Zoner/Rushdown
Gimmick - Vine Tether

• Aremi shoots out a vine from her arm that gives her increased grab range in exchange for higher lag on the grab itself. She can also use this to catch on the sides of walls to give her another usuable jump.

Intended Strengths -

• Rather beginner friendly, with easy to pick up and play combos.
• Solid ground and air stats allows her to excel in several areas.
• Fast attacks and strong projectiles lets her fill a variety of roles.

Intended Weaknesses -

• Fast fall speed means she has a harder time recovering compared to others.
• Recovery options can be easy to edge guard.
• Her light weight makes her easy to launch and KO.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - B-
Running Speed - A-
Traction - B
Jump Height - A-
Air Acceleration - B-
Fall Speed - A
Weight - C-

Ground Moves:
Jab - Root Kicks – A standing kick, followed by two more using her vine for support as she roots herself into the ground.
Forward Tilt - Lamp Lighter – A small flame projectile fired from Aremi's finger. Travels a short distance before disappearing.

• Forward Tilt (Low Diagonal Input): Flaming Stomp – A forward stomp that produces flames. Can be performed up to 3 times in quick succession.

Up Tilt - Torch Bearer – Aremi swings her arm in an overhead arc, producing flames from her fingertip.
Down Tilt - Underbrush – A sliding kick with a low profile, allowing Aremi to duck under projectiles and some standing attacks. It also has a high chance to trip opponents if they get hit by the heel.
Back Tilt - Flashfire – A quick, flame covered kick from behind. Can be used to retaliate against opponent and knocking away weak projectiles.
Dash Attack - Root Sweeper – Aremi's vine roots herself into the ground for support, she then gets thrust forward a short distance, attacking with a leaping kick before retracting to her original position.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Spitfire – Aremi spits out a burst of roaring flames. It's got a short range but is fast and powerful, can be angled up or down.
Up Charge - Firework Flare - Aremi raises her hand, pointing straight up while charging a flame at her fingertip. She then fires it into the sky where it explodes in spectacular fashion. The image produced by the flame can vary, but it is purely aesthetic and does not affect the moves attributes.
Down Charge - Arcane Flames – Aremi summons a wall of purple fire from the ground to surround herself and keep opponents at bay. The middle frames of the move gives her temporary invincibility.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Branch Swing – Aremi extends her leg to kick and holds the pose, allowing the hit to momentarily linger.
Forward Air - Flare Orb – Aremi swirls a large orb of fire in front of her, dealing multiple hits of damage. Hitting the opponent with the center of the orb deals more damage and knockback.
Up Air - Heat Wave – A quick upwards kick wreathed in flames with a wide arc.
Down Air - Big Bang - Aremi leans downard with both hands brought close together. She then fires a short-range burst of flame to spike opponents caught directly beneath. The explosion has a deceptively wide radius, though the rest of flames will not spike.
Back Air - Vine Whip – Aremi quickly turns in the air, swinging her vine like a whip, its fast with good range but high end lag.

Grabs:
Pummel - Scalding Flames - Aremi burns the opponent with purple flames.
Forward Throw - Vine Slinger - Aremi wraps her vines around the opponent and launches them forwards.
Down Throw - Firestamp - Aremi stomps on them like a person would stomp on flames to put them out, though this time Aremi actually conjures flames to brun the opponent as well.
Back Throw - Flame Burst - A kill throw where Aremi launches the opponent back with a burst of flames.
Up Throw - Mindblown - Aremi tosses the foe above her head, which then explodes into a large orb of flames, another notable kill throw.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Seed Shot – Aremi spits seeds from her mouth that travel quite far but deal only light damage and no knockback or hit stun. She can hold the button to charge the move into a larger seed that deals more damage as well as hitstun.

• Neutral Hyper - Seed Burst - Aremi shoots a line of flaming seeds that deals more damage and knockback than the charged seeds.

Side Special - Pyro Pumpkin – Aremi throws a Pyro Pumpkin forward in a short arc. Hold the button to launch the bomb in a farther but lower to the ground arch, can either be used to spike opponents in the air or be used to create a lingering fire trap.

• Side Hyper - Pyro Patch – Aremi will hold multiple Pyro Pumpkins in here arms and throw them all together creating a series of small explosions in a wide radius.

Down Special - Pyro Dance - Aremi leaps like a ballerina and performs a spinning motion while her body is wreathed in flames. In this state she can move left and right on the ground or in the air as a recovery tool. She can also perform an explosive leap while in the middle of her current spin, spiking opponents directly beneath her, but the force sends her to tumble and leave her in free fall.

• Down Hyper - Pyro Hurricane – Aremi will begin to rapidly spin while producing flames, becoming a great tornado of fire. You can move left and right as well as gain height by mashing the special button when in this state.

Up Special - Head Shot - In an act of recklessness, Aremi heads fills with fire and launches from her body like a missile, causing her old body to explode in a burst of flames to spike opponents underneath. When on fire her head is immune to getting attacked, though eventually the fire fizzles out and she enters a helpless state as her head, covered in ash and soot, drops back onto the stage to create a new body. In this state her head can be reflected and if the head enters the blast zone she loses a stock.

• Up Hyper - Firecracker - A higher but more vertical blast upwards. This move trades some horizontal drift with more vertical distance, and the explosion is bigger with a spike in the tip of the blast.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Paralyzing Scream – Aremi will perform a scary face while unleashing a parlaying scream with a wide radius in front of her, this freezes opponents in place, letting you set up combos.
Level 2 - Headroller – Aremi's head grows to a large size and she rolls it across the ground to bury opponents, when it falls off a ledge it will explode.
Level 3 - Pyro Beam - Aremi's head opens up to shoot out a thick beam of fire to push opponents off the stage.

Okay Kirbeh the different between the previous and this moveset for Aremi is that I combined both ideas of Up Specials, it has her shoot her head like a projectile and the location the head lands will become her new spawn point, however how she shoots it like a missile or firework instead of simply lobbing it. It fits her personality a bit better and makes a more dynamic Up Special. In terms of mechanics its less comparable to Fire Fox and moreso the second part of Ness' PK Thunder. I also moved Pyro Beam to the Level 3 Hypermax Attack and had its name replace Trick'r'Treat since it fits better. She now retains her old Headroller Hypermax attack, so she is a mix of old Aremi and new Aremi. Finally I changed some attack names to make them sound better. Overall I took some critiques you gave to heart.

Also I know were far from that state yet, but I think for alternate colors she could have red head with green cloak and pink fire to reference strawberries and cherries, a purple head with a blue cloak and cyan fire to reference grapes and blueberries, and a yellow head with a white cloak and lime green fire to reference coconuts, pineapple, and limes that would be known internally as Pina Colata.

 

[Kirbeh]

Yeah TBH, the second half was bot much harder to make for me and was at a time when I was hungry and I don't think straight when I am hungry. He and Ahab just seem like the hardest characters for me to design moveset wise. What specific ways would you update the moveset?

I did do a bit of brainstorming, but I decided that before I go any further, I'd ask you some more questions because I still don't think I have proper understanding of what you're even trying to go for with this guy.

Tell me more about Kowalski the character, from there I can try to extrapolate on how he should function. So far, I know that:

• He's a monkey like reptilian.
• He's mute (or rather his species is incapable of speech.)
• Despite being sentient(?), his species are treated like game to be hunted and exotic pets (but also entertainers?)
• His goal is to rescue what's left of his species.

Okay, so now tell me:

• What's his actual personality like? His morals? His views on the world that he finds himself in.
• Where'd he get the bone staff? Why? How'd he learn to wield it?
• Are his species actually sentient or just very smart animals?
• Is his species' bone plating just natural armor or is there more to it?
• Based on the abilities you've given him so far, is creation of new bones something he can do or is he just carrying them around like the staff?
• If it's an actual ability, is it specific to Kowalski? Or is it the norm for his species.
• What other abilities or skills does he have, if any?
• Aside from the StarWars inspiration for his physical appearance are there any characters you can compare him to for personality/disposition?

 

[Glubbfubb]

I did do a bit of brainstorming, but I decided that before I go any further, I'd ask you some more questions because I still don't think I have proper understanding of what you're even trying to go for with this guy.

Tell me more about Kowalski the character, from there I can try to extrapolate on how he should function. So far, I know that:

• He's a monkey like reptilian.
• He's mute (or rather his species is incapable of speech.)
• Despite being sentient(?), his species are treated like game to be hunted and exotic pets (but also entertainers?)
• His goal is to rescue what's left of his species.

Okay, so now tell me:

• What's his actual personality like? His morals? His views on the world that he finds himself in.
• Where'd he get the bone staff? Why? How'd he learn to wield it?
• Are his species actually sentient or just very smart animals?
• Is his species' bone plating just natural armor or is there more to it?
• Based on the abilities you've given him so far, is creation of new bones something he can do or is he just carrying them around like the staff?
• If it's an actual ability, is it specific to Kowalski? Or is it the norm for his species.
• What abilities or skills does he have, if any?
• Aside from the StarWars inspiration for his physical appearance are there any characters you can compare him to for personality/disposition?

Good questions, if we count the Mytan Queen, Kowalski is likely the 2nd least sentient being in the cast. He is essentially a nonverbal, but also very craft and intelligent, primate. Lore wise his species could be seen on the same level as just outside neadrathals in terms of mental complexity, smart enough to have emotions, use tools, and plan actions, but not smart enough to have a traditional language or civilization. His species is called a Protochimp since they are thought to be the missing link to reptiles and mammals, though his species is more in the former than the latter. They have natural plate armor and pale skin with red eyes, hence the name Albino Protochimps. On their native homeworld Albino Protochimps are scavengers that use almost everything they get from their prey, of course they use the meat as consumption, but they also make primitive weapons out of bones and make basic dens out of the pelts. Kowalski specifically has good coordination and dexterity, and he has collected several bones to fashion as weapons, yes its weird when he just whips out those bones when he attacks, but I imagine he can carry the bones on his long prehensile tail and use them when necessary. In terms of personality I would compar him to Ceasar from Planet of the Apes, a fighter with a family who wants to protect his species from those who want to mistreat him.

Sorry if that tangent became a bit long.

Also two other things, do you have any questions about Aremi's minor update, and I am also updating Weevle a bit to fit the new moveset format I have.

 

[Kirbeh]

Good questions, if we count the Mytan Queen, Kowalski is likely the 2nd least sentient being in the cast. He is essentially a nonverbal, but also very craft and intelligent, primate. Lore wise his species could be seen on the same level as just outside neadrathals in terms of mental complexity, smart enough to have emotions, use tools, and plan actions, but not smart enough to have a traditional language or civilization. His species is called a Protochimp since they are thought to be the missing link to reptiles and mammals, though his species is more in the former than the latter. They have natural plate armor and pale skin with red eyes, hence the name Albino Protochimps. On their native homeworld Albino Protochimps are scavengers that use almost everything they get from their prey, of course they use the meat as consumption, but they also make primitive weapons out of bones and make basic dens out of the pelts. Kowalski specifically has good coordination and dexterity, and he has collected several bones to fashion as weapons, yes its weird when he just whips out those bones when he attacks, but I imagine he can carry the bones on his long prehensile tail and use them when necessary. In terms of personality I would compar him to Ceasar from Planet of the Apes, a fighter with a family who wants to protect his species from those who want to mistreat him.

Sorry if that tangent became a bit long.

Also two other things, do you have any questions about Aremi's minor update, and I am also updating Weevle a bit to fit the new moveset format I have.

Okay, so that completely changes how I imagine he should play. That also means he's not really a bo staff user and more of a spear user. If you do want to lean into the more feral side a little bit, I think more claw swipes and biting attacks would also be good and perhaps less focus on summoning random lone bones and more of a focus on having tools and traps he's crafted.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Okay, so that completely changes how I imagine he should play. That also means he's not really a bo staff user and more of a spear user. If you do want to lean into the more feral side a little bit, I think more claw swipes and biting attacks would also be good and perhaps less focus on summoning random lone bones and more of a focus on having tools and traps he's crafted.

TBH can I ask how you would set up the moveset, I still want his main strength being having the longest melee range in the cast and good air game, while his lack of up close defenses and poor weight make him a very technical fighter to use.

 

[Kirbeh]

TBH can I ask how you would set up the moveset, I still want his main strength being having the longest melee range in the cast and good air game, while his lack of up close defenses and poor weight make him a very technical fighter to use.

He can still be a spacer, wielding a spear still serves that purpose very well. I was just always confused about why you had his weapon listed as a bo staff when he doesn't use it like one and the presence of a spearhead automatically makes it, well, not a staff.

I've got some ideas brewing now so I'll post a rework write up when I get a chance to make it. I can tell you right now though that the gist of said rework is going to incorporate more hunter/trapper style moves/tools on top of his spear spacing. Like a primitive version of the Predator in some ways or a lanky UMvC3 Rocket Raccoon, with obviously an inverse playstyle as RR can rush you down and Kowalski of course can't.

 

[Glubbfubb]

He can still be a spacer, wielding a spear still serves that purpose very well. I was just always confused about why you had his weapon listed as a bo staff when he doesn't use it like one and the presence of a spearhead automatically makes it, well, not a staff.

I've got some ideas brewing now so I'll post a rework write up when I get a chance to make it. I can tell you right now though that the gist of said rework is going to incorporate more hunter/trapper style moves/tools on top of his spear spacing. Like a primitive version of the Predator in some ways or a lanky UMvC3 Rocket Raccoon, with obviously and inverse playstyle as RR can rush you down and Kowalski of course can't.

Cool thanks, I do wish you use the new formatting as to make each fighter's profile consistent.

Don't know what i'll do next, maybe update Weevle's recent rework to match the new formatting, make some stage concepts, or update some backstories. I will say I am on that threshold point in terms of progress, meaning I can't really do much until I get some more resources, in this case sprites, but when I do I will be able to do SO much progress. No rushing, I at least have a heatly dialougue going on.

So Aremi's latest moveset, I am planning on making that her official finalized moveset on the OP, do you think that moveset works now.

 

[Kirbeh]

Cool thanks, I do wish you use the new formatting as to make each fighter's profile consistent.

Don't know what i'll do next, maybe update Weevle's recent rework to match the new formatting, make some stage concepts, or update some backstories. I will say I am on that threshold point in terms of progress, meaning I can't really do much until I get some more resources, in this case sprites, but when I do I will be able to do SO much progress. No rushing, I at least have a heatly dialougue going on.

So Aremi's latest moveset, I am planning on making that her official finalized moveset on the OP, do you think that moveset works now.

I mean, the OP should be updated as you make these changes imo, just makes things easier to find over having to search pages for certain things. I'd also refrain from listing anything in the OP as finalized, you never know when things will change during development down the line. And on the subject of finalized, sprites can't come until a move set actually does get finalized (or close at least). I do think Aremi's is at the point where it can get started since a good chunk of her moves seem to be mostly decided on. Anything that's less concrete isn't going to get sprited though. Don't want to make something only for it to go unused or to have to make heavy reworks.

As we get to that point for the other characters though, I do think you'll need to bring on more people if you want to make any significant progress. Like I've said before, volunteer work isn't going to be any artists' priority, so it's going to be slow going no matter what. If you want anyone's full time dedication you have to pay for it.

 

[Glubbfubb]

I also want to share my personal philosophy on making my fighting characters. The first is what is essentially my Law of Equivalent Exchange. I am in the belief that a fighter's strength should have an equally strong weakness to balance it out. That is why I have always made my movesets have at least 3 strengths and weaknesses each. Of course certain strengths and weaknesses are more or less major than others. A good example is Little Mac and Steve, two characters on completely opposite ends of the tier list. Little Mac's theoretical strength is having potent ground game with an equally weak air game in exchange, however that results in a character that is considered terrible as the upsides don't make up for the downsides. Steve on the other hand has weaknesses on paper, namely poor mobility and high complexity compared to the rest of the cast, however, the multitude of options his blocks can cover makes those last two weaknesses moot, making him a toxic character. When I make my fighting game characters I try to give each a set list of pros and cons of equal potency. Take Aremi for example, she has rather simple to control combos and doesn't lack in one movement stat, however to compensate her lack of complexity gives her simple to deal with recoveries, and her light weight and fast fall speed makes her a character that an experienced character can counter no problem, meaning the player needs to improve as well.

This does leave another question: how do I make a heavyweight grappler like LAMBDA balanced compared to the rest of the cast. They are part of two archtypes notorious for poor viability, and they have direct competition with the grappler niche with Weevle, who trades durability with better frame data and a unique air focused rushdown niche. I want to go down the traditional grappler check-list, high durability, great damage, and struggle to approach, but add elements to make them viable. Some plans include adding a projectile whose purpose is to not damage or KO, but to lead into LAMBDA's many command grabs. Anyway I can take this logic to make a viable traditional grappler.

EDIT: This post was made before you posted your new post.

I mean, the OP should be updated as you make these changes imo, just makes things easier to find over having to search pages for certain things. I'd also refrain from listing anything in the OP as finalized, you never know when things will change during development down the line. And on the subject of finalized, sprites can't come until a move set actually does get finalized (or close at least). I do think Aremi's is at the point where it can get started since a good chunk of her moves seem to be mostly decided on. Anything that's less concrete isn't going to get sprited though. Don't want to make something only for it to go unused or to have to make heavy reworks.

As we get to that point for the other characters though, I do think you'll need to bring on more people if you want to make any significant progress. Like I've said before, volunteer work isn't going to be any artists' priority, so it's going to be slow going no matter what. If you want anyone's full time dedication you have to pay for it.

Also good point, I do want to make some progress early on so I can show interested people "hey this is serious, I am making this" if you know what I mean.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Spoiler: Weevle's Update

Name - Weevle
Gender - Female
Species - G'nat
Origin - Weevle is a G'nat, a species from the little-known outer limits of the galaxy. G'nats are hematophiles, meaning they can only drink blood as a food source, recently, this diet has caused a crisis among their species. Due to the overhunting of the native Caedago on their home planet of Dipteros, there has been a major food shortage among the G'nat people. While G'nats are able to survive long periods without food, extended periods without a feeding causes the G'nat people to become mindless feral savages that will destroy entire environments without food, which, as the growing population of feral G'nats grow have torn Dipteros into a total wasteland. Weevle is one of the few non-feral G'nats native to Dipteros, as most of the other population has moved off the planet to find new food. She was discovered by LAMBDA who took her in to essentially raise her as their own. No one knows the reasoning behind this action, but it has also resulted in many feral G'nats stowing away on the Double Sigma, which, if escaped, can cause a great ecological threat.
Appearance - Weevle's body is mostly gray in color with more pale accents on her arms and face. She has purple compound eyes that shift to red when she under the bloodlust effect. She has a lithe and frail gait with four arms, with winds curved like the wings of a bat. Finally, her month has the classic fangs of a vampire. When talking or standing still she often twitches in the neck with an accompanying buzzing sound, just like a fly.

Archetype - Grapler/Rushdown
Gimmick -

• Mid-Air Jumps - Weevle has the most midair jumps of the cast with a total of 5.
• Bloodsucker - Getting grabbed by Weevle has her suck the blood of the opponent, healing herself by a small amount.

Intended Strengths -

• Weevle has easily the best air mobility of the cast, having the most midair jumps of the cast as well as great air acceleration.
• Weevle's small frame and low profile makes her a very evasive target to hit.
• Weevle's grabs are highly damaging, much like her guardian LAMBDA.

Intended Weaknesses -

• Weevle has what is best described as the defenses of wet tissue paper, being the lightest character of the game by a long shot, this makes her incredibly easy to KO at lower percents compared to the rest of the cast.
• Weevle lacks good range due to her small size, meaning she can have a hard time approaching if the foe can outrange her.
• Weevle lacks a traditional recovery, relying on her jumps and air dashes to recover back onto the stage.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - B+
Running Speed - B+
Traction - B+
Jump Height - A-
Air Acceleration - A+
Fall Speed - B
Weight - E-

Ground Moves:
Jab - Four Fist Flash – A rapid-fire jab with each of Weevle's four arms rapidly punching the target on after another.
Forward Tilt - Red Cutter – A small dagger of blood gets formed by Weevle's palms; she then stabs the dagger forward. There is a small tipper mechanic where the tip of the dagger deals the most damage and knockback while the base deals very little damage.
Up Tilt - Wingding – Weevle claps her wings upwards to catch an opponent upwards. It's best as a juggling tool at low percent, but it isn't all that good at high percents, her least useful tilt overall.
Down Tilt - Bite – Weevle tries to bite the opponent, while is has short range, it has high knockback and can trip the opponent.

• Down Tilt (Low or High Diagonal Input): Angled Bite – An angled version of the Bite attack, lower angles have a higher chance to trip but have even shorter range, while the higher angles have a longer range but no trip chance.

Back Tilt - Flipping Beetle – A small backflip backwards, the initial hit is the weakest while the final hit with her feet is the strongest.
Dash Attack - Flydown – A diving attack onto the ground, the sweetspot is in the middle of the attack, while the end of the move is quite slow.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Double Hitter – Weevle winds up two of her fists together to form a larger clamped together fist to punch the foe forward.
Up Charge - Pummel Spinner – Weevle rapidly spins around with all of her fists as well as some blood spike constructs like a tornado, which can actually lift her very slightly in the air.
Down Charge - Crimson Scythe – Weevle's foot creates a blade made out of blood, which she then uses to kick a very disjointed leg to both sides.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Red Spinner – A spin in the air, where Weevle's body spawns blood blades to extend the range of the attack, making it one of her longer ranged melee attacks.
Forward Air - Soaring Blade – A unique attack where Weevle dashes forward with an elbow that has a blade made out of blood sticking out of her elbow. This acts as a midair dash forward, meaning she can't string it together very well, making it better used for mobility. The sweetspot is on the top of the attack, which is the part with the spine.
Up Air - Cicada Clasp – Weevle claps with all of her hands together, creating a shockwave upwards that deals major knockback.
Down Air - Fangs Below - Weevle comes down fangs first to spike the opponent. A stall and fall with a very strong sweetspot but is of course risky to use. Good for recovery too.
Back Air - Soaring Heel – A unique attack where Weevle dashes backwards with an foot that has a blood blade sticking out of her sole. This acts as a midair dash backwards, meaning she can't string it together very well, better used for mobility. The sweetspot is on the bottom of the attack, which is the part with the spine.

Grabs:
Pummel - Rabid Jab - Weevle bites the opponent with her fangs, eyes turning red to indicate her blood-thirsting state. She sucks the blood of the opponent to drain the lifeforce of the opponent.
Forward Throw - Tendrous Toss - Weevle creates blood tendrils to toss foes forward, a powerful kill throw fitting for a grappler.
Down Throw - Frantic Surgeon - Weevle thrashes the opponent with her claws, before burying the foe in the ground.
Back Throw - Red Puree - Weevle drags the foe on the ground before tossing them backwards, which is good for going into combos.
Up Throw - Meteor Mite - Weevle flies up before crashing down with a powerful crushing blow, foes clenched in her arms, a very strong kill throw.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Twin Cutters – Weevle launches two blood disks as medium-range projectiles, the initial hit is weak, but on the way back the projectiles gain stronger knockback, good for bringing opponents in.

• Neutral Hyper - The projectiles increase to three and now pause in the air in a spread shot for continuous damage before returning to the user.

Side Special - Vital Vice - Weevle dashes then performs a command grab, with the choice of knocking the opponent forward, backwards, or upwards.

• Side Hyper - Looping Locust - Weevle dashes forward to perform a loop-de-loop attack while grabbing the opponent, eventually crashing into the ground as a powerful command grab.

Down Special - Flyweight Kick – A dropkick that sends Weevle downwards in a slight diagonal angle, can be aimed left or right, a good recovery tool, the sweetspot is at the very end of the attack.

• Down Hyper - Twin Cleaver – Perform a short dropkick forward and then a short dropkick downward, both can be aimed slightly.

Up Special - Spinning Spider – A spinning slash attack formed by her blood blades that doesn't do much height, but is quite strong.

• Up Hyper - Black Widow – A leaping attack that has Weevle rise up and then launch 3 blood projectiles downward before she gets sent into freefall.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Swarm Shield - Weevle summons 5 small insects to protect herself like a shield, the insects making up this shield can either take a single hit of damage, or collide into the opponent for good damage.
Level 2 - Leech Probe - The attack has Weevle bite the opponent before kicking them away, healing herself a large amount after the fact.
Level 3 - Bloodstarve Frenzy - Weevle glows red from being starved of blood and becomes ferocious, she is faster, has better frame data, and is much more heavier.

Kirbeh made a small update to Weevle's kit to make her consistent with the new formal, added some new command grabs to fit her fast grappler playstyle, overall quite like it.

 

[Glubbfubb]

I'm going to bed, maybe tommorow I'll also update Wynnie and Levi, I don't know, I am tired now.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Good news, Godot being the chandly engine it is, offers FREE rollback netcode, so people can okay online with no issue.

With how rollback is free, it gave me the idea, a lot of Smash Bros mods have their own private servers, so I was wondering, if Sigma Busters were to have workshop support, maybe I can offer private servers for modded versions of the game. I think that could be a cool thing to add that can really attract players. Of course private servers will be moderated, don't want any NSFW stuff, and I don't know the legal ambiguity of modding in characters from other ips to play in this private server, but it seems like a good idea. Maybe go a step further and give workshop developers the opportunity to design actual skins for the Canon fighters to use in the base game, there are just so many opportunities to think about.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Hey Kirbeh , I think I have a cool idea to fix LAMBDA's flaws with their moveset.

Instead of a tradtional Hyper Meter, LAMBDA has a special Heat Meter, LAMBDA is normally very heavy but also slow as molasses with poor frame data all around. However if you manage to hit some attacks or recieve damage you can fill a special Heat Meter, pressing the meter button will cause LAMBDA to have MUCH better speed and mobility, making them on the same tier as the lightweights in terms of mobility, while retaining being the heaviest fighter in the game. Of course you need the Heat Meter filled in order to perform those faster attacks. Unlike other characters LAMBDA doesn't have an enhancable Up Special, they can enhance their other specials, but not their Up Special. That is because their Up Special, Pyro Jet, is powered by the Heat Meter, if you Meter is full it becomes the best recovery in the game due to its sheer distance traveled, however a low Heat Meter makes it among the worst in the game. Their gameplan boils down to a combination of making good reads to fill the Heat Meter, use it when necessary to close the distance, and save some of the Meter for your own survivability. I want your input on the idea, how can I make a moveset that synergies perfectly with this concept?

Also there is a chance a new artist may join the team, my brother seems interested in joining to help me.

This is also my current plan for the distance traveled by Aremi's Pyro Dance, Head Shot, and Pyro Missile, in that order.

 

[Kirbeh]

Glubbfubb

At work rn, I'll check it out when I get home.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Glubbfubb

At work rn, I'll check it out when I get home.

EX 003: Wyrm and Tamm

Spoiler: Wyrm and Tamm's Moveset

Name - Wyrm and Tamm
Gender - Male (Wyrm) Female (Tamm)
Species - Oaklan (Wyrm) and Termitox (Tamm)
Origin - With the return of the Double Sigma came not only a threat from a galactic scale, but a potential threat from an ecological scale. Ever since the ship made its return, several new and exotic life invaded the galaxy, some causing untold ecological harm. Termitoxes, a species of eusocial insects, were one of the major potential threats due to their high breeding rate, causing a team of exterminators to be hired to neutralize the potential pest. One of these Termitoxes, a young queen, started her nest in what she thought was a lowly stump. Unbeknownst to her, she set up inside the body of a young Oaklan, a tree-like species that like cicadas spend many years hibernating in a deep slumber to renew their old bodies. While usually very ancient in appearance and personality, the Oaklan that awoken was comparable in to a small child. Not wanting the rest of the slumbering species to be tainted, bounty hunters, law enforcement, and poachers, all want to neutralize the young Oaklan in order to get paid. However it seems the queen, named by the young Oaklan as Tamm, is helping the boy of bark for mutual survival, using her brood to assist him. Whether this is for her own benefit, or a motherly instinct, these two beings are currently on the run for a high bounty.

Appearance - Wyrm is a rather small child-like being with the build and personality of a young toddler, with a body made out of gnarled bark and green leaves making up what looking like hair. He resembles a marionette doll, with the distinctive joints or the wooden toy and feet resembling clogs. Wyrm only has one eye, with the right eye being intact while the left is gashed, resembling a knothole. Through this hole is Tamm, a rather small, round, vaguely humanoid queen termite queen the size of a volleyball. You can see her peaks out of Wyrm's missing eye and even exits the hole to perform certain attacks or generally give encouraging signals to help Wyrm. Sewn behind Wyrm's back is a cape, something that a character like Little Red Riding Hood would wear, it is dark teal in color and is made out of a species of moss that naturally grows on Wyrm's species, it seems to be sewn, indicating that Tamm likely created it.

Archetype - Zoner/Stance Changer
Gimmick - Swarm Cloud

• Wyrm's airdodges create a cloud of insects, meaning if someone collides with this cloud they will be attacked for weak damage and hitstun.

Intended Strengths -

• Wyrm unique Neutral Special, Mother Mayfly, allows him to be very adaptable, helping him with either survivability, power, or mobility.
• Wyrm is excellent long rang, with solid zoning options and spindly limbs that act like mini-sword swings.
• Wyrm has both solid ground and air mobilty, meaning he doesn't lack in one stat.

Intended Weaknesses -

• If he is not encouraged, Wyrm's melee attacks are quite slow and laggy.
• While not a light weight, he still isn't all that durable.
• Wyrm sometimes relies too much on Mother Mayfly, meaning he can be vulnerable if he doesn't have one on standbye.

Planned Stats: (Give a letter grade from E- to A+)
Walk Speed - B-
Running Speed - A-
Traction - B+
Jump Height - B+
Air Acceleration - B-
Fall Speed - C
Weight - B-

Ground Moves:
Jab - Spindly Spinner – A spinning set of jabs that spin like a wheel, end the jab cycle to perform an uppercut.
Forward Tilt - Cedar Swing – A spindly swing with Wyrm's arms, the range is quite long, though the speed is a bit lacking.
Up Tilt - Parental Protection – Tamm comes out of Wyrm's head to give a protective flurry of punches, better used as a keepaway option.
Down Tilt - Pinwheel Kick – Spinning in a 360 degree motion, Wyrm spins a leg all around himself in a jerky motion, you can actually hold the attack to spin continuously, though the later hits are quite weak.
Back Tilt - Big Bug Bop – Tamm bellyflops her body behind Wyrm, is quite disjointed for a Back Tilt, though the lag is not great.
Dash Attack - Tripping Tackle – Wyrm trips over with some force, while the attack is quilt strong and can KO, the speed can be lacking.

Charge Attacks:
Side Charge - Poking Prod – Wyrm enlongates his fingers to perform a deadly fingerpoke, very long range and quick, though outside the sweetspot its qutie weak.
Up Charge - Lifting Leap - Wyrm gets tossed up by the swarm to batter the opponents from above before flopping downwards in a damaging tumble.
Down Charge - Limp Branch – Wyrm falls over like a ragdoll, damaging anyone around him with a dust cloud.

Aerials:
Neutral Air - Articulated Kick – Wyrm clumsily performs that kick a lot of framliar fighters use as a move like this. The move is weak in the beginning and end but much stronger in the middle.
Forward Air - Cobble Clog – A swinging axe kick with the heel of Wyrm's foot spiking the foe downwards, quite a safe move to use.
Up Air - Frantic Swatter – A move for juggling where Wyrm frantically swats his arms upwards, weak in power but greatly beneficial for combos.
Down Air - No Strings Attached - A spindly twin punch from below to fling opponents to the side, good range but slow speed.
Back Air - Mother's Meteor – From behind Tamm performs a surpringly familiar punch with the capability to spike. Quite strong but lacking in range due to Tamm's... stubby appendages.

Grabs:
Pummel - Scolding Slam - Tamm scolds the assailant with some harsh and rather hurtful words.
Forward Throw - Too Pushy? - Tamm shoves the opponent backwards, it doesn't launch them, but rather trips them for follow up combos.
Down Throw - Burying Beetle - Tamm ground pounds the opponent into the ground, burying them due her large girth.
Back Throw - I Can Handle This - Wyrm takes back Tamm and performs a retaliatory kick to push opponents back, his weakest throw.
Up Throw - Sonnly Slam - Wyrm performs an uppercut, impressing Tamm, this uppercut is quite a potent kill throw.

Specials:
Neutral Special - Mother Mayfly – Tamm decides to give some words of encouragement to help Wyrm, she can give these words in one of several tones:

• Caring - Wyrm is tinted yellow and gains increased speed due to a new pep in his step, though he becomes lighter due to his new carefree bliss.
• Concern - Wyrm is tinted cyan and becomes more defensive, being heavier in weight but weaker in attack.
• Assertive - Wyrm is tinted red and becomes more assertive, his attacks do increase knockback, but he loses some mobility.

This move can't be used willy nilly, Pamm's helpful advice can only go so far, you need some time between words of encouragement to try again. When you lose your current vibe you have to wait a bit before you can use this move again, though you can speed up the wait by spending some Hyper Meter, though you can't use vibes cosistantly.

Side Special - Acorn Missile – Wyrm shoots explosive acorns from his fingers that travel in a straight line but slow their acceleration in the air before exploding, can really catch people off guard.

• Side Hyper - Pinecone Missile – The pinecone doesn't explode, rather it continuously drills into the opponent for continuous damage, good for trapping opponents.

Down Special - Leaf Cape - Tamm flicks Wyrm's cape forward, this flips over opponents to the other side and can also reflect projectiles. When done in the air, Wyrm instead flies with his cape to slowly glide down torwards the stage.

• Down Hyper - Cape Trip – Wyrm's cape now trips the opponent, the attack is also faster and can instantly break shields.

Up Special - Pamm Air Flight - Tamm uses her small wings to somewhat gracefully fly Wyrm up, however, she is clearly past her prime and tires out, sending Wyrm into freefall.

• Up Hyper - First Class Flight- Tamm gains a second wind and flies Wyrm even higher than before, and the attack has armor due to her newfound motherly might.

Hypermax Attacks -
Level 1 - Root Anchor – Wyrm drags the opponent downward with a root before spiking them, this can let him boost as a recovery option.
Level 2 - Wyrmwood - Using his ancient roots, Wyrm becomes giant tree that shoots a giant explosive acorn.
Level 3 - Mother's Love – Tamm gives a very loving word of encouragement, giving him both the speed, weight and power boost from all of her pep talks.

While you were gone, I decided to rework Mytan Queen, but the rework became so drastic that I made it a new character. This lovely duo is Wyrm and Tamm, essentially a surrogate Mother and Son duo fighter. Wyrm does the heavy lifting while Tamm gives her words of encouragement to help him. He has a lot of referenced, Pinnocio with Tamm sort of being his conscious, though I took inspiration from the all-powerful Geno, having a Mario Cape esc attack for the down special, and a Hypermax based off one of Geno's super moves. Don't worry Tamm is like less Nana and more like the Monado Arts, as her pep talks can give Wyrm helpful buffs. She does help in some attacks, performing a Mario Forward Air from behind as their Bair and performing a Dedede Down Throw from a Down Throw. I think this is the most creative moveset I have made in the game, and I hope you like it. Tell me what you think of them.
BTW I really want to make a moveset for your pig guy you have, but I need an idea of what his moveset is like.

 

[Kirbeh]

Some questions and criticisms.

• Why is tree boy named wyrm? The term is used for wingless dragons and large serpents, so I don't see the connection.
  
  
• Similarly, where is Tamm derived from?
  
  
• Sizes need adjusting. If Wyrm is as small as he is, Tamm being the size of a volleyball and residing in his eye socket doesn't really work.
  
  
• I think the basis for Tamm's species could use a change as well. Preferably another organism (doesn't even need to be an insect) that doesn't completely destroy the trees they inhabit (unless you're planning a gruesome/tragic end for Wyrm.)
  
  
• A more general potential aspect to keep in mind; cast variety. The execution in practice is different of course, but Wyrm's base visual design does feel like it might overlap with Aremi a good bit. Both are small, made of wood, have leaf hair. Similarly, among the characters you've made thus far, the vast majority are reptiles (Levi, Wynnie, LAMDA who also share draconic influence and then Kowalski, Chell.), with insect-based species coming in second (Weevle, the Mytan Queen, and now Tamm, who also overlaps with MQ's colony/swarm concept.) It's not inherently an issue as you can still make a varied cast of all one type of thing. With a small cast though, this will stand out more. This is also one of the reasons I insisted on not abandoning Ahab. (Well, aside from just liking the concept and fighting game boxers in general.) Just something to keep in mind for future additions.
  
  
• I do really like the child/guardian concept for this duo, but I feel as though the swarm idea should be separated and expanded on into their own character. A second full on insect character that can take full advantage of the concept instead of just relegating it to just the dodge.
  
  
• With the above in mind, I would expand on the crustacean and parasitic influence for the Mytan Queen rather than making her insect based.
  
  
• For the actual move set you gave Wyrm/Tamm, I'm kinda half and half on it. I like the buff mechanic and a couple of the other moves but most of the rest I'm mixed on.
  
  
• Erycles (pig man) already has a mostly complete move set, only thing I've yet to give him are a Back Tilt, Hyper versions for his specials and Hypermax moves.
  
  
• I feel like the proposed Heat Meter for LAMBDA only winds up making them a character of extremes. The grappler archetype already struggles and especially as a heavy in a platform fighter, low heat makes those problems even worse. On the flip side when they have heat, the high mobility could make them absolutely busted. I think giving LAMBDA a handful of moves with movement built in (like Potemkin's Hammerfall for example) or moves with wide reach (given his large size) should suffice. As for Up Special, I think making it a slow but reliable flight/hover mode ala ROB in Smash or Sentinel in Marvel vs Capcom could also work. It allows LAMBDA to fly freely but slowly, making recovery possible in most situations but being easy to intercept.
  
  
• To briefly touch on cast variety again, I did also notice that a majority of the cast lean on the smaller side. Again, not inherently a problem, but we have a lot of smol going on. Weevle and presumably Wyrm are tiny. Aremi is small. Levi and Wynnie also appear somewhat short due to using Star Fox styled proportions. Potentially MQ and Epsilon as well? I don't think you gave a size for the former and the latter's design changed several times, so I don't know where they're at though the OP still says they're small.
  
  
• Depending on how you want to move forward with certain characters I have some potential ideas/suggestions.

 

[Glubbfubb]

Some questions and criticisms.

• Why is tree boy named wyrm? The term is used for wingless dragons and large serpents, so I don't see the connection.
  
  
• Similarly, where is Tamm derived from?
  
  
• Sizes need adjusting. If Wyrm is as small as he is, Tamm being the size of a volleyball and residing in his eye socket doesn't really work.
  
  
• I think the basis for Tamm's species could use a change as well. Preferably another organism (doesn't even need to be an insect) that doesn't completely destroy the trees they inhabit (unless you're planning a gruesome/tragic end for Wyrm.)
  
  
• A more general potential aspect to keep in mind; cast variety. The execution in practice is different of course, but Wyrm's base visual design does feel like it might overlap with Aremi a good bit. Both are small, made of wood, have leaf hair. Similarly, among the characters you've made thus far, the vast majority are reptiles (Levi, Wynnie, LAMDA who also share draconic influence and then Kowalski, Chell.), with insect-based species coming in second (Weevle, the Mytan Queen, and now Tamm, who also overlaps with MQ's colony/swarm concept.) It's not inherently an issue as you can still make a varied cast of all one type of thing. With a small cast though, this will stand out more. This is also one of the reasons I insisted on not abandoning Ahab. (Well, aside from just liking the concept and fighting game boxers in general.) Just something to keep in mind for future additions.
  
  
• I do really like the child/guardian concept for this duo, but I feel as though the swarm idea should be separated and expanded on into their own character. A second full on insect character that can take full advantage of the concept instead of just relegating it to just the dodge.
  
  
• With the above in mind, I would expand on the crustacean and parasitic influence for the Mytan Queen rather than making her insect based.
  
  
• For the actual move set you gave Wyrm/Tamm, I'm kinda half and half on it. I like the buff mechanic and a couple of the other moves but most of the rest I'm mixed on.
  
  
• Erycles (pig man) already has a mostly complete move set, only thing I've yet to give him are a Back Tilt, Hyper versions for his specials and Hypermax moves.
  
  
• I feel like the proposed Heat Meter for LAMBDA only winds up making them a character of extremes. The grappler archetype already struggles and especially as a heavy in a platform fighter, low heat makes those problems even worse. On the flip side when they have heat, the high mobility could make them absolutely busted. I think giving LAMBDA a handful of moves with movement built in (like Potemkin's Hammerfall for example) or moves with wide reach (given his large size) should suffice. As for Up Special, I think making it a slow but reliable flight/hover mode ala ROB in Smash or Sentinel in Marvel vs Capcom could also work. It allows LAMBDA to fly freely but slowly, making recovery possible in most situations but being easy to intercept.
  
  
• To briefly touch on cast variety again, I did also notice that a majority of the cast lean on the smaller side. Again, not inherently a problem, but we have a lot of smol going on. Weevle and presumably Wyrm are tiny. Aremi is small. Levi and Wynnie also appear somewhat short due to using Star Fox styled proportions. Potentially MQ and Epsilon as well? I don't think you gave a size for the former and the latter's design changed several times, so I don't know where they're at though the OP still says they're small.
  
  
• Depending on how you want to move forward with certain characters I have some potential ideas/suggestions.

Maybe Tamm can be like a giant grub, or a Weta Cricket since they are quite but, though she is still quite ugly cute. It's not her appearance that makes her endearing, it's her wholesome relationship she has with Wyrm. I also wanted her to be a round creature to make her seem sturdy despite her small size, since she does have skme strength to her. As for Wyrm and Tamm's moveset, what specific moves are you mixed on, personally the Acorn Missiles may be not that fitting, but I feel like they need a keep away projectile to better fight. Maybe make Tamm the size of a baseball then. Also for the heavy issue, I was asking about how the Erycles is going since i wanted to add him to the base roster to give more heavy variety. If we had the full roster in no particular order:

Featherweights -Weevle, Mytan Queen
Lightweights - Aremi, EPSILON, Kowalski
Midweights - Wyrm, Levi
Cruiserweight - Wynnie
Heavyweight - Ahab, Chell, Erycles
Titanweight - LAMBDA

In all honesty, I feel like we're lacking in midweights, Wynnie could be seen as a sorta heavier midweight, but the weight distribution is a bit skewered.

I feel the lack in species variety is due to not wanting me to have humans on the roster, so I may have subconsciously been not doing any mammalian aliens, if that make sense.

Also is Barkley and Maggie as better name than Wyrm and Tamm?

 

[Kirbeh]

Maybe Tamm can be like a giant grub, though she is still quite ugly cute. It's not her appearance that makes her endearing, it's her wholesome relationship she has with Wyrm. As for his moveset, what specific moves are you mixed on, personally the Acorn Missiles may be not that fitting, but I feel like they need a keep away projectile. Maybe make Tamm the size of a baseball then. Also for the heavy issue, I was asking about how the Erycles is going since i wanted to add him to the base roster to give more heavy variety. If we had the full roster in no particular order:

I like that even less, but admit full bias, they just gross me out.

As for individual moves, most of the stuff with Tamm actually. A lot of that being due to her current size and location. Some of the moves come off as awkward and unnatural looking animation wise, at least based on your descriptions.

As for Erycles, I can post his full move set once I decide what to give him for Hypermax supers.

Featherweights -Weevle, Mytan Queen
Lightweights - Aremi, EPSILON, Kowalski
Midweights - Wyrm, Levi
Cruiserweight - Wynnie
Heavyweight - Ahab, Chell, Erycles
Titanweight - LAMBDA

In all honesty, I feel like we're lacking in midweights, Wynnie could be seen as a sorta heavier midweight, but the weight distribution is a bit skewered.

I think you could make the Queen bigger and heavier (light or mid), after all queens tend to be the largest in insect colonies. Plus, with the crustacean influence you could say her shell armor has some weight to it. Chell could potentially move down to cruiser weight and EPSILON up to mid.

I feel the lack in species variety is due to not wanting me to have humans on the roster, so I may have subconsciously been not doing any mammalian aliens, if that make sense.

The cast is still predominantly humanoid though? There is a lot you can do with reptiles, but it seems odd that the roster seems hyper focused on them. Mammals offer plenty too, avoiding them just because humans are mammals seems pretty flawed (especially again, when most characters have humanoid bodies anyway). Plus, outside of mammals you still have birds, fish, amphibians, etc., and plenty of other stuff (animal or otherwise) you could be basing alien species on.

Also is Barkley and Maggie as better name than Wyrm and Tamm?

No, because every time I see this, I'm going to think of Charles Barkley lol. My question was more on how you're choosing names. Like, what was Tamm a reference to? Why Maggie? Why Wyrm? I get the idea for Barkley but using it just because it has "bark" in it feels kind of forced imo.

 

[Glubbfubb]

I don't want Tamm to be a cricket since I feel that's a bit too cliche of a choice. Any good ideas you have, it should be a bug associated with trees and something round, again roundness means sturdiness to me. Maybe it can be a hybrid species since they are aliens, maybe part termite, part grub, and part wasp.

Also I notice that if Ercyles is added, we would have 12 characters, the same as Smash 64, I consider 8-12 fighters the standard amount for a new fighting game. Plus Erycles is a another mammel, adding more species variety.

 

[Kirbeh]

I don't want Tamm to be a cricket since I feel that's a bit too cliche of a choice. Any good ideas you have, it should be a bug associated with trees and something round, again roundness means sturdiness to me. Maybe it can be a hybrid species since they are aliens, maybe part termite, part grub, and part wasp.

Also I notice that if Ercyles is added, we would have 12 characters, the same as Smash 64, I consider 8-12 fighters the standard amount for a new fighting game. Plus Erycles is a another mammel, adding more species variety.

Cricket is not what I had in mind at all. (Why'd you even bring it up?)

I was already brainstorming/doodling before this post, so I failed the "roundness" stipulation. Also, not what I was expecting to be honest, I associate "round" with softness. Kirby, marshmallows, stuff like that. Curves are soft. Like how people say soft curves vs hard/sharp edges you know?

Anyway, I extrapolated on the guardian and loose fairy tale influence. My concept is a fairy godmother esque queen of a species based on moths/butterflies (for the fairy look and some utility with the wings serving as his cape), weaver ants (nest in trees without destroying them, generally used as natural deterrent to plant pests) and leaf bugs (leaf-like wings for flight, or just extra jumps in this case.) The appearance/vibe intended is more standard feminine/motherly than what you originally had in mind, plus she's lightly clinging to his shoulders/back rather than inside his eye socket.

As stated above, in this way, her own wings serve as his cape, gently enveloping him and also serving as his extra jumps. By being outside of his head and on his back, she can more easily be of actual assistance for certain attacks like kicking at opponents behind him for a Back Tilt, etc.

For Wyrm himself, I gave him the gnarled bark shoulders you originally wanted to give Aremi as well as small "horn" branches in place of leaf hair to further differentiate their designs. And rather than halving a hollowed-out knothole, I made half of his face like the rings inside of a tree. The bark that made up the left side of his face having been peeled away. He's still got a mostly puppet inspired body, but rather than a standard doll head, I went with a more forest spirit sort of look for his head/face.

For the damage dealing dodge, this design would replace the use of a swarm with a dust cloud of wing scales.

For the actual swarm-based character, I will also propose a new fighter based on what you originally had in mind, termites, plus some locust and potentially wasp or mantis mixed in. In addition to making use of the swarm idea, they could serve as a counterpart to the duo, being a predator to both species. (No doodles for that as of yet as I want to know your opinion on the idea first/suggestions if any.)

And lasty, along with these additions to the bug-based characters, I have an additional proposal for the Mytan Queen to double down on the aquatic aspect and combine crustaceans with cephalopods for a more monstrous/parasitic alien look. (No doodles yet either.) This makes her more distinct while moving away from the insect basis and making the roster more varied.

Spoiler